Leaving the river and China behind them, riders will gradually climb up towards Kara-Say. This is the last military checkpoint before they leave the border zone. It’s a long, gentle climb through an increasingly empty and desolate land. Once the army base is behind them they will take on the first and only 4000 meter pass of the race: Suyek pass at 4028 meters. Another massive climb but with a pretty good road surface, they should be able to ride almost to the top before the gradient and altitude will likely force them to walk. After this pass it’s almost a straight descent to the shores of lake Issyk-Kul. Gone is the infamous marsh of the previous edition, replaced by the regularly maintained gravel of the Kumtor gold mine road. It is heavily used by trucks and other vehicles but as riders will be descending it should not be an issue in terms of safety as they’ll likely be riding faster than the traffic. In bad weather the road can get muddy but if not, the 60 kilometre, 5 % average descent will likely be one of the big rewards of the race. Once they reach the shore of Issyk-Kul lake, riders will soon be at the final checkpoint of the race. They will be able to get a hot meal and warm bed if needed. The exact location of the checkpoint still needs to be confirmed but it will be on the short stretch of road along the shore of the lake.