A 17-year-old boy from Shimla is all set to enter the annals of biking history by becoming the youngest biker to compete in an international mountain biking event – at the Rumble in the Jungle MTB to be held in Sri Lanka next week. Supported by Hero Cycles in his journey, Akshit Gaur will hold the Indian flag high as the only India rider at the international biking event. His participation at the mountain biking race offers a reason to be proud of for sport lovers in India.
Rumble in the Jungle is a cross country marathon style 4-stage race covering a distance of close to 300 km over four days. Riders will climb an altitude of close to 8000 meters in four days over off road sections, mountain ranges and tea gardens of Sri Lanka. The school boy from Shimla, who has just cleared his class XII, will be competing with some of the top international biking talent at the Sri Lanka event. Among the world’s veteran bikers participating include Canadian rider Cory Wallace, a three-time champion and former no 18 at World Championships; Japanese Yuki Ikeda; and Nepalese Ajay Pandit Chettri.
A graduate from St. Edwards School, Shimla, Akshit rides for the Hero Action Team, India’s first MTB team supported by Hero Cycles. At the event he will be riding his flagship UT ETX Bike – a full carbon bike weighing only 10 kgs and priced at 2.99 Lacs INR. UT Bikes is a brand from the house of Hero Cycles.
Hero Cycles in association with the Himalayan Adventure Sports & Tourism Promotion Association (HASTPA) runs a school program to spot and support talented and promising mountain bikers. Akshit was first spotted in the Hero HASTPA School programs in 2014 and has since then progressed into a top mountain biker, finishing as the winner in various races like Hero MTB Shimla (Winner student 2016, 2017 – 2nd and 5th overall respectively); winner MTB Nainital (student category, 3rd overall) and many other races.
Speaking on the occasion, Pankaj Munjal, Co-Chairman and Managing Director, Hero Cycles, said that they are proud of young Akshit and they wish him all the best for the upcoming race. Their vision of promoting and supporting mountain biking in India is finally showing tangible results as their young riders gain experience and exposure to be able to compete with the best talent in the world. They will continue to support mountain biking and talented Indian riders through the Hero Action Team and initiatives like the Hero HASTPA School programs that aim to nurture the sport in India.