KATHMANDU, MAR 20 -

Mountains have long been Nepal’s favourite marketing tool for foreig-ners. Due to the existence of eight of the 14 above-8,000m peaks in Nepal, mountaineering and trekking have been the country’s most effective source in terms of foreign revenues and job opportunities.

As the country braces up for Visit Nepal Year 2011, mountain biking, like trekking and mountaineering, can act as a key player to make the event a success, and probably establish the country as one of the premier destinations in the sport.

Ever since Nepal won the bid to host the Asian Mountain Bike Championship in Kathmandu in 2008 with an overwhelming majority at the International Cycling Union congress in Beijing, and moreover after the successful holding of the games in Chobar in November 2008, Nepal has a reason to believe the sport can actually flourish in the years to come.

The International Cycling Union (ICU) impressed by Nepal’s feasibility in mountain biking has wooed the Nepal Cycling Association (NCA) to host a bigger international event--the World Mountain Biking Series in 2012. It has even provided an option to move the year to 2014 if NCA cannot get its act together for the scheduled date, given that NCA hosts an international race in 2012. NCA president Chimmi Urken Gurung has plans to grab the second option, which is to host an international race in 2012 and go for the World Series in 2014.

To host the international race in 2012 is a cake walk compared to the World Series as Nepal easily meets the technical requirements set by the ICU like the lengths of the circuit, but for the World Series, NCA has to work a little harder to fulfill the requirements. ICU requires the down hill circuit to be 3 km long and should have a 15 feet high bump for jumps.

“We can easily find a suitable venue for the 2012 event but for the World Series, we need a little more effort to fulfill the requirements. It’s not that we don’t have the right venue but we have to construct more circuits,” said Gurung.

When even the governing body has foreseen the possibilities in Nepal, and major international sports magazines have wrote volumes about mountain biking in Nepal, it’s time the government took the matter seriously. Like every sport, infrastructure plays an important role in the development. Much more than that, money is a bigger problem for Nepal when it comes to developing infrastructures, but in the case of mountain biking, it’s all taken care of, and not much investment is required is constructing new circuits.

Biking trails, or simple mountain trails that people use to commute can easily serve the purpose for cyclists. These trails are accompanied with breathtaking sceneries, which means the government can save a whole lot of money spent in building cycling trails, unlike in most countries where the trails are tailor-made spending millions. All it has to do is to manage it well by selecting suitable zones for the sport and provide proper hotels, eateries and medical facilities in those areas.

Mountain bikers are of two kinds; the first are professionals, who like to challenge themselves to the limit, while the second takes it as a hobby, some of whom are attracted to the health benefits of the sport. Nepal can easily serve both of them with maximum satisfaction, with trails easily available for extreme bikers, amateurs and even first-timers.

Gurung, who is also the owner of the Dawn Till Dusk, a mountain biking tour operator in Thamel, conceded that Nepal can serve any type of cycling enthusiast. For extreme bikers, the Annapurna circuit via Tilicho Lake, and Kathmandu to Pokhara via Arughat, Dhading, Gorkha and Lamjung are some of the popular circuits that can serve well. But since extreme bikers are ready to challenge their limits they can try out in any possible areas.

The popular circuits for amateurs include Panauti, Bhaktapur, Daman, Sauraha, Badri Bas, Ilam, while for first timers, Tokha, Kakani and Nagarkot will do just fine.

Since mountain bikers usually prefer off-road tracks there are plenty to be discovered as pitch roads have not touched many parts of Nepal, Gurung said. Besides that, the annual Yak Attack Mountain Biking Race, a 10-day event that requires cyclists to travel from Budhanikantha to Jomsom before ending at Lamjung is already a huge hit among foreigners, and has been featured in most leading mountain biking magazines around the world and leading channels in Europe, is currently on its way to the finishing line. 

NCA also plans to declare more venues this year targeting the tourism year. A track around the Pokhara Stadium for national and international events, a one-day event from Pokhara to World Peace Stupa, and high altitude races are already on the cards for this year.

Despite all the possibilities, the government has done nothing to promote cycling in Nepal, lamented Gurung. Nepal Tourism Board has shown some interest but it’s the government that has to roll up its sleeves for the purpose. Cycling tour operators are currently clubbed in the same bracket as trekking operators, which Gurung said was a fallacy. “They have to be separated to get the best out of the sport in Nepal,” he said.

ICU and the leading adventure sports magazines all know how much Nepal can capitalise from cycling, but Nepal itself is still unaware that cycling can be as much a revenue earner like trekking and mountaineering. Visit Nepal Year 2011 is near and it’s time the government worked towards developing Nepal as a premier destination of the sport.

Posted on: 2010-03-20 12:00

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