In the film "Kanymda Kumiss", mountain biker Fred Horny rides for 1,700 km on the trails of Kyrgyzstan. An adventure as sporting as it is human.
Fred Horny has embarked on an intense journey in Kyrgyzstan. It's a country where you'd never dream of putting down the wheels of a mountain bike, but that's exactly what attracted the French adventurer. From Bishkek to the foot of Peak Lenin, the film "Kanymda Kumiss" (unveiled in full below) takes us with him to this mountainous Central Asian country, where there's still so much to discover when it comes to mountain biking.
The basic idea was to set off from Bishkek and reach the southernmost point of the country for a 1700 km crossing, between large high-altitude lakes and encounters with the local population, including the nomadic people, marked by revolutions. Descending fast-flowing rivers in his packraft, sharing moments with nomads on the 30th anniversary of the country's independence, Fred Horny finally reaches his goal for some exceptional rides at 4500 m altitude.
"I had already been to Kyrgyzstan for a photo report a few years ago," explains rider Lapierre. "At the time, I really enjoyed the untouched territories and the incredible tracks made by horses and transhumance cattle: thanks to them, all the steppes and mountains have many very clean trails to ride. It made me want to come back. For this film, crossing the country from the north to Lenin Peak on the border with Tajikistan, there was no doubt that the route would offer exceptional landscapes and trails. For me, it's one of the most beautiful places in the world for mountain biking... I still haven't found anything better!
"This type of project requires real upstream management and fine-tuned organization, particularly in terms of equipment and logistics. When you go out to shoot for a day, it's not the same story as envisaging the production of a long format on the other side of the world, in often remote regions. The adventure therefore required a great deal of planning, particularly in terms of drop-off points: stages, transitions and so on. On site, we were supported by Stéphane, a man from Savoie whom I had met by chance on my previous trip to Kyrgyzstan and who, for the record, lives less than 5 kilometers from me in France... He was our relay over there, notably for the rental of a truck for technical assistance. "
