Four Mountain Terrain Biking (MTB) riders from Arunachal Pradesh who successfully completed the country’s first MTB course cum expedition were on Thursday felicitated by Youth Affairs director, D K Dinglow, at his office here.
The Mountain Terrain Biking course cum expedition was organized by the National Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (NIMAS), Dirang.
The riders Ahondo Menjo, Tajum Dare, Kaling Mize and Rubi Lombo were sponsored by the directorate of youth affairs under its skill development programme to undergo the tough course.
The course cum expedition which was jointly flagged off by Sports and Youth Affairs minister Dr Mohesh Chai and 4 Corps commander Lt Gen G S Sangha from Rupa on December 04 concluded at Bumla in Tawang recently.
A 15-member MTB team led by Col Sarfraz Singh, an Everester covered a distance of approx 250 kms during the expedition. The team passed through Bomdila, Dirang, Sela and Tawang before finally culminating at Bumla which is situated at almost 15000 ft above sea level.
During the course of the expedition, the participants were trained on various aspects related to MTB like acclimatization, high altitude medicine, uphill and downhill biking maneuvering skills, bike repairing and maintenance, preparation for professional competitions etc.
This was India’s first certified course on MTB and those who have qualified can now become professional MTB instructors.
