Day 1—Manali to Leh cycling expedition

Vivek Deshmukh
3 min readJul 27, 2019

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16 August 2018 — Jagatsukh to Marhi
We packed our panniers and kept cycles ready the night before our journey started.

Just outside Manali towards Palchan

On the morning of 16th August 2018, we started pedaling from Jagatsukh and planned to reach our first stop at Marhi. Here we began our cycling expedition with lots of zest and enthusiasm to enjoy the awe-inspiring journey ahead. The road was in very good condition and we relished our uphill cycling a lot with the visual treat provided by dense forest and lush green hills.

As the dusk approached, we reached Marhi. There are multiple Dhabas available at Marhi. After inquiring for accommodation options, we finalized to stay at Chamba Dhaba. When it became dark, the climate became very cold and water reached to almost freezing temperature. The accommodation and food were good at Chamba Dhaba. We met with a solo cyclist from Slovenia, Mr. Nadeem.

Quick facts
Day 1 — Manali to Leh cycling
Route followed — Jagatsukh > Manali > Palchan > Kothi > Gulaba > Marhi
Distance covered — 45.2 KM
Altitude gained — Approximately 4,400 feet. Manali has altitude of approx. 6,400 feet and Marhi at approx. 10,800 feet.
Challenges faced — The steady climb of 45 km is the ultimate challenge.

And the cycling continues, read on…

Scroll down to view some of the pics we captured on Manali to Leh cycling expedition day 1

We covered approximately 15 KM from Manali, you can see Vaibhav on the lower right corner of the pic
To imagine the actual size of the black rock, compare its size with the size of the vehicles on the road.
One of many beautiful Himalayan flowers
Navin and Vaibhav resting for a while
A scenic view with waterfalls
We made new friends, and Nadeem from Slovenia is one of them.
Our host at Chamba Dhaba at Marhi. The Chamba Dhaba is operational except for the months of winter.
Starting point at Jagatsukh with our host Mr. Raju Sharma
One of our fully loaded cycles ready with panniers for Manali to Leh expedition
Raj was all smiles to be on his dream cycling expedition
Such a beautiful view made me contemplative

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Vivek Deshmukh

An eternal optimist who welcomes life in all its forms. Call me a writer, a photographer, a cyclist, a tabla player, and the list goes on…