Once again, the build up to this stage was far from ideal. After replacing the rear tyre and being supplied with Stan’s goo from event winner from five years ago, Pawel Wiendlocha from Poland, the tubeless valve continued to leak. Eventually, I took the valve cap from my spare wheel and the tyre appeared to seal. The following morning, as I was adjusting the pressure in the front tyre, the valve broke in half. To solve this problem, I utilised the spare wheel again, by salvaging the core from the valve. I arrived at the starting gate, uncertain I would survive the day intact. I took a second tube as an extra precaution.

A slightly longer stage of 67.5 km with just over 2100 metres of climbing lay ahead. If I could survive the day without any mechanicals, I was certain I could register a decent performance. The early climbs were not technical but still split the large field early. My Polish rival, Zbig, was up ahead and I made it my aim to beat him and endeavoured to close the 8 minute lead he had over me from the first two stages. The temperature was in the low 20’s, with a threat of a later thunderstorm. However, conditions were to remain perfect throughout the day.

I have now become accustomed to the nature of racing here. Work hard to crest the mountains, then recover on the warp speed descents before doing it all again. Climb…Descend…Repeat. This might sound like I’m doing the race a disservice but it is actually a great way to race and the varying terrain provides plenty of variety, not to mention some stunning views from the highest peaks.

Unlike yesterday, where I had punctured early, today allowed me to work with riders of similar ability, and we were able to share the work on the climbs and flatter sections (not that this race has too many flat sections – it’s either up or down. My group swallowed up Zbig and on the longest climb of the day he dropped back. He informed me afterwards that he always had me in his sights but a puncture put paid to his attempts to stay with me.

One feature of this race is the mud and slippery thick tree roots and half way through this stage I found myself struggling with this technical form of riding. I was not alone however, and as the trail began to rise, even the most gifted riders were reduced to walking.

On the last climb, a group of about six riders reformed containing the impressive Swiss female elite rider, Andrea Kuster. As we descended some steep singletrack the pace increased on one section and I felt my bike slip from under me. I someone regained control and heard Andrea squeel from behind. She had done the exact same thing but we had both managed to stay upright and had probably avoided a serious crash. We crested the top of the climb together and began yet another insanely fast descent. I have to express my amazement at the skills of some of these female riders as I saw her disappear into the distance, chasing podium glory.

I finished in a time of 3.59.50 (14th in category and 64th overall), beating my Polish rival, Zbig by ten and a half minutes and moving to 15th (Masters) in the General Classification after the first three stages. I cannot speak more highly about this race. It is well organized, and the race trails offer incredible variety and challenge. I am looking forward to the final three stages and I hope to continue to ride strongly.

 

The late ten o’clock start to each stage means a large, healthy, and surprisingly tasty, Polish breakfast can be consumed, without fear of overeating. I’ve never eaten pancakes, filled with strawberry yoghurt, but they represent a perfect component of any calorie-starved mountain biker’s breakfast. I chatted to Zbigniew, and vowed to beat him in the day’s stage. At 65.5 km in length and with over 2400 metres of climbing, the road book showed riders would have to endure four long climbs, the longest being six kilometres in length. Riding in Europe is very different to what we are used to in Australia. Our tracks are composed of mainly singletrack, punctured by short sections of connecting fireroad and undulate and swoop. European stage races like the Sudety and the Trans Alps offer up long climbs followed by predominantly fast technical descents, and I’ve been informed that this is a pattern repeated in many other European stage races.

The sun was warm as we lined up in the start chute for what seemed like an eternity. When we were finally released into open road, the mass of riders sorted themselves out into a more realistic pecking order. This fact was enforced by the first of the long climbs. I was riding strongly, and had a number of my marked riders only metres ahead. We came to a steep drop requiring riders to scramble down the wet slippery rocks and tree roots. I lost a few places to the more fleet footed riders but I was well in control of my race destiny.

At around eight kilometres, we were riding through some sharp rocks when my rear tyre suddenly went soft. I jumped off and punched some CO2 into the tyre, hoping the Stan’s goo would seal the hole. A hundred metres more, and I pulled off the track, resigned to the fact that I would have to fit a tube. I’m not the quickest at fixing punctures, but I told myself to stay calm and just make sure I fixed it properly. After around ten minutes, I was on my way again, and the next few kilometres involved passing many much slower and less technical riders. If anything, this really spurred me on, and I soon forgot my latest misfortune. Indeed, a puncture is the least problematic of mechanical problems and a fact of life when racing a mountain bike.

I continued to overtake riders, particularly on the longer climbs. On the descents, I paid more attention to my race lines, conscious that I was more prone to flatting with a tube. I was also aware that, without a second spare tube, a puncture now would involve trying to flag down another rider. What was Polish for ‘spare tube’? Or German, Spanish, Russian, Latvian? To reinforce this particular point, I even had a rider call out to me for help but I just shrugged unable to understand a word he had said.

Thunder cracked close by and was shortly followed by a downpour of rain. The track became flooded and the final steep, technical descent had just become muddy and considerably more technical. I spotted Mike Blewitt and Imogen Smith on this section and glided past them, feeling confident I could maintain my speed without flying over the handlebars. Fortunately, I made good progress and was soon on the final descent to the finish.

I was able to finish in a time of 4.41.26, fifteenth in my category (70th overall) and only five minutes behind Zbig and so I think I succeeded in reducing much of the time lost with the puncture. Perhaps this is another lesson in my mountain bike education which shows it pays dividends to remain calm in adversity. With another longer stage tomorrow of 67.5 km and 2100 metres of climbing, I hope to continue to climb in the solo standings.

Pre-Race Problems

On arrival at Prague Airport on Friday morning, my bike appeared and it was immediately apparent that the rear brake handle had been broken in transit. Further investigation revealed a new brake unit was required. Fortunately, the following day, I ran into my old German mate, Andreas Ueberrhein, and he informed his German crew who organized for a new Magura brake to be transported from Germany, almost 10 hours away. That evening, I rode over to their hotel and Andreas helped replace the brake unit. Without him, my race would have been over before it started. Needless to say, that would have meant my journey to Poland was for nothing – wasting not only money and time, but the opportunity to enjoy my first ever European mountain bike stage race.

I returned to my hotel relieved, and looking forward to the following day’s prologue. Along with fellow Australian’s Peter Selkrig and Garry James (riding in a Master’s 100 team), we planned to ride the Prologue in the morning to determine what we had in store for us in the afternoon. We climbed for around five kilometres, arrived at a town but there were no signs for the start. We took a few photos and returned to the hotel only to be informed by our Polish host that we were a mere 100 metres from the start line.

As we made the return journey up the hill my Garmin 510 decided to act very strangely, turning on and off, while not responding to screen activation. At the end of the ride it powered off completely and was hot to the touch. I now had no computer. I rode into town and there was a loud bang as I rode over a broken bottle. No puncture but the tyre appeared to have a number of small gashes, which were not too deep and would be okay for the race. At the hotel, I looked for over an hour but failed to locate my multi tool. Frustrated, I wrote a short Facebook message and Mike Blewitt (riding in a mixed team with Imogen Smith) came to my rescue by offering a Magellan Cyclo 105 and a multi tool. Too late for the Prologue but enabling me to use them in the next five stages.

The Prologue

I rode the gentle climb to the start line, relieved to be close to actually beginning the event. The sun was hot and I arrived dripping in sweat (this is quite normal, as anybody who has sat next to me on an indoor bike would testify. I met another of my Crocodile Trophy buddies, Polish M2 rider (and rival) Zbigniew Mossoczy. Zbig is sure to be a great companion once I am in the Event Centre Village as well as useful when it comes to translating the baffling language of Polish into English. Why does Polish have so many ‘z’, ‘w’, ‘y’ and ‘c’ letters in every word and god knows how you are supposed to pronounce it? Forty million Poles are welcome to it.

I was called up to the start line for the short 15 km Time Trial. Riders were set off at 30 second intervals and so I aimed to target as many riders as I could up the six kilometre initial climb. Perhaps I was being a little optimistic. My only other two competitive time trials have been pretty poor, in terms of results, and this was only short, so I would have no opportunity to utilise my strength of endurance. At least it involved a fair amount of climbing and a technical descent, two areas that would count in my favour.

I settled into my climbing rhythm, but was then passed by two professional-looking riders three quarters of the way up. I realised then that the standard here was pretty high. At the top, I was overtaken by a third rider but managed to pick up my tempo, following him along the undulations across the plateau, before finally being dropped at the final technical pinch section.

