Chost
Internet Cafe, Tashkent, 06-06-07
Way off in Lada-land
Samarqand to Tashkent
(3 cycle days; 335km; 862m)
Samarqand to M39 near Uchtepa (122km; 477m)
M39 near Uchtepa to M34 near Gulistan (112km; 63m)
M34 near Gulistan to Tashkent (100km; 322m)
Hot and hilly
Today's scenery is the best we have seen to date in
Uzbekistan. The initial lush farmland quickly transforms
into a rocky landscape with very little vegetation but
an amazing combination of rolling greens, golds and
browns. A snow-capped mountain range silhouettes our
right-hand view. Contrary to the information given to us about it being flat the whole way
to Tashkent, there is quite a decent climb just before
Jizzakh. While the percentage doesn't match the
"standard
issue 12% signs" on every incline in Uzbekistan,
most of the way is a tough 8%. It is especially difficult in the heat of the day and today is a blistering 48 °C in the sun. We engage
10 hours in total on the road, whereby just 6½ hours
are spent in the saddle...
Tip of the month: Tape and old tube to secure Ortlieb bags
A few years ago, much to the annoyance of owners of
Tubus rack and
Ortlieb bag
combinations, Ortlieb decided
to change the size of their mounting clips. This was so they
could be used on a variety of different size bike racks.
Now, in order for their touring bags to fit Tubus models, a small black insert is needed which fits inside the mount.
The problem with this is, they inevitably
fall out, even when you glue them in. This
of course leads to irritating search sessions
around campsites and in hotel rooms and
corridors. Furthermore, this system no longer stabilises the bags on poor condition roads and they easily
fly off. My bags were bought before Ortlieb made this alteration and I have never had this problem at all. My mounts fit snug around the Tubus bar.
Nigel,
who we met in Osh - and who we have christened as the cycling guru - told us
about this great idea. He suggests wrapping a few layers
of old inner tube and securing this in place
with gaffa or power tape. He swears his
bags have never come off since he made this
adjustment to his racks and he has covered a lot of miles in the last five years of cycle touring.
Samarqand (Uzbekistan) - Irkeshtam ( Kyrgyzstan)
Kilometres: 1055 kilometers and 850 meters
Riding days: 14
Alti meters: 8518 meters
Weather: sun, sun, sun, sun...
Best accommodation: Gulnara B&B in Tashkent.
Special thanks to:
Christine & Gilse for the evening chats at Gulnara B&B in Tashkent • Muzaffar from Kazakhstan who persisted
in giving Ali his watch • Nicolai & Max at X-Store
/ Bike Master for their help fixing Son's
front fork and the free thorough service done
on the cables and brakes • Sandra for the riding company from just out of Osh and all the way to Kashgar • All the boys: Urs & Jonas; Alexandre and Niall for the fun times at Osh Guesthouse • Nigel for his wonderful cycle touring stories • Tom McCutcheon for his Irish humour and love of travel
Breakdowns:
03: broken spoke (Son)
11: flat (Son) replaced tyre again...
16: replaced front fork (Son) after collission
with parked car
18: Son fractures wrist and needs plaster again
18: flat tyre (Ali) first one in 9 months! (since
Leon, Spain)
24: back rack attachment eyelet breaks on bike
(Son)
25: flat tyre (Son)
29: eyelets welded on bike (Son)
