Adventure Anecdote: Silk Road Mountain Race 2022
Related to
Which ride, run, race or adventure is this story from?
Silk Road Mountain Race 2022
When did this happen?
August 2022
Tell us the story.
The race began at the airport
So Silk Road Mountain Race 2022 was my first race, my longest ride before this was 1200km brevet CKB with Delhi Randonnuers. Also, this was my first time going abroad on my own, that too with the bike. So, the adventure started right from the moment I entered the Airport.
The missed flight
I I got to the line for checkin, I saw that there were around 50 other cyclists waiting in the line too. This must have been a rare sight. Apparently they were going to Kazakhstan for an ironman event in the same flight as me. At that I didnt know that we had to inform the airline in advance about the cycle, so i hadnt done that while most of these other people had.
A rushed arrival in Osh
To sum it up, they didnt let me board the flight. SRMR was due to start in 2 two days, on midnight 15 August and here I was on 12 August, having missed a flight. I begged the airline people to do something, so one of the guys helped me out by shifting my ticket to a flight on 14 August which would get me to Bishkek on evening of the same day. I took that.
Learning as the race went on
Nelson helped me out by getting me a flight from Bishkek to Osh. He responded patiently to my inexperience and anxiety and I am grateful for that. So, I reached Osh at 11 pm on 14th, reached my hostel and realised my room had been alloted to someone else as I was very late. But anyways, I got a bed and slept. Next day I set up my bike, went to registration with absolutely no acclimatisation, no idea what this country was like and just started the race. I am convinced that its a miracle that I finished it.
A bike box and a second chance
I didnt know how to set up a tent, didnt know how to navigate on the garmin. This first playthrough of SRMR will always be special.
A lesson in preparation
Sidenote. When i was stuck in Delhi after missing my flight, I stayed at my friend Parakram Hazarika's house. I realised that my cardboard box for the bike was no good, went to decathlon and they packed my bike for me in a good box. If i had got on the flight with the box I had, my bike would surely have been damaged. So, all that happens is simply God's will for the best.
Proving the Rockrider wrong
Another sidenote, while packing my bike the 2 people in the bike department of decathlon were very understanding, but they said the bike I taking was a rockrider, which was no good it was stupid to even try doing race on it. But well, my bike proved them wrong and I later called them to tell them that.
Tell us what the photo shows and add photographer credit if needed.
It shows my bike fully prepped with the box it came in, at the hostel in Osh.