Nagarkot is a well-known hill-station/ resort area on the N/E Rim of Kathmandu Valley, which takes approx 1-1:15min to drive.

Race Check / Race Numbers: 0900hrs to 10:30am
Race Start time: 1100hrs Club Himalaya Resort - Nagarkot
Race Start Time:
Open / Senior’s 1100hrs start from main gateway of Club Himalaya
Junior’s 1105hrs start from main gateway of Club Himalaya
Schools 1110hrs start from main gateway of Club Himalaya
Women: 1115hrs start from main gateway of Club Himalaya

Race Two
An A to B course that can be described as Intermediate to challenging in difficulty with a progressive drop in altitude of 515m over 11.5-kms through to Sankhu after a short uphill at the start of the race. The race will commence from the compound of Club Himalaya and enter the main road before taking the right hand off-road turn off heading in the direction of Nagarkot Farm House. There are several turn offs that can cause confusion and these will be manned in addition to having the roads closed for the event. The race course keeps to the left and to the left of Kattikey Danda or Narayan Ban

The Race
For most Nagarkot would be the village on most peoples lips when considering a mountain biking destination and for that matter almost any sort of outing. Pine forests, a quaint rural atmosphere perched at 2000-m with 360 degree views that offer some of the best Himalayan views from anywhere in Kathmandu Valley plus all the surrounding valleys. From here there is no way but downnnnnn.

At the tail end of Nepal’s festival season and the joy of Deepawali still fresh from yesterday it was Nagarkot that everyone had converged on to claim victory in the downhill event to Sankhu. Sankhu, the medieval village at the base of the Narayan Ban along side the Sali Nadi, rich in religion and cultural groups, also home to the Vajra Yogini temple. What was to be offered by the villagers of Sankhu, to all, by way of post race entertainment and course support by the many villagers could not have been imagined from the starting line at 11am as they lined up in Nagarkot, inside the Club Himalayan Resort, awaiting the starting gun. In as short a time as 26minutes to make the descent for the 1^st placed mountain biker, he would be the first to receive a hero’s welcome by 1000’s of Lubhu residents that cheered everybody to the finish line.

Following Race 1 to Kakani, the leaders board was adequately open to still allow those in the top 10 of each category a chance to claim the top prizes and a trip to Europe. The race rewards enough to push the field beyond the boundaries of comfort and in some cases experience. To beat your opponent meant risk & today offered a new test of skills, an 11.5-km descent and over 500-m drop in altitude over a terrain consisting of smooth dirt jeep track with rapid switchbacks turning to stony plus monsoon ripped trails tilted high above the Ghatte Khola. Misjudged maneuvers by a few riders resulted in a free fall that left some minor abrasions and luckily nothing more. It was last week’s winner in the Open Chandra Chettri who ended up 10ft below the roadway in the trees after misjudging a corner 5kms from the finish line that put out of contention for the top placings today.

Over looking the tranquility of Bageshewari Forest from the start didn’t seem to show in the eyes of those in the front line of the race gate as it was a tight jockeying for the inside spot on the right hand turn that consumed the minds that sprinted from the start. The narrow decorated village gateway entered an immediate downhill into the village centre that was chocked with spectators screaming at the spectacle of Nepal and Europe’s top riders on each other’s shoulders.

The next 200-meter straight downhill was still jammed with Nepalese school children, resort employees and residents. Riders and villagers both amazed at this first time spectacle. The road looked upwards over a short twisting incline that rapidly divided the group amongst the pine forest that emerged 400-m later on the slick dirt trail that marked the start of the downhill to Sankhu. Already a few had suffered mechanical troubles on the climb that separated the field. If the God’s of the valley where not watching this morning those of the mighty Langtang Himal were smiling over everyone and as far away as Everest in the distance. It was the ever white peaks that the riders were greeted from the top of the first climb and which stayed with them till the village of Kattike Bhangjyang, the one-third marker of the course.

Excellent conditions blessed the day with an overcast but warm day taking the morning chill off the air, and blue skies formed a perfect backdrop to the Himalayas and the riders now twisting through the dusty switchback trails. Packs of riders were caught behind those taking a more causious descent, the narrow corners not allowing anything short of a well timed and daring move to get past leave the others to make the same choice. The German riders in Weichert & Mueller however had an uncluttered descent with no one in front of them and only the finish line & each other to content with as only a few seconds separated them.

Reaching the village of Kattike and one-third of the course complete, the Germans and one Nepali rider had forged a solid mark on the finishing positions and as the riders dropped inside the southern wall of the Narayan Ban under the shadow of Kattikey Danda at 1861-m the riders had already descended just over 200-m in altitude and approached the treacherous rocky trails ahead of Bisambhar village. From here it was a relative high speed chase over the remaining 6kms to the finish line and for everyone of those racing the creative bamboo and flowered gateways marking the entrance to every village reminded them that victory was that bit closer.

Below Phulbari over 90% of the vertical drop was behind them and the undulating trail billowed dust as the knobby tires ripped along the surface at up to 60 km/hour as the first riders got their first glimpse of Sankhu across their one last hurdle to the finish. Sharply down and a gear wrenching hammering on the pedals over the Sali Nadi River and around the Vishnu Temple had them amongst the final straight. There was an amazing one kilometer long shoulder to shoulder long gallery of Nepalese locals & school children cheering from the first sight of leaders. This was the last chance to pass and gain an extra place. Weichert kept a slim advantage on Mueller to charge up the last 20 meters to the red tape crossing first by 2 seconds.

Suresh Dulal the top placed Nepalese rider had been valiant in chasing down the European champions and was separated from second place by just 47seconds to take third place in a show of strength.

As the distance narrowed to the finishing gate the crowd deepened and people hung from every window to gain whatever advantage possible over the finishing spectacle. Dusty and sweaty the hero’s of the day were the 104 mountain bikers that completed the course to the cheers of many thousands from the Sankhu region that had surely added a historic chapter in adventure sports tourism in Nepal with their huge show of assistance to race organizers Himalayan Mountain Bikes (P) Ltd. Sankhu had set the standard for all future events.

See you all in Lubhu to determine the SERIES winners……….. 24^th November.

RESULTS