Shelly's off on another adventure...!

Our very own Mike "Shelly" Sheldrake is off on another one of his frankly mind-boggling adventures. He's going to be taking part in the inaugural Silk Road Mountain Race, through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan.

In his own words:

"Flying out today with my LFCC jersey to take part in the inaugural Silk Road Mountain Race, described as a daring fixed-route, unsupported, single stage cycling race through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan over 1,700km of gravel, single and double track, and old Soviet roads that have fallen into disrepair. As well as over 26,000m of climbing at a debilitating altitude and likely to require some “hike-a-bike”, there's the remoteness of the country itself. At Checkpoint 2, near the Chinese border, there’s almost 400km of road with no prospect of resupply.

The terrain and nature of the course will favour a sturdy setup with significant storage capacity. I will be riding a modified cx bike which probably puts me at a disadvantage compared with the mtb riders. But who knows, first time events are full of unknowns. Race director and founder Nelson Trees says the ideal bike is “probably a rigid 29er with at least 2.0 inch tires”

The race gets underway this Saturday (Editor: 18th August). I hope to make the finishers party a fortnight later. An adventure is guaranteed."

Trailer - https://vimeo.com/245350779
 

As with these races here is the link to the map with dots on. Each dot is a rider. I am rider #55. - https://www.silkroadmountainrace.cc/tracking/
 

Here is the official website - https://www.silkroadmountainrace.cc/
 

Dotwatcher.CC is also covering the event - https://www.dotwatcher.cc/race/silk-road-mountain-race

We'll be keeping an eager-eye on Dot 55, and hope to bring you updates as and when we can.