A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity
Introduction
A bewildering number of Mountain Bike Stage Races exist across six continents. Some claim to be the toughest, others the most scenic, while a few boast of being the greatest. Participants often compete for several consecutive days, experiencing incredibly varied and beautiful terrain, riding across mountains and valleys, through deserts and forests and besides lakes, rivers and beaches. The pleasure of travelling to new countries and becoming acquainted with new cultures is guaranteed to please no matter which event is chosen. Nevertheless, one race which appears to stand alone, in so many extraordinary ways, is the Mongolian Bike Challenge and it ought to be at the top of any competitive mountain biker’s bucket list.
Landscape
| In 2013, the population of Mongolia was a mere 2.9 million, making it the least densely populated country, in addition to one of the least developed countries, in the world. Over half the country (52%) is grassland and shrubs, the steppes stretching infinitely in all directions. 32% of the country is desert, with the Gobi Desert, in Mongolia’s south, being the fifth largest desert in the world. 15% is forest, including the northern taiga of Siberia, an area which frequently suffers from fire and insect damage caused by the cold, dry climate. Although just 1% is utilised for human settlement and crop cultivation, these areas still suffer from overgrazing. |  |
 Gobi Desert | After independence from Russia in 1990, it was hoped the entire country could be turned into a National Park. This hope was to prove unattainable but, in a relatively short time, 13.2% of Mongolia has been protected including 48 separate areas. The government aims to protect a total of 30% of the country, which would mean Mongolia would possess the largest park system in the world. |
Climate
| Mongolian weather is influenced by snow-capped mountains (average peaks of 5,180 metres) on one side and oceans on the other, resulting in extremely cold conditions in winter. Average temperatures in winter vary between -25 degrees at night and -15 degrees during the day. Ulaanbaatar, the country's capital city, can suffer unbearable levels of air pollution between December and February and strong winds in March and April can cause choking dust and sand storms. |  Winter in Mongolia |
Fortunately, the Mongolian Bike Challenge takes place in September, when average temperatures range from -5 degrees at night to 22 degrees during the day with 12 hours of daylight and a high possibility of light rain, although thunderstorms, moderate rain and even moderate snowfalls (usually in late September) may be experienced.
People and Lifestyle
Ulaanbaatar
Undoubtedly, the most striking factor is sure to be the contrast between Ulaanbaatar, the arrival point for visiting bike riders, and the countryside, where the race will take place. Ulaanbaatar is an enormous city of traffic gridlock, thriving business and sinful nightlife and is one of the drabbest cities on the planet. And yet it is the capital city of one of the most beautiful and hospitable countries on earth.
Beyond the chaos of the capital, the remoteness of the people has meant Mongolians follow simple nomadic lifestyles, where living conditions are rustic and unsophisticated. The home is still the Ger (or Yurt), a fur-lined tent which can be disassembled in less than an hour and transported by two camels (or more often a truck nowadays). The internal layout is always the same, with the door facing south to avoid the northerly winds and to catch the most sunlight. Men should enter to the left (west) to be protected by the great sky god, Tengger, women to the right (east) under the protection of the sun. Guests should move towards the back, and a little to the west which represents the place of honour. The back of the ger (the khoimor) is also where the elders and the most treasured possessions can be found while in the centre there is a small table and chairs. Family members are forced to interact, share everything and work together resulting in tighter relationships between relatives. Nomads are likely to move 2-4 times a year but where grass is thin this may increase.
