Kathmandu, December 13

It was like love at first sight for Cory Wallace. The professional Canadian Mountain Bike racer came to Nepal in 2014 to participate in Yak Attack and he instantly fell in love with the divine mountains. And today he loves to spend as much time as he can in Nepal.

Annapurna Circuit is the best outing for the 35-year-old from Canada’s Rocky Mountain and he has cycled the famous trekking circuit three times so far. And for a reason: raise funds for the benefit of Nepali mountain bikers. That’s because the three-time 24 Hour Mountain Bike World Championships winner and the four-time Yak Attack champion, Wallace wants to see Nepali riders excel in Asia and beyond.

Wallace won his third straight 24 Hour Mountain Bike World Championships in Fort William, Scotland in July and he was here for the third attempt of conquering the Annapurna Circuit —normally an 18-day trekking route — in November. Starting the race at midnight of November 26 at Besisahar of Lamjung, the Kona-sponsored rider covered around 220km distance in 20 hours and 33 minutes cycling through Manang, Thorang La Pass, Muktinath before ending at Beni.

“The most challenging part of the journey is the altitude and cold weather,” says Wallace, the endurance expert. “Starting the race at an altitude of 800m and reaching up to 5416 metres before descending down to 3800m and ending at 800m again is a tough job. And surviving in the freezing weather of minus seven degrees and the wind created by the speed of the cycle is not easy,” he adds. According to Wallace, he had finished the solo race in 23 hours and 57 minutes in his first attempt in 2017 before improving to 21:27 in the second attempt the next year.

Wallace is doing all these for the sake of Nepali riders, to train them and provide them with proper facilities for training. He raised $3,000 in the first year, while the amount rose to $7,000 in the next attempt. This year, he was able to raise $4,000. “With this money, we have started a training centre through Nepal Cyclists Ride to Rescue, a charity run by international team,” he says. “We have opened a centre in Jyatha where the cyclists can undergo indoor training and hit the gym. We also have put recovery tools and opened a café there,” he says.

Doing all these is not easy for Wallace too. He somehow managed to finish the Yak Attack race in his first appearance in 2014 after he struggled to cope up with altitude sickness. But the champion cyclist did everything required to get acclimatise with the local condition and became the first foreigner to win the race in 2016. Since then he has dominated the race and is the four-time defending champion.

“If you want to cycle here, you need to know Nepal first. Altitude and weather can floor you down easily. You should get acclimatised with the local condition first and only then you can race to victory,” says Wallace, who played ice hockey until the age of 20 before switching to cycling. “I also grew up in the mountains in Canada but the Himalayas in Nepal just blew my mind away. People here are so friendly that you are welcomed everywhere and everyone wants to talk to you,” says Wallace, the two-time Canadian Marathon champion. “For me, Nepal is the best country in the world for adventure,” he says.

Wallace believes Nepali cyclists are not getting much attention from the cycling association. “Cycling is a tough job and you must have a certain goal. But the cyclists here do not even get to know the schedule of the national tournament and other events,” says Wallace. “The NCA should work with private races and plan properly for the overall development of the sport. Setting a long-term plan and proper coordination with the stakeholders are the keys. At least, you must have a 12-month schedule,” he says.