Daniel H. Bailey: professional adventure photographer. An accomplished climber, mountaineer, cyclist and traveler, he has previously traveled in the Himalays of Pakistan and Nepal and has knowledge and experience with Tibetan and Balti people and cultures. Dan has an insatiable appetite for adventure and an endless supply of energy. He has climbed a number of alpine walls in the Rockies and desert towers in the Canyonlands of Utah. He has completed numerous high mountain endurance traverses and photographed adventure racing and 24 hour bike races. A partial list of Dan's clients include Nikon, Fujifilm, Patagonia, Marmot, Black Diamond, Polartec, Bike Magazine, Bell Helmets, Outdoor Retailer, Hewlett-Packard, and Fidelity Investments. For more information on his images and business, visit www.danbaileyphoto.com.

Eric Parsons: Avid endurance cyclist, mountain biker for nearly 10 years. Previously raced collegiate and sport class. Competed in last year's Montezuma's Revenge 24hr race. An Alpine climber with a passion for adventure, has an affliction to climbing as many mountains as he can get his hands on. Has summited over half of Colorado's 14ers, many solo and several in winter. Actually, Eric views the India trip is just more training for this year's 2001 Montazuma's Revenge Bike Race, which takes place a week after we get back. He recently quit his job and is basically now a homeless person with a bike and a bunch of stuff in the back of a Totota pickup.

As a team, We have completed numerous endurance adventures together, including the "9 Mountain one day Traverse" (summitting Long's, Meeker, Pagoda, Chiefshead, McHenry's, Powell, Taylor, Otis, and Flattop in a non-stop 20 mile push.) We have climbed alpine routes in RMNP together, mountain biked over rugged Colorado high country terrain, and completed a number of backcountry ski and snowboard descents. This past November, we summited both Orizaba (18, 410') and Iztaccihuatl (17,100') in Mexico. Our common mantra for our adventures is that of "All Terrain Madmen" who can travel with speed and endurance in the mountains over the most awe inspiring terrain, whether it be by pedalling, hiking, or climbing. We are attracted to objectives which require the ultimate in endurance and mental perseverance.

Cycling to Ladakh and beyond easily fits these personal goals, being not only an immense physical and mental challenge, but also a chance to visit a part of the world and an ancient culture that has only been opened to westerners for the past decade. The opportunity to push ourselves in such an extreme environment is what fuels our passions and gives us life. Although there are organized bike and motorcycle tours that follow the road to Leh, they are all accompanied by support vehicles and the participants only ride with a minimum of gear, very few if any do the ride unsupported, as the crux of the route, the Manali-Leh stretch, runs for 500km with no towns in between.