The Mt Everest Bike Rally follows the Stage Race course. It is the bike tour offering views of Mt. Everest while riding bike at your own pace. A demanding day of uphill riding is rewarded by single track and mountain views. Technical riders enjoy days of riding downhill jungle trails and through villages. Rural roads allow riders of all abilities to enjoy Himalayan culture and scenery. Both running events and bike tour are held simultaneously.
Walkers are welcome and encouraged to join the trip. Walk at your own pace with a guide and enjoy spectacular views of peaks rising from Nepal, Sikkim, Tibet and Bhutan such as Mt. Everest and Kanchenjunga, 1st and 3rd highest peaks in the world. Jeeps support the running aid stations and bike riders so there is always a chance of getting a lift. Following mountain trails, you can stop at hill villages and monasteries along the way; bikers have dinners and overnight with runners. Walkers have plenty of time to enjoy the cultural diversity of Hindu and Buddhist religions, colonial charm of Darjeeling and scenery during the running events. All abilities and ages supported.
Mirik Lake Resort is base camp for the MT. EVEREST BIKE RALLY. Considered to be a cycling Mecca, this area offers some of the best mountain biking in the world. Riding your own bike on rural back roads dotted with monasteries, tea estates, and shopping markets is an unforgettable cultural experience. The real fun begins on single track through Sandakphu National Park when spectacular views of Everest, Kanchenjunga and major peaks unfold around every turn. Lush jungle trails are soon replaced by long downhills on rural roads with fantastic views.
In 1993, six mountain bike riders joined Stage Race trip to survey the potential for cycling in Sandakphu National Park and Darjeeling area. John Weissenrieder and Julia Ingersoll were professional riders with a wide range of experience. If we consider their fitness and skill as a 10 on a 1-10 grading level, we also had riders at the 2, 5, 7, and 9 levels. Since the route of this trip is absolute without recognizing male and female riders, there is just one scale. One non-professional rider actually rode the entire route of the trip so he would represent a 10 on the scale. John and Julia took about 9-10 hours to reach Sandakphu from Maneybhanjang and John stayed with Julia. This section has steep uphills and rough cobblestones mixed with downhill trail. On the technical downhill section of the course, it took the first rider about 4 hours (a 10 on the scale) to reach Rimbik from Sandakphu via Molle Turn. It took John and Julia 2-3 hours longer to complete this section. These two sections of the Everest Bike Rally course are the most demanding in terms of skill and fitness of the entire trip. It is important to remember nobody was racing.
In 2013, two mountain bike riders, Mr. Hillary Carter & Mr. Henry Carter joined Stage Race trip.
Mountain Bikes: Bring your own bike, tools, spares, and be prepared to assemble and disassemble as necessary for transport by air, bus, jeep, and porter. Allow about $50 per flight for excess baggage cost of your bike on domestic flight; excess baggage on international flights will vary. Indian tour operator is not responsible for damage to your mountain bike.