KATHMANDU, Nov 20: On October 27, a team of five British mountain biking enthusiasts arrived in Kathmandu with a shared dream—conquering Nepal’s iconic Annapurna Circuit on two wheels. Guided by local expert Sagar Dulal, proprietor of Freewheel Adventure Nepal, the group embarked on an exhilarating 12-day journey that tested their endurance, skill and spirit of adventure.
Their adventure began from Pokhara, where the cyclists, all technical riders, set out their sights on the circuit’s rugged terrain filled with natural beauty. Among them was Dr Gary Hill, 62, a professor at Cranfield University, whose prior visit to Nepal had always been for business. This time, however, his business was a pure adventure.
Dr Hill had managed to bring together four other mountain biking enthusiasts with the common interest of exploring the rugged terrains of Nepal. The group of technical mountain bikers had planned extensively to ride across the Annapurna Circuit, getting help from a Nepali expat living in the United Kingdom (UK), who introduced them to his nephew Sagar.
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In Dr Hill’s words, Sagar planned a ‘customized’ trip for the group which even included bringing their personal cycles to Nepal. Speaking to Republica after the completion of his trip, Dr Hill was full of joy. “The trip exceeded our expectations, we were blown away by the enjoyment of the extreme thrill,” he said, “Every day of biking around the circuit offered a unique experience be it in terms of the terrain or the trail, the people or the food.”
Dr Hill, who went to cycle around a technical trail in Africa in May, stated that the journey of biking on the Annapurna Circuit is ‘one of the best in the world’. “Nepal has a lot to offer to every adventure seeker. For a biker in particular, it has a range of activities to offer including technical riding,” Hill told Republica, “One could coordinate with the local guides in Nepal who can plan tailored trips for cyclists.”
Even within the Annapurna Circuit, the Pokhara-Tilicho-Thorong La-Muktinath-Pokhara route is rarely traveled by foreign tourists as they use motorable roads to travel to Muktinath and then ride their bicycle for the remaining part of the circuit. Tuladhar explained that Dr Hill’s group preferred the option of completing the entire circuit through bike trails instead of motorable roads.
“I was surprised to see the group carry their own baggage and bikes when needed at the rugged terrain,” Tuladhar told Republica, “In addition, they biked around 50 kilometers each day compared to the average of 25 kilometers that foreign tourists bike per day in the circuit.”
The adventure sport of mountain-biking has seen a promising growth in Nepal since 2015. However, foreign tourists still have doubts about the biking trails and circuits in Nepal. According to Dr Hill, the major factors behind the perceived disinterest of foreign tourists towards mountain biking in Nepal is the lack of information about the trails, conflicting accounts of visitors, and fear of acclimatization to altitude and weather of Nepal.
"British and European tourists who seek a visit to Nepal are discouraged by the conflicting stories about the arduous time that foreign visitors had to face in Nepal,” Dr Hill told Republica. Dr Hill said that many foreigners have shared personal accounts of having to carry sleeping bags and food while trekking to the Himalayas. However, he recounted that he had realized that all those stories were mere myths.
“We had warm accommodation and hearty hot meals throughout the circuit,” Dr Hill said. He added that although it is true that foreigners have to acclimatize to Nepal’s altitude and weather, it is something that they need not fear.
“Even the members of our group were out of breath after climbing a flight of stairs in our accommodation in Kathmandu on the first day,” he said, “By the end of the trip, however, we were acclimatized enough to undertake another trip, this time near Kathmandu.” The group biked to Chisapani and back after they returned to Kathmandu following their memorable trip to the Annapurna Circuit.
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