Cycling the Annapurna trek

Day 1: Kathmandu to Besi Sahar (bus) to Syange: 7 hour bus, bike safe on top. 360Rs. No extra charge for bike. Then, after lunch in Besi Sahar, I cycled to Syange (3 hours). Muddy, rocky road up a nice valley.

Day 2: Syange to Timang: This was a difficult but fun day. The road rises hundreds of metres above the river, with huge drops off the side. Had to climb under waterfalls falling onto the road a couple of times. The valley became really beautiful. Only carried the bike between Danaque and Timang, as the road was washed out by a huge waterfall so I had to follow a narrow, steep path. 7.5hrs cycle.

Day 3: Timang to Manang: The easiest and most fun day of the trip. So many awesome downhills along narrow paths bordered by stone walls, across suspension bridges and, from Chame onwards, big wide downhills. A bit of climbing from Bhratang to Dhikur Pokhari, but from there it was flat across the dry plain to Manang. Beautiful scenery. Great biking. 6.5hrs on the saddle.

Day 4: Acclimatization day: Manang to Tilicho Lake to Manang. I needed to acclimatize so decided to hike up to Tilicho, leaving the bike behind. It was a great hike, real wilderness up there. I wouldn't recommend doing it in 1 day - it was quite taxing! 11 hours hike, well worth it for the landslide area before Tilicho Base Camp and the lake itself.

Day 5: Manang to Thorung Phedi: Easy day after yesterday. I was expecting a lot of carrying today, because of the 1000m ascent, but it wasn't so difficult. A bit of pushing from Manang to Ghunsang, some nice flats and downhills to Yak Kharka for lunch. Then a mix of pushing and biking up to Thorung Phedi along a narrowing valley full of yaks. 4.5 hours riding time.

Day 6: Thorung Phedi to Kagbeni: Epic day! The climb from Thorung Phedi to the 'High Camp' is the hardest part - pushing and carrying. From there it evens out a bit and I took it really slow, stopping every minute to catch my breath. Had my first (and only) wipeout coming down a small decline high up on a rockfall; be careful on the narrow paths up there - the edges often give way. 4 hours to the top of the pass, and then the downhill started. Was a bit disappointed here - a lot of it is just too steep and dangerous to cycle. But some parts were really good. It's downhill all way - the loose rock giving way to sand and open tracks. Turn right after Muktinath for a great trail leading along an exposed hillside to Kagbeni. In the afternoon the wind gets really strong here - as in knock-you-off-your-bike strong, so I finished early in Kagbeni (beautiful town - stay at the Mustang Gateway hotel. Yum). 8 hours biking.

Day 7: Kagbeni to Kusma: This was probably the hardest day of the trip, mentally. From Kagbeni to Jomsom is nice - following the river along a series of rocky roads. The road from Jomsom to Beni is in AWFUL condition. Sometimes not bikeable. But it's because it's rainy season - if you did this trip in the dry season I think you'd be OK. I had to wade rivers/waterfalls every half hour or so, my bike got stuck in clogging mud but after a good Dhal Bhat for lunch in Tatopani I felt better, and the tar road from Beni was such a relief. Kusma's not a great town, but it's at the bottom of the hill, so a good place to call it a night.

Day 8: Kusma to Pokhara to Kathmandu: From Kusma the road rises slowly to Nayapul and then it's about 2 hours up switchbacks to Kande. It's a 700m ascent, but I didn't find it that difficult; the gradient is easy. From Kande it's a fun downhill pretty much all the way to Pokhara, where I had a huge curry and beers on Lakeside before hopping in a micro to Kathmandu (this time I was charged 800Rs!).

My trip was a bit rushed - my visa's almost up - but I felt I didn't over-extend myself (apart from the hiking up to Tilicho lake and back in one day, that was a bit silly). You could probably take an extra day up in Manang (it's a really stunning location) and an extra day in Kagbeni to see the area. But I don't think it's unrealistic to say that almost anyone with a bit of experience mountain biking can do this trip (Kathmandu to Kathmandu) in 10-12 days. The 16+ days agencies advertise seems a bit much. Oh, and speaking of agencies: I rented all my gear from Biking First in Thamel. Great shop, best bikes I found and really good value. Akshya is a hive of information too. Look them up, don't bother flying your bike in.

Good luck!!