KOZHIKODE:
Registrations for amateurs competing in the 6th edition of MTB (Mountain Bike) Kerala will close on December 10, as India’s most spectacular and challenging biking race is all set to be held in Wayanad district of northeast Kerala next week.
Organised by the state government’s Department of Tourism, the December 20-22 mega mountain biking event in Mananthavady will showcase the dexterity of biking professionals and amateurs from India and abroad. The races, being held under the aegis of Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society, District Tourism Promotion Council (Wayanad) and Cycling Federation of India, will see the participants negotiating a challenging 5-km stretch along Priyadarshini Tea Environs at an altitude of 3,000 feet in the Western Ghats.
For amateurs’ event, titled ‘Fun & Thrill Challenge’, the registration closes on December 10 at 5 pm, and it can be done online at MTB Kerala website, www.mtbkerala.com. Registration fee is Rs 1,000 per participant. Registration for professional international and national participants is over.
This year’s race will be held in three categories: International Cross Country, National Cross Country – Men, and National Cross Country – Women. The event for amateurs has been included in MTB Kerala for the first time.
Fun & Thrill Challenge will have separate category for men and women. Participants who reach in first 25 positions in the qualifying round of a 38-km road cycling competition on December 20 will be selected for the MTB Amateur Championship on December 21. There is no qualification round for women category. The total entry for men in this segment is 100 and 25 for women on first-come-first-serve basis.
The first three positions in the amateurs’ challenge round will qualify for the MTB National Category Championship, to be held on December 22. Participants will have to bring their own MTB cycles and safety equipments.
The race is open to both individual riders and teams. As for the prize money, the winner in International Cross Country race will get Rs 150,000 while the first, second, third and fourth runner up will secure Rs 100,000, Rs 50,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 20,000, respectively.
The winner in National Cross Country – Men race will be awarded prize money of Rs 100,000 while the first three runners up would be getting Rs. 50,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 20,000, respectively. As for the National Cross Country – Women event, the winner will get Rs 50,000 and the first three runners up will be getting Rs 25,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 15,000, respectively.
The first three winners of ‘Fun & Thrill Challenge’ for amateurs will also be given cash prize, medals and certificates.
