© Jeff Liu

In August 2018, 100 seasoned adventure-loving endurance cyclists gathered for the start of the inaugural Silk Road Mountain Race, a fixed route, 1700km unsupported bikepacking race across the mountains of Kyrgyzstan via crumbling old soviet roads, single and double track gravel, remote mountain villages and 26,000m of mountainous ascent. Only 29 riders finished, including Canadian endurance adventurer (and former blog guest) Jenny Tough, who battled through snow blizzards, altitude and hike-a-bike terrain to finish in 13 days as first solo lady.

As someone who’s run solo and self-supported across Kyrgyzstan’s Tien Shan Mountains, Morocco’s Atlas Mountains and, most recently, the Bolivian Andes, Jenny is no stranger to demanding endurance challenges (as you may remember from her last blog interview). So what was her Silk Road Mountain Race experience like? And was it as brutal as it looked? Jenny spills the beans below.

P.S Registration for next year’s SRMR is open until 31 December. #justsaying