9th edition of MTB Himalaya set to get under way

Autumn has its own charm in the Himalayan hills. This year, as Himalayan Adventure Sports and Tourism Promotion Association (HASTPA) celebrates its ninth year of existence in promoting adventure tourism in Shimla and around, more than 80 riders would meander through the length and breadth of the hills to take up the challenge of 9th Edition of MTB Himalaya 2013.

On September 28, the riders – many of who have come from far-off places like Portugal, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium –will start their ride from Hotel Holiday Home at 9 AM.

Mr. Sudripta Roy, Chief Secretary, Himachal Pradesh, will flag off this year’s edition from Hotel Holiday Home, which will take the pack to the interiors of the majestic hills for a thrill of their lifetime.

With prize money in excess of 3 lac INR, MTB Himalaya offers riders monetary benefits coupled with world class athletic equipment in addition to the unforgettable experience of riding along one of the toughest, most extreme bike trails in the world.

Evolution is a game of nature. We at HASTPA have always believed in evolving with time, collaborating with organizations across the world to provide the best quality of experience for the riders. This year also, we have re-drawn the route for the riders increasing daily competitive riding to 80-90 kilometres with one free riding stage per day.

Many of the riders who had taken part in earlier editions of MTB Himalaya had requested to reduce the free riding time and increase the competitive stage duration which we have incorporated in this year’s edition. As we are nearing a decade in India’s premier MTB event, we have conceived change in several segments – the route being the main factor.

Shimla is the capital of picturesque Himachal Pradesh that we all know apparently but the level of ardour hikes when someone indeed watches the actual show of alchemy presented by absolute’s being in the lap of nature ,by their own. “If start is good, end need not to be good” – here this adage got an exception as this event led participants to feel the chill of amusingness from Shimla till the end of the race.

Route Synopsis

Day 1

GadaKuffar –> Dharampur –> Mashobra –> Shimla –> Jimu Nala

Day 2

Matiana –> Narkanda –> GadaKuffar

Day 3

Narkanda –> Tikkar –> Kumarsei –>Narkanda

Day 4

Narkanda –> Agyaat vaas –>Dorighat –> Narkanda

Day 5

Narkanda –> Kacheenghati –> Oddi –> Narkanda

Day 6

Theog –> Shimla –> Bhekalti –> Narkanda

From last year’s maximum elevation of 3140 meters, we have increased the height to 3400 meters touching Hatu Peak top. The total elevation climb for the event will near 10000 meters. From Hotel Holiday Home, Shimla the route ambles through the iconic Ridge going down to Kiarkoti, passing along local springs and streams as roads turn from tarmac to jeep and jeep to single tracks crossing Sadhola, Mashobra, finally ending with an uphill climb to the camping site at Gadakuffar for day one.

Day two starts with an extreme downhill section near Matiana going towards Shilaroo, coupled with mix of uphill, bike & hike crossing through Jimu Nala, Galan Ghati, finally camping at Dhomri Ground. The rest of the days, the event will camp at Dhomri discovering various routes in and around Dhomri covering Hatu Peak on Day 4. On the last day Riders will have to pedal down from Dhomri, Narkanda all the way back to Shimla for the finale at Hotel Holiday Home in Shimla.

Scientists have long claimed that only the fittest survive. MTB Himalaya is a test for everything – fitness, agility, prowess, skill but most importantly mental strength and determination. But only one can be on the top, and he alone can claim the Yellow Jersey. The 9th edition of MTB Himalaya 2013, presented by Discovery Channel and powered by Montra, will witness an eclectic mix of riders some travelling from other continents and countries to be a part of this world class race.

Race Categories:

Open Men SoloOpen Women SoloOpen Masters SoloTeam of Two

The 9th edition of MTB Himalaya 2013, presented by Discovery Channel and powered by Montra, has several race categories that include Men’s and Women’s Solo, Masters Solo, Team Challenge among others. We have also made some changes in riding categories so that it can be more interesting than ever. In doing away with the Weekend Racer category, we have focused on serious riders who want to test their mettle against the worst the mountains have to offer.

For the amateur riders, we introduced training camps a couple of months before the race, where riders can come for a weekend and get altitude and terrain training with our experts here in the Queen of Hills. Around 15-20 MTB enthusiasts were rendered training in two weekend camps in addition to himachalis who are provided these trainings free of cost. Further, we at HASTPA coupled with riders from Ireland and Scotland conducted training session with some 80 students of St Edward’s School, Shimla.

Rider Representation

8 Countries:

BelgiumScotlandIrelandPortugalItalyNepalIndiaEngland

15 cities from India:

DelhiJaipurKohlapurChennaiBangaloreLehShimlaKulluShillongMumbai

15 riders from Indian Army Adventure wing4 Riders from the Indian Air-force Adventure wing

From Luis Leao Pinto, the current World No. 9 coming to compete in India for the first time, to Eduardo Pereira former world no. 16 and Luis Canto Moniz both representing Portugal, we have riders Zoe Beesley from Scotland, Robert Rankin from Ireland and James and Catherine Shepherd from England.

