Where to cycle exactly?

Where will I cycle EXACTLY? Route planning – something, I believed I could put off until late. Until I realized that quite a few gear questions depend on factors that are determined by the roads/paths I take: At which altitudes will I be? Which temperature range? Which chance of snow in the mountains? Is rain more likely or dust?

  • On the upside: I learned a lot of quite critical facts in the last days, saving me from making wrong gear decisions. On the downside: Going throughthese questions made me feel slightly stupid and naiv. Some of the lessons I learned:
  • Some electronic hardware will be prone to fail at these altitude.
  • I will face more 4,000m (13,000ft) passes than I ever thought I would tackle by bike.
  • I am likely to face snow at some point (and also potentially some wolves, if I cannot avoid it)
  • Getting any internet connection in Central Kyrgyzstan and through most of Tajikistan will prove… interesting ;-).

If any of you has advice on how gear copes with altitudes above 4,000m (kindle, smartphone, camera, etc), do let me know.

PS: I took the photo on a journey from Dunhuang to Golmud (China) a few years back. Yes, the roads I will face now won’t be as nicely paved most of the time…

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