The Second edition of MTB Shimla kicked off from camp Potters Hill in the quaint town of Shimla. Potters hill which is an eco resort offered the perfect ambience for an MTB race camp. The second edition of MTB Shimla was unique for a couple of reasons1) It was now a two day race as compared to the one day race in 2012 and 2) It was also making up for the weekender edition of the legendary MTB Himalaya. In other words MTB Himalaya will now be a full 7 day race without the weekender category. The riders started coming in on 5th April. What followed were the usual MTB chores of cleaning assembling and shining up their beloved machines. The camp had turned into a small biking fair of its own. MTB enthusiasts from 9 Indian states as far as Karnataka and Meghalaya and 4 Countries as far as Italy had come together for this adrenalin filled, nerve wracking adventure. Age played no barrier as the race featured riders as young as 15 years and as old 53 years – all with one single objective- a desire to conquer the Mighty Himalayas. As the evening passed by the anxiety was clearly growing. There was a mixture of fear, anxiety and anticipation in the air and once the route briefing began it was evident that how much the riders were looking forward to it. The race kicked off on 6th April 2013 at 9:30 AM with 48 riders (52 registrations). There was a small heritage ride within Shimla to familiarize the riders with the mountain air and the flavor of British Architecture that was still alive in the commonplace Shimla(once a summer capital for the Raj).
Words: Ashish Sood | Photography: Samir Azad
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