I had overtaken two riders on the climb, and now, as we hit the steep, technical descent, which was even more difficult following a heavy thunderstorm, I started to pass several more, some walking, others struggling to ride efficiently through the rocky and heavily-rooted descent. The track opened up, and with only a few pinch climbs, the remainder of the course pointed down. I managed to hit some nail-biting speeds, which were easy to maintain due to the wide corners. Not being the best descender, I even surprised myself that I was carrying so much speed into the corners. I continued to overtake riders, and at no point on the descent was I overtaken.

I finished in a respectable time of 48.22 placing me 20th in M2, out of 61 riders and 91st overall. Zig finished in 12th with a time of 44.40, my German friend Andreas (M1) finished two minutes ahead of me and Australian’s Mike Blewitt and Imogen Smith finished on the third step of the podium in the Mixed Pairs Category.

Quite clearly, a difficult week lies ahead, with a very good standard of mountain biking being set from Day One.               

I am now just a day away from competing in my first ever European Stage Race. The tenth edition of the Sudety begins in Southern Poland, and crosses over the Sudety mountains into the Czech Republic. The race is nearly 400 km in length and involves 12,000 metres of climbing. Stages are difficult but the views are fantastic with riders from all over the world competing for personal glory.

Prologue (Sunday July 28th) - The event kicks off with a short, uphill time trial of around 16 km and 516 m of climbing. The prologue begins in the town of Sienna, close to the lower lift station at Black Mountain. The initial phase is a long, steep climb towards the Pass of Vipers Glade. Along the way, the route traverses the slopes a few times where there are wonderful mountain views Difficulty 3/6

Whatever happens, the next week is sure to be spectacular and, for me, it will provide the perfect springboard to a European adventure that will later involve time with my wonderful wife in the beautiful city of Prague and a chance to catch up with friends and family in sun-drenched England.

Once again the long drive down was shared with James Lamb, and the kilometres just melted away in no time at all. Memorably, while running low on fuel, I decided to wait for the next Coles service station to make use of my discount vouchers. Caltex, however, seem to have a monopoly on fuel on the south coast and after passing several of these I turned to my trusty GPS navigation system for voice activated directions to our target station. After failing to respond to my voice requests, Chops turned to manual, only to be told we needed to return to Nowra. We ignored the pesky machine and continued on, the fuel light now illuminated. I told Chops we would patronise the next fuel stop, no matter what, and simultaneously, we both decided it was time for a refreshing chocolate milk. Suddenly, a Coles appeared on the other side of the road and we pulled over only to find my voucher was two days out of date and unusable, and then to find they had sold out of chocolate milk. But I digress...

My next lap was soaked in an air of complacency as I believed that this might actually be a comfortable day in the saddle. However, at the completion of the lap, Browny told me we were now two and half minutes down on the team of Fortyplusfothers. I checked the timing which revealed that this pairing were flying. After my third lap, which involved a serious refocussing I was amazed to discover that we were now four and a half minutes back and had dropped to third. Worse still, we were only thirty-five seconds ahead of Ben Edols and Roelof Burger and close to falling off the podium altogether. Quite simply, some of the competition were putting in amazingly quick laps, 2-3 minutes faster than us.

Browny and I were able to maintain our consistency during our penultimate laps unlike the leaders who were tiring. As I handed over to Browny the lead was just 90 seconds with just two minutes separating second, third and fourth. Anything could happen and the race was up for grabs for all four teams. I was convinced the leaders, Fortyplusfrothers, were keeping some energy in reserve and would surely kick again and leave us all in their wake.

We approached another slower rider and I called track making sure I didn't inform the guy that there were two of us. That was my rivals perogative after all. I passed and heard a collision behind. The two had come together. I powered on but he had recovered and was still in hot pursuit. Clayton Locke appeared ahead and I called early, knowing we were now at the top end of the final climb and this steep pinch would be a great opportunity to gap my competitor. I easily passed Clayton and sensed my opportunity. Now at the top of the snake climb I failed to pass another rider but fortunately, this time, he didn't hold me up too much. I passed him half way down and knew Matthew still had to get past as the track plummeted again. The last kilometre was fairly flat and I was not going to succumb here. I dragged out the last ounces of energy and recruited the last of my rebellious muscle fibres. I could see Browny in his bright, fluro Jetblack top and he was celebrating. I cracked into a sprint and embraced my buddy on the line. We had done it. Thirty-eight seconds later Matthew crossed the line, with Jason Morgan of BBC-Shimano just over a minute back and Ben and Roelof fading a little to finish five minutes in arrears.

