GUWAHATI: The third edition of the Assam Downhill Championship, a mountain biking event, will kick off on Sunday in the rocky terrain of the Bortila (Hengrabari) hills in the heart of the city.
The Monkey Temple Trail has received great response from a large number of bikers from across the northeast. Usually, the event saw participation from around the country, but due to the pandemic, 40 bikers from the region have registered for the competition which promotes cycling as a sport and recreation, besides being a mode of sustainable urban transport.
“Mountain bikers are gathering here to showcase their stupendous skills. This will be a first-of-its-kind event here. We are also having a trail run on December 19 in which several top endurance runners will participate,” Bikash Doley of Spoke Hub, the organiser, said.
Assam Downhill Championship was started by Spoke Hub to provide a platform for downhill racers across India. Spoke Hub Cycling, Pedal for a Change and Whacky Talky are the organisations behind the event this time.
This year’s biking trail cuts through an undulating hilly stretch of 935 metres and an elevation drop of 500 metres.
Arshel Akhter, the bicycle mayor of Guwahati, said, “Downhill racing is a thrilling adventure sport that not many in Guwahati have experienced before. Here, the cyclists race down the approximately 1km-long narrow hilly road at speeds touching almost 60 kmph over obstacles like overgrown roots, rocks, loose gravel and some man-made ramps, from where they take amazing jumps. Participants from earlier editions have gone on to win medals at national events.”
He added that this year, the competition will be tougher as the trail has been made more technical, the ramps have been made taller and the young guns are looking to give a tough fight to the old guard.
The inaugural edition of ADC in 2018 had around 45 riders from different parts of the northeast and Himachal Pradesh whereas last year’s edition had 50-plus riders. Since 2019, the organisers have been developing the Monkey Temple Trail professionally under the guidance of senior national champion Gautam Taode from Maharashtra.