Kayla Hall: Should I Race the Silk Road Mountain Race?
Should I race the Silk Road Mountain Race?
Words and Photos by Kayla Hall
Editor's Note: In this latest addition to the Buffet Virginia bikepacking legend and SCSW super friend Kayla Hall shares what it took at the 2025 . If you have an epic ride report or story you'd like to share on The Buffet reach out to zach.scsw@gmail.com. Let's go!
This was the exact question I asked my friend Alden. I had met Alden on a bike trip in West Virginia and noticed right away the classic numbered cap he was wearing. At the time I had heard of the race, that it was hard, and somewhere far far away. When registration opened, I signed up. Having long been an avid bikepack racer, this legend of this race proceeded itself...I didn’t need much of a push to apply, just the smallest nudge of encouragement is all it took.
It was not until maybe 4 weeks prior that the nerves started to ramp up. I had very recently received a bike from the wonderful Alexandra Houchin to ride for the season. In the weeks leading up to flying out, I changed the handlebars, the stem, the wheelset, seat post, and the fork. All the usual things to make it home for me. I fretted, unnecessarily, about how tall the bike was. It was easy to obsess over the bike fit since nerves were high and the bike was new to me, the brain wants a place to put all the nervous energy. The bike was fabulous, I did not have a suitable bike for this race when I signed up, and with the expense of traveling a long way from home, I also did not have extra cash for a bike to race. I knew I would find a way to make it work, but Alexandra made it possible.
So now over a month has passed since the Silk Road Mountain Race and my life back home in Roanoke picked up a bit like I never left. One question that still swirls in my mind is how to explain my experience to others, how to put the experiences into words that they can connect with. Basically, how would I answer the question “Should I race the Silk Road Mountain Race?” Please note everything I say is related to my personal experience, and is not fact.
When planning for this event I found it very difficult to imagine what Kyrgyzstan would look like, what towns or villages would feel like. They varied a lot, Naryn, which is the biggest city featured in I believe every edition of the race, is going to be the only town with a proper grocery store. Your bike should be “bomb proof” and anything you can do to make your bike easy to repair in remote conditions will pay off. The major city, Bishkek, does have bike shops but the rest of the country is going to be limited in what kinds of parts you can find. Even in the days leading up to the race there were people banging out discs for their disc brakes, and asking folks to weld items for their racks, and still other folks heading to tire shops for tire repairs.
To put it simply, you can get anything done in Kyrgyzstan with the right attitude, but it may not be in the timeline you are hopeful for or the exact part you are looking for. In the 2025 edition resupply was tricky, but that doesn’t mean other years it has been a breeze. When asking yourself the question if you want to race SRMR ask yourself if you feel comfortable carrying up to 3 days of food resupply. I also would throw caution out there that while the Check Points will have hot delicious food, they are not a point to rely on for a full resupply. I had planned to make ramen each night at camp, since ramen is lightweight and something I can purchase along the route.
When answering this part of the question “Should I race” I would recommend thinking about how early you can head to Kyrgyzstan. The earlier you can land in Kyrgyzstan, the earlier you can work out your jetlag, any stomach issues, and check out what resupply will really look like. If you are nervous about arriving early and solo, don’t be. The moment you land you are likely to run into other cyclists and can easily make plans to acclimatize together or tour together prior to the event. Touring prior to racing is going to be extremely helpful and of course spending time at altitude.
A question Nelson asks in the application and one worth thinking over yourself is, why do you want to race this event, rather than tour the country. I think many people who apply have a very strong answer to this question, they want to test themselves, push themselves, have a solo experience, and embrace solving problems as they arise. I also think that people begin to question this more and more the farther on route they make it. This is to say, you can go to Kyrgyzstan and bikepack without a race occurring. The race provides, for me, a somewhat known challenging route, knowing that there are others on route, and a time frame in which to complete the route. When I answered this question I was truthful in saying that I was looking forward to the community aspect the race would provide, and I got that experience. The humans that show up for the Silk Road Mountain Race are fantastic, the community around the race is amazing. It is because of the event, how far away it is and how challenging it is, that lots of people do come early and you will get that sense of community prior to the race starting. Yet on day 8 or 9 or 10, your reason may need to be deeper than knowing there are others around you. I will admit though that towards the end of my journey for me, the thoughts did creep in that I think coming to such a special place such as Kyrgyzstan, it may be nice to have the freedom to change your plans as you desire. There is no right answer, some people want the race format and environment, and some wish to tour. I would just encourage someone thinking about the event to think about what they are hoping to get out of the experience.
I would ask someone considering the race how they feel about hiking with their bike and crossing rivers. I was pretty naive to what crossing a river would look or feel like. I would say most of them were okay, with a few that were quite scary. I would say the same about hiking with your bike, be prepared for steep hiking, the kind that requires you to pick up your bike. In the 2025 edition I would add that the level of risk in the hike a bike felt scarier than I had hoped to take on. As far as for river crossings, the biggest issue becomes if you fall into the water when crossing. You should be confident that your items, such as electronics and sleeping bag, are properly in dry bags at the time of your crossings. You should prepare either for wet feet or a system to manage your shoes and feet. The frequency of the river crossings will impact your riding speed.
It would be a shame not to mention what type of weather to prepare for. In this I would also like to add that air quality may impact your experience as well. I would recommend a buff or similar method to keep dust out of your face. In America the worst areas of dust I have experienced were in Arizona and Arkansas because of fast ATV traffic. I would say overall Kyrgyzstan was also quite problematic in this area. While I felt, in general, safe on roads, the cars passing you on dirt roads are quite unlikely to slow down at all and will blow large amounts of dust into your face. Some racers lost their voices, or had a cough related to this dust. It is something I would warn racers and people touring alike. The high altitude and dry air also compounds this problem if you are sensitive to inhaling dust.
The landscape of Kyrgyzstan will at some point, make you feel small. The passes you are traversing are incredible, and will also take large amounts of time to cross. The locals you will run across are welcoming and the children of Kyrgyzstan are seemingly everywhere, always looking for a high five and sometimes hopeful for a chocolate. Kyrgyzstan is an incredible place to visit, and a spectacular place for a high mountain adventure.
