India’s Most Popular MTB Race is Back

Top-notch bikers from across India and the globe are coming together yet again for the  Hero MTB Shimla, one of India’s most prestigious and highly anticipated mountain biking races that kicks off on April 15th. This year, for the first time in the history of Hero MTB Shimla, riders will be able to contend in a team of two category; besides previously existing categories which included open men solo, open women solo, student category, and masters solo. With the introduction of new category, Indian riders will get an exposure to riding in race formats followed by international races like BikeTransalp, demonstrating teamwork and other skills.
Set in a background that calls out to adventure lovers, mountain bikers, as well as nature lovers, this race will take the riders through some of the most pristine parts of the Shivalik Mountains, also known as the lesser Himalayas. What sets this year’s Hero MTB apart is not just the new hilly and adventurous track, but also participation of myriad of enthusiastic riders who are the role models for the sports-loving community audience, taking the most-anticipated mountain bike race of the year to new heights of glory altogether! Hero Cycles and Himalayan Adventure Sports & Tourism Promotion (HASTPA) today unveiled the roadmap of the 2-day marathon type MTB race covering a whopping 120 km and a total elevation gain of 2500-3500 m. The cross-country adventure race will take place along different types of tracks including off-road, broken tarmac, rocks, sands, mud, streams, tarmac, and moving along wildlife sanctuaries, Himalayan countryside, streams, rivulets, village backroads, beautiful meadows, and so on.At the opening ceremony of the 2-day adventure-packed extravaganza aimed to promote holistic adventure tourism in Himachal Pradesh, visible excitement was seen among the participants who pledged to take the love of mountain biking to the next level.“Mountain biking as a sport is gaining rapid popularity in India, and events like Hero MTB Shimla have played a vital role in popularizing this sport. It is one of the toughest sports in terms of the need for endurance and skill, and requires a lot of mental and physical strength as well as training. Hero Cycles’ association with mountain biking sport is not limited only to events such as MTB Shimla or MTB Himalayas; our association is more deep rooted in the fact that we are working at encouraging youngsters to take up the sports professionally by nurturing young talent, training and grooming them to participate in national and international cycling events. This reflects our commitment to contribute to the growth of this sport in India,” said Mr. Pankaj Munjal, Chairman and Managing Director, Hero Cycles Pvt. Ltd.“It is a proud moment for us to witness Mountain Biking and Hero MTB Shimla growing so much. This time we have introduced the City Championship to further foster the MTB culture in India. It gives riders an additional impetus to achieve more,” said Mohit Sood, President, HASTPA.The City Championship continues to be a much anticipated part of the event. Notably, the 6th edition of the race will offer more challenges and competition in various categories with professional bikers from cities like Gurgaon, Manali, Jaipur, Bangalore, and Chandigarh taking part. Last year Shimla was crowned at the champion city, and out of the 9 contenders, boys from Shimla claimed the trophy with Devender winning the open men solo and Akshit winning the student category.Hero MTB Shimla 2016 had established itself to become a hunt to handpick the best MTB city of India.The Hero-HASTPA Collaboration & the Hero Action Team Hero Cycles, the world’s largest integrated cycle manufacturer, partnered with HASTPA in 2014 to bring about a change in the mountain biking scenario in India. Hero MTB Himalaya and Hero MTB Shimla are the result of this collaboration. The Hero and HASTPA association has provided a platform for promoting and nurturing young talent in mountain biking with the establishment of school level programmes and mountain biking training academies. This partnership has also seen the rise of the Hero Action Team, India’s first professionally managed mountain biking team. The team has 8 riders – Ankush Arya (Captain), Gurman Reen, Sanchit Sood, Devendar Thakur, Sarah Appelt, Akshit Gaur, Akash Sherpa and Shiven Sharma. These young turks have been earning a reputation for themselves as the rising stars of India in the mountain biking world.

Route details for 6th Hero MTB Shimla 2017

Day-1 Route

Shimla – Sadhupul – Chail – Sadhupul

Day-2 Route

Sadhupul – Junaidghat – Koti – Chini Bungalow – Kufri – Shimla

Highest Point:

2650m at Chini Bungalow