The
first race in the HMB-Championship 3 race series saw the largest field of
mountain bikers gathered in Nepal's 12-year history of the sport plus a grand
start in the first Inter Schools Competition.
Still in the midst of monsoon weather the event was blessed with sunny to
overcast conditions ideal for a tough days biking. From Friday to Saturday
evening the 'Rain God's' pursued other parts of the valley and voided the
Swoyambunath / Raniban district long enough for race organizers to complete
all the races & awards.
Outstanding riding and no casualties (amongst tricky/ slippery conditions)
saw some 150 mountain biking iron men & women compete for the series trophies
that will see the overall winner flying to Europe with a round trip ticket.
One enthusiastic junior decided to make his debut race memorable by entering
himself in both Junior & Open categories. This was typical of the excitement
by many first time racers that accomplished new horizons in their sporting
endeavors.
The
open event saw top position go to a visiting British rider Richard Shirley,
visiting Kathmandu on holidays and passing through after cycling from India
just a day prior, with a full pack! Certainly this ride had given him the
added training to claim the top position from local Kathmandu professional
biking guide Ranjan Rajbhandari, 27 yr old, from Himalayan Mountain Bikes.
In his usual consistent racing style Ramesh Tamang, also a professional guide
filled the 3rd position in the open category. All are now well placed on points
to set themselves up for the series.
The Top School was Little Angels, who's pre-race training over the past month had prepared themselves well by taking 5 of the top 10 school finishers positions. Some rising stars in the sport were noticed. British School and LRI took out 2nd and 3rd places respectively and 3 to 5 minutes separated the schools based on the aggregate times of the fastest 3 riders. The standard has been set now for a schools biking competition that will be a foundation to the development of the sport.
All category winners collected gold medallions & Race Certificates
