Bike
MTB
Youngsters conquer MTB Shimla
The 5th edition saw India’s young guns pull out all the stops to reach the podium
Winners!
© HASTPA for BigRush
More than a hundred cyclists gave it their best shot at the 5th edition of Hero MTB Shimla in Himachal Pradesh last weekend. The gruelling 120km race across some of Shimla’s toughest routes saw riders from as young as 16 to veterans participate and complete the two-day race with excellent results.
Overall, 22-year-old Devender Thakur from Shimla led the pack to the finish line, with 16-year-old Akshit Gaur in second place, followed closely by Shiven, 18. The categories included Men’s Open Solo, Women’s Open Solo, Masters Solo, and Student Solo.
Gruelling terrain
© HASTPA for BigRush
Organised by the Himalayan Adventure Sports & Tourism Promotion Association (HASTPA), MTB Shimla is routed across some of the most pristine parts of the Shivalik Mountains at the foot of the Himalayas, through wildlife sanctuaries and little villages. The race, scheduled each year in April, was held on off road, broken tarmac, rock, sand, mud, streams, tarmac and single-track terrains, with an elevation gain of 3100m and 2650m of maximum elevation.
The route picked its way across two days. Day 1 saw riders attempt the Shimla to Hail Himalaya Camps trail via Sadhupul and Dochi. There were 38kms of competitive stage riding involving lots of downhills and climbing, dipping down to 1185m and rising to 1940m at the highest point. After an overnight at the camp during which nine riders dropped out, the pack returned to Shimla via Sadhupul, Janedghat, Koti, Chini Bangla and Kufri. This featured mostly uphill riding over 36kms of the competitive stage rising from the lowest elevation of the day at 1185m to the highest at 2568m.
The Open Women’s Solo title was claimed by Sarah Appelt with a total time of 7:03:41. She was followed by Dr Mona Chopra and Gurleen Kaur. Johan Bentick claimed first spot in the Open Masters Solo with a timing of 5:39:04, with Randhir Singh (5:53:00) and Saurabh Singh (6:09:11) trailing him.
In the Student category, the youngest rider at this edition of MTB Shimla, Akshit Gaur, took the prize with a total time of 4:58:50. Gaurish (6:06:46) came in second and Akash Sherpa (6:40:03) came in third. Devender Thakur pedalled to victory in the Open Men’s Solo in 4:44:08, as Shiven (5:03:39) and Madaan Sandeep (5:10:38) came in behind him.
Youngest rider and second overall Akshit Gaur said, “It was a very exciting race with some of the best riders in India. The trail was quite challenging with very fast downhills and torturous climbs. To my advantage was the 11-degree gradient climbs and narrow single tracks. I had very tough competition and an extremely close fight with Shiven.”
Nine cities – Gurgaon, Delhi, Chandigarh, Manali, Mumbai, Vizag navy, Noida, Shimla, and Rishikesh Border Security Force and the Sashastra Seema Bal – were in the fray for the Champion City title. Thanks to Devender Thakur, Akshit Gaur and Ankush Arya, Shimla won with an average time of 5:10:50.
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