It begins in a kitchen, long before reaching Pokhara, with the Annapurna Circuit map spread out on the table like an omen, elevation lines thick with numbers that inspire both fear and desire, bikepacking bags filling and emptying like waves. This is how Federico and Giulia prepare their trip to Nepal by bike, with whispered doubts, lists rewritten three times, and that almost physical feeling that something is about to change.
They fly toward the Himalayas to fill a void that has no name, to seek a passage rather than a destination.
Then comes the plane, the bicycle disappearing onto the conveyor belt, the vibration of takeoff. The window shows only clouds, then a horizon pointing east. The Himalayas are still out of sight, yet already calling. It is not fear, it is not euphoria, it is the awareness that life will move at a different rhythm for a few weeks.
The Annapurna from below, where a bike journey in Nepal truly begins
They leave Pokhara among horns, mud and dust, not the postcard Nepal, but its first authentic breath.
Then the road rises, rice terraces give way to subtropical forests, suspended bridges, dark stone canyons. The bike feels heavier, the air changes smell, the legs protest. The official Annapurna Circuit covers between 350 and 360 km, but with the variants chosen by Federico and Giulia their journey exceeds almost 400 km of pedaling and pushing.
It is a continuous transition of landscapes and cultures, forests, cultivated terraces, Gurung villages, ancient Buddhist monasteries. Riding here means experiencing a vertical Nepal, tropical and humid at the bottom, essential and rarefied higher up. The change is measured not only by the GPS, but by the mind.
Manang and the value of acclimatization, stopping in order to continue
The first days up to Manang (3,540 m) are a lesson in resilience. The roads are steep, the dust never ends, and Pokhara’s smog presents the bill. Giulia has an irritated throat, a slight fever, and the mountain seems to suggest slowing down.
Manang is not just a stop on a trek or a bikepacking route in Nepal, Manang is a teacher.
Acclimatization here is an unwritten rule, climb during the day, sleep lower, let the body learn to breathe a new altitude. Federico and Giulia stay three nights, one more than planned, to recover and honor the mountain with respect.
Garlic soups, hot tea, gentle hikes up to 3,900 meters, sometimes a single step above 4,000 is enough to understand whether you can continue, or whether you should wait.
The march toward the sky, heading to Thorang Phedi and Thorong La Pass
The hardest day is the one leading them to Thorang Phedi (4,500 m), seven endless kilometers almost entirely on foot, pushing the bike, short breath and energy slipping away with the altitude.
Once there, Federico makes a decisive choice for the success of the journey, carrying Giulia’s bike alone up to the High Camp (4,800 m). He climbs with the weight on his arms and back, then descends again to Thorang Phedi so that the next morning, during the toughest ascent, Giulia will not have to face the remaining 300 vertical meters with a loaded bike.
The night is freezing, -18°C, and unfolds in a wooden room. The 3 a.m. alarm breaks the silence sharply.
They start again in the dark, with headlamps lighting only a few meters of trail. The air is thin, the wind sweeps through the rocks. The bike is no longer a tool, it has become a companion to protect.
The final hour toward Thorong La Pass (5,416 m) is a mental battle, short breath, wind slicing the skin, measured steps, and support exchanged through whispered words and glances that say “keep going.”
Then, suddenly, a gesture from Federico, and Giulia understands.
In front of them stands the highest pass of the Annapurna Circuit. They lean on their frames, and Giulia feels her eyes fill, not out of fragility, but for the weight of everything they have endured and overcome. The icy wind tangles her hair as she lets the held-back emotions flow.
The mountain has not been conquered, it has been listened to, crossed, respected. Around them, a mosaic of valleys, glaciers and peaks opens up the world. No applause, no finish line, only the silence of the wind and the certainty that a piece of them will remain among these rocks forever.
Shortfit 2.0 Supercomfort Racing
Ground Carbon FX
Frame Bag 5 L
Frame Bag 6 L
Ground Shield Carbon FX
