Made for mountain biking | Maiidan

KIRAN PANDAY

Nepal's hills are naturally chiselled to perfection for cycling–dirt paths, rocky roads and a spectacular view. Even if you paddle down a few kilometres from the city, as soon as you've crossed the Ring Road, there are plenty of tracks to conquer.

It may come as a surprise that Nepal is hosting the 14th Asian Mountain Biking Championships this year, but Nepal's been doing its fair share in the cycling world, and the Nepal Mountain Biking Association (NMBA) has managed to produce some competent bikers and host a few international level competitions here.

The NMBA has hosted the 'Yak attack' mountain biking race twice. The race lasts for seven continuous days, threading through high-altitude routes from Lamjung and Manang to Baglung, and has attracted international coverage and participation. To be contracted this year's Asian Championship, the association lobbied for seven years before it was finally allowed to host the competition in 2006. Since then, they've been building tracks in Chobar and holding as many national level competitions as they can. But the most pleasant surprise is that the Olympic association has asked Nepal to host the 2010 Mountain Biking Olympics. "A contract may not have been signed yet, but the offer itself is something to be happy about," says Chimi Gurung, Director of the NMBA.

There are also lots of capable bikers in Nepal. Out of the seven who will be participating in the Asian Championship, the association has high hopes for Padam Limbu, Shajan Rajbanshi and Surendra Rai. Shajan is already a popular biker abroad for having won the US National Series and the 9th Asian Champtionships. Padam Limbu, who is also a downhill biker like Shajan, is back fresh with a gold medal from the Ladakh Mountain Biking Championship. The NMBA is hoping for gold in the downhill race, and at least a top ten in cross country. Out of the seven who qualified in the nationals for the Asian Championships, however, only two are women. "The number of women interested in the sport is clearly disproportionate. But it's improving," says Chimi.

Besides their regular practices, the bikers have been practising specifically for the championships for 2-3 months. The Asian Championship will be held on the off-road tracks of Chobar and will be flocked by 135 participants from 14 different countries. The Asian Championships will be showcasing seasoned bikers from all over Asia. The best teams are supposed to come from Korea and Japan, while the Women's Chinese team has been the strongest till date. Players who gain a position within the top three will automatically qualify for mountain biking in the 2012 Olympics. Chimi is glad that Nepal's finally hosting the Asian mountain biking championship. He smiles when Rajbanshi adds: "Nepal is made for mountain biking."