Asia's premier mountain biking race, the Hero MTB Himalaya Rider, will be back next year.
One of the most gruelling cycling events of the year, the race is scheduled from September 24 to October 3, 2016.
Registrations for the event have already begun on November 5 this year. There is a special early bird offer for the first 25 entries.
Starting in Shimla, the race has a total distance of 650 km and lasts for eight days. The total elevation gain during the race is around 15,000 m.
Riders will have to negotiate diverse terrain including off-road, broken tarmac, gravel, rocks, mud, sand and loose rock.
The 2015 edition of the race saw 68 riders from 14 countries taking part. It was won by Luis Leao Pinto, who took away the crown of 'King of the Himalayas' on October 4.
"This year's race was markedly different from all others so far, in terms of logistics, route difficulty, rider participation, camp preparation and execution. It has been our constant endavour to incorporate feedback from riders and make the race better each time. For the 12th edition, we have created a new category for riders aged between 51-60 years. The average elevation this year is going to be 2000 m in every stage - making the 12th edition of Hero MTB Himalaya tougher and even more challenging," said Mr. Mohit Sood, President, Himalayan Adventure Sports & Tourism Promotion Association (HASTPA).
The different categories under which the riders can participate are Open Men Solo, Open Women Solo, Masters (40-50 years), Grand Masters (51-60 years) and Team of Two.
Watch a promo for next year's race here:
