The second edition of the Dalmia MTB Arunachal; Hornbill’s Flight International Race 2018 will be held wef 14th November to 22nd November 2018 from the state capital Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh to Mechuka, an enchantingly beautiful valley nearly 650 kilometers away, in the West Siang district.
The race with an expected Elevation gain of 1,12,000 feet, is claimed to be the toughest race in the world. More than 100 cyclists from over 10 countries will try to outdo each other across the valleys and jungles enroute to lay their claims on the total prize money of Rupees 22.5 lakhs.
This year well known international cyclist like Ilda from Portugal, Celia from Canada, Sarah, Heidi and Lauri from USA, Andrew Seawald, Thomas Bush, Sarah, Frank and Holger from Germany, Catherine from UK, The Indian teams from Army, SSB, Navy, Hero Action Team, Nepal Army and APF Teams, Bhutan Royal Army Team etc. will participate.
The curtain raiser for the same was graced by Union Minister for State (Home) Sh. Kiren Rijiju today in Mumbai. President MTB Arunachal & MLA, Arunachal Pradesh, Sh Pasang Dorjee Sona and popular Bollywood personality Sh. Salman Khan and Inspector General of Sashastra Seema Bal, Shri S.S. Chaturvedi were also present. Speaking on the occasion Sh. Rijiju said these days the city is recognized by the facilities it provides to its cyclists. He expressed that government wants to promote cycling as it is good exercise and is eco-friendly. He said Arunachal is unexplored territory and one should visit to enjoy the natural beauty. He assured all possible support to film industry in terms of concession and subsidies. Rijiju also thanked Sashastra Seema Bal for making this event their own. He said all paramilitary forces like ITBP, CRPF, CISF,BSF are participating in the competition. He appealed everyone to make this international event a grand success.
Interacting with media Salman Khan narrated his long-standing relationship with cycling and association with Arunachal Pradesh. He said cycling is one of the safest mode of transport. He assured that he would be visiting Arunachal Pradesh during the event.
Mountain Biking is a sport where specially designed bicycles are used to ride off-road on rough terrain. The bikes are built to cope with the stresses and strains of the terrain, with sophisticated suspension front and rear, tyres that offer high levels of grip, gearing to allow for steep ascents to be conquered and powerful disk brakes for control when descending steep gradients.
India boasts of having one of the most amazing mountainous terrains in the world. With the advent of organizers like HASTPA and MTB Himalaya which have been organizing races and events in the Himachal Pradesh since the last 10 years, the sport has now reached a scale where people from all corners of the country now come and participate in week long races On the same lines, MTB Arunachal has raised the bar of this adventurous sport by going even bigger and diversifying it to one of the most remote place in the country.
