'Enduro Int'l Mountain Bike' race kicks off in Pokhara

KASKI, Nov 23: The 'Enduro International Mountain Bike' race has kicked off today in Pokhara. A total of 55 mountain bike racers from 11 countries including Nepal are competing for the title in the three-day competition at Arba Bijayadanda in Pokhara Metropolitan City-13. 

The participants include five women. The tournament is expected to attract mountain bike enthusiasts from all over the world, it is said.  

Organized by the mountain bike company, Dawn Till Dusk, five routes have been created for the competition that begins at Arba Bijayadanda at an elevation of 1,360 meters above sea level.

The metropolis mayor Dhanraj Acharya inaugurated the competition by handing the number plate to a Singaporean mountain racer at a function here. The tournament is divided into seven categories including elite men junior (12-18 years), master's 'A' (40-49 years), veteran's 'B' (above 50 years), and women's open and e-bike, said the tournament director Sunil Chandra Sharma. 

The winner of the elite men's category will receive Rs 50,000 in cash, the first runner-up Rs 30,000 and the second runner-up Rs 20,000. 

In the women's category, the winner will get Rs 35,000 in cash, the first runner-up Rs 25,000 and the second runner-up Rs 15,000. 

The metropolis mayor Acharya said the metropolis had been supporting sports competitions to develop Pokhara as the capital of sports tourism. 

"The metropolis has been working with plans to promote tourism in Pokhara. We have chosen the hill of Arba as it is found a suitable place to organize the mountain bike competition in terms of technicality," he said.