High altitude, sub-zero temperatures, and rugged landscapes. Allow us to guide your thoughts to a long, slow, endurance cycle ride across the stunning Himalayas of Ladakh. A high-altitude bikepacking trip of sorts.

That’s what Shruti Kamaths cycling trip across Ladakh entailed. Spanning over 10 days, the route started from Leh and extended south east towards Hanle close to the China border.

Keeping up with the mild hippie spirit of bikepacking, we have broken down Shruti’s trip in small consumable information bits that can serve as a handbook sorts if you were to plan your own bikepacking trip in Ladakh.

That’s what Shruti Kamath's cycling trip across Ladakh entailed. Spanning over 10 days, the route started from Leh and extended south east towards Hanle close to the China border.

While the solo, self-supported tour had a structure in terms of a planned route, Shruti managed to add a nomadic element by not having a fixed start and stop for most days. Further, on days where fatigue and weather weren’t the best of her friends, she hitchiked for half a day of the route through the local trailer trucks making their usual supply runs.

DAY 1

LEH -
MARTSELANG

DAY 2

MARTSELANG -
HEMIS
GOMPA

DAY 3

HEMIS -
LIKCHE

DAY 4

LIKCHE -
KIARI

DAY 5- REST

LIKCHE -
KIARI

DAY 6

CHUMATHANG -
NYOMA

DAY 7/ Part-1

NYOMA -
RHONGO

DAY 7/ Part-2

HITCHED A RIDE
FROM RHONGO
TO HANLE

DAY 8/ REST

DAY 9

HANLE -
MAHE -
CHUMATHANG

DAY 10

CHUMATHANG -
TIRIDO
lift fron Tirido to Leh

SUGGESTED
ESSENTIALS
TO CARRY

Cycle essentials

A pair of spare tubes

Portable air pump

Head-lights and Tail-lights.

Panniers for storage

Baselayer tops and bottoms for temperature regulation (at least 2 pairs, Merino wool is a great choice)

Beanie. For warmth and is useful as a liner under your helmet.

Neck warmer. The winds can get chilly, neck warmers or scarves make for a useful layer.

Cycling gloves, Woollen socks

Padded cycling shorts or bibs: although not an absolute essential for bike packing, it does make your ride comfortable and enjoyable

UV glares, Sunscreen Chapstick (with SPF)

Cycle essentials

A pair of spare tubes

Portable air pump

Head-lights and Tail-lights.

Panniers for storage

DAY 5 - REST

Day 5 involved hitching a ride for 30 kms from Kiari to Chumathang. Here’s how Shruti puts it: “I decided to take it easy and recover a bit. The family at the home-stay were very sweet and it just made sense to spend a little more time with locals.”

DAY 7 / Part-2

HITCHED A RIDE
FROM RHONGO
TO HANLE

“ There was just one homestay option at Rhongo with very limited rider or traveller traffic. It made sense to keep heading towards Hanle to find a good place to sleep. Luckily, a Bolero pickup truck was headed in the same direction and I could hitch a ride along.”

DAY 8 - REST

“Dusty last patch and tired legs. It was a bit hard to head back to Leh this day and there was a conflict in my head to explore the area around Hanle for the day or be back on the saddle. Eventually, I decided to stay in and finish the book I was reading.”

DAILY TIPS

FOOD:

At higher altitudes, you don’t tend to feel that hungry. Although it is important you consume enough food and water to help fuel your ride. Ideally, keep a carb heavy diet, most homestays will have rice, meat, and basic food. Besides that , stock up on the following for your in-between ride snacks:
Dry fruit/ dry fruit bars Chocolates. Make for an instant energy source
Fruits if available

DAILY TIPS

WATER:

Ideally, carry around 1-1.5 Litres on you through the day.

Carry electrolytes.

Consume two packets of electrolytes daily. One pack to be consumed with water during the ride.

The second pack, post the ride.

DAILY TIPS

REST:

A solo ride demands taking care of yourself at all times. Thus rest is a call one needs to take solely by yourself.

Take a call based upon your fatigue levels. If you are feeling too tired, rest more or stay in if possible. If in-between rides and fatigue kicks in, you would be able to hitch a ride with the locals. Most drive a pickup truck and there will be enough room for your bike.

While Ladakh presents a lot of unknowns, there is a decent Airtel network coverage through and through.

Amidst all the unknowns, one of my friend Sumit Patil (IG handle :@patlanchasumit) was a constant help over the phone for local landscapes and route planning.

He is an ultra cyclist and spends most of his time training and living in Leh, Ladakh.

One of the amusing elements of a slow bike packing trip in a place like Ladakh is the mix you are exposed to: of the calm, quiet landscapes and the occasional not-so-calm-not-so-quiet-internal chatter, the internal chatter that happens when you run out of breath on an uphill, the chatter that happens when the remote landscapes feel extra lonely, or the chatter that comes from missing the bustle of a city we want to take a break from.

For all the mix of emotions a slow endurance activity offers, we hope this handbook will add to letting you experience them fully.

CONTACT
NOS.

Cycles on rent

Namgial

8493955752

CONTACT
NOS.

Cyclist meet-ups

Metta Cafe

9459390915

CONTACT
NOS.

Leh accomodation

Snow Lion

9663287977

Shruti Kamath

Co-founder and Creative Director, Shruti likes to hit the rural side on weekends to get away from the urban bustle.

while in the city, she loves meeting like minded people who share love for design, sports and everthing in-between.

Jayesh says...

“

Lovely Shruti,
Like the pace and ease with which you have done it. Just what will appeal to most slow-travel audience.
Martselang, Likche, Kiari, Tirido, Chumathang, Rhongo are super and easy places to stay. And Hanle is out of the work.
What i feel you missed is, riding from Hanle to Nyoma / Mahe. This ride is liberating and easy to make. But i also understand the same from a solo riders perspective.

Hoping to see more such adventures from Athlos.

On February 26, 2024

Naveen Alexander says...

What a wonderful experience

On February 25, 2024

Mik says...

Very cool and inspiring! As an endurance (tri-)athlete, even if physically more demanding, I find it easier to just compete in organised / contained events like a half distance Iron Man than even attempt to do what you just did!

Big respect. Well done. Keep ’em coming. May you always enjoy the journey.

Am also a huge Athlos admirer / user since many years… we’ve desperately needed a brand like this on the Indian scene. Glad you’ve led the way, Keep innovating!

Onward.

On January 29, 2024

Rajendra says...

This is therapeutic and beautiful. Would love to see more such blogs. Would be nice to know more on how you plan these places, what all things you pack, etc. Thank you for posting this.

On October 13, 2023

Rahul says...

Thanks for sharing and congratulations on taking on this adventure.
The imagery is as well as the choice of words and the way the itinerary unfolds is soothing and nicely paced. Way to go..

On October 03, 2023

SUGGESTED
ESSENTIALS
TO CARRY

DAY 5 - REST