13 th MTB Himalaya bike race begins

Shimla : 91 riders set off on a nine day tough ride across Himachal Pradesh as the 13 th Hero MTB Himalaya was flagged off from Shimla’s Ridge by Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Dev Vrat.

This year, the race has received the highest number riders from more 17 countries across 5 categories as a compared to 70 riders last year.It includes 13 women.

Established teams from Airforce and Indian defense establishments like Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, SSB and ITBP are taking part.

This year’s race spans along 8 stages with a total of 650 kilometers and features an elevation gain of 16,000 meters, covering 60-90 kilometers every day.

?The riders will advance from Shimla to Dharamshala traveling from the Shivaliks to the mighty Dhauladhars, traversing four districts of the hill state and crossing two ferocious rivers of the Himalayas-Beas and Satluj. 

Route terrain is mostly single tracks, few stretches of motor-able jeep tracks, rocky tracks, loose gravel and very small segments of broken tarmac.

There will be an equal amount of uphill and downhill segments in the race.

The event is organised bye Himalayan Adventure Sports & Tourism Promotion Association (HASTPA) and Hero Cycles from 28th September to 7th Oct 2017.
 
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