Apart from them we have riders from Nepal who have consistently been on the podium over the years and are not to be underestimated ever. Our regular rider from the South, Dattatreya Patil the man who pedals without any shoes to our 19-year-old local lad Devender Thakur, we have a sizeable number of truly hardcore professional participants who are all set to blaze through the trail.

Defending champions in “Team of Two” category of last year, Shishir Man Karki and Naresh Deb Burman have arrived in Shimla with their largest ever contingent of 15 riders at Jutogh Cantt. Shishir and Naresh can be seen every day around Jutogh leading and guiding the AAW team regardless of the rains which are refusing to abate.

The Air Force has also fielded 4 riders to compete this year. There are also those like Jaskeerat Bedi who is riding for a cause and not competition, Breast Cancer Awareness in particular. One of the oldest cycling groups of India, “Pedal Yatri” have been a regular at MTB Himalaya needs special mention as one of the backbone of the event since its inception.

We can only hope that the riders will have a scintillating tour in the six days in which they will cover around 500km in the lap of nature. For the adrenalin freaks, we have some tough uphill and cool downhill tracks in addition to the rocks, gravel and slushy routes.

Our Sponsors and Partners

Discovery ChannelTI Cycles of India (Montra)State Bank of IndiaOakleySuuntoSalomonDainik BhaskarIndiatimes.com

Our Other partners

International Mountain Bicycling Association – AffiliateHPTDC – Hospitality PartnerFreerider Mountain Bike Magazine – MTB Magazine PartnerKingfisher – Good Times PartnerMybikemyworld – Two-wheeler Online Media PartnerPedaleo – Portuguese Media PartnerMensxp.com – Men’s Lifestyle PartnerThe Outdoor Journal – Adventure Media PartnerSports Transnational – Online news updates partner

Rahul Johri, Senior Vice President and General Manager – South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific and Head of Revenue, Pan-Regional Ad Sales and Southeast Asia said “Discovery Channel has been known for offering adventure filled entertainment to Indian viewers through its action-packed series like Man Vs. Wild, Car Vs. Wild, American Trucker and more. Through this cycling expedition, we aim to extend the proposition of a thrilling experience on-ground.”

Talking about MTB Himalaya, Mr.Vikas Khanna, GM Sourcing , TI Cycles of India says, “TI Cycles of India is proud to be associated with MTB Himalaya for the 7th year. Montra is our indigenously manufactured premium range of bicycles in Alloy and Carbon . Montra provides the moment of pride to all Indians with a truly Global Bicycle which has been designed and made in India. This year 4 members from TI would be riding this tour on their customized Montra cycles. They can be seen on the Montra Rock 4 series which is comparable in Geometry and componentary to the best in the World. 5 new Montra models have been launched this year. We wish all the riders a wonderful and safe ride.”

On their association with MTB Himalaya, Oakley Business Head, Mr. Amitabh Sehdev was ecstatic while speaking to us on the occasion of MTB Himlaya 2013 “Oakley is proud to be associated with an event like MTB Himalaya. Oakley is the leading sports eyewear brand and is dedicated to play their part in the growth of a sport like cycling in India. MTB Himalaya has worked very hard to put India on the world map for Mountain Biking. I think MTB Himalaya has the potential to be one of the best events in the world and we at Oakley will do our best to support the event and culture in the future also.”

This year’s edition of 9th MTB Himalaya 2013, presented by Discovery Channel and powered by Montra, also steps up its effort to engage the local communities.

MTB Himalaya was started not just to offer riders, both national and international, a sense of riding through the tough terrain but also to involve villagers on the way. People should be made aware of the ecological changes that the Himalayas are undergoing at present. HASTPA has always made it a point that the ecology of the hills should be preserved.

From time to time, we have changed the way MTB Himalaya is covered in the print, electronic and social media. With social media being the talks of this new generation, we have decided to update our keen followers worldwide through Facebook and Twitter.

Every evening, after the race, real-time updates will be available on the social networking sites besides pictures on Flickr. Updates will also be available on our online partners Indiatimes.com and mybikemyworld.com. Dainik Bhaskar, our print partner for years, will have details on MTB Himalaya for the ones still true to print.

About HASTPA

HASTPA (Himalayan Adventure Sports & Tourism Promotion Association) was started in 2004 by Mohit Sood with the vision of promoting holistic adventure tourism in the state of Himachal Pradesh, encompassing pertinent issues of sustainable tourism, such as livelihoods, environment conservation, community based tourism, etc. It has under its wing its flagship event, MTB Himalaya, and other events such as MTB Spiti, MTB Shimla and Earth Day rides.

HASTPA stands committed to the people of Himachal Pradesh, to promote sustainable tourism and use mountain cycling as a tool to establish it as one of the premier destinations for cycling, internationally.

MTB Himalaya has always been a tribute to the skill and endurance of a cyclist, particularly the mountain bikers. We always try to conform to the international race rules and our endeavor has also been supported by International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) as affiliate. Already a race to reckon with, MTB Himalaya thrives to achieve the fame of any of the best MTB races in the world.