Racing like this, doesn't happen all too often and it is even sweeter when you come from behind to win. It was hard to wipe the smile from my face for hours afterwards. We were quick to congratulate the second place team of Matthew Pandelus and Troy Roberts and found out that both had suffered with cramp later in the race. Matthew's plan to hold my wheel until the bottom of the snake trail where he would jump past me on the final section of fireroad never had a chance to reach fruition. Mutual respect abounded and we were all in awe of the great track that had been the backdrop to such a wonderful race. It had been a long drive, but certainly worth every second with Mogo being one of the best tracks I've ever ridden. Chocolate Foot STM Organisers Joe and Fi have certainly dished out a winning combination by including this venue in their wonderful series, allowing mountain bikers of all levels to experience one of the best tracks NSW has to offer. Without doubt this is a race that will live long in the memory...

The pleasure derived from the sport of Mountain biking never ceases to amaze me. Regardless of motivation, be it racing or social riding, winning or participating, smashing out fast laps or grinding out lap upon lap, the result is always the same. An incredible sense of achievement, hours spent in beautiful outdoor locations and wonderful company from a nicer group of people no other sport, I've ever been involved in, comes close to matching.

The last few weeks have been some of the most testing of my life and I was, more so than I can ever remember, in need of some mountain bike elixir. After receiving a written warning from my school employers for fighting for higher moral and ethical standards from other staff members, I returned home on Friday afternoon in a distressed and confused state, packed for the long journey to the Upper Hunter Valley, and reversed my car straight into an oncoming vehicle. After the sound of metal smashing into metal and my initial shock subsided, I was able to step out of the car and inspect the damage. Whatever the cost happens to be, I am thankful I did not hit a Mercedes, BMW or, worse still, a pedestrian. 

I looked left to see multiple World Champion, Jason English, ex world Champion Craig Gordon and the fastest rider in the race,Trenton Day. Looking right, was Andrew Lloyd, Paris Basson, Peter Selkrig and Brett Bellchambers. I was smack bang in the middle of all of them. What the hell was I doing? Worse still, up and coming youngster, Max Richardson was directly behind me. My main rival in the Master's Category, Jamie Vogele, had taken up a sensible position in the third row, so had Benjy Morris. Crafty, the event compere, spoke to Jason English, mentioning he had taken his rightful place on the front line. So what was I doing there? I was an interloper, a gatecrasher, a trespasser who would be the subject of ridicule and torment if I was to hold up the hundreds of riders behind me. I braced myself - 15 seconds to the start - my heart rate was already over 100. 

I hungrily devoured a couple of chocolate chip cookies that James Lamb had left on my transition table, as well as two energy bars, but I was still neglecting to refuel fully. Although I didn't know it at the time, Jamie had suddenly put the hammer down. Perhaps he knew I was weakening. With possibly three laps to race, I was barely hanging on, while Jamie was charging. A 17 minute lead was reduced to 12 minutes in just two laps. I started my last lap, feeling incredibly hungry and dizzy. I began the initial climb out of transition and managed to steal some savoury biscuits and gummy bears from Pete Selkrig's transition zone. The sugar had no immediate effect. I was now descending the singletrack but struggling to focus on the course and even running off the side of the track and into trees. Riders were passing me and I was powerless to follow. Like a boxer, I was out on my feet, surviving merely by instinct. I was not going to come this far and lose it all on the last lap. Brett Bellchambers came past and noted my disposition which he told me later was bordering on 'confused' and 'disorientated'. Jamie was closing in and I still had half the lap to complete. 

I drained my water and a light flickered on deep in my cerebrum. Impulses surged from grey to white matter and down my spinal cord, firing the motor neurons in my legs. Perhaps inspired by a combination of the image of Brett Bellchambers and Event Organiser, Martin Wisata's insistence on playing the Eurovision Song Contest's transgender winner, Conchita Wurst's song, Rise Like a Phoenix several times that night. Out of the ashes I was reborn and I was moving more freely as I approached the final descent into the event centre. I kicked for home, making it across the line a mere four minutes ahead of a charging Jamie Vogele. I had secured my first win of the year, a hattrick of Jetblack 12 hour wins, but only just. Clayton Locke was third, one lap behind, with Kevin Wynne-Smythe a creditable fifth in his first twelve hour solo race. James Lamb and Paris Basson finished with line honours, while Jason English beat Andrew Lloyd in the elite solo and Wendy Stevenson won the Solo Female Elite.

