Cycle-touring, Adventure & Challenges

Today got me thinking about cycle-touring, adventure & challenges and the relationship between the three.⁣
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Before we set off to tackle Khulo pass this morning we knew we were in for a tough day and we were climbing up to the highest point of the trip so far. ⁣
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We also knew the roads were bad. We knew it was bad…really bad, because we passed 4 cyclists who warned us. Everyone said the same, it’s worth it. ⁣
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Overly confident, we set off with a plan to do 50 miles.⁣
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20 miles later we called it a day, we’d cycled up 5500 feet (1600 metres) and the tarmac ended at about 3000feet! That was enough for one day!⁣
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The road was mainly dirt with some gravel and the bikes and panniers are an absolute mess. I fell off my bike, I pushed my bike and we both felt the struggle of the hill.⁣
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We called into a hotel for food, but as we were waiting 1 hour for our food 🙄 it started to rain and it got cold. We decided to stop for the night in this ski resort hotel. ⁣
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We’ve got at least another 1000ft to the top and then hopefully back to civilisation tomorrow.⁣
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It was a challenging day, but we loved it. Challenges come with adventure. The struggles, the hard work, the tough roads all add up to adventure and achievement. Without it, I’m not convinced this world cycling tour would be worth it. ⁣
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You can plan a lot on a bike ride like this, with Google you can choose to see as little or as much as you like of your adventure. You can even plan your routes by gradient, but don’t the unknowns, the uncertainties and the tough days make it what it is? ⁣
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Khulo pass is the perfect recipe for a memorable experience – we haven’t finished it yet but I know we won’t forget it. It’s had everything! Challenges, views, other tourists and achievements. ⁣
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What do you think? Do you need to be challenged in order to have adventure?
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(Thank you to @goingincircles.uk for recommending this – we’ll never forget it) @ ხულო / Khulo