2nd edition of Pokhara Enduro Race comes back bigger and better
The 2nd edition of Pokhara Enduro Race is a 1-day MTB enduro race planned for 27-29 November 2024 that will bring 100 mountain bikers worldwide to the beautiful lake district of Pokhara.
The terrain surrounding Pokhara will be a zone of delight for these enduro athletes, who will be treated with stunning Himalayan views while shredding flowy and technical singletrack and sometimes forgetting that they are even here for racing. Two fully-supported practice days will allow riders to gain confidence in unfamiliar terrain.
The best trails the area offers will be included, encompassing a scenic and challenging route of 2 to 3 hours of riding per day, containing four (4) timed stages to be contested on the race day. Limited shuttle uplifts will be included wherever necessary to move athletes around the course.
Besides the primary enduro race, other sub-activities include a biking and sports equipment festival, a live concert, local immersion via bike clinic, and an auxiliary “Race with the Gurkhas” running event.
While the target is 100 international participants from more than ten countries, the race will also involve global media, including photographers, videographers, bloggers, and trail builders from Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Japan and South Africa.
Date: 27 to 29 November 2024
Race HQ: Lakeside
Race Tracks: Mahaprabhu Dham, Pokhara-13
Format: Enduro Race
Activities: Festival and live race screening area at the lakeside to engage locals and other visitors.
WHEN
27-29 NOVEMBER, 2024
WHERE
Mahaprabhu Dham, Arba
Pokhara-13, Nepal
RACE CATEGORIES
Elite: For professional Racers above 19 years (Male)
Junior: 17 to 18 years old (male)
Open: Female
Masters-A: 30-39 (Male)
Masters-B: 40-49 (Male)
Masters-C: 50-59 (Male)
Veterans: 60+ (Male)
and
e-Bike Category: Yes, you heard it right, an e-bike. This category is open for registration only for prior experienced riders. There is no upper age limit.
RACE ROUTE
About the area
Pokhara Enduro Race occurs at the Mahaprabhu Dham, Arba, 7 km east of the lakeside. The highest point of the Arba hill range starts at 1360 meters above sea level, a perfect launch point for the race.
The hill range has thick sub-tropical vegetation and a network of Natural tracks, making it ideal for Pokhara Enduro. The variation in terrain makes these trails a perfect destination for Enduro lovers. The two river systems fencing the eastern and western flanks of the hill demarcate the Natural endpoints of the race runs.
PLEASE PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING RACE-RELATED
Important Information
Race Format
2-day practice: We will facilitate two practice days on all four(4) stages + 1 pro stage of the special sections so that you can become familiar with the new terrain.
Prologue: There will be a prologue on the 2nd practice day to determine the sequence of racers for the final race run.
Important: The timing of the prologue run will be added to the overall race times.
1-day enduro race: mainly flat and climbing sections are untimed, and mostly descending sections are timed—2 to 3 hours of riding per day, with four (4) timed sections.
Race Transfer Stages
Each day, riders will be transported up the hill to an assembly point, and from there, they can expect a starting transfer stage of easy uphill ridge riding for 0.8 km.
Uplifts by Vehicle
4-wheel drive trucks may provide very limited vehicular uplifts for the subsequent stages of the race. The details of uplifts, if any, will be provided during the race briefing. Come prepared to pedal in the authentic enduro riding style and the spirit.
Protective Gear
WHAT KIND OF PROTECTION AND BIKE APPAREL DO I NEED?
- Helmets are mandatory to be worn whenever a rider is pedalling their bike. The helmet can be full-face or half-lid, according to the individual’s comfort level. Helmets with a removable chin guard/piece are also acceptable. Knee pads are the other mandatory apparel (for timed stages). Other recommended apparel include:
- Additional body armour (elbow pads, chest protector, back protector, etc.) according to the individual’s comfort level
- Padded shorts or bib shorts
- Full-fingered gloves
- Eye protection (sunglasses or goggles)
- Two or more sets of comfortable riding shorts + a jersey
Apparals
As part of their packing list, all participants are advised to bring along the following:
- A storm-shell/waterproof jacket
- A synthetic insulated jacket or insulated fleece/wool mid-layer
- One or more insulated beanies/balaclava/headscarf
- A pair of sunglasses or goggles (with tinted lenses for bright sunlight) Besides, the recommended equipment includes (but is not limited to) the following:
- Warm gloves / Warm socks
- Spare clothing & sturdy walking/running shoes/flipflops for casual hiking & sightseeing
- Lip balm/Sunscreen/Earplugs
- Head torch
- Baby wipes and/or anti-bacterial hand sanitiser gel
Insurance
DO I NEED INSURANCE TO TAKE PART IN THE POKHARA ENDURO?
- Yes. The event passes through woods and hard-to-access areas. A costly means of evacuation may be necessary for an emergency. All participants must have insurance covering this and any medical treatment that may be required.
- All successful international participants at the event must show proof of insurance on the race briefing day. Anyone without adequate insurance will not be allowed to take part in the event.
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Pokhara Enduro Race Rules – 2024
All participants must adhere to the following race rules
- The event is a mountain bike enduro race consisting of multiple timed stages, each timed separately. The Main Competition will consist of 4 timed stages conducted separately from the Seeding stage.
- Riders must complete all timed stages in the required order and as briefed by the race organiser.
- A) Riders will be equipped with electronic timing systems during the conduct of racing during Seeding at the Pro Stage (28 November 2024) as well as the Main Competition(29 November 2024).
