According to the official Facebook page of Yak Attack, the famous cycling event of Nepal, the support provided by the foundation includes funding for the top two Nepali riders and a Nepali coach appointed by the Nepal Cycling Association (NCA) to attend UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) ranking races, nutritional support and equipment.
"We are yet to sign MoU but the foundation has started supporting Nepali riders as a trial phase for some UCI ranking races," said NCA President Chhimi Urken Gurung.
Photo courtesy: Ajaya Pandit
According to Gurung, the foundation had sponsored two riders -- Narayan Gopal Maharjan and Roan Tamang -- during the 19th Asian MTB Championship held in China in May. Aayaman Tamang and Mangal Krishna Lama had also participated in the championship.
"The foundation is all set to sponsor two riders and a coach for the upcoming Le Tour de Langkawi to be held in Malaysia, where we are planning to send four riders," said NCA President Gurung. "The main objective of sponsoring and participation in such events is to improve the UCI rankings of Nepali riders. We will send the top riders of the National Championship," he added.
"Earlier this year, after taking part in Yak Attack, Richard Williams of the Ravenswell Foundation pledged to support a Nepali national mountain bike team over the next 3 years," reads a post by Yak Attack on its Facebook page.
"With the mighty Himalaya as their training ground and with altitude training advantages, dedicated and gifted mountain bikers have the potential to compete at the highest professional level. They just need support to access high-level races within Asia and further afield in order to gain sufficient ICU points to qualify for the 2016 Games," the foundation says on its official website.
Meanwhile, Himalayan Single Track has launched its own team of riders, Team Single Track. The objectives behind the formation of Team Single Track are to provide stability and "on the ground" support for a selection of Nepal´s top riders including Narayan Gopal Maharjan, Roan Tamang and Aayman Tamang.
"Jenny Count and other Himalayan Single Track members are also looking for sponsors for the Nepali riders," said NCA President Gurung.
Yak Attack has also said that it has been seeking to secure long-term sponsorship and support for Nepal champion Ajay Pandit Chhetri, who has won the Yak Attack race three times. "Being Nepal´s top rider, Ajay (Chhetri) will receive support from Ravenswell but to capitalize on this he will also need both financial and equipment supports whilst training in Nepal," Yak Attack further says on its Facebook post.
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