SRMR 2026 Day 11: To Laugh or Cry?

Kegeti Pass is one of the best mountain passes in all of Kyrgyzstan. Control Car 1 spent a gorgeous sunny day, catching riders as they make their way toward the summit after the brutal hike-a-bike over Ukok the day before. What comes out, between the switchbacks, is everything at once — Kristen close to tears one minute and calling herself invincible the next, Paul laughing off a welded frame and a breakfast of sheep-butt fat, Nick finding the wire he needs wrapped around his own cassette. Two years lived in ten days, as one rider puts it: not sure whether to laugh or cry, and doing both.

Riders featured in this episode:

• Antti Laaksonen — Cap 220A
• Teemu Lemmettylä — Cap 220B
• Paul Creusvaux — Cap 39
• Kristen Tonsager — Cap 168
• Andrei Ostanin — Cap 124
• Rasmus Bozyk — Cap 202A
• Nick Perkins — Cap 126

Follow the dots on MAProgress and follow @silkroadmountainrace on Instagram for visual updates from the trail.

Production & hosting by Mel Webb

Sound design by Ben Crannell

Cover photo by Stephen Shelesky

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