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Kathmandu Friday October 05, 2001 Ashwin 19, 2058.
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Himalayan Mountain Bike Race Series 2001 launched
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Oct 4 – After successful inauguration last year, the second
Himalayan Mountain Bike Championship—Action Asia Himalayan Mountain Bike Race Series
2001—is all set to return with much stronger appeal and world of possibilities in
this form of adventure sports in Nepal.
The three-race event, which is being organised by Himalayan Mountain Bike in
association with Radisson Hotel, Qatar Airways and Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), scheduled to
take place over three weekends—November 10, 18 and 24, was officially launched
Thursday amid a great fanfare.
According to the race director, Peter Stewart, the event is expected to draw
some 200 riders, including some of the riders with international repute.
"This is going to be an exciting event…," said Stewart at a
press conference. "It will not just be a bike feast but a great feast of Nepal
itself. All of this has the potential to showcase Nepal in the largest overseas network
broadcasts in Nepal’s sporting history."
The first of the three races will hit the road from the Raniban South gate
and finish in Kakani, after traveling the distance of 23.5kms. The second race will
measure a distance of around 14kms beginning from Nagarkot to Sankhu while the
Lubhu-Lakuri Bhanjung-Lubhu measuring 10-20kms will round up the event.
The races, comprising five different categories: open event, women’s
event, senior’s (over 40) junior’s (under 16) and inter-school competition. An
estimated cost of Rs 2.5 million is expected to be incurred to organize the whole event.
There will be a range of cash prizes, trophies, air tickets, mountain bikes
up for grabs in each of the three races. The winner in the open class will become richer
by Rs 15,000 and receive a return air-ticket both for a domestic travel and for Europe
besides the trophy. The second and third placed riders will bag Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000
respectively. The winner among women competitors will collect Rs 10,000 and a domestic
air-ticket.
Likewise, fabulous cash rewards have been set aside for top three riders in
the remaining categories—masters, junior, and school.
Earlier, addressing the conference, the chief executive officer of Nepal
Tourism Board, Pradeep Raj Pandey, said: "Tourism in Nepal is associated with
adventure."
"What else would better portray Nepal as an adventure destination than
sports?" he added. "This may even address the recent down turn in tourism
industry."
Underlining the growing number of Australian visitors to Nepal in recent
times, the Australian Ambassador to Nepal, Crispin Conroy, said: "This sort of
tourism is going to be very important for Nepal."
Among those present on the occasion included Ambassador of Federal Republic
of Germany to Nepal Rudi Lemp, director of NTB, president of Women in Sports Sita Pandey,
general-manager of Radisson Hotel Kent Davidson.
According to the organisers, a planned international coverage of the event
will allow over 30 million household around the world to watch the event on television
making it one of the most visible sporting events ever staged in Nepal.
Apart from 10 international networks confirmed by Transworld International
(TWI), the organisers plan to put the race on air through National Geographic Channel and
Sportworld to get the wider audience in Europe.
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