Silk Road Mountain Race

Final hours to complete your application to race SRMR in 2026. We’ll be closing the application portal tonight at midnight.

Head to the link in bio to complete yours!

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Final days to complete your application for SRMR 2026.

It’s already shaping up to be quite the roster, on what will be our longest course yet. This past summer we had 30 women race across the solo and pairs category and we’d love to see even more on the startline this year.

If you’re looking for any further motivation to complete your application, take a listen to our race podcast for a flavour of the adventure you can expect next summer.

Applications will close at midnight GMT on Monday December 8th.

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Applications for SRMR 2026 are open until midnight GMT on Friday.

We’ll see the return of many SRMR classics, including CP1 at Son Kul, an alpine lake nestled in a ring of mountains at 3000m. Most riders expect the biggest challenge to be the climb up Tuz Ashuu, a rough and steep pass up to the lake, but the track around the lake will take longer than expected.

There are no easy kilometres in Kyrgyzstan, but we think that the effort is well worth the rewards this country has to offer.

Head to the link in our bio to complete your application to race in August 2026.

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Applications for SRMR 2026 are now live. You can complete yours at the link in our bio. The race will start on Saturday August 15th in Talas, and riders will have until midnight on Saturday August 29th to reach the finish in Cholpon Ata.

Please take the time to carefully read the manual before completing your application. It should contain all of the information you need for this year’s race.

The Silk Road Mountain Race is a serious undertaking. As you complete your application, please treat each scenario as something you’re likely to encounter out on the route.

Applications will be accepted until December 8th and we will notify accepted riders on December 12th. The race will be limited to 250 spots with a lottery in case of over subscription. Good luck!

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We are pleased to share the 2026 Silk Road Mountain Race route in partnership with

SRMR has always been our attempt to showcase some of the most beautiful and wild areas of Kyrgyzstan. Each year we try to create the perfect setting for riders to test themselves within this mountainous wilderness. This edition brings a start we’ve only used once before, a few new wild additions, and plenty of SRMR classics. The eighth Silk Road Mountain Race will follow a 2,052 km route with roughly 35,362 m of elevation. It begins in Talas in the northwest and ends in Cholpon Ata on the north shore of Issyk-Kul.

This is a year of superlatives and exploration, but also one of continuity. It’s our longest route yet and the one with the most elevation gain. Just 20% of the course is paved—less than last year. At the same time, it’s not quite as remote overall. We revisit places we haven’t seen for a while, with slightly less out-and-out exploration.

The biggest new section is a 150 km stretch of relatively untravelled wilderness offering a new way to move from Baetov to the Torugart military checkpoint. Unlike last year’s long hike, it’s fully rideable, though steep in places. The final major addition is a hike up and over Ukok Pass, taking riders past the picturesque Kok-Ulok Lake. From there, it’s a classic SRMR run to the finish over Kegeti and Kok-Ayrik passes, ending once again in one of our favourite finish locations: Cholpon Ata on the shores of Issyk-Kul.

It’s a balanced showcase of some of the best Kyrgyzstan has to offer an intrepid bikepacker.

Head to the link in our bio to view the route on Ride with GPS.

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2025 marked a return to the spirit of the early years, venturing into the unknown and embracing the wild character of Kyrgyzstan that first defined the Silk Road Mountain Race. This year we made a conscious choice to take riders to some of the most remote places this country has to offer.

2026 will take us back to a few places we haven’t been for a while, but also throw in a couple of notable novelties. The start will be somewhere we’ve only been once before. There will also be a new lake and checkpoint location, and a rather remote stretch of forgotten road we think you’ll enjoy…

We’re still hesitating whether to break the 2000KM mark or not. What do you think?

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A few faces of the 2025 Silk Road Mountain Race

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Portraits by

A lot has been said about 2025 being a year of new beginnings for SRMR, another first edition.

It was a hard race, possibly the hardest yet, characterised by high altitude, long hikes, river crossings and plenty of weather. Despite this, riders persevered and, I think, got the adventure they were looking for when they signed up. However far they got, whether they finished the route or not, they can be incredibly proud of their effort. I’m sure it will remain a long time etched into their memories.

I always think long and hard before including a difficult section that may pose a challenge that will push riders further than they expected. The Suyek hike was one such challenge. It was certainly not for everyone and will likely put off a few potential future riders, but for me, that’s OK. This is not a bikepacking race like any other, it’s an adventure on a grand scale that you must prepare for and approach with a healthy dose of respect. I believe it is one of its strengths and I have no intention of ever changing that.

Kyrgyzstan is a stunningly beautiful place, but it doesn’t give up its natural wonders easily. If you are brave enough to come and discover it under your own power, you have to earn every mile, and have the experience and kit to get you around safely. You will likely have the most amazing encounters with the people that live here, that know these mountains better than anyone and welcome you in and look after you when the temperatures drop and the weather turns.

In a race like this there are a lot of people involved in making it a success, so I’d like to thank everyone who helped to make it happen this year: our volunteers who looked after the riders at CPs, our control car teams who drove immense distances through these mountains, sleeping little and documenting our riders’ efforts, our medical teams waiting on standby until called upon to rush out and come to a rider’s assistance, the local authorities who supported us in many ways throughout the event, my parents who are always there supporting me and my partner, who did so much unseen work and coordination. Thank you so much for your help!

- Nelson Trees, Race Director

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The seventh edition of the Silk Road Mountain Race is now concluded, with our Lantern Rouge rider Hendra Wijaya arriving in Karakol at 23:42, just 30 minutes before the 12:12 AM cutoff. Having now raced three times—solo, in a pair, and this year on a fat bike—he closed out the event in true SRMR spirit, keeping us all biting our nails until the very end. He also becomes the first rider to complete SRMR on a fat bike.

Earlier in the evening, it was touch and go. Hamish Hall made it in during the party at Duet, greeted with cheers and plenty of plov. With the podiums long departed, riders and volunteers handed out some light-hearted awards for mishaps and adventures on course, honouring the spirit of the race as much as the results.

This year, 128 riders reached the finish line in time for the general classification cutoff, in what has been our hardest edition to date.

Naturally, it will take some time for the full magnitude of the ride to sink in. For now—congratulations to everyone who took part in this year’s edition. Enjoy the finish line!

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It’s not the first time we’ve seen riders race single speed at the Silk Road Mountain Race, but this year we had our biggest field yet. Daniel Richards, Annie Dunlap, Eric House, Sandor Boros, and Ethan Washam all raced on single speeds, each with different gear ratios.

You might ask why ride single speed? Anyone who chooses this option will be quick to tell you a variety of reasons. For some, it’s a choice rooted in simplicity. One gear means fewer parts to break, a deeper connection to the bike. It asks for patience and persistence, or maybe single speeders secretly just love walking.

In our latest podcast episode, we hear from some of our single speeders. Ethan shares why he chose one gear, Eric regales us with his tire woes, and Annie does her best to share about her decision to ride single speed despite losing her voice.

To hear more search for “The Mountain Races Podcast” wherever you get your podcasts or click the link in our bio.

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