On the 2nd of September, when all the riders of
BCMTouring’s Ladakh 2007 ride met for the first time in Manali, there was an article regarding the trip on the FRONT PAGE OF NAVBHARAT TIMES!!!
Yes that’s right, BCMTouring’s Ladakh 2007 ride managed to hit the front page of a leading Hindi Daily before it “officially” began!
Many thanks to
NavBharat Times for bestowing BCMTouring with such a great honor.
Here are shots of the newspaper:
For our non Hindi speaking readers, here is the translation of the article:
Adrenaline will flow in Ladakh
No petrol pumps for 500 kms! A journey where there are no roads for 200 kms! The highest and the coldest desert of the world i.e. Ladakh is about to test the mettle of a biker group. Twelve bikers from five states of the country will be undertaking this adventurous trip in the next 17 days. The most important aspect of this expedition is that all these bikers met on an online internet forum and the whole idea of this adrenaline filled bike rally started there. All the bikers will come face-to-face in Manali on this Sunday and their journey to Ladakh will begin.
All of them met on bcmtouring.com this January and decided to explore Ladakh on their motorcycles. In this expedition, they will be passing through the Himalayan and Karakoram Ranges where there is no human settlement for miles. The season for bike tour to Ladakh lasts from June to September. Often small groups go to Ladakh during this season. However the method and the route chosen by this group is quite different from others. Moreover, such big groups hardly go to ladakh trip without a backup vehicle because it is very difficult to organize them.
A member of this group, Yogesh Sarkar says “ In this expedition we will come across an area where there will be no petrol pump for 500 Kms. En route we will be covering some of the highest passes of the world. We would also be going to Pangong Tso, which is the largest salt water lake in Asia. On the very first day we will cross Baralacha La- a pass situated at 16,500 Feet from sea surface and we will be spending the first night in Sarchu at 14,500 feet where the night temperature usually drops below zero. There is no electricity, phone, mechanic or petrol pump there”.
But one puncture can jeopardize the entire expedition. Getting a puncture fixed means back tracking for 100 to 200 kms. In such areas, scarcity of oxygen can cause ‘Acute Mountain Sickness’. Breathlessness, headache, dizziness, water retention in lungs are some of the symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness. This can even prove fatal. Even vehicles at this altitude deliver less power than usual. The areas these guys will be covering have almost no means of communication.
..
