Ain't no mountain high enough

Since we secretly classify ourselves as "mountain bikers", it's easy to understand why one of the challenges we were most looking forward to on our trip was The Pamir Highway in Tajikistan; it's a world famous destination whose well earned reputation rests on the fact that it's the highest road on this planet. 

So, while in Europe everyone knows that our highest mountain is just over 4800 metres high, very few know that in The Pamir there are several mountain passes which are almost as high! Yep, we cycled at the top of Mount Blanc!

It's, of course, almost impossible for us to describe the stunning landscapes we witnessed during the 3 weeks we spent above 3000 metres of altitude, but we can talk about what we lived while there.

First of all, no, we didn't have to climb with our bikes strapped to our backs; this road was designed for vehicles so although there are many very steep stretches to overcome, most of the way is pretty doable by bike. The secret is that we did it little by little and that we had trained beforehand and knew our limits well. 

The Pamir doesn't just suddenly shoot up, it slowly winds up valleys, following rivers and taking advantage of natural contours. It took us about a week to reach the first big pass and in this time we got used to the altitude and developed breathing skills to counteract the lack of oxygen. 

We eventually arrived to 3000 metres of altitude where we rested for a few days in a cosy guest house (where we also stocked up on food and supplies) before hitting the big 4000s. 

Another important fact is that The Pamir is not a mountain but rather an immense raised plateau surrounded by countless snow-capped peaks. Although humanity barely exists there, there are numerous dwellings scattered around the place so we never felt lonely nor in danger; Tajiks in general (all Central Asians actually) are some of the nicest people we encountered along our way.

And so with a little bit of experience, willpower and planning we managed to accomplish one of our biggest dreams and learnt a huge lesson; nothing is impossible! 

We're just a married couple with an objective, can you imagine what we could all achieve if we put some passion and determination in everything we did? Can you imagine what we could be capable of if we all started doing a bit of what we loved and loved what we did?