B) Riders must only wear the provided timing transponders on the left wrist/arm. Please use GPS/smartwatches on the right wrist to avoid signal interference.
C) Riders are responsible for their own discipline to ensure proper timing and to avoid accidental triggering of timing transponders. They must obey all instructions from start and finish officials to maintain a safe distance away from start and finish timing sensors. The minimum safe distance to avoid triggering is 3 meters. All time calculations follow the first time a start/finish sensor triggers a transponder.
D) Riders accept responsibility for the safekeeping of their timing transponders. Loss, damage, or destruction of a timing transponder by a rider will incur a penalty in the form of a replacement fee of USD$ 100 / NRS.13,000 per transponder.
- The sum of the timings determines a rider’s ranking – also known as the ‘combined time’ – of the Pro-Stage and all Main Competition timed stages. All riders in the event are thus ranked accordingly, with the winner being the rider with the lowest combined time. Riders who are in a category where an attempt at the Pro stage is not applicable shall start separately from seeded riders; their combined timing and event rankings will also reflect this separation.
- Each timed stage will be predominantly downhill, but they can include some uphill sections, too.
- Riders will attain the start point of each timed stage via untimed or liaison stages. Liaison stages will be predominantly uphill. While the timings taken to complete liaison stages will be logged, these timings are NOT part of the combined time used to determine the event rankings.
- Riders must follow a specific course, and all stages must be done in order. Riders are assigned practice sessions before the race to preview the course and familiarise themselves with all timed and liaison stages. Not attending practice is not an acceptable reason for short-cutting the course or exceeding timings due to getting lost. Any deviation from the course – without a valid reason – will result in a time penalty.
- Riders queued to start a timed stage will be sent off with a minimum 30-second gap between riders. Riders who are not ready to start within this 30-second requirement should remain in the rest area next to the queue and join the queue only when they are ready to race.
- If a rider exceeds the boundary of the timed stage (crosses/cuts the course marking tape), whether intentionally or unintentionally, they must re-enter the boundary of the timed stage at exactly the same point they first exceeded. Failure to do so will result in a penalty or disqualification.
- Bikes must conform to these specific regulations: they must possess 2 independent working brakes; they must have the handlebar ends covered (no sharp edges at the ends exposed); and they must be deemed safe for usage by a qualified bicycle mechanic – if necessary.
- Riders need to stick to the same bike throughout the race. If a rider needs to change any parts of the bike, it must be for a valid reason and must go through approval by race staff without exceptions.
- A) Riders must wear appropriate safety gear during the race. Bicycle helmets are mandatory and must be worn whenever riders ride their bikes. Knee pads are mandatory and must be worn whenever a rider attempts a timed stage. Riding shoes are mandatory throughout the whole event.
B) To ensure awareness of all timings and time limits during the event, all riders must be equipped with a watch, GPS/smart watch, GPS bike computer, or mobile/smartphone – without exception.
- A) The start list for the Seeding session (28 November 2024), conducted on the Pro stage (SS5) will consist of the following categories in the following order:
– Master C
– Master B
– Master A
– Junior (Mens)
-Women Open
– Elite Men
These riders will be released at the Pro stage start according to a specific start time assigned to each rider at strict 30-second intervals.
B) The start list for the Main Competition (29 November 2024) will consist of two parts:
i) Riders who attempted the Pro stage (Seeding session), arranged from fastest to slowest. They shall be released from the Event HQ (onto LS1) and queued to start SS1 in this specific order. For subsequent timed stages, riders need not maintain this order – and can rest, queue, and start as they like (within the maximum event cut-off time).
ii) Riders who did not attempt the Pro stage will start AFTER the seeded riders in the following order:
– Junior
– Veteran These riders will be released from the Event HQ (onto LS1) according at strict 30-second intervals.
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ITINERARY
Race Schedule – 2024
International participants must arrive at the Kathmandu International Airport (KTM) on or before 25 November 2024. They will then travel 200 KM by road to Pokhara(PKR) the next day. There is an option to fly a domestic airline (25 Minutes) to Pokhara at an additional cost. Please get in touch with us if you need additional arrangements outside the official schedule.
25-Nov-24 | 26-Nov-24 | 27-Nov-24 | 28-Nov-24 | 29-Nov-24 | 30-Nov-24 | 01-Dec-24 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Participants Arrive | Travel to Pokhara | 06:00 – Breakfast | 06:00 – Breakfast | 06:00 – Breakfast | 08:00 – Breakfast | 07:00 – 09:00 Breakfast |
Transfer to the official Hotel | Check into the official hotel | 07:00 – Shuttle Uplift for practice | 07:00 – Shuttle Uplift for Seeding + Practice | 07:00 – Shuttle Uplift for Final Race Day | Chill Day in Pokhara | Travel back to Kathmandu |
Handover Bike bags to the logistics Team | Collect Bike + Test ride | 15:00 – Shuttle back to Hotel | 15:00 – Shuttle back to Hotel | 08:30 – First wave descent SS1 | R & R (self-explore) | |
19:00 – Group Dinner | 18:00 – Race Briefing | 12:00 – Last rider at the end of SS4 + Podium ceremony | ||||
R & R (self-explore) | R & R (self-explore) | R & R (self-explore) | 16:00 – Shuttle Complete back to hotels | |||
After Party |
Race Highlights
100
PARTICIPANTS
4
Stages
1
RACE DAY