Genghis Khan (Chinggis Khan) was the founder of the the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous land empire in history, covering 22% of the Earth's total land area and six times the size of the Roman Empire. At its peak, the Mongol Empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea and the gates of Vienna in the West, to Korea and the Sea of Japan in the East, with 700 tribes and cities under Mongol rule.

Known in Europe and vanquished Asian territories as a blood-thirsty tyrant and the leader of the most savage conquering armies in history, but acknowledged as a hero in Mongolia, a champion of democracy, religious tolerance and equal rights for women. By unifying warring factions, peace and security was brought to 8000 kilometres of trade routes known as the  'Silk Road', laying the trade foundation for the modern world. During the time of Genghis Khan, Chinese inventions, such as printing, paper, gunpowder and the compass spread throughout the vast Empire and beyond.

Temujin, later to become Genghis Khan (which translates to Universal Ruler), was the son of the Chief of the Yakka Mongols. He was born clutching a blood clot, a sign interpreted by a shamen, that he was destined to become a great warrior. Temujin's childhood was harsh and he was only 10 years old when his father was poisoned by a rival Mongol Tribe. Soon after, Genghis murdered his older half brother with a bow and arrow. He became Chief of his father's clan only for his own tribe to abandon him and leave him to live alone, digging roots for food and keeping sheep. He married Borte in 1179, but his camp was invaded and he was forced to abandon his wife, only managing to rescue her eight months later. Within three years, he had built an army and formed alliances to rival surrounding Mongol Tribes. He built a superior army with strict discipline and training with the prospect of rich rewards for their loyalty. Shrewd and ruthless, he soon became the undisputed ruler of Mongolia.

Europeans mistakenly believed that their knights were the ultimate warriors in the world at that time. Despite being small in number (around 700,000) and illiterate, the Mongols were hardy men, herdsmen who had grown up riding horses and hunting on the Mongolian steppes, the grassy plains north of the Gobi Desert and south of the Siberian forests. Genghis Khan united them into a fearsome and deadly force. They rode small but powerful horses and wore lightweight protection, allowing them to fight with great speed and manoeuvrability, shooting arrows en masse into the air with incredibly powerful composite bows (twice as powerful as European bows and exceptionally accurate), while being sufficiently mobile to turn in all directions on their horses. During the invasions of Northern China, Central Asia and the Middle East, the Mongols also became highly skilled in siege techniques, which was to ensure them success in several future conflicts.

Genghis turned his attention to China, which was ruled by three great empires. He quickly defeated the state of Xi Xia, before crossing the Gobi Desert, breaking through the Great Wall of China and laying siege to Beijing, the capital of the Qin dynasty. The city was demolished and its ruler, Guchluk, beheaded.

In 1218, Genghis turned west toward central Asia and Europe. His armies rampaged through Muslim lands, spreading terror and destruction. Resistance meant whole city populations would be slaughtered. Moving north into the steppes of Russia, Genghis defeated the southern Russian armies and set a precedence for future Mongol campaigns.

In 1219, to avenge the beheading of one of his own messengers, Genghis captured Inalchuq, the provisional Governor in Persia, and executed him by pouring molten silver into his ears and eyes. In 1221, Genghis Khan reputedly killed 1.7 million people in one hour following the killing of his favourite son-in-law. On request of his daughter, he massacred the entire population of the Persian city, Nishupur, and a pyramid of their severed heads was erected in honour of his victory. 

In 1227, after quelling a Chinese uprising, Genghis, the ruler of a nation of riders, fell from his horse while riding home and died, aged around sixty five. The most successful military commander the world has ever known was dead. According to legend, Genghis Khan's last words were that he had failed to achieve his destiny - to conquer the entire world - and his dying wish was for his sons to achieve this feat. In the following years, his sons doubled the size of the Mongol Empire, conquering many new lands, including Russia, Poland and Hungary.

Legend attests to the fact that the burial site of Genghis Khan was to remain a mystery so his rest would not be disturbed, ensuring a peaceful afterlife. The slaves who dug his grave and the 2,000 people who attended his funeral were killed by 800 soldiers, who were, in turn, executed themselves. Thousands of horses trampled the burial site and it is believed a river may have been diverted to flow over the site. One legend tells of the grave being discovered 30 years after Genghis Khan's death and a young camel killed and buried beside the Khan. The grieving mother would return regularly to the grave of its young until its own death when the grave was to be lost forever.

According to a 2003 study, 1.6 million people (or 0.5% of males worldwide) are descendants of Genghis Khan, due to his far-flung travels, several wives and insatiable appetite for women. Although Borte was his only official wife, he followed tradition by taking several morganatic wives and a plethora of concubines. In 1260, thirty-three years after his death, there were around 20,000 blood members of his family.

Mistakenly believed to be Genghis Khan's birthplace, the 40 metre tall statue, where the GENCO Mongolia Bike Challenge begins, is actually the site where legend suggests he found a golden whip (a lucky omen in Mongolia), inspiring the fifteen year old Temujin to conquer much of the known world. Located fifty-four kilometres east of the capital UlaanBaator and pointing east towards Genghis's birthplace, the statue complex cost the GENCO Tour Bureau $US 4 million.

Known as the greatest Mongol Emperor, Kublai Khan was the grandson of Genghis Khan and the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. After Genghis's death, his descendants carried out invasions in all directions but feuded over Royal succession. This led to civil war and four separate empires were eventually created. Kublai Khan completed the conquest of China in 1279, after defeating the third great empire, the Song dynasty in the south. He created the winter capital in Cambaluc (on the site of present-day Beijing). Finally, with all of China in Mongol hands, the Empire had reached its peak. Kublai founded the Yuan Dynasty in China and became the overlord of all the Mongol dominions. In an attempt to extend the empire, wars against Japan and Burma proved fruitless, as the Mongol soldiers fought unsuccessfully at sea and in the tropical climates of South East Asia.

Kublai Khan (known as Setsen Khan or 'Wise Khan') was a strong and fearless warrior but also intelligent and a great statesman, and exercised greater tolerance than his predecessors and even permitted the existence of several religions. One of Kublai's advisers told him "I have heard that one can conquer the empire on horseback, but one cannot govern it on horseback" and, unlike his contemporaries, Kublai actually acted upon this belief. He was a beloved leader to both the Mongols and the Chinese and he became the longest-ruling Khan of the Mongol Empire. Kublai met Marco Polo in the 1270's and the Italian explorer described him as the model of a universal sovereign with humanity and genorosity of spirit. Marco Polo even encouraged Europeans to explore the possibilities of trade with the Orient, including Christopher Columbus, whose search for the Orient by sea route resulted in him mistakenly discovering the Americas in 1492. Kublai reestablished unity within China and helped spread the advances of its brilliant and progressive civilisation.

In the 14th Century, with no unity in culture, corrupt government and incompetent administration, the great Mongol Empire would fall apart after less than 150 years in existence and by the 17th Century, much of the Mongol Empire had disappeared. In 1911, China became independent and regarded Mongolia as theirs. The southern section, inner Mongolia, was an integral part of China, while the northern section, outer Mongolia (roughly corresponding to the modern nation) remained out of Chinese control. A communist republic was established in 1924, aligned with the USSR.

Mongolia was isolated from non-communist countries, the nobility wiped out, religion suppressed and Mongolian culture denied expression.

In 1990, the first elections were held and communism was rejected. Mongolia is currently enjoying a mining boom in copper, gold and coal. Indeed, since 2003, GDP has doubled and tourism is on the rise.

The Mongolian Bike Challenge is a unique racing experience that will transport riders back to a time when life was much harsher and far more brutal. Mongolia is a sparsely populated country, where a third of the population is under fifteen and modern life expectancy is just 64.9 years. Due, in part, to its isolation in Communist times, many aspects of Mongolia's 500,000 year old culture still remain and its nomadic tribes enjoy a lifestyle reminiscent of days long since gone. During the adventure, mountain bikers will find it almost impossible to escape the feeling of being transported back to a way of life long lost in the mists of time. Constant reminders of Mongolia's rich, sometimes savage, but always fascinating history abound in an ancient landscape, dotted with Gers (Yurts), or felt-lined tents, nomadic families and their herds, a thirteenth Century National Park reminiscent of the time of Genghis Khan and, of course, the Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue, representing the legend behind one of the most incredible Empires to have ever existed.