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A brief guide to riding in Mongolia’s Arkhangai Mountains Kit List Maps Ride Stats
The Dirty Nomad
Arkhanga
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rom the great mountains of Arkanghai to the arid deserts of the Gobi, Mongolia is the ultimate place to lose yourself for a few weeks, and with the amount of fermented mares milk you’ll knock back, lose yourself you certainly will!
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Introduction Welcome to this little e-zine on Adventure Cycling in the Arkhangai Mountains of Mongolia Mongolia is a beautiful country to ride in. You will undoubtably have many long days in the saddle soaking up the remoteness of the vast green steppes but there is more to this magnificient country than that. Rugged mountains to the west and central regions provide challenging terrain for the mountain biker who wants to get out there away from the beaten track. One thing to bare in mind. In Mongolia you will need to be entirely self sufficient. There are places to purchase bike parts or tools so you will need to carry all this with you.
Planning your ride A good place to start planning for a ride in Mongolia is to have a look at organised tours running trips out there right now. Almost all of the webstes will have suggested itineraries which you can use as a starting point to plan your own unsupported mountain bike ride. Planning a ride in Mongolia is not easy. There are few good topo maps available outside of Mongolia but fortunately there are good shops in the capital Ulaanbaatar, the best one is the government map shop on Ikh Toiruu street. I started my planning by honing in on an area that would give me a varied taste of Mongolia, from steppes to mountains and a touch of Gobi. I settled on the central Arkhangai region.
Transporting your bike If you have the money, I would suggest taking a dedicated bike bag for this trip as you will more than likely be flying into and out of the capital, Ulaanbaatar so you can pick up your bag on the way out of the country. I tend to use a cradboard box when travelling as often I do what known as an ‘Open Jaw’ itinerary which means I fly in to and out of different cities. Bike shops are only too happy to give you a bike box for free to get them off their hands, but they don’t offer the protection from baggage handlers that dedicated bike bags.cases will. I tend to stuff all my coft baggage in with my bike so help add some padding.
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rom the great mountains of Arkanghai to the arid deserts of the Gobi, Mongolia is the ultimate place to lose yourself for a few weeks, and with the amount of fermented mares milk you’ll knock back, lose yourself you will! Mongolia has a rich and varied landscape for the mountain biker. From the wide open steppes of central Mongolia to the challenging mountain trails of the high Arkhangai mountains or the vast deserts of the Gobi to the Altayn Mountains on the Kazahk border, Mongolia has something for everyone who loves to mix the outdoors with two wheels. The riding in Mongolia can be very isolated, you can go for days without seeing anyone which of course is one of the reasons Mongolia attracts adventurous holiday makers from Walkers to Climbers, Skiers to Cyclists. The roads in Mongolia are all dirt, with the exception of the roads going into and out of the capital, Ulaanbataar. As one dirt road becomes too corrugated, drivers create new tracks and this can lead to some confusion on the maps. Often the roads will just go in different directions and then they’ll meet up again in 5 kilometers time for example. The heat can be stifling and is made worse by the lack of shade. Make sure you carry enough water to get from town to town on the Steppes. If there are Gers around, you can pick up water no problem but if there are none around you’ll have to be self sufficient. Water in the mountainous regions of Arkanghai in June/July is abundant. You will find streams and rivers with fresh water but even so I carried up to 10 ltrs of water per day, just in case. The majority of Mongolian people on the steppes are nomadic, many of them being herders and live off the almost entirely
Gear Lists Mountain Bike: Kona Pannier Racks Books & Maps Old Man Mountain - rear Sher- For maps, head to The Map Kula 2005 pa Shop on Ikh Toiruu Road near I use a hardtail for long distance adventure cycling. I figure the less moving parts to go wrong out in the middle of no-where, the better! The Kona Kula is a great all rounder made eith super strong and stiff Eastern Alumiun tubing, nothing will smash those welds! Throughout the year I use this bike for 24hr races and weekend shredding with my buddies. When I get to do a trip, I fit on Old Man Mountain pannier racks and she maikes for a great pack horse so I get the best of both worlds. Corrugation and rocks are handled beautifully bu the Fox Vanillas up front soaking all that can be thrown at them - even with a blown left seal in Mongolia. A note on rims. The Sun DS2XC rims are not designed for this kind of riding. Removing tyres from these rims can be very hard and frustrating in the middle of nowhere. A flat tyre always happens at the most tyring part of your day where you don’t need the stress of a bead which just wont stretch over the rim. Definately worth swapping these out when you plan to take your bike away for a long haul.
