Bikes are the only way to get to the places where these photos were taken. Bikes can also be tossed on a plane, on top of a bus, on back of a truck or jeep, or just under your butt and then get pedalling. The yak cart in the photo, in case you're wondering, carried our gear across the braided stream flowing into Tsaagan Nuur in Mongolia.

We are not purists and have no qualms about catching transport to places where we think it will be more interesting to ride. We're not so much into long slogs across unchanging country; what we do is more like long distance mountain bike riding than cycle touring.