The Race
WARNING - MTN-BIKING IN NEPAL IS CONSIDERED TO BE DANGEROUS! It requires a
great deal of effort, skill, concentration and preparedness. Anyone
attempting The Great Himalayan Challenge should be a skilled mtn-biker in
fit condition.
The Great Himalayan Challenge race format is based upon our numerous
expeditions throughout the Nepal Himalaya. Over the years we found ways to
make ourselves self-reliant while using the local mountain lodges for food
and shelter.
The original premise behind mtn-biking was to be able to ride in areas
where it wasn't ordinarily possible. The mtn-biker needed to be
self-supported because of the remoteness of the area ridden. Nepal is the
epitomy of this. With your gear in your backpack and your bike ready for
the wilderness it is possible to ride where others only walk.
Checkpoints
All racers are required to pass thru a series of check-points. These
stations are meant to keep the racers on course and to maintain the
integrity of the race. When racers stop at these check-points an offical
race tag is given to them. All Racers must collect one offical race tag
from each of the check-points. Racers who finish the course without one
offical race tag from each of the check-points will be considered
"unoffical finishers" and are not eligible for cash prizes or a
"finisher's package". Racers are given a clearly marked map with all of
the check-points highlighted. It is up to the racer to utilize all of the
offical check-points for the necessary offical race tags. There are no
exceptions to this rule.
There is NO racing at night. Riding in Nepal is dangerous enough without
trying to ride in the Himalaya at night. There is generally no visible
light available along the trails except what you can provide yourself.
There are no quick and easy emergency services or evacuation. The trails
are very technical at times. Plus, the Himalaya does have predatory
animals, such as mountain-lions, and bandits all of whom travel at night.
We are adamant about this rule and in order to enforce such we close our
check-points at designated times. Remember, if you don't have all of the
offical race tags then you will not be qualified as an offical finisher.
Passing a check-point that is closed will leave you offically out of the
race. A smart racer will know when to call it a day and to stop where they
are for a hot meal and a good night's rest.
Food & Lodging
Local lodges provide the food and shelter for our racers. We recommend a
traditional meal that is known as "dal bhat". This is rice, lentils or
beans, and vegetables. They have a very tasty way of seasoning their food
and also make a condiment similar to salsa. The meal is excellent for your
health and energy. Its the ultimate race fuel with plenty of
carbohydrates, low fat, complimentary proteins and high fiber. Sometimes
fish and/or fresh chicken is available, too. Dal bhat is usually served
around 10 a.m. in the morning and around 7 p.m. in the evning. It is also
a tradition that you can eat as much as you want when having dal bhat.
This usally is two large plates. Please, be sensible though and don't be
wasteful. Take only the food you know you will consume. All arrangements
for food are made between the racers and the lodge owners at each village.
Lodging is usually on a first come, first served basis. Most lodges have
dormitory style sleeping areas although, some do have private rooms, too.
All arrangements for lodging during the race are between the racers and
the lodge owners. Racers will have to manage themselves with other
tourists on the route and in the lodges. This is how it is for everyone in
the mountains, Nepali and tourist alike.
A Day of Racing
A typical day in the race might be something like this: arise with the
sun, collect your gear and start riding. Maybe three hours of riding
before you stop for a morning meal of dal bhat. Stopping for dal bhat in
the morning may require one to two hours. During this time you can rest a
bit, maybe make sure your equipement is together, filter some water and
take a few photos. After the meal you're off again on the bike until
stopping for the evening, maybe another 7 hours of riding is possible.
Once at the evening's lodge you will make arrangements for your food and
sleeping quarters. Then its time to try to bathe or clean-up some, eat a
huge meal and then be off to bed to get ready for yet another day of
incredible mtn-biking. Ordinarily we complete the race course in 10 days
(14 days is not unheard of if you're taking your time sightseeing ). It is
our guess that a good winning time could be as fast as 5 days but more
likely around 7 days will be more realistic. There are a number of
highlights along the race course which include fresh yak cheese and
yogurt, a beautiful Buddhist gompa and one of the highest lakes in the
Himalaya. Overall the route is one of the very best mtn-biking routes in
all of Nepal.
The Course
A brief and basic description of the race course is as follows: A mass
start of the race is at 6a.m., 1 October, 2010
, in Kathmandu, the capitol of
Nepal. From the start area the racers proceed on a paved road which climbs
for about 20 miles/ 30 kms, then downhill on paved road for about 20
miles/ 30 kms., thru a short flat section in a valley until they reach a
dirt road which climbs for about 30 miles/ 50 kms. From here after the
race course is all on single-track until the finish of the race, some 150
or so miles/ 240 kms. or more, back in Kathmandu. The trail is NOT 100%
rideable. Racer's skills and strengths will determine how much of the
course you will ride. There is some portaging required and again, this
will be determined by how strong and skilled you are on the bike. Extreme
care should always be given when riding. Always look for the areas where
you will need to bail out should there be an accident. If you don't have
such a safe zone to land during an accident then you should probably
portage the bike thru the section until safe riding is once again
possible.
Racers should expect generally dry conditions throughout the race course,
although it can snow above 10,000 ft. any day of the year. Rain is not
likely at this time of year usually. Temperatures can range from quite
hot( close to 100* F/ 32* C.) to quite cold,( 0* F/ -15* C.). Racers
should be ready for all conditions as they will experience at least three
different climates during the race. Highest elevation reached during the
race is around 16,000 ft./ 5,000 mtrs.
The Great Himalayan Challenge is NOT a team event. All racers are
individuals and will race against one another. There are no racing
liscenses required. There are no classes. There is no gender seperation.
Racers are to be self-reliant, although there is no penalty should one
racer help another, as long as there is no negative effects to the other
racers.
Racers should have sufficent experience in mtn-bike racing to take on such
a challenge as mtn-biking in the Himalaya. Experience with camping, hiking
and mountaineering would be helpful, too.
Prizes
There will be $30,000 in cash prizes for the first five offical finishers. The
prize list is as follows: ( all funds are in US dollars )
1st place - $15,000
2nd place - $7,500
3rd place - $3,000
4th place - $2,500
5th place - $2,000
All offical finishers will be given an "offical finisher's package" which
will include gifts from OneWorldMtb.com and more.
