Ladakh Winter Gran Fondo 2024: 23rd March 2024

The Ladakh Winter Gran Fondo is back with its second iteration this March…

Get ready for an experience of a lifetime on your bicycle. Get ready to pedal your bike in the sky high altitude of Ladakh, in the pristine and frozen climes of February!

Event Date: 23rd March 2024
Organisers: Cycling Monks & Metta Café

This one of its kind ride, will test your skill, endurance, fitness and mettle. While you create memories to cherish.

Winter Gran Fondo Ladakh

Winter in Ladakh is magical. The snow-covered peaks, frozen lakes, minimal vegetation, all add up to an enchanting sight and enthralling experience.

The sub-zero temperatures coupled with the high altitude, make life a challenge for the locals in their day to day living. As such, the local culture consists of working hard in the summer in preparation for winter, then enjoying all of winter in various religious and cultural festivities.

For those visiting Ladakh in winter, the challenges are accentuated. Just adjusting to the weather is difficult. Now, imagine pedalling your bicycle in this challenging terrain. The satisfaction of overcoming this gives you a high. The kind of high, you can only at those high mountain passes!

Once you ride in Ladakh in winter, you will not just want to do it again and again. But you will also want to bring your friends and family to share this experience with them.

And that is exactly why CyclingMonks and Metta Cafe are hosting this ride. Because we have experienced it and we want to share this beautiful experience with you. And after seeing the enthusiasm of the rider’s in the first year, we wanted to share this with more of you lovely people this year.

Why Ride in Ladakh in Winter?

1. Challenge Yourself like never before!
2. Experience a white winter, something most Indians never get to experience.
3. Experience the warm hospitality of Ladakh in cold winter
4. Experience Ladakhi Festivals in winter.
5. Flights are dirt cheap in winter. Flights from Delhi to Leh can be as little as 3000 for a roundtrip, compared to 35000 in summer!
6. Enjoy experimenting with your photography. Your captures will be mindboggling
7. Put your mind, body and cycling equipment to the very limit.
8. See a different side of Leh in winter, the market is a fun place to walk through and enjoy window shopping.

Important Points for Participants

• The average daylight in the month of March in Leh is 11 hours. The temperature is sub-zero throughout. With mercury dipping  to  -5 to -10 degree Celsius at times.
• The road will not have snow or ice on the surface throughout the designated route. Extremely small portions of the route might have some snow on it, which will be absolutely and easily negotiable. The sides of the roads though, might have beautiful layers of snow to captivate your senses.
• All cyclists interested in being a part of this EPIC Gran Fondo, need to consider two major points:

1. Extreme Altitude: 3500 meters plus
2. Extreme Low Temperatures: Sub Zero degree Celsius

• One needs to report at least 5 days before the ride. Acclimatisation is ESSENTIAL.
• Cycles of any kind are welcome. The bicycles need to be human powered (no electric bicycles).
• The ride will be self-supported in nature.
• Non-mechanical support shall be provided at the aid stations which will be 20-30 km apart.
• It is highly recommended to have experience in distance cycling. Aiming for this to be your first century ride can be over zealous.
• It would be great if one has prior cycling experience at high altitude (3000 meters and above).

Categories:
Gran Fondo Extreme Pragma: 100 miles
Gran Fondo Rumani: 100 km

Pragma:
Distance: 100 miles
Cut off time: 10 hours

Rumani:
Distance: 100 km
Cut off time: 7 hours

Check out pictures and the event report from the 2023 iteration!