Kathmandu, November 2:

The preparation for the 14th Asian Mountain Bike Championship, slated for November 6-10 in Kathmandu, is almost complete, said Nepal Cycling Association (NCA) here today.

In all, 66 bikers from 13 nations will vie for the championships in Cross Country (Men’s and Women’s Elite) and Down Hill (Men’s and Women’s Elite). Hosts Nepal will field eight riders in three categories while opting out from the Women’s Down Hill Race, said NCA president Chimmi Urken Gurung at a press meet today.

Apart from the hosts, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,

South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Kazakistan and Japan have confirmed their participation, said the chief coordinator of the organising committee Gopal Lal Kakshapati. India and Sri Lanka pulled out of the event, Kakshapati added.

A total of 41 bikers will compete in Cross Country race — 30 in Elite Men’s and 11 in Elite Women’s sections. Likewise, the number of participants in Down Hill race will be 22 in Elite Men’s and three in Elite Women’s.

Suresh Kumar Dulal, Dhanjit Rai, Deependra Bajracharya and Padam Sabenhang will represent Nepal in the Elite Men’s Cross Country event while Nirajala Tamrakar will be the solitary biker from the host nation in the Elite Women’s Cross Country race. Sajjan Rajbanshi, Salil KC and Rajkumar Nepali lead the Nepali challenge in the Elite Men’s Down Hill race. The course for both the races have been completed, informed Kakshapati. The total length of Cross Country event is 5.09km per lap while the length of Down Hill event is 1.20km.

Kakshapati, however, informed that the total number of laps for Cross Country will be decided

by Chief Commissaries after the route inspection. The opening ceremony will be held on November 6.

The Cross Country races are slated for November 8 and the Down Hill competitions the following day.