Manali to Leh cycling adventure, one of the bucket list rides of all adventurous cyclists. While many cyclists plan to ride this route at least once in their lifetime, I was already at Leh. Ready with my MTB to conquer the last stage of this Himalayan cycle tour. I and a few of my friends had been adequately acclimatized cycling from Manali to Leh in the past 7 days. All of us were now excited to conquer the highest motorable road in the world – KharDungla pass. But first, let me take you a few days back and brief you about our preparation for this ride of our lifetime.
So, just 2 days back we reached Leh from Manali. The mesmerizing views, difficult challenges, and harsh weather conditions still give me goosebumps in a good way though. As I was unpacking my bag, there was the constant thought of excitement and fear of how is the final climb to Khardungla going to be. After all, it’s at an elevation of 5600m from sea level. That’s 2/3 rd of the height of Mount Everest! Anyway, I calmed myself down and distracted myself from overthinking. I had the best sleep ever that night as the body was fatigued cycling in these mountainous regions from the past few days.
The plan was to climb to the pass tomorrow and today we were going to get all the paperwork of permits done. So, for those of you who don’t know you’ll have to get an Inner Line Permit (ILP)that grants permission to travel in a protected area for about 3 weeks for Indians. The cost per day for the ILP is 20Rs per day and it will cost you Rs 500 as a one-time fee for the permit. Thankfully all of this was taken care of by the ‘Cycling in India’ team who organized this tour for us. Our good old MTB’s were being prepared and we started discussing the strategy to do the climb comfortably. By the way, if you wish to do only the Khardungla climb, you can rent a bicycle for a day from many shops in Leh for about 1300Rs/- But then acclimatization of 3 to 4 days at least becomes mandatory.
Leh to South Pullu check post
It was the month of June, Thursday morning, I woke up at 6:30 am and looked out of the window of our hotel. Clear weather was welcoming us to climb up to the pass. We had a nice healthy breakfast, or should I call it lunch. It was our much-needed fuel for the climb. All of us had stuffed our jerseys with energy bars and gels. Our extra weight was in the support vehicle behind us. The time had come. We started our climb at 8:am. The plan was simple to reach the top by around 12 pm, wait there for around half an hour, and descend down by 4-4:30 pm. I was feeling confident and fit that I would do it. I had done a lot of hill climbing training back in my hometown.
So, slowly and steadily we started climbing the 40 odd km. The roads were smooth and the temperature ideal at around 13 to 14 degrees. As we were climbing up within no time our 2 liters water bottles were empty. Thankfully we had the support vehicle fueling us with all supplies. With every 30 to 40m of ascent, the air was getting noticeably thinner. The hairpins were gradual but in good amount. Now 2.5 hours were passed and we were starting to get tired. I stepped down and started pushing my cycle. We stopped a number of times to take in the view, click some memorable photos, and whatnot.
As my energy levels were depleting, the encouragement from people on their motorbikes and cars waiving at us motivated me to push harder. As I was focusing on putting down one pedal stroke at a time, my body was craving for a proper meal. And just then I could see the check post of South Pullu.
This is where we had to get our documents checked and show the permit. After all the documentation was done, we sat down to have a proper meal at the canteen there. The food energized us like nothing and also we knew that our destination was only 14kms from here. Unaware of the difficulty of the terrain ahead we hopped onto our saddle once again.
South Pullu to Khardung La
As we started riding back, I realized we made a small mistake of taking a long break at the check post. It was already 11:30 am and we still had the last 14km of the treacherous road ahead of us. The fear of us getting late to descend back started hovering in my mind. But, with the encouragement of my cycling buddies, I continued ahead. The road here was not in an ideal condition like it was previously. Fortunately, we were facing very little vehicular traffic.
It was 12:30 pm and few only had the last few km to go for the summit. We stopped at the roadside to catch our breath. I decided to walk the entire distance. But, just then I saw a much older cyclist pedaling slowly and steadily passing right past us. He waved at us with a big fat smile and continued ahead. This simple wave and smile were enough to inspire me to pedal all the way up and not just walk. Eventually, all 3 of us caught up with him in a km or two. We were amazed to hear that he was doing the climb unsupported. It boosted our spirits enough to take all of us to the top. Finally, I took a deep breath and just sat there for a few minutes.
With instant noodles in one hand and being surrounded by the Himalayas all around, I felt blessed to experience this magical moment. Like everyone around us, we clicked a picture near the signboard that read “18.800ft – Highest motorable road in the world.” – a memory of a lifetime. We were standing at the Khardung La pass which connects the beautiful Nubra and Shyok Valleys in the Ladakh region. It was an unforgettable moment.
The Descend from Khardung La to Leh
Enjoying the moment we didn’t realize that it was already 2 pm. Fortunately, we were not facing high altitude sickness symptoms why wait for them to occur. It was starting to getting pretty cold. I put on the windcheater jacket and here we were ready to descend down this hell of a climb. Everyone loves the descent, especially after they have earned it. So, here we go, zipping through the winding roads of Ladakh and being extra careful at the same time. You won’t realize and you’ll be cruising at a speed of 50kmph! It felt like 0 degrees at high speeds but the adrenalin rushing through our veins compensated for the cold. We reached back to our hotel in Leh safe and sound, without any puncture at around 5 pm as per schedule. It was time to celebrate. There were mixed feelings of happiness of completing this climb and also the sadness of having to go away from their magical place. I hope to come back again.
Cycling to Khardungla is once in a lifetime experience. One must not take it lightly and train adequately to successfully complete the climb. Especially if you are doing it unsupported. More than the top, the journey to the top is mesmerizing because of the incredible views of this landscape. Mountains make you humble and disciplined. This is why I would love to come back and explore more areas like the Nubra valley, Pangong Lake, and more on my bicycle.
