Bike race in mountains

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Sept 28 : A group of Spanish cyclists recently took part in the Yeti Bike Competition held at the Annapurna Trekking Circuit. Altogether, eight Spanish bikers completed the Yeti mountain bike race started from Beni of Myagdi and went through Mutkinath of Mustang, Jomsom, and reached the Thorongla Pass, said one of the bikers and team leader, Apolo Esperanza Garcia.

Upon the completion of the competition, each of the eight participants in the arduous bike competition was awarded with a medal in Kathmandu at a ceremony.

Speaking at the medal presentation ceremony, Tanka Bhattarai of the Ministry of Tourism, said that the Yeti Bike Competition had helped boost tourism in Nepal, especially as it highlighted the worth of the Annapurna trekking route.

The Nepal Tourism Board’s officer, Kundan Mishra, said that the Spanish bikers who took part in the difficult bike race competition had indeed popularised the areas in the world. The Spanish people and Nepalis share many commonalities, he told the participants at the medal distribution ceremony.

Makalu Adventure’s Managing Director Mohan Lamsal said that the eight-day long competition that started on September 16 was successful as eight bikers competed well in the highest mountains of the country. Makalu Adventure has been organising bike competitions since 2016. However, for the last two years, the race could not be held due to COVID-19.

Lamsal informed us that his organisation would soon hold the Yeti Marathon, to which participants from all over the world would be invited. The marathon competition will be held in the high mountains of the Annapurna Trekking Circuit, said Lamsal.