These amazing racks use a skewer system through the back wheel. This is great as many XC bikes don’t come with the rack eyelets on the frame. so a regular XC bike without eyelets for standard racks can be used for
Suggested tools Multi Tool: Alien Multi Tool + full length 5mm allen. Pump: Serfas mini pump Chain Breaker: Park Tools Spoke Key: Park Tools Misc: Cone Spanners x2, Puncture repair kits x2, pedal spanner, pliers, bike lock, spare derailleur - Shimano XT, spare chain - Shimano XT
Camping Equipment Good camping equipment is essential in Mongolia, especiallly in the mountains where the weather can change rapidly from bright sunshine to freezing cold rain in a matter of minutes. I took a one man 4 season tent by a company called Exoed, model is the Velo 1. A good sleeping bag is essential as it can get very cold iin the Arkhangai mountains, I would recommend a down bag unless you have an allergy, check out your local camping shop for advice. A multi fuel stove is the way to go. Finding gas outside of ULN is impossible - best go fuel.
the Elba Electronics shop, Ulaanbaatar. It’s a rabbit warren of a shop with lots of little rooms with all kinds of regional and tourist maps for sale. Lonely Planet guide to Mongolia This book is a great place to begin researching and working out a place to stay in Ulaanbaatar, Tsetserleg and Bayonhongor. The rest of the time I camped. A definate must have.
Photography I always pack two cameras, just in case one packs up on me. Recently I have been packing a third, 35mm compact too. I use the trusty Ricoh GX range of compacts. I have my workhorse, the GX200 as my main camera and my back up is a GX8. All pictures seen in the Nomad series have been taken on Ricoh compacts. Pack plenty of cards as they can malfunction from time to time. SD cards are super cheap these days so don’t hold back.
Solar Power I would suggest packing a solar monkey to power up your mobiles and laptop, check out www.powertravelller.com
Adventure Cycling in the Mongolia’s Arkhangai Mountains
START Kharkorin
RIDE STATS
FINISH
Duration: 11 days riding Route: 450km From Kharkorin to Bayonhongor over the Arkangahai Mountains Highest Point: 3,485m Number of Punctures: None Damage: 4 snapped rear spokes & 2 snapped front spokes
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eing nomadic, these Mongolians move across the steppes as the seasons change They pack up their belongings and even their homes, called Gers, in search of fresh pastures.
Mongolia comes alive during July for the Nadaam Festival, it’s a time for friends and family to come together from all over Mongolia.
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fter checking the bike arrived in Ulaanbaatar without any major breakage’s I arranged a ride by microvan to Kharkorin, the ancient capital of Mongolia set up by Chingiis Khan in 1220, 375km west of Ulaanbaatar. Kharkorin served as the political, cultural and economic capital of the Mongols for only 40 years and is a great place to hop off of your crowded microvan and visit the Erdene Zuu Khiid, the country’s oldest monastery. Once you’ve done your final bike checks and had a good nights sleep camping by the stunning Orkhon Gol river, get ready to head west, 180km to Tsetserleg. The two day ride from Kharkorin to Tsetserleg 180km to the east, is heavily rutted and can really shake your bike. Stifling heat and dust from the trucks and 4WDs who share the tracks make the ride challenging but after 25 km the tracks become less busy revealing the beautiful steppes with their magical shades of green and scattered Ger settlements, ideal for setting up the tent and taking it all in under the stars at night.
tsetserleg T
setserleg, literally meaning ‘Garden’, is a pretty town situated on the northern edge of the Arkhangai mountains and is a great place to begin the trip south into Khangai Nuruu National Park before dropping into the Bayan Khongor Aimag. The town is ringed by mountains, the streets are tree-lined and a lovely little temple overlooks the town. This is the last place to re-stock for food before the trip south.
bulgan
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he weather is very changeable and one minute it can be a scorching 38 degrees and the next can drop to 20 degrees and poor down with rain. My tent went up four times in one day – I would recommend taking light water proof clothing.
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nce you’re out of the town, you really get a sense that you’re on your own except for the odd Ger or m simple dried meet in exchange for smiles and a play on your bike!
If you get a chance (which you will) try the local Airag, a local brew made from fermented mares milk. It has a fiz leading you to a deep valley, your home for the next 3 days. You will find many Gers along the rivers with inquis
The ride through the Khangai Nurru valley follows a beautiful river and is home to many nomad families in the sum steppes is truly magical.
motorbike taking a short cut to south to avoid a 16 hour drive. Nomad families will happily provide cheese and
zzy texture and has a bit of a kick! From Bulgan 37km down the road the trail becomes less defined before sitive kids riding horses, women milking the cows and herders lassoing stray yaks.
mmer, the livestock enjoying the lush green grass. Easy riding with wild horses following and playing on the
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he route south becomes tough once you leave the shelter of the valley. I preferred to push through the larger rocks for nearly the whole day walking the bike rather than risk more spokes being lost. Once up on the pass the riding becomes mush easier and drops into Erdenedsat after a hard two day slog through swollen rivers. The rivers change places for dry deserted tracks in a matter of one days riding. After some eleven days riding, Bayonhongor awaits you at the northern end of the Gobi. For me, the highlight of Mongolia is being self sufficient in the middle of the steppes but never too far from stumbling on a family who will take you in like one of their own. A phrase book will help but to be honest a big smile and a play on your bike gets you a long way!