?Epic Mountain Bike Adventure?

Frustratingly, there was still no sign of our equipment having arrived at Kathmandu airport. According to our freight forwarding company back in the UK, there are 266 pieces still in Doha airport, Qatar, weighing in at 5 tons - one quarter of our total load. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done from either this end, in Kathmandu, or from our offices back in London. It is very much a case of sit and wait.

We had been into Kathmandu city several times, so we decided that it was time for a change. Coincidently enough, a guide from a local mountain bike tour company popped in to see Andrew, who works with Kit Spencer at the Summit Hotel. He spoke with Lee, Rhys, Matt and Paul and between them they decided to book a day?s mountain biking today. When I was first told, I was a bit sceptical. A lot of things you see in Kathmandu are cheap Chinese copies and the thought of plunging down the side of a Nepalese hill on a ?dodgy? bike didn?t fill me with too much confidence.

We jogged the 300 yards up to the ?Epic Mountain Bike Adventure? shop for 9:00am and I was very pleasantly surprised to see such bike names as Specialized, Canondale and Trek on show. Our guide who kitted us out with the correctly sized bike and helmet was Sajit Ghimire, with accompanying mechanic, Nailesh Naharjan. For just $50 per person, the price included transport to the start point (the top of a 2000 meter hill), hire of the bike and helmet, guide, mechanic, lunch and refreshments.

We jumped onto the back of a Tata pick-up truck and enjoyed the view as we drove through the hustle and bustle of the Kathmandu traffic. As we left the suburbs behind, we were greeted by lush green field and fresh air. The drive to the top of the hill took about 45 minutes. It would have been just 30 if the radiator hadn?t boiled over and we had to wait for the engine to cool down. ?Indian rubbish?, exclaimed Sajit, as the Tata truck sat there, bonnet raised allowing a huge plume of steam to rise from the engine!

We reached the top of the hill and jumped onto the bikes, first heading to a view point at a hill-top campsite. It was stunning to say the least. The next 2 hours took us down a roller-coaster ride of rough tracks, with stray goats and excitable chickens! You certainly needed to have your wits about you when tearing down these tracks at break-neck speeds.

The first casualty was Lee, who decided that rather than concentrating on the fast-approaching brick wall, he should concentrate on a small hole in the middle of the track. He successfully missed the hole, but you guessed it, totally forgot about the wall! Apparently the two met with such grace and style, I just wished I?d captured it on film! Brushing himself off, Lee?s only real concern was that he had cut his lip. ?I?m only worried about my face?, he said, ?bearing in mind, just how beautiful I am!!?

Rhys is a very competitive 18 year old, keen on Rugby and other sports. Not wanting to be outdone by Lee?s efforts, he decided to throw himself off his bike when he realised that trying to negotiate a sharp and dusty 90 degree bend, at 30 mph, just wasn?t going to happen! The fall was even more stylish than Lee?s, to be followed only minutes later by almost going over the handlebars. The rear wheel came up 4 feet or more and how he stayed on I will never know.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, but the laughs and memories will last a long time. The tour company also do long-distance rides ? so what?s next for us? Lhasa to Kathmandu in 21 days?

?Epic Mountain Bike Adventure?

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