yak attack - laura martin
When I found out about the Yak Attack mountain bike race in Nepal I was in awe.
It is the highest mountain bike race in the world, and is made up of 9 stages along the Annapurna circuit (260km in total) and reaches 5416m of elevation.
I have dreamed about seeing Nepal since I was young. Even before I was mountain biking I wanted to see these magnificent mountains. I thought I would hike to Everest base camp one day but never take a bike over the highest pass in the world.
So when the opportunity arose to take part in Yak Attack in what might be the last-ever race. I knew I had to make it happen. With only 4 months before the start, I had to get training so I could be as fit as possible. Time to work hard. My husband (Hugo) was racing too, so we had to get to work.
There was only one choice of bike for this. My beloved HB130. The race was a mix of cross-country style racing and some downhill making it the perfect choice. The lovely people at Hope upgraded some parts to make sure it was race-ready (and looking good too) The bike really is the ultimate all-rounder. it just handles whatever is thrown at it.
The Yak Attack is run by Mountain Bike Worldwide as a not-for-profit. Any money made from the entrance fees help support Nepali riders to take part in the race, without this support, the Nepali riders would not be on the start line. There were 26 racers, and this year was the highest number of female entrants with 6 in total. Three Nepali women, a European, an Australian and myself from the UK. Before I left the UK I was lucky to commission an article about the event in Singletrack magazine which is out now in April's edition. I could not fit all the stories from the race in the piece so here I’m sharing some more with you.
Once plane touched down in Kathmandu and the door opened, the heat hit and reality dawned. I had the biggest physical feat in front of me. After training hard I was in all ways ready but there were still the pre-race nerves. Thankfully my bike and kit made it in one piece. It was time for race registration, and meeting my fellow competitors.
Meeting the other competitors made it all very real, I was alongside national champions and even an Olympian.
Nepal is unlike anywhere I have ever been. Monkeys roam the busy streets amongst the cars, tuk-tuks and endless streams of people. Expertly stacked bikes used to transport goods lined the streets.
Time to head to the start of the race in Besi Sahar. Our bikes were bundled onto jeeps, and bags loaded onto trucks. Being a well-travelled mountain biker I was very surprised at how safe Kathmandu and Nepal is as a whole. We were informed no one locks their bikes. The night before pick up, the very expensive bikes sat outside the hotel, just waiting to be loaded onto the trucks the next day. A thing that would make us Brits quake with fear. But this is normal practice here. We left our bike bags in the reception of the hotel in Kathmandu crammed with things we wouldn’t need, mine even had my MacBook in. They were not touched the whole time we were racing. Could you imagine this in London?
The journey to Besi Sahar was the most interesting bus trip I have been on. Like most of us, I had never been in a bus on a Jeep track before it was bumpy and long - eightish hours and 176 km. The lack of suspension on the bus made it an adventure itself.
That night we were briefed on the course for the next day with input from the medical team. The race has a wonderful support team the organisers Phil, Corrine and AJ along with a crew of two doctors, a physio, mechanics, route makers and a photographer. We were in safe hands. Not to mention the support from the locals in every village, so welcoming and happy to have us. It was unlike anything I have ever seen.
The morning of the first day of racing was a bit surreal. Opening the curtain Himalayan mountains glowing orange and pink at sunrise was right out of a travel guide.
The first race stage was an acclimatisation loop. 30km climbing 1032 metresup through the jungle on a jeep track through small farms and plantations. My first taste of Nepali riding. We passed through a waterfall and started a climbing on a very narrow path. Ahead of us was a large Yak, A farmer was moving them in the opposite direction. Luckily we were with Nepali rider Sunita. She told us that to let the Yaks to pass safely you must crouch down behind your bike and not make eye contact. I grew up with Highland cattle, so this was completely new to me.
The scorching dry heat made it a tough first day on the bike. I was excited to see the finish line. It’s hard to describe the beauty of Nepal, this was just a taste of what was to come and I was already in love. Endless mountains in every direction.
Since we signed up I had dreaded Stage two. 62 km with 3094 meters of climbing to reach the village of Chame. A lung-busting day, not for the faint hearted. Hugo and I maintained a steady pace whilst trying to enjoy the surroundings. The route followed a Jeep track. Jeep track makes it sound better than the reality. It was a loose rocky track with sinkholes, down steep-sided valleys and gullies steeper than anything I have ever seen. A long day on the bike. Thank God for Endura, and my padded shorts. One of my hardest days on the bike, and it was not even the toughest of the trip. But I was proud to finish.
Following the first two stages, Stage three was supposed to be an easier day with 36km and 1800m of climbing to Manang. But we were into altitude now, so it was another hard one, that included a lot of hike-a-bike just to make it a little harder. Unfortunately, Hugo punctured and had to stop to fix it. So with stages having cut-off times I would continued. If you know me you might know, I am not the best with directions. But got round due to GPS and route markers. Only going wrong once. I was pleased to reach the finish for a hot shower and food. Hugo made it in time too.
Stage four was an XC loop around Manang. A three-loop circuit of 14km and 584m. Most people suffered today due to the mixture of big days and altitude. I was not feeling the best so rode with Tania as Hugo wanted to give the XC loop a good go.
Tania was massive inspiration for me. She has completed the event a few times before. It is so inspiring to see a woman complete it so many times and come back for more. Not only that but her encouragement throughout really helped. I had Hugo with me (who was amazing) but having another female to speak to really helped too.
The following day was a day off. We were all in need of it. We got to see Manang and find out more about some of the other racers. Everyone had wonderful stories about past adventures and the reasons they were here.
Stage five was all about singletrack in the most beautiful landscape. Imposing mountains, other bikers, hikers, animals and porters. It was 16km with 1040m of climbing. Doesn’t sound too bad? Wrong, it was in some ways tougher than stage two. The affects of altitude made us all slower and the pace decreased. No matter how fit you are altitude is a great leveller. Everything is harder the higher you go. One of the other racers was really struggling today so I made sure to stay with him and monitor him. You never leave a man behind. There was a real sense of family on the race, and all the riders were lovely but my fellow Brits Tom and Shane were excellent company.
Making it to Thorong Phedi base camp was like something from a dream. Like the surface of the moon but dotted with a few barn-like buildings making up the accommodation. Most people were feeling the effect of altitude. I wasn’t feeling too bad and had one of the best nights of sleep of the entire trip, a few of the other riders struggled with the conditions. I would say it has something to do with me living in the Highlands, but really altitude symptoms are a bit pot luck.
Stage six. A 5am start to take on the infamous Thorong La Pass. It was cold and I was nervous.
Having never been up at high altitude for such a long time I had no idea how I’d be affected. I had felt great. But I faded quickly as we started the hike a bike up the pass. After all the training I was determined to make it to the top, and once I set my mind to it there is no stopping me. (I once walked on a burst achilles for a week before realising – not recommended) The achievement of reaching the top after all the struggles was a whirlwind of emotions, but short lived as I needed descend as quickly as possible to alleviate my symptoms. It was all a blur and more like a dream than a memory. There was still a long down way to the finish and I had to push most of it due to altitude sickness. I would love to go back and really give that decent a real go.
The hardest day I’ve ever spent on a bike and I was in bad shape at the finish in Kagbeni. I was feeling very ill and so cold, so headed straight for my room. Tania sprung into action and helped get boiling water to wash in to try to bring my temperature up. No Hot showers here. It is women in cycling like this that make me so proud. She wasn’t well herself, but went out of her way to make sure I was OK. On her and Hugo orders I went to bed only getting up to eat. Waking up in Kagbeni I felt well again like a weight had been lifted. The strange thing about altitude sickness is the symptom can pass quickly.
Stage seven, the Kagbeni loop 35km and 1560m, an enduro type stage. The one I was dreaming of and it did not disappoint. The singletrack here was out of this world. I would love to go back and have another go. Fast, flowy with plenty of tricky features to get your teeth in too.
Stage eight, the final one. 48km and 1050m of climbing.
A mixed bag of jeep tracks, singletrack and river crossings. Parts of the day looked like the Scottish Highlands which felt very strange indeed. The feeling of crossing the final finish line was like nothing I’d felt before. I had put in the hard work but I have never been tested to this extreme before, and I am really proud of what I have achieved. I am so delighted to have ridden My HB130 over the highest pass in the world with not one issue, my trusty bike did not let me down at all, and handled everything that was thrown at it with ease. The perfect bike for Yak Attack, if it can handle this it can handle just about anything.
Would I do it all again if I could …. Hell Yeah bring it on.
Words & Photos: Laura Martin