Staff Reporter
DIRANG, 8 Jan: The fourth edition of the MTB Tawang Challenge was flagged off from here in West Kameng district on Saturday morning by Dirang ADC JT Obi, in the presence of Youth Affairs Director Ramesh Linggi and others.
Thirty-four riders from across the country are participating in the three-stage cycling challenge. The participants will have to pedal hard across varied elevations across hills during the three-day event.
The MTB Tawang Challenge is considered to be one of the most popular and challenging cycling events in the country.
In the first stage, the riders pedalled to Mandala Top, about 35 kms from here, and back.
They will ride to Sela Top and back in the second stage on Sunday. In the third stage, the participants will cover Sangti, Khalibok, Namsu and Munna Camp via Sangti and back to Dirang ground, where they will be flagged in.
International riders Kamlesh Rana and Prakash Thapa Magar, both from the Indian Army, came in first and second, respectively, in the first stage of the race on Saturday. Shiven from Himachal Pradesh, who is also an international rider, finished third.
The event, being organized by the Arunachal Cycling Association under the aegis of the Indian Cycling Federation, and being sponsored by the youth affairs department, is aimed at promoting cycling at the grassroots level and producing future Olympians in cycling.
