Category | Value | Comments |
Total cycled distance | 12'737 | From departure (Munich) to Kathmandu (Nepal). |
Total distance by bus
| 2'773 km
| - Central Bulgaria (50km) > lift ahead
- Entrance of Istanbul in Turkey (30km) > lift ahead
- Rasht to Tehran in Iran (323km) > lift ahead
- Polur to MahmudAbad in Iran (130km) > lift ahead
- Bojnurd to Ghaskan in Iran (110km) > lift ahead
- Ashqabad to Mary in Turkmenistan (300km) > lift ahead
- Obigarm to Khorog in Tajikistan (400km) > lift ahead
- Khunjerab to Kaxgar in China (430km) > lift back to Kaxgar
- Barga (Mt Kailash) to Kathmandu (1000km) > 4x4 and then bus - lift ahead |
# Total pedal turns | 6'000'000 | On flat roads: 200 turn/km... Ascent : 450 turn/km |
Max. distance | 164 km in 1 day | -164km: From Taktudulak Pass down to Kaxgar (China)
-152km : From Beshar to Golestan (Iran)
-146 km : From Kursangi to Isti-Su (Azerbaijan) |
Min. distance | 10 km in 1 day | - 10 km in Tajikistan : Before I decided to put my bike on a truck to reach Khorog and the Pamirs faster.
- 10km in Taxkorgan, Chinese Tajikistan : From the Petrol station to the Police station, waiting for a lift back to Kaxgar... It took me 2 days before a larry appeared!
- 20 km in Turkey : Journey from Sanyer to Riva... Soo many hills after so many baklava cakes... |
Average speed | 14 km/h | - Tbilisi-Baku >Tehran = 1365 km in 84 hours. Mean speed : 16km/h
- Kharog > Kaxgar = 1024 km in 73 hours. Mean speed : 14km/h
- Kaxgar > Khunjerab = 458 km in 33.5 hours. Mean speed : 14 km/h
- In the Himalayas, in winter, average speed was : 8km/h |
Maximum instantaneous speed | 71 km/h | - 71km/h North of Armenia, cycling downhill on asphalt
- 71km/h North East of Iran, cycling downhill on asphalt |
Average daily distance | 70kms' (summer)
30kms' (winter)
| It varies, but over 7 months, that's roughly my daily range when I am on my bike.
During my last 2 months in Tibet, my average daily distance was 30km's, due to short days, intense cold, altitude, headwinds and poor road conditions. |
Max. temperature | + 45 deg C | When you ride, the relative wind you create makes the heat relatively bearable to my opinion. Heat had not been an issue. Cold may well be a showstopper in the coming autumn/winter ! |
Min. temperature |
neg. 40 deg C
| - neg 40 deg C : Antartica camp in Aksai Chin, in China - at dawn, end of December. No windchill factor. This range of temperature was common along the G219 Tibet-XinJiang Highway) at night in Dec. & Jan.
- neg. 15 deg C : Summit of Mount Damavand (5676m) in Iran, at noon, end of August.
- neg. 12 deg C : At-Baital Pass (4655m) in Tajikistan, at dawn, end of October.
- neg. 2 deg C : Somewhere in the Western Carpathians at 1000m of altitude early morning in May. |
# Punctures | 27+2 | - 27 punctures with my old set of tires, concentrated in 300kms' after approx. 4000 kms' cycling with them.
- With new tires : 2 punctures over 10'000 kms'. |
Main technical failures | N/A | - 2 tires, changed km 4000.
- Front and rear panniers : a few punctures from thorns and pins. 2 plastic braces were lost (as easy to re-make as easy to lose...)
- Left AP-234 Shimano automatic pedal : changed km 2500. Construction faw.
- Crutch : The pad at the bottom-end of it gets eaten pretty quickly. I had to sculpt a new padding end on a regular basis.
- Right-hand switchgear : the return spring broke 10'100 but the switchgear still worked. Failure cause : Fatigue and cold (?) Repaired in Kaxgar at a Giant shop.
- Hydraulic brakes : no issue to be reported at all, even by neg 40 deg C. They did not freeze. |
# Countries | 19 | Germany, Austria, Slovaquia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria,Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh (officially part of Azerbaidjan), Azerbaidjan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrghyzstan, China, Nepal, India |
Max. altitude | 5671 m | - 5671m Damavand Mount in Iran (hikking).
- 5340m Qitai Pass, Aksai Chin, China (cycling)
- 2 months between 4000 and 5400m along G219 from XinJiang to Tibet.
- 4655m At Baital Pass, Pamir, Tajikistan (cycling).
- 4280m Kysyl-Art Pass, Pamir, Tajikistan (cycling).
- 4232m Uybulok Pass, Pamir, Tajikistan (cycling).
- 4150m Nayzatash Pass, Pamir, Tajikistan (cycling).
- 4098m Alugrabat Pass, Chinese Tajikistan, China (cycling).
- 3376m Anzob Pass in Tajikistan (cycling).
- 3252m khaburabot Pass in Tajikistan (by truck).
- 3100m Aknah Lich in Armenia (cycling). |
Lowest altitude | - 27 m | Near the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan |
Max. alt. difference | + 2000 m in 1 day (cycling)
- 3000 m in one day (bus) | There was no road nor track to reach the lake of Aknah Lich in Armenia (11/07/06) but the sunset on Mount Ararat is unforgettable !
Driving out of the Himalayas from Eastern Tibet (Latse) down to Kathmandu. |
Bicycle weight
(bike+paniers) |
Max: 60kg
Min: 35kg
| Fully loaded with extra water, fuel, winter gears and food supply in winter on top of the Himalayas.
Just before taking the plane back to France. No food, no water, no fuel. Only necessary and in-good-shape equipment to be kept after returning. |
