New Delhi: Anil Uchil, an endurance cyclist from Mumbai, Manali Khardungla Cycling Championship. He completed all the seven stages (with a total time of 39 hours and 53 minutes), winning the Baralacha-Sarchu Stage, the Sarchu-Pang Stage, the Pang-Rumtse Stage and the Rumtse-Leh Stage, and was declared the Winner of the inaugural edition of the Manali Khardungla Cycling Championship 2014.
Nakul Singh, from Team Lifecycle Racing (Pune), who stood first in the Marhi-Jispa Stage, the Jispa-Baralacha Stage and the prestigious and extremely challenging final Stage (Leh to Khardung La), was declared the Fastest Rider of the Manali Khardungla Cycling Championship, and claimed the Runner-Up position. Nakul, who was the hot favourite to win the 2014 edition of the race, lost out due to unexpected bouts of altitude sickness, which left him unable to ride some of the key stages in the seven-stage race.
The first-of-its-kind race was flagged off from Manali on July 6, and went through various stages, passing through Sissu, Jispa, Sarchu, Pang, Rumtse and Leh, before coming to an exciting finish at Khardung La. Only two riders made it to the final stage – Leh to Khardung La.
While declaring the results of the inaugural edition, Northern Escapes and Cycling 4 Change, the organisers of the Manali Khardungla Cycling Championship, also announced that the second edition of “The Race to the Top of the World” would be held in July 2015.
Gaurav Schimar of Northern Escapes, said “The participants exhibited much more endurance, speed and adaptability than we had expected. The winners have definitely set a challenging milestone for the race next year. Things are sure to be much more exciting in the years ahead, as we expect a lot more participation, not only from Indian riders but from international cyclists as well.”