6 keys to the Silk Road Mountain Race

Рет қаралды 16,785

Күн бұрын

The Silk Road Mountain Race is one of the most legendary race on the bikepacking circuit. With rough roads, high elevation, little resupply, extreme temperatures and long hike-a-bikes, it is an intimidating challenge.
What I aim to do here, as a two time winner of the event, is to highlight what I think are the most important aspects of preparing for this adventure. What will help you make the best of an adventure that is as challenging as it is rewarding.
_____________________________________________
Footage
Fanny Bensussan
Additional footage
Sofiane Sehili / Evgeni Chystiakov
Editing
Fanny Bensussan
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0:00 6 keys to SRMR
0:46 remote wilderness
2:54 be physically fit
6:31 food safety
9:38 realistic expectations
12:27 study the course
16:20 the right bike
19:29 more tips
21:21 conclusion

Пікірлер: 111

@jamesrath6323 Жыл бұрын

A video dedicated to avoiding saddle sores would be insightful!

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

Good idea! But it's a complex matter so if I want to do it well, I'm gonna have to do more research. But I'll definitely consider your suggestion

@OscarMager Жыл бұрын

@@sofianeshl Great video! Any suggestions as to what healing cream worked for you? I personally seem to go well by a French product called Ialuset, but would be interested to hear about any alternatives.

@kevinbiketour1 Жыл бұрын

Saddle skin is just like training your legs. Time in the saddle must be trained too.

@OscarMager Жыл бұрын

@@kevinbiketour1 Agree, on longer tours it's usually only after the first couple of days and will disappear after treatment.

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

@@OscarMager I use Avène Cicalfate +

@sebastienemir151 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for those keys :)

@milanoreddc5591 Жыл бұрын

Good luck Sofiane! 🚴

@carpecarp 11 ай бұрын

Great info and well considered, thanks very much! Good luck for next time.

@almuraar Жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing this information

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

You're welcome 🙂

@josemauriciorigon1519 11 ай бұрын

Obrigado pelas orientações, parabéns pelas suas conquistas

@c.k.9728 11 ай бұрын

Realy good video...👍

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

🙏🙏🙏

@daurenkulsarin1360 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for expressing your love to Kyrgyzstan ❤ Wish you amazing race this year🔥

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

There's a reason I keep coming back

@herbertbloch4167 Жыл бұрын

Several good points I would certainly agree with . Especially because some might seem obvious, but can't be over stressed.

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

I'm trying to make it interesting for both beginners and seasoned racers going to Kyrgyzstan for the first time.

@ctouzelet 11 ай бұрын

Thank you for this excellent video. Your advice applies to most candidates at the start of an ultra. Equipment, physical condition, diet, butt-pain,... as you say, are all determining factors in not only finishing, but staying in control and happy during the race. A video on saddle sores is a great idea, but the topic is so "personal" - morphology, skin type, bike fitting, saddle model (shape, width,...), the shorts,.... a difficult topic to deal with. Happy SRMR!

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

Thanks 🙏 I am very happy to be back in Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬

@fpeter01 Жыл бұрын

Study the course! Well I had a whole camping gear with me on my last ultra, but I didn't really check the course. It went through pretty remote mountainous areas. The race was started on Friday, and it avoided bigger towns for the first couple of days. I had food for Friday, but the resupply was not easy on the weekend!

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

Very important to know what you're getting into when you sign up for a long off-road ultra!

@bluegreymtb3350 Жыл бұрын

like the Vitus shirt

@brian193a Жыл бұрын

great video Sofiane. In addition to the advice about food, I'd add to be careful where you get water from, including for brushing teeth. IME once you're outside of Bishkek don't trust tap water to be safe to put in your mouth, and "never" (maybe in the highest mountain creeks) trust water from rivers, lakes etc

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

I usually treat my water with tablets.

@007pikes Жыл бұрын

Merci mon ami

@xavierleparisien929 Жыл бұрын

Merci pour toutes les astuces, et encore bravo 😊 hellofromparis😅

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

Avec plaisir 😊

@ernestodibetta5103 7 ай бұрын

Hello Sofiane congrat for your results. I'm preparing Atlas 2024 and I'll follow all of your advices even for SRMR. Thanks! Ernesto

@sofianeshl 7 ай бұрын

Good idea 😉

@jamesmckay8427 11 ай бұрын

Congratulations on the tremendous achievement! We volunteers of checkpoint 3 were disappointed to miss you!

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

I was ahead of the volunteers at every checkpoint 😂

@jamesmckay8427 11 ай бұрын

@@sofianeshl Nelson underestimated your pace this year!

@lyseb.7600 11 ай бұрын

Bonne course 💪

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

Merci 🤙

@mmau 11 ай бұрын

Very good video Sofiane. Thanks! Good luck in the race.

@wiiskimonetier1611 11 ай бұрын

Merci Sofiane, très intéressant ! Dynamo obligatoire? Merci et bonne suite!

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

Vu le peu d'endroits où on peut recharger, je recommande fortement de partir avec une dynamo.

@glfl2523 Жыл бұрын

Great!👍🏻 What is the perfect drivetrain for you if you have the choice without limitations. XTR, XX1, XX1 AXS, Transmission….and why?

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

For me the perfect drivetrain is either XT or SLX 12 speed mechanical. I wouldn't go with XTR as you're going to smash your expensive groupset and there's no added value. I like the range of 12sp shimano with their 10-51 cassette and a 32T chainring. I'd pick shimano over sram as it seems to be more reliable. And I like the peace of mind that mechanical shifting brings. Especially after the recent failures on the Tour Divide.

@omare_biketonature Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the tips and advice, great info! I am an avid off road cyclist, familiar with camping and remoteness, love to climb, used to cold temperatures and have made some tough rides and think that I can finish this race but I have never pushed that hard so I’ll know when I’m there 😅 You didn’t mention the mental aspect of the race, what if you are physically prepared, have the right bike and gear but you’re mentally weak! Is there such a thing as be mentally prepared? And during the race, do you have a technique to overcome those low moments when you feel like scratching? Or you are just tough, mentally strong and determinate

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

Mental strength is key but it is acquired over time through various experience. There's no easy or fast way to become mentally resilient. I think it also depends on your personality and your upbringing.

@user-bj7kt9vm2c Жыл бұрын

My advice for you is to start with a shorter race closer to where you live, if there is no short race nearby then just compete against yourself, prepare a course and time frame and ride according to the rules. This is excellent preparation for a tough race like this.

@omare_biketonature 11 ай бұрын

@@user-bj7kt9vm2c thanks for the advice, I have already done exactly that, have done long and really rough rides in Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia and Norway, next year I’m signing in for the Venetto gravel and the bright midnight to see how it goes 😎

@francoisercolano7070 Жыл бұрын

salut sofiane, félicitations pour ta récente victoire à la bright midnight, tu n'as pas parlé de la largeur des pneus en semi-rigide voire en gravel, thanks

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

Perso je roule en 2"25 / 55mm en VTT. Pour un gravel, je conseille de mettre le plus gros possible. 48mm minimum

@anthonyjouannic3980 Жыл бұрын

Salut Sofiane ! merci pour la vidéo. Je serai de la partie cette année. Penses tu qu'avec une cassette 10-44 et un pédalier de 38 dents ca passe (Ekar Campagnolo)?

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

A mon avis, c'est pas optimal. Après, oui, ça passera. Il y aura juste des parties que tu pourrais rouler avec un autre développement et où tu devras marcher.

@thierrykokel5012 11 ай бұрын

Merci Sofiane, c'est très complet. Et bravo (on a dû te le dire 3 millions de fois, voire plus). Juste a little question : les rayons ayant la facheuse tendance à casser à l'arrière côté cassette, qu'utilises-tu pour démonter celle-ci ? pas un fouet à chaîne je suppose .... Thanks

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

Les moyeux Hunt se démontent sans outil. Donc j'enlève juste le corps de cassette

@jurgenober5696 5 ай бұрын

Thank you for these great tips. I'm starting SRMR 2024, is the Garmin Edge 1030 suitable for navigation? 😎

@sofianeshl 5 ай бұрын

Yes, I used it to win the 2023 edition

@jurgenober5696 5 ай бұрын

COOOOOL, thank you 😎✌@@sofianeshl

@starduck5198 2 ай бұрын

salut , super vidéo. Petite question je suis très intéresse par la course , je pratique l'enduro avec un full suspendu tranceX 29 je roule avec un section de pneu 2.50 avant dhf et 2.40 arrière dissector. Donc ma question bête, roule avec une configuration de pneu pareille serais suicidaire pour cette course ? ou un avantage par moment

@sofianeshl 2 ай бұрын

Ah non ça n'a rien de suicidaire. Perso je suis en 2.25, donc pas beaucoup plus petit

@adamgreenberg2595 Жыл бұрын

Do you think it's necessary to download a a map of Kyrgistan for my Garmin or are the gpx files from Komoot enough?

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

It's best to have some sort of map to navigate the course. I think you can find OSM on some websites.

@andrewfraser5598 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing this advice. You mentioned you used a repair cream to avoid saddle sores. Whar cream do you use?

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

I use Avene Cicalfate + which is easy to find in France. Might be hard to find somewhere else

@cyclistefroisse9267 11 ай бұрын

👍, Thanks for being, again, so transparent. I remember you mentioning previously which cream you use but got confused between Cicalfate by Avène and Cicaplast by la Roche Posay, both are French, which doesn’t help 🤪. (... and my charming pharmacienne isn’t into cycling).

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

@@cyclistefroisse9267 I started using Cicalfate on the French Divide in 2020 and I've been very happy with it ever since. I might go as far as calling it a game changer.

@cyclistefroisse9267 11 ай бұрын

Merci, Sofiane. You are really “un bon gars”, “un chic type” (est ce que ça se dit encore en français moderne ?), “un mec bien”. You are an adorable human being, there again, I suspect that it helps to win races in far flung countries😘. Claude.

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

@@cyclistefroisse9267 Ah non, "chic type" ça ne se dit plus trop de nos jours 😁 Mais je fais de mon mieux pour en être un

@stevia13 Жыл бұрын

Hi Sofiane - thanks for the video, which I found really interesting. Can I ask if you might consider doing a bike pack video, showing how / where you are packing your kit for Silk Road, including that winter / warm sleeping bag, which are pretty bulky. Mamy thanks again, Steve 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

I'm not sure I'll have time to do that. What I can tell you is that I use a Sea To Summit Spark SpIII

@vanbarrettdesign 11 ай бұрын

And a bivy?

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

@@vanbarrettdesign I use a bivy but I do not recommend bringing one to Kyrgyzstan if you've never been there before. It's a good idea to be on the safe side and bring a tent

@cyclistefroisse9267 Жыл бұрын

Salut Sofiane, @19:35 « I recommend that learn basic Russian (or sumthink) .... it is not mandatory but it will help a little bit ». C’mon, Lad (you’ve learnt that word in Scotland 😉if you didn’t before) as you described, no cell coverage, exhausted, hungry, dirty and desperate to find a hotel.... if you can’t say hotel in Russian, good luck with that. I’ve watched for the second time one of your videos about the Silk race, it’s at the start of the race, it’s dark, where is Sofiane pedaling, at the front of the pack, Nope. Sofiane pedals in the pack, and possibly at the tail end of it. There’s a rider next to you and what do you ask him ? You ask : How do you say « Good luck » in Russian ? That got me smiling, the race has started but good pupil Sofiane is still doing his homework 😉and he doesn’t miss an opportunity to enrich his vocabulary in Russian. Sacré Sofiane 😊! (see also hilarious Spanish lessons and toothless old people in Colombia). Ride on, Champ ! All the best for your future races.

@VelcorHF Жыл бұрын

You are giving away his secrets haha.

@cyclistefroisse9267 Жыл бұрын

Fair point, then I’ll disclose a secret too. You can train your gastrointestinal system, making it as robust as Kirghiz people have, sustaining yourself on gone-off food, roadkills and deliberately left at ambient temperature food meant to be kept refrigerated. Over-processed and hyper-sanitized rich countries food is a curse for travelers. Disclaimer : do this at home, at your own risks.

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

What can I say? I absolutely love learning new languages!

@cyclistefroisse9267 Жыл бұрын

Of course you love it, it shows, and I suspect that you are gifted at learning languages. If that provides you with a competitive advantage, good for you !

@StefanoMantegazza 10 ай бұрын

@sofianeshl how you manage wet feet especially if after a river crossing you have a high pass to climb with temp. below zero...?🥶

@sofianeshl 10 ай бұрын

I change socks 🧦 I always keep at least one dry pair. Preferably merino wool. Also this year I was carrying an extra pair of insoles. Changing both socks and soles makes a big difference.

@StefanoMantegazza 10 ай бұрын

Thank you Sofiane...Congrats...!!@@sofianeshl

@vc1954 8 ай бұрын

what healing cream do you use?

@sofianeshl 8 ай бұрын

Cicalfate plus

@junkclub1 10 ай бұрын

Bonjour Sofiane, utilises-tu un harnais porte-vélo pour les grosses parties hike-a-bike? Ou tu la joues vélo sur l’épaule uniquement? Merci

@sofianeshl 10 ай бұрын

Non, je n'ai jamais utilisé de harnais. Mais c'est une solution à laquelle je commence à m'intéresser. C'est un réel plus pour certaines sections.

@junkclub1 10 ай бұрын

Merci pour ta réponse et disponibilité@@sofianeshl

@MrCruxio24 11 ай бұрын

Bonjour Sofiane, quel est le model de ton vélo ?

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

C'est le Vitus Rapide HT

@MrCruxio24 11 ай бұрын

@@sofianeshl Merci

@igorkurinnyi5743 Жыл бұрын

Hello Sofiane, any tips on what values of W/kg rider should have in order to accomplish such race?

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

I honestly don't think it matters. You don't need to be a super strong cyclist to finish the SRMR. And you can be very strong and fail. It's much more than a bike race.

@simonechiasserini202 11 ай бұрын

Credit card or current money?

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

It's very much a cash based economy. Only fancy hotel and restaurants accept credit card. You will find ATM's in the big cities like Bishkek, Osh, Karakol, Naryn or Kotchkor, where you can get cash. Outside of these places, always carry cash

@simonechiasserini202 11 ай бұрын

@@sofianeshl thank you for your video and information about SRMR

@cryptobloke1 11 ай бұрын

Tu es le Pogacar du bikepacking Sofiane! Y auras t il des adversaires a ton niveau cette annee? (Jay P, james mark,...) ou est ce qu entre barons vous vous arrangez pour ne pas vous faire de concurrence sur les epreuves? Autre question : y a t il une raison pour laquelle toi et les cadors de la discipline ne participent pas/plus au bikingman (tu en as faite par la passe mais j ai l impression que maintenant c est mort?)

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

Cette année il y aura beaucoup de beau monde. Justinas Leveika, Angus Young, Jochen Borhinger, Manu Catrysse, Josh Ibbett, James Hayden, Steven Le Hyaric, Adrien Liechti etc... Quant aux bikingman, ce sont des courses plutôt pour les débutants, avec une faible densité. Elles restent assez confidentielles et offrent donc peu d'exposition.

@cryptobloke1 11 ай бұрын

@@sofianeshl ah cool j espere que James Hayden a les crocs..ca s annonce comme une tres belle course.j espere que tu vas pas assomer la course des le jour 1. Tu as trop l habitude d etre en tete..j aimerais bien te voir en pourchasse enfin on verra..good luck pour la triplette

@cyclistefroisse9267 11 ай бұрын

i.e. Exposition. Here’s wondering ( the question is metaphorical) if, either Logan publishes a « Rigs of [enter race name] and a race exists, if Logan doesn’t that race doesn’t exist. Likewise, as a racer, either Patrick at 🚲 or ⚰️ is interested to talk to you, interested in your opinion ( we ain’t gonna reignite that controversy about asterisks) or Patrick isn’t, and in this case, a racer doesn’t exist much. Never forget ( I am sure you don’t) where MTBs were invented and where the concept of bikepacking races originated from, hint, it’s the same country😉).

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

I'm sure it's the racers that make or break a race rather than BP.com But most accomplished racers are looking from something adventurous and challenging. Or, in the case of Bright Midnight, a novelty. A thousand km on tarmac somewhere in western Europe isn't very appealing to top racers.

@cyclistefroisse9267 11 ай бұрын

Sorry, should have been more specific, from a business ($$) perspective, that’s what sponsors are interested in, at the end of the day, as you know. Who cares about what bike and set of wheels last Bikingman winner used ?

@gregoryheeren 11 ай бұрын

Drink Kumiz if you have diarrhea in Kyrgyzstan ;-) fixed my bowels each time (I was bikepacking, not racing)

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

For those not familiar with central Asia, kumiz is fermented horse milk. Not sure it works for everyone but there's no harm in trying 😅

@cyclistefroisse9267 11 ай бұрын

Lots of goodness in fermented milk (no reason it would be any different with 🐴 milk ?) Goes by a number of names ( most of them must be familiar to you) made with 🐄 milk. Leben, laban, liben, lben or Aɣu, Iɣi in the Middle East and North Africa. Swedish, Filmjölk France, once commonly found in Brittany (not sure if it’s still the case ?) Lait Ribot (buttermilk for Brits). IMHO, it quenches thirst much better than regular milk. My favorite, slightly salted turkish « Ayran ». You can knock down 1l in one go and get back on your bike, stand on your crank or spin at 100+rpm, no digestion issues, AFAIC.

@cyclistefroisse9267 11 ай бұрын

Thanks 👍

@sofianeshl 11 ай бұрын

@@cyclistefroisse9267 Maybe that's because I grew up drinking it, but I find lben much much better than kumiz. And slightly better than ayran.

@UlukOsmonov Жыл бұрын

Kyrgyz language words also will be more useful in the regions, not only Russian. People in remote areas don’t speak Russian, really. I live in Kyrgyzstan and did the race in 2021 (Third edition) and 600 km in 2023 (4th ed)

@sofianeshl Жыл бұрын

The only Kyrgyz word I know is "üç" (three) because it's the same as Turkish.

@UlukOsmonov Жыл бұрын

@@sofianeshl Counting and numbers are 100% identical to Turkish. - Гостиница or Hotel - is "meimankana" in Kyrgyz. - Water - is 'suu' - Bread is "nan' - Food is 'tamak'.