On the fifth day of the Silk Road Mountain Race, many of our riders made their way through the Chinese border zone. Vast grasslands stretch in every direction, hemmed in by jagged ranges that feel impossibly large. Rusting fences, distant watchtowers, and the hum of trucks passing through mark the frontier, but otherwise this is a place that feels almost untouched.

For riders, this stretch comes what will no doubt become the infamous Suyek Pass hike—thirty kilometers of rivers, scree, and thin air at over 4,000 meters. They arrive to the border road carrying stories of frozen shoes, broken chains, nights of snow and cold, but also of wild horses and sunlit valleys, and many moments that make the effort feel worthwhile. 

Riders featured in this episode

• Victor Eklund - Cap 205
• Oliver Geiger - Cap 149
• Maarten Vanhaverbeke - Cap 122
• Sami Sauri - Cap 174
• Leanne Bentley - Cap 116
• David Hills - Cap 50
• Nikolaay Bulgakov - Cap 145
• Carlotta Schumacher - Cap 31
• Stefan & Helene - Caps 312A & 312B
• Michael Gaffey - Cap 135
• Eric House - Cap 62

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Production and hosting by Mel Webb

Sound design by Ben Crannell

Music by Batyrkan

Cover image by Stephen Shelesky

Thanks to our race partners Albion, Pertex, Tailfin, Styrkr and Julbo. 

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