Popularly known as Hero MTB Shimla is a 2-day MTB XC race that is held every year during the month of April. The host city, as suggested by the name is Shimla. The race takes you through some of the most pristine parts of the Shivalik Mountains also known as the lesser Himalayas or the foothills of the Himalayas. The race is set with a background that calls out to an adventure lover, a mountain biker, a nature lover, and asks them to get embodied in the serene beauty of Himalayas. Travelling through Wildlife Sanctuaries, Himalayan countryside, streams and rivulets, you experience the pure atmosphere that the Himalayas offer. You meet the most amazing people, stay at the most beautