Tour de Pakistan 2023 – Reflections of an amazing tour

It’s been just under four weeks since coming back from a journey of a lifetime cycling through Pakistan over 7 days with friends from up and down the country. A journey that took 9 months in the making to help ensure its success given it was the first time a group of cyclist have travelled from Islamabad to the China border via the Khunjerab Pass. The pass is at 16800 feet (5100 meters) meaning high altitude. Headaches, sickness and swelling of the hands and feet to name a few symptoms of being so high. However, it was all worth it for the epic views and landscape. Stunning natural biodiversity where we encountered lots of wildlife including Yaks and Markhors. Snow capped mountains, Glaciers, Blue water lakes, picturesque views and Waterfalls all featured on this amazing tour.

We were blessed with good weather and very fortunate not to have encountered any major issues apart from the odd puncture. No accidents or major mechanicals was a god send or else things could have been wildly different. The support team, routes, hotels, food and culture were out of this world. I’ve cycled in Mallorca, Girona, Gran Canaria, the Dolomites and in the UK but nothing beats Pakistan. It did remind me a little of the Dolomites with the high mountains albeit a tad smaller. Never did I expect Pakistan to have so much natural beauty. The untouched landscape lends itself to so much biodiversity. I was keen for my family and close friends to see and for the first time started using the WhatsApp status feature to showcase this. My father started showing an interest and would message me every now and then commenting on how beautiful the landscape was and the fact he would love to experience it one day.

The day started with morning prayers (fajar) at around 5am followed by breakfast which consisted mainly of fried egg, omelette, buttered chapatti and tea. An OTE energy bar and a water bottle filled with a couple of hydration tablets set us up for the day ahead. Cycling approximately 65 miles per day with a lunch stop in the middle worked really well meant we were at the destination hotel just after midday for a well earned rest and recovery meal. Prior to the full blown meal everyone would have an OTE protein bar and a protein shake to help kickstart the recovery process.

Evenings would be a time to relax, soak up the atmosphere and talk about the day ahead. Lots of banter usually at DRs expense brought us much closer together. The brotherly love shown was amazing to see so much so we are planning on another adventure in the near future. However, prior to this I’m hoping to arrange a trip in 2024 where I’ll be taking my immediate family traversing the same route but in the confines of a car for a more luxurious experience for my father

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