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Mountain terrain biking underway in Himachal
Shimla: Cyclists from India and abroad are testing their stamina and endurance in the nine-day long Mountain Terrain Biking, which was flagged off here yesterday. The rally is witnessing 60 participants, including 19 foreigners. Positioning the cycle rally as the third best after the Trans- Alps in Europe and the Trans-Rocky in Canada, organisers say the rally passes through some of the country's most difficult mountainous passes. "An important feature about the rally is the route which passes through high mountain passes, something not seen in other rallies. The routes constitute the Jalori Pass which is 32 meters and Chatrugala and Magrugala, both 3,000 and above meters," said Mohit Sood, President, Himalayan Adventure Sports and Tourism Promotion Association (HASTPA), which has organized the rally.
Starting
at an altitude of 2108 meters in the capital city Shimla, the 650-kilometre
rally route will pass through passes of Chattrugala and Magrugala at the
height of 3600 metres and 3550 metres. Participants from Singapore, Belgium,
Malaysia, USA, UK, New Zealand and Hungary have converged on the picturesque
state to try their luck. "I find it pretty challenging. In the women section,
there are professional cyclists so I would be pretty happy if I can just
finish and do my best. The reason I entered the competition is that I
just love biking here. I saw the whole route and it is just a fabulous
scene. I have done a lot of biking in other parts of the world, and this
would have to be the best," said Kaaren Mathias, a women racer from New
Zealand. Eight members of the Indian Army, who are participating in the
rally, consider it a test of their strength and determination. "The rally
will be quite challenging for us, as we are the debutant participants.
We have been practicing for the last seven to eight months. The length
of the route is about 650 kilometres and eight members of the Indian Army
participated in this," said Mauldar Anand Sharma, one of the participants
from the Army. Organised for the second time after last year, the rally
comprises of four categories, open men, open women, master and national.
The trail conditions include single track, double track and few technical
rocky runs, besides unpaved footpaths in the villages. The hilly state
of Himachal Pradesh is one of the sought after tourist destinations in
the country due to its exotic valleys, glorious slopes and snow-capped
mountains.
-Oct
6, 2006
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