Riding through the backwaters of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan was nothing less than epic - the challenges of the altitude and the sheer remoteness make it a bucketlister for any self-respecting bikepacker! Below are some highlights from the Pamir Highway, the Bartang Valley and the Tian Shan Traverse.

It was sensational riding across the Alps - spectacular scenery pretty much the whole way along. Have put up some of the photos from that trip here.

Slightly belatedly, have put pics from the trip down East Africa. Beautiful riding across a beautiful continent. A couple below but click on East Africa 2016 for the rest...

It was funny that, only 15km away, in the next valley, I was to have one of the most authentic evenings imaginable. The eccentric guest house owner decided that it would be better for me to eat with a group of other outdoors enthusiasts who had spent all day up in the mountains. Despite my tiredness and wish not to intrude, he used his better judgment, picked up my plate and moved me over anyway. And by the end I felt like I had as good a local knowledge as someone who had been in the region rather longer than I would ever be there, as well as having a good giggle along the way. Make no mistake, travelling alone is not my preferred option, but sometimes it brings you into a community rather better than if you are perceived to be part of a separate group or pairing, and people often forget and/or underestimate this.​

Switzerland was a total culture shock, one that I was not really expecting. Coming down into the (Swiss) Rhone Valley, Martigny below looked supremely organised, with streets all running parallel. A far cry from the mountain paths I had been accustomed to. And far from feeling like I was in the Alps, the road ahead seemed longer and straighter than anything I have cycled on across deserts in the past. The language soon changed to German, which had me flummoxed. (It is nice that people don't automatically speak English to you, though, I do appreciate that the expectation is upon the tourist and not vice versa). And, purely coincidentally, it was Swiss National Day, so shops were shut and everyone was out in the square in Brig for live music and beer in the evening, which was lovely.

On my day coming down the Rhone Valley, I mistakenly thought I was going to have a killer day and end up on the pass overnight, but in the event my sugar level went low and tiredness caught up with me in the afternoon, so I called it on the pass. 

The following day, as is the way, the opposite happened and I basically did two days riding in one. It wasn't planned that way, though. Simplonpass was much tougher than it should have been, as it was a large road with lots of high speed traffic, and I was not used to this. It ought not to have been all that steep, with cars whizzing by, and I spent a couple of hours slogging away at a 1400m ascent wondering why I was so shattered. Eventually, when not far off the top, I got it sussed, put the bike into a lower gear and slowed down a bit - it was that simple!

It decided to start raining as I summited, and the descent made this pass easily my least favourite of the trip. I was shivering like crazy, and I couldn't see a thing as the speed and wind was resulting in a constant jet of water in my eyes - not great riding blindly on 12% inclines! By the time I reached the Italian border I was a wreck, if I'm honest with myself, and jumped into a cafe for some warmth and respite. 

But I knew the rest of the day would be more straightforward, even if it poured it down, as it would be at low altitude and warm. I hadn't factored in that it was 'the last stretch', and that I would push on right the way into the very heart of Milan, which was not my original intention at all, but such is the fun of not planning too carefully and then not sticking to your plans even when you do! ​

215km later, on a lunch of a coffee and a mars bar (all diabetes specialists would approve, don't worry!) I was pretty much dead when I found a hotel room, but dead in a good way.

And that's it for this time round: 1830km, a lot of altitude gain/loss, and a lot of fun!​

Suggestions for next summer welcome on a postcard please. First one in already, though not on a postcard:
http://www.ironcurtaintrail.eu/en/index.html

Climbing up out of Provence was wonderful. The roads around Les Gorges du Verdon were simply stunning. The rock features were phenomenal, the roads providing opportunities to stop and take in breathtaking panoramas seemly every half-mile. And if there were too many cars on the road for my liking, I have never been averse to putting my headphones on, enjoying the music and basically pretending that everyone around me doesn't exist!​

The route up to Col d'Allos was no less impressive, and also popular with racers, tourers and mountain-bikers alike. It was amusing (and bloody hard work!) challenging myself to keep pace with one or two of the racers, while it lasted, on the 7% incline dotted with switchbacks.

The highlights have been plentiful, in particular staying in uber friendly refuges or hostels that provide a cold beer, a hot shower and an enormous fill of rustic, home-cooked fare, usually enough to finish you off for the evening after a day on the mountainsides. Unless, of course, you can stay awake for a little shot of a local liqueur.
Villages have often been beautiful, sometimes spectacularly perched on a cliff or rock, so that you have to wind around tiny alleyways on impossible gradients. The number of empty houses is worrying, however, along with the lack of younger generations - I guess the attractions of rural life are not that many, understandably enough. And the economy means that many of those who invested in a holiday cottage can no longer afford the upkeep.

A half-day today as I'm being lazy, but it was sensational! Stunning scenery the whole way, with nobody there at all, and a descent of 1200m of pure fun at the end. To wrap it all up I just finished off arriving at the sign above, eating the mother of all lunches, and am now off for a siesta... When in Rome and all that!?

Only ended up doing 65km today because it was so mountainous, and I feel absolutely jiggered now... shot to pieces! Food and sleep beckoning :)