Day 1.
Fly in to XiaHe Airport in Gansu (flights via Xian, Tianjin or Chengdu)
If your flight arrives early you can sneak in a short ride to check the bike is sweet.

Day 2.
Grasslands route along herders trails. 6 climbs today to keep you busy!

103km / 1402m climbing
Altitude 2800m – 3300m

 

Day 3.

We ride from the Hotel up and over a long steady climb before a sweet descent into Ye Li Guan Gorge.

110km / 1139m climbing
Altitude 2200m – 3600m

 

Day 4.

From the Hotel we climb out of the gorge up through the forest – as you ascend the landscape changes dramatically. 2 big climbs today

73km / 1965m climbing
Altitude 2200m – 3200m

 

Day 5.

We move to a new location further south this morning in the vehicles.  A shorter route today but another long and steady climb before dropping down into a lush valley and visiting a remote Tibetan town.

63km / 604m climbing
Altitude 2800m – 3200m

 

Day 6.

The queen stage over a 4000m pass. The high mountain scenery is spectacular and the altitude will make this a tough day to remember.

77km / 1523m climbing
Altitude 3000m – 4000m

 

Day 7. 

Pack up and fly home.

Notes

Road Surface

Roughly 60% of the roads ridden are gravel or 4wd grassland tracks. The other 40% is broken concrete, tarmac and new concrete roads.

Bike Suggestion

The best option for this ride would be a proper gravel bike with at least 40C tyre clearance. However the road surfaces are quite good and regularly driven on so you could ride it with 34C tyres minimum. There are a few steep sections that will be sketchy on these smaller tyres but you can walk them. Ideally you’ll need to carry some bike packing bags with extra clothing, food and water. Some of the locations are remote and resupply points are few. While we will have a support vehicle the whole time if any emergency arises this vehicle may need to transport a rider and therefore for sections of the ride you could be unsupported. At high altitudes the weather can turn brutal quickly so we will require that you carry essentials to keep warm in case of bad weather.

Bike Transport

Bikes will be transported in the back of an open 4WD vehicle. We will place protection between each bike and secure them well however there is a chance of some rubbing and scratches so if you are precious about your bike protect it with some clear film or bring your second bike. Our road trips use our Ford Transit van which provides excellent support and protection for your bike. Unfortunately this route is not accessible with this vehicles 2wd capacity.

Difficulty

The routes are reasonably long, have a lot of climbing and are mostly at altitude. They are also offroad making them more energy intensive than road riding. This is not a trip for beginner riders. Expect it to be tough and a challenge to complete each day!

Support Services

We will have a 4wd support vehicle. 80% of the route is accessible by this vehicle. We will provide drinks and snacks and have capacity to carry some of your supplies along the route. Due to the nature of off-road riding and the difficulty of driving the vehicle quickly on parts of the route you should expect support services to be more sparse than our typical road trips. Be prepared with the right gear for this trip – clothing for all conditions, bags to carry it on your bike, water containers, gps computer, simple tools for tyre and basic repairs, emergency blanket for sudden changes in weather.

Hotels

As always we stay in the best hotels we can find in each area. We are travelling to small remote towns so expect standard Chinese 3 star hotels.

Whats Expected of the Rider

We expect that you have some gravel riding experience and are experienced at handling your bike. We also expect you can do basic maintenance in case something goes wrong. At the very minimum know how to change your tyres and diagnose basic mechanical problems that may occur on the route. If not sure have a chat with us.