A Rider’s First Himalayan Crossing

Nobody quite prepares you for the moment the road disappears into cloud and you realise you're still climbing.

The air gets thin long before you reach the top, and by the final switchbacks, every gear change takes real concentration. Then, without warning, the cloud breaks — and there's nothing ahead but snow, sky, and a string of prayer flags snapping in the wind.

It's a strange kind of achievement, reaching a high pass on two wheels. You didn't climb it, exactly. But you earned it all the same.