If you live in a place that gets serious snow, there comes a time every winter when us riders find ourselves caught up in a very specific type of daydream. You know, the kind that involves riding our bikes somewhere beautiful, on some sort of epic adventure. Not just one of your normal weekend runs, or one filled with any of the kinds of sights found within a hundred-mile radius.
I’m talking completely and utterly E P I C, all caps, possibly written out by a skywriter in a pristine blue sky on a sunny day. Are you picturing it? Good, good—and even if you aren’t, Royal Enfield is here to help.
In October, 2019, the Enfield folks assembled a crack team of 11 riders to go on just such a journey. Their mission, if they chose to accept it: Ride a pack of Himalayans from Kathmandu up to the North Face Base Camp of Mount Everest, in Rongbuk, Tibet. Enfield filmed the entire thing and made a documentary out of the footage that’s just over half an hour long.
Plan Now, Trek Later:
While the sights are probably not as breathtaking as the elevation in Rongbuk, they’re plenty beautiful and inspiring. What’s even cooler is getting to know some of the riders, though—and watching that beautiful bonding process take place. For those of us who have ever spent time getting to know other riders by going for an intense group ride, what’s happening onscreen will seem very familiar.
If you haven’t had this experience yet, this is very much what you have to look forward to. Your trip might not be this extreme, and you might not have a camera crew along to document your every move—but that sense of human connection is still very much there. Sharing human bonds as we navigate our world on two wheels is one of the best parts of riding. Whatever you’re missing most if you’re off your bike right now, this video may just inspire you to plan for the brighter days of riding you’re sure to have ahead of you.