Yak Attack

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Setting Off on Yak Attack

Phil Evans and Paul Errington / 10.03.2010

Yak Attack is an annual Mtb race around the Annapurna circuit in the Nepal Himalaya and this year has been extended to include a start in the capital Kathmandu and a visit to the ancient capital of Gorkha.

The race is now underway and stage 1 was ridden from Bhudlinakantha on the outskirts of Kathmandu to Nuwakot after a ceremonial send off from Durbar Sq, in the heart of Kathmandu City. The event began with a group ride through the city accompanied by many of Kathmandu's mountain bikers,then began in earnest from Bhudlikantha with a brutal 7km climb.

From the start this split the field and Nepali National Champion Ajay Pandit was soon disappearing into the distance. Australian veteran mtb'er and paragliding instructor Phil Hystek gave chase and even with a number of minor spills during the 18km descent he was able to keep Ajay in his sights.

The final killer 500m, climb in full sun and on a heavily rutted trail however meant that the 4 times Yak Attack competitor, Ajay, was able to hold off the Australian challenge and finish 40 seconds ahead. At the end of stage one the top 10 results were as follows;

7 Ajay Pandit (Nepal) - 2:10:40
6 Phil Hystek (Australia) - 2:11:20
9 Mangal Krishna Lama (Nepal) - 2:26:24
10 Chandra Chhetri (Nepal) - 2:33:34
8 Kaji Sherpa (Nepal) -2:40:15
5 Paul Errington (UK) - 2:56:09
3 Andreas Danielsson (Sweden) - 3:16:24
4 Martin Stenmarck (Sweden) - 3:16:25
2 John Williams (UK) - 4:00:36
1 Andy Foers (UK) - 4:07:12

British rider Paul Errington is keeping an occasional blog of his ride in Yak Attack and this is his take on the first day;

<i>I never viewed my participation in this event as a ‘race’, I knew the local guys had the event sewn up as although we can match them on the flat and the climbs when you limit the supply of oxygen we have no response.

So with this in mind I have no idea why I couldn’t sleep last night, I had my usual pre race nerves and spent most of the time going over what little I knew about what lay ahead. Everything usually feels better after the first stage.

The race day started with a group ride to Dubar Square for the official welcome from the President of the Nepalese MTB Association, Chhimi Gurung, and the ‘Gary Fisher’ of Nepal, Sonam Gurung, the man who brought the fat tired back to this part of the world.

The turnout of Nepalese riders was fantastic with 50 strong riders coming out to join the band led procession through the streets of Kathmandu to the official race start on the outskirts of the city to the base of the first climb.

From the start the local favourite and current Nepalese Mountain Bike Champion Ajay Pandit went off hard, out of the saddle attacking the tarmac climb ... I optimistically moved up alongside him and for the first 500m rode wheel to wheel until traffic stopped play... well for me at least... while I tried to negotiate around a van in the road I was passed on both sides by other riders.See All Event Posts