With a five-week
build up since the staging of Race2 in The Himalayan Mountain Bike Championships,
all was set for the biggest mountain biking festival in Nepal's biking history.
Even with the greatest intentions of the race organizer to have this be
the finest display of mountain biking prowess that the tiny Kingdom could
muster far greater powers played a role in proving that versatility is a
key factor for any mountain biker both on and off the course.
An 11th hour change in the course wasn't about to unsettle the first class
riders that had flown in from the UK that Nepal had thrown their doors open
to as their invitational Champions and welcoming the challenge their nations
best.
It was Royalty that caused a last moment change in the race schedule as
the King and Royal Entourage had taken up residence temporarily in the Raniban
Forest Royal Cottage which blocked the bikers from the knarly forest road
that ascended 300-meters over 4 kilometers before making a more dramatic
descent over just 2 kilometers. The action from Raniban was to one of the
highlights for a film crews hanging from harnesses in the helicopter recording
a birds eye view of the event that would be aired on some 14 networks mostly
across Asia.
The race had now become a test of sustained fitness rather than superior
technical skills over a shorter undulating course that would finally determine
the winners.
All eyes, camera lenses, press and any limelight left available were upon
visiting champions Barrie Clarke and Caroline Alexandar, first time racers
in Asia but with a list of world class top placings in their name that have
made them familiar personalities in the sport. For Nepal, even though Barrie
& Caroline were mostly unheard of before, which is predominantly due
to lack of media coverage, they had at about the same speed as they ride,
become the new mountain bike roll models for the Kingdom. Caroline had given
up her choice of entering the woman's category and decided to race in the
'Open' and meet the guys on their own Himalayan turf.
As
the film crews took to the air local villagers sprinted in all directions
as a storm cloud of dust engulfed the rim of the starting compound then
the crack of the gun saw B & C away and a cluster of Nepal's top few
riders right on their shoulders for the first bend and climb through a short
loop and single-track descent leading back through the start gate that split
the field. Not leaving the roaring audience disappointed it was Barrie 1st
and Caroline 2nd by less than a meter & making sure that any pileups
that maybe occur wouldn't disturb her progress as it had in the Sydney Olympics
7 weeks earlier. For the crowd there hardly seemed time to put more film
in their camera's and find the next vantage point before Barrie was leaving
a trail of dust in the home straight to complete lap one. This prompted
a phone call by race director Peter Stewart to the British Ambassador, The
Hon Ronald Nash, to make a more hasty departure for the race course for
the awarding of trophies, as course records were about to be slashed.
With two laps complete the challenge for the remaining top placings were
emerging as nationals from the USA, Canada & Nepal strained for 3rd
through to 10th and in all there were 10 countries being represented on
the day. Given that B & C had as expected already engraved their names
on the top 2 placings, it was the minor placings that were in fact going
to decide the Series Champions over the 3 race series, plus prize money
and overseas return airline ticket. It was Rajbhandari & Tamang of Nepal
(with only 20 points or two placings separating them from previous races)
that chased the Brit's Clarke & Alexandar, knowing the promise of an
overseas tour was the reward for eating their dust. The course covered a
predominantly rural area in Kathmandu Valley at a base altitude of 1350-m
(4115ft) just 4kms from the tourist precinct of Thamel on the outside of
the city fringe verging on were the foothills of the valley started their
ascent towards the grandiose 7,000-m snow covered Himalayan peaks lingering
just to the north. The racecourse shared the local walking trails linking
a string of villages used on a daily basis for everything from drying harvested
crops, sheltering goats & buffalo, children playing, carrying a pale
of water and an occasional motorbike. Race day naturally attracted huge
numbers of local spectators all dazed by the bright lycra, flashy bike frames
& racing antics of foreigners & Nepalese alike. The 11th November
also happened to be a special religious occasion in the district resulting
in most locals treading a path to their nearest temple to make an offering
& seek blessings. A few blessings cast in the direction of first time
racers to Nepal would not have gone amiss either so as to make their race
obstacle free…. Or puncture free!
Barrie Clarke was building a good lead and at 8 to 9min lap intervals a
blistering pace was being set, thus it seemed the local Himalayan God's
decided the true metal of the man should be tested and a puncture allowed
fellow British speedster Alexandar enough time to pass and take the lead
whilst giving the local riders a glimpse of his jersey, still from a distance.
Within the same lap Clarke had pushed hard to regain number one spot but
approaching the last passage through the start/finish compound another puncture
put the women's champion again in the lead. An unexpected swap had female
spectators screening their support for her to maintain the 40-meter margin.
With one lap and in excess of 4 kilometers to go including a solid climb
followed by a 1km switchback graveled descent this was the type of challenge
this Olympian cherished and odds that Clarke liked to take on. Closing the
gap the final descent to the finish line saw Clarke greeting the crowd with
15 seconds in hand and a strong finish to Caroline Alexandar taking second,
unchallenged, in 50min 47sec.
Overall it was a good day for the Brits., as they took 4 placings in the
top 10. The big winner for the day was Ramesh Tamang finishing in 6th and
taking enough points to secure the Series winner award.
The Himalayan Mountain Bike Championship in it's new 3 race format has resulted
in a big boost for the sport in Nepal and on an international level as gained
some of the spotlight that will attract larger crowds to a biking destination
quickly being recognized as a Mecca to MTB enthusiasts.
