Cycling the Manali - Leh Highway: Day 9 [Rumtse to Leh]

 Date: 21st July 2025

Route: Rumtse → Upshi → Leh

Start elevation: 4,200 meters or 13,800 feet ASL

End elevation: 3,500 meters or 11,550 feet ASL

Distance: 76 kms

Time taken:  ~7 hrs

Road: Smooth tarred roads till Leh; short rough patches till Uphi

Connectivity: Jio Postpaid and Prepaid (J&K Circle) all the way till Leh

It was a relief to be waking up with a head that no longer felt like it was jackhammered; the night's sleep was pershaps all that the doctor prescribed and I felt good now. Today's ride to Leh was going to be ~76 kms long which was almost completely downhill all the way till Upshi. From Upshi, the roads are a mix of rhytms of inclines and declines, the most challenging being the ascent to Leh city, as we were going to find out. We were out and about by 0900 hrs and decided against having our B'fast in our homestay but at Upshi to cover some ground and save time. 

Somewhere between Gya and Rumtse

I don't have many photos from the last day, but I remember feeling completely alright with my headache gone and having a blast in the beautiful roads that were interspersed with pretty little villages every now and then. The sun wasn't too hard either, with the clouds shielding us from the wrath of the sunlight in regular intervals; it was pretty much the ideal day to be riding in. The roads are good for the most part but a little rough (in patches) and dusty in some parts, nothing that was too concerning. Be advised to slow down on the rough patches as sharp upward facing stones only appear in sight when one is too close to them leaving little room to manouver around them leaving the tyres vulnerable to cuts.

 

The valley slopes, depending on the angle of sun rays that fell on them, ranged from shades of red and maroon throughout our journey and the neatly divided agricultural fields were ablush with vibrant green crops that looked like somone had manicured all of them to the same height! A stream kept us company on our right hand side all the way till Upshi and that was the reason that agriculture was one of the primary activities in these villages. 

It was somewhere after Gya that we ran into the Himachali Gent who was then on his way back from Leh back; we had a small conversation, he apprised us of the roads, good-byes were exchanged and we left. Upshi is the major town before Leh and tourists are required to have their details registered at the Upshi Check Post. We pulled over at a restaurant at the main intersection of Upshi at 1030 hrs and ordered for a Paratha Thali.

The food was tasty and I utilised the time to refill my hydration pack and prepped a new batch of electrolyte solution for the ride ahead.

The distance bwteen Upshi and Leh is ~47 kms and by the time we left, it had become full blown sunny with a prickly sunlight that seemed to have gine berserk; my eyes watered from all the light that reflected off from the surface around and I was reminded that sunglasses are function over form, for the nth time. Anyways, this was how it was going to be. 

The Indus flowing to our Left the entire duration

The entire road to Leh is, well, scenic (and beautiful) as has been the case throughout this journey; however, what makes it different in this stretch is the sheer number of vehicles plying on these roads. It was one busy road- for good reason too. I had never in my life seen so many military bases around and it was quite fun to be spotting such establishments lined up throughout! I also saw countless flights of HAL Cheetahs, some taking off and some descending towards the landing zone. We also saw the American Apache in the coming days circling the Leh city which, seeing one in flight, was a fanboy moment for sure! There were several army run canteens where one could have their meals and probably would make for a nice experience too.

Anyways, braving scores of army convoys, clouds of dust and the fierce sun, we were getting closer to Leh. While it may be tiredness or general anticipation to reach the destination (which I think was the reason), the elevations seemed more tiring than the previous ones; or just maybe I pedalled too hard to reach Leh early! It was a fun ride.

Somewhere just after Thiksey Monastery

I stopped to refill my electrolyte solution where ever I could get some shade and spent some time just being, as Onkar was still some way behind me. By 1416 hrs, we had made our way into the outskirts of the Leh city and spent some time on the internet to look for an accomodation and decided on one called Shaynam Hotel in the old part of the town.

In the outskirts of the Leh City
The road you see is the one we came from and had stopped here for some soft drink to replenish our glycogen stores.

I had read on a number of blogs about the wrecking incline to the the Leh City about how it seemed to be so difficult to the cyclist; while I didn't find anything as tough, I decided to hold my horses before calling it wins. And it was a good decision. The final ascent to Leh town sqeezes all the juice out and seems to be never ending! I had a good time climbing the final incline to Leh with all my might, as this was the last stop.

Ascent final boss!

By 1600 hrs, we were in our hotel rooms and I could finally made sense of what we had done. It was delightful to live the days in my head and this blogpost is a final attempt to etch it forever in the annals of my memory. I had a nice, hot bath after more than a week which felt splendid. 

I have since come to believe that that is the thing with the Type-II fun; it feels so much better to think about it after the deed is accomplished that one feels like dwelling in such memories forever! Type-II FTW!

The evening was spent sauntering in the Leh city and getting the bike in order (lubing the chain and pumping the tyres) as we planned on trying the Khardung La tomorrow. We ate our dinner at the Gesmo Restaurant where I had Shakshouka, downing it with some Chinar Apple Beer! The food was on the pricier side but tasted good. The Chinar Apple Beer tasted too sweet to my liking but was a nice, new experience to be had.

After spending some time in the city, having a softy in the cold Leh weather and getting the online permits done for the places we wanted to visit, it was time for a good night's sleep!