Asian Enduro Series #1 – NEPAL 2016 concludes successfully!
Enduro Racing had a great debut in Nepal! Mountainbiking is a sport that lets people get together in almost every country around the world. We are one big family with the same intention.
Asian Enduro Series – Nepal 2016, the first ever enduro race in Nepal, took place successfully across the eastern rim of Kathmandu Valley. The seven-stage race saw 53 riders from almost fifteen different countries take on the flowy wooded trails of Nagarkot. Organized by Gnarly, the event started with a practice ride on April 7th, while the following two days saw three and four race stages, respectively. The event, apart from being the first of the Asian Enduro Series, is also an international mountain biking event being held in Nepal after eight long years.
Participants hailing from Belgium, Bangladesh, the UK, the Philippines, Malaysia, France, the USA, India, China, Taiwan, Australia and Nepal took part in AES, among whom riders of all racing experience and skills were featured. From recreational enduro racers to national champions and athletes, the racers dominated the seven trails that ran through thick woods, serene villages and lush farmlands.
AES Nepal 2016 had three categories: Elite (advanced male riders – 29 participants), Femenino (advanced and recreational female riders – 5 participants) and Curious (recreational male riders – 19 participants). The fastest timing for Elite category on the first day was held by France’s Florent Poilane, followed by Rajesh Magar, who was recently crowned national DH champion, and Chris Keeling, a half-British half-Nepali teen. For the Women’s category, Belgium’s multiple-time XC and enduro champion Kristine Nelen bagged gold with American Jocelyn Powelson and Taiwanese Chi Ling Tsai.
“The competition was very tight,” says Elite winner Florent, a French expat living in Vietnam. “I was actually behind Rajesh by 10 seconds on the first day of the race, and was able to get a 2-second overall lead the next day. The trails are awesome and our riders do have a lot of potentials to good racers in other countries.”
Results Men
Winner: Florent Poilane (0:35:38)
2nd: Rajesh Magar (0:35:40)
3rd: Christopher Ashok Keeling (0:36:21)
Results Women
Winner: Kristine Nelen (0:40:13)
2nd: Jocelyn Powelson (0:42:39)
3rd: Chi Ling Tsai (0:44:27)
Likewise, one of the five female riders Saria Bajracharya said, “This has been one of the most fun races in my life although it was tough – both in terms of technical skills and physical endurance. The trails along the countryside were really a great ride, even though I ran over a chicken on the way! The forest section was also really fast through the greenery.” Indeed the trails ran through Nagarkot’s tranquil countryside, popular for the spectacular views of the mountains.
The director of Asian Enduro Series, Apo Sly said that the second edition of AES in Nepal is definitely on. Two important objectives have been met through this race: to promote enduro-cycling locally and internationally, in addition to boosting sports tourism. This race is a prelude of the several enduro races planned through Asian Enduro Series.
Co-founder of Gnarly, Shyam Limbu, claimed, “In fact, this event is the perfect example that by collaborating with bike companies in the industry, any race imaginable can be possible. Besides the race elements itself, we’d made sure all aspects of the event like safety, food, accommodation, ambience and awards were well taken care of.”
Talking about Nepal’s 2017 edition Media Director and Co-founder of Gnarly, Anuj Adhikary maintains, that they’ve learned a lot working on AES, and they’re confident that next year’s Enduro event will be off the charts. They are hopeful that there will be more international as well as national athletes. The craze of enduro biking and Nepal as an adventure destination has definitely gotten a boost with this event and they can’t wait to be back next year for sure.
The race was followed by an awards ceremony and an after party in Hotel Country Villa of Nagarkot with DJ Nishant manning the music. “This has been an awesome weekend of adrenaline action!” said Spandan Lama, a spectator and an adventure event entrepreneur. “This has been an amazing weekend and it’s great to see that adventure sports, especially mountain biking is picking up in Nepal.” The next countries to host AES this year are the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
For more detailed information head to enduro.asia.
Words: Anuj Adhikary Photos: Anuj Adhikary/ Avy-Gurung
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