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 Two Brit Dakar riders are off to Tibet in November in an attempt to break the record of highest altitude on a motorcycle.
Tamsin Jones will be seeking to break fellow Dakar competitor Annie Seels record of 5305m set in 2003 whilst Craig Bounds will be setting his sights on 6005m reached by Japanese rider Shinji Kazama. Both attempts will take place on the northern slopes of Mount Everest.
The duration of the expedition is two weeks and will start on Nov 10th from Kathmandu, Nepal, then head to Tibet where the ride to Everest base camp (5200m) will begin. The ultimate objective is to reach the Advanced Base Camp at 6400m.
‘Training for the Dakar meant a lot of time in the desert in blistering heat and deep sand. It’s fantastic to have the opportunity to go and do something completely different and is a real challenge’ said Jones.
The physical exhaustion will be tough, and high altitude illness could strike the duo as well as the severe cold with the temperature dropping below -10. Water from the melting glaciers will make river crossings challenging and from the base camp upwards there are no defined paths just rocks and boulders. And of course unpredictable weather can cause problems along the way. It will also be a technical challenge to keep the engines running at this altitude.
Craig Bounds had the following to say; ‘You only live once, so you’ve just got to go for it. My father of 74 is running the marathon next year and recently did a skydive - he is a real inspiration’.
Craig and Tamsin are no strangers to pushing the boundaries, both having finished the arduous Dakar rally and Red Bull Romaniacs extreme enduro. Follow their progress at www.blackdeserttraining.com
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