6 keys to the Silk Road Mountain Race

[@jamesrath6323]

A video dedicated to avoiding saddle sores would be insightful!

[@sofianeshl]

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]

@@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]

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

[@OscarMager]

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

[@sofianeshl]

@@OscarMager I use Avène Cicalfate +

[@carpecarp]

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

[@milanoreddc5591]

Good luck Sofiane! 🚴

[@sebastienemir151]

Thanks for those keys :)

[@ctouzelet]

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]

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

[@almuraar]

Thank you for sharing this information

[@sofianeshl]

You're welcome 🙂

[@jamesmckay8427]

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

[@sofianeshl]

I was ahead of the volunteers at every checkpoint 😂

[@jamesmckay8427]

@@sofianeshl Nelson underestimated your pace this year!

[@daurenkulsarin1360]

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

[@sofianeshl]

There's a reason I keep coming back

[@ernestodibetta5103]

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]

Good idea 😉

[@bluegreymtb3350]

like the Vitus shirt

[@josemauriciorigon1519]

Obrigado pelas orientações, parabéns pelas suas conquistas

[@fpeter01]

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]

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

[@c.k.9728]

Realy good video...👍

[@sofianeshl]

🙏🙏🙏

[@herbertbloch4167]

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

[@sofianeshl]

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

[@lyseb.7600]

Bonne course 💪

[@sofianeshl]

Merci 🤙

[@christopheaudiberti1173]

Merci pour toutes ces superbes informations,tu n a pas parlé de l eau,filtrage, quantité,merci pour ta réponse Sophian.

[@sofianeshl]

J'utilise des pastilles micropur

[@007pikes]

Merci mon ami

[@xavierleparisien929]

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

[@sofianeshl]

Avec plaisir 😊

[@jurgenober5696]

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

[@sofianeshl]

Yes, I used it to win the 2023 edition

[@jurgenober5696]

COOOOOL, thank you 😎✌@@sofianeshl

[@thierrykokel5012]

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]

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

[@starduck5198]

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]

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

[@wiibike53]

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

[@sofianeshl]

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

[@omare_biketonature]

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]

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.

[@ישראלשורץ-י2ק]

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]

@@ישראלשורץ-י2ק 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 😎

[@brian193a]

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]

I usually treat my water with tablets.

[@junkclub1]

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]

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]

Merci pour ta réponse et disponibilité@@sofianeshl

[@mmau]

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

[@francoisercolano7070]

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]

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

[@andrewfraser5598]

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

[@sofianeshl]

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

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

👍, 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]

@@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]

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]

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

[@glfl2523]

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

[@sofianeshl]

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.

[@anthonyjouannic3980]

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]

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.

[@vc1954]

what healing cream do you use?

[@sofianeshl]

Cicalfate plus

[@StefanoMantegazza]

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

[@sofianeshl]

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]

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

[@stevia13]

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]

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]

And a bivy?

[@sofianeshl]

@@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

[@adamgreenberg2595]

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]

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

[@MrCruxio24]

Bonjour Sofiane, quel est le model de ton vélo ?

[@sofianeshl]

C'est le Vitus Rapide HT

[@MrCruxio24]

@@sofianeshl Merci

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

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]

You are giving away his secrets haha.

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

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]

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

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

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 !

[@simonechiasserini202]

Credit card or current money?

[@sofianeshl]

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]

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

[@cryptobloke1]

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]

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]

@@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]

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]

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]

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 ?

[@igorkurinnyi5743]

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

[@sofianeshl]

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.

[@UlukOsmonov]

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]

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

[@UlukOsmonov]

@@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'.

[@gregoryheeren]

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

[@sofianeshl]

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]

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]

Thanks 👍

[@sofianeshl]

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