Dehradun, 22nd May: The beautiful landscapes of Uttarakhand, the zealous sportsmanship of the riders, the cheerful aura of the viewers and the unconditional support of the organizers among other things is what the 4th Edition of The Ultimate Uttarakhand Himalayan MTB Challenge 2019 was all about which concluded on 27th April. It was not just about hosting a Mountain Terrain Biking competition but was also about amalgamating that competitive environment with the charm of Uttarakhand.

The race commenced from Nainital on 18th April which led the participants to reach the final stage at Mussoorie through various stages – Almora, Kausani, Rudraprayag, New Tehri and Chinyalisaur, where at each stoppage, the participants were given an opportunity to set back and relax with the state's folk cultural performances during the evening hour hosted by local talented artists.

All of it was absorbed by a diverse group of people as the event witnessed a significant international participants as well, some who prevailed more than others. Iran's Mr. Parvees Mardani and Nepal's Ms. Lakshmi Magar bagged the win in the Men's and Women's overall category respectively. Whereas Mr. Devender from Himachal Pradesh prevailed in the 'National Men' overall category; collaterally, Ms. Poonam Rana from Uttarakhand ranked first in the 'National Women' overall category, who along with her brother, Mr. Kamlesh Rana were deemed as one of the best riders of the race in terms of their technique. Zooming through the roads of each stage, the participants showed an inter-connection of forthrightness by practicing fair game which was supported by the organizers, who had left no stone unturned to maintain the safety measures and to avoid any mishap – as a result, the race carried out smoothly.

Continuing the line of achievers, Mr. Rajat Pandey was the first participant from Uttarakhand to finish the race. Bringing the motto of Indian Army to the roads, Mr. Kamlesh Rana was the rider, who ranked second in the National Men’s category. Thailand's Ryder Mr. Kirti Sukprasarat and Mr. Prawwak Tantal were second and third respectively in the International category. The presence of intense competition amongst the female riders, was just admirable. Indonesia's Ms. Novoviana missed being the champion by a gap of just 1 minute, where Ms. Raidar Suratia Bappa of Thailand ranked third.

The Additional Chief Executive Officer, Shri Ravi Shankar from the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board said, “By organizing such activities, Uttarakhand is planning to disseminate itself as the international destination of Adventure Tourism. The State's mountain geography is perfectly suited for mountain biking, and this is the reason why the tourism department is organizing this competition by involving international participants. Due to the fame gained internationally, mountain terrain biking can emerge as a business that will strengthen the local economy of the state. By doing so, local businessmen will get an opportunity to invest in this new industry and self employment opportunities would also increase”.

The panel is committed to return with the next edition of this MTB Challenge again with an upgrade and plans to launch it with a greater broadcast, expecting an even larger number of participation. To stay tuned with the latest information on the same, connect with the official social and digital channels of Uttarakhand Tourism.