MTB Himalaya
Race details | |
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Date | 26 September - 04 October 2015 |
Region | Himachal Pradesh, India |
Discipline | Mountain Biking |
Type | Cross Country |
Organiser | HASTPA[1] |
History | |
First edition | 2005 |
Editions | 10 |
Most recent | Cory WallaceLuis Leao Pinto, Ajay Pandit, Nirjala Tamrakar |
The MTB Himalaya is an annual mountain bike race held in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, India. Started in 2005, the race covers nearly 500 km (310 mi) in a span of 8 days. The race is sponsored by Hero Cycles India.
Venues
Started in 2005, the first 5 races took the route from Shimla To Manali.[2] But, from 2010, the route has been altered and it follows a loop, where the race begins from Shimla and ends at Shimla. It passes through Shimla, Kullu and Mandi districts.[3]
Categories of Competition
The race has had the following categories for cyclists[4]
- Open Men Solo
- Open Women Solo
- Open Masters (age 40 and above) Solo
- Teams of two riders
From the year 2011, a trail running category has also been introduced simultaneously with the biking.[5]
Sponsors
For the initial 8 years the race was sponsored by Hercules. For 2 years now, the event has been sponsored by Hero Cycles. In the recent events Discovery channel and The Times of India officially partnered the MTB Himalaya.
The International Mountain Bicycling Association has been a race partner with MTB Himalaya from the beginning.
Participation
The MTB Himalaya has seen about 1200 people take part totally in the 10 years of existence. They have seen participants come from US, Austria, Germany, Nepal, Bhutan and India.[6] In 2011, 104 riders started, and only 42 finished.[7]
References
- ↑ Aneja, Gaurav. "HASTPA- The team behind MTB Himalaya". Gaadi.com.
- ↑ Bike Forums
- ↑ 2010 Route
- ↑ Rider categories
- ↑ Trail Runner
- ↑ Participation
- ↑ Chauhan, Pratibha (8 October 2011). "Hercules MTB rally: Chettri, Nirjala steal the show". The Tribune. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
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