Stage One of the GENCO Mongolia Bike Challenge presented by Orbea was a 120-kilometer (74.5-mile) loop from the Genghis Khan Statue in Tuv Province with a groan-inducing 3,000 meters (9.842 feet) of climbing. The heat of the Mongolian sun combined with the seemingly endless short steep climbing sections made for a hell of a first day. Here's a race report and photo gallery from the steppes of Mongolia.
Gallery: Mongolia Bike Challenge--Stage 1
Gallery: Mongolia Bike Challenge--Stage 1