Roo Fowler Heads To The Himalayas To Tackle The 1,000m+ Climbs Of The World's Highest Stage Race.
SOME NINE YEARS ago I was flicking through the pages of MBUK when I stumbled across some amazing images of incredibly high snowy peaks set beneath impossibly dark blue skies. The words ‘Yak Attack!’ stared out at me from the page. It all looked and sounded so exotic, it drew me in, and I began to read. That feature planted a seed in my head. It sounded like the ultimate adventure – a multi-day stage race through the highest mountains in the world.
After bugging me for nearly a decade, the seed finally sprouted. Months of preparation and two days of travelling later, I’m astride my bike in Besisahar, deep in Nepal and around 850m above sea level, nervously awaiting the start of the race. Today’s stage is just a warm-up – 33km and 1,200m of climbing, with one main up and one main down – and while I can see snowy peaks, they seem far away. For now, the scenery is mainly rice terraces. It’s an unremarkable start – that is, until we drop off an open ridgeline, not dissimilar to something you’d find in the Lake District, and find ourselves teetering along rocky ledges with water pouring over us and vines hanging around – instant rainforest! Further down, as we slide round tight hairpins on greasy singletrack, there’s a clearing where a stunning 100ft waterfall cascades into a deep green pool. No big deal here, just part of the scenery!
This story is from the March 2017 edition of Mountain Biking UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2017 edition of Mountain Biking UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BIKETEST BACKCOUNTRY HARDTAILS
We see whether carbon fibre or steel, big-name value or boutique attention to detail comes out on top on the trails
NUKEPROOF MEGAWATT CARBON 297 RS
The original Megawatt proved itself almost instantly, winning our inaugural E-Bike of the Year award in 2022.
CALIBRE LINE T3 29
£1,100 (with £5 GO Outdoors card) Cost-effective proper' mountain bike
FIRST RIDES
STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX & ONTO THE TRAILS
ROUTES QUICK BLASTS
Facing shorter days and inclement weather, Max finds three satisfying routes that show it doesn't have to be an all-day ride or nothing
GRIME TIME
EXPERT WORKSHOP ADVICE
TRAILCREW HAVOK BIKEPARK
A hand-cut, rider-built bike park, Havok reopened earlier this year at a new site in West Yorkshire and is still expanding
From dust it did rise
Steve Thomas traces the birth of British mountain biking, from 'tracker bikes' to Muddy Fox
THROW DOWN THE CAUNTLET
In our final challenge of the series, we see if e-bikes really are as good at climbing as they're cracked up to be, as we tackle Antur Stiniog back to front
THE RIDER OFF YEAR' 23
THE BIG REVEAL! You voted in your thousands - now meet our winners...