| The diet consists of mainly dairy products and meat (especially mutton), animal organs, intestines and even the head. Mongolian airag, made from fermented mare’s milk, is often drunk. Notoriously strong, airag is reputed to be responsible for many of the past wars between feuding Mongolian families. Roads are undeveloped and road signs virtually non-existent. Famously, the Trans Mongolian Railway is part of a vast rail network that links Beijing and Moscow and connects with the famous Trans Siberian Railway. There are few medical facilities and communication with the locals may require an interpreter. Mongolian people may not be too talkative with foreigners but they are friendly and tolerant and appreciate attempts to converse in the native language, so a phrasebook is recommended. Long conversations in a foreign language should be avoided and a small gift offered when staying with a family. |  Airag  Mongolian Roads |
Mongolian Fauna
Mongolia is a naturalist’s dream and is the last bastion of unspoiled land in Asia. Numerous species, only found in Mongolia and Central Asia, are able to survive and flourish in spite of the harsh climate, widespread hunting, which is still a major part of nomadic life, limited protection from a penniless government and the communist persecution of Buddhists who had attempted to set aside areas as animal sanctuaries. Indeed, each year the government sells licenses to hunt 300 ibex and 40 argali sheep (both endangered species), in order to raise over US$500,000. Overgrazing from sheep and goats further exacerbates the problem.
Mammals of the Steppe
 | Tahi (Przewalski’s) Horse These wild horses became extinct in Mongolia in 1968 due, in part, to barbaric and extensive hunting funded by foreigners. Fortunately, a Russian army officer, Przewlski (1839-1888) had initiated a campaign to remove Tahi foals from their native Mongolia. This allowed 84 wild horses to be reintroduced between 1992 and 2000 with the help of government funding from the Netherlands and now herds numbering 200 can be seen. Their reintroduction has been described as nothing short of miraculous, representing one of the most successful conservation stories of our time. |
| Saiga Antelope Once a common sight, wild Saiga Antelope number fewer than 5000 due to hunting, habitat destruction and their high Chinese medicinal value. |  Saiga Antelope |
 Gazelle | Gazelle Gazelle are often seen on the Mongolian Steppe and represent one of the last remaining migratory herds. However, hunting, often illegally, has drastically reduced numbers as has reduced habitat due to human encroachment and increased mining. |
Birds of the Steppe
 Grey Demoiselle Cranes  Hoopoe | Grey Demoiselle Cranes Bike riders are guaranteed to see this charismatic creature as this is the most common bird in Mongolia. This is perhaps due to the fact that, traditionally, it is bad luck for locals to kill it.  Cinereous Vulture It may also be possible to see the Cinereous Vulture, the largest raptor in Central Asia, the Sakar Falcon, smuggled to the Gulf states and used for sport, the Black Kite, which will often swoop down and catch bread thrown high into the air, hawks, eagles, owls, upland buzzards and the colourful hoopoes. |
Other Unique Mongolian Animals
 Bactrian Camel Several species of animal are seriously endangered including the Argali Sheep, the Snow Leopard, of which only 1000 remain, wild asses, ibex and the Gobi Bear, the world’s only desert-dwelling bear. With only 22 remaining, the Gobi bear represents the mammal closest to extinction in Mongolia.  Gobi Bear Animals found in forest regions include the Siberian Ibex, the Brown Bear, the Wild Boar and wolves.  Wolf | Found in the desert, the Bactrian Camel is a two humped cantankerous beast with a shaggy wool coat which can survive a week without water and a month without food. When the hump droops the camel is in need of food and water and it is able consume up to 200 litres of water in one day, making even the biggest mountain biker’s camelbak positively minute. There are 260,000 camels in Mongolia with over two thirds found in the Gobi Desert region.  Argali Sheep  Snow Leopard  Ibex |
Conclusion
The Mongolian Bike Challenge is a race like no other. Located in a country where time appears to have stood still, in a land which remains as pristine as it was a thousand years ago and inhabited by unique animals found nowhere else in the world. The people continue to live like our distant ancestors lived, in simple dwellings without most of the trappings of our modern everyday lives. A country where nature is king, in the form of the vast plains and majestic mountains and the climate is constantly changing and imposing its will on her people. Those who choose to take up the Mongolian Bike Challenge are sure to leave with an imprint of a distant and remote world forever etched upon their psyche.
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