The Bishkek Spectacular - a Loop from and to the Capital
Collection by tristanbogaard
8 routes
36:40 h
411 km
8,080 m
Unfortunately, I got a bad case of food poisoning on day five, forcing us to abandon the scouting trip and hitchhike to Bishkek (an advantage to be so close!). Nevertheless, I've added the days we missed (5 to 7) as proposed route sections with ending spots we think would be good for camping, with distances based on the elevation profile (day 6 is long, but with a long and massive downhill). Day 5 and 6 should ideally be done on week days and early, so to avoid typical Kyrgyz truck traffic.
As for the days we managed to ride, I edited a little video together to give you an impression of what you may find out there. We hope you take our route as inspiration to start your journey from Bishkek and wish you safe passage through the Kyrgyz wilderness!
On The Map
Activities
06:24
82.2km
12.9km/h
1,610m
1,030m
Leaving the comforts of Bishkek! Riding out of the city via the flagpole, after which the mountains unveil themselves in the distance, is a real highlight. Until Kegety village, you're following a pretty quiet asphalt road.
03:38
23.1km
6.3km/h
1,460m
40m
The climb up to Kegety is long and can bear treacherous weather. Be prepared with a good clothing kit and enough food, since you won't see a single shop until Suusamyr. We recommend the village of Sovetskoye (day 1) as your resupply point.
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04:31
35.9km
8.0km/h
1,280m
1,040m
Up and over! After camping before the top, we completed the last ridable switchbacks and pushed over the scree on top of Kegety. The south side is a landslide mess, you've been warned. The valley that follows is tranquil and slightly downhill until the next climb.
06:07
98.6km
16.1km/h
700m
1,630m
After making our way over the short climb, it was time to descend through the long Karakol river valley to Suusamyr. Fill your water from the early glaciers before heading west, as the river gets murky. Suusamyr is a resupply point, avoid the one roadside restaurant to avoid food poisoning.
00:53
9.75km
11.0km/h
240m
30m
As we ate in the one roadside restaurant in Suusamyr, I got foodpoisoning and threw up 6 times overnight. Horrible time. We decided to cut the trip short and hitchhike back to Bishkek. The track to the capital is pretty sweet though, so we encourage you to find our proposed GPX tracks inside The Bishkek Spectacular collection.
- Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
03:36
18.0km
5.0km/h
1,230m
290m
ExpertExpert bike ride. Very good fitness required. You may need to push your bike for some segments of this route. - Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
07:04
98.9km
14.0km/h
890m
2,800m
ExpertExpert bike ride. Very good fitness required. You may need to push your bike for some segments of this route. - Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
04:27
44.6km
10.0km/h
670m
1,210m
ExpertExpert bike ride. Very good fitness required. You may need to push your bike for some segments of this route.
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Collection Stats
- Activities8
- Distance411 km
- Duration36:40 h
- Elevation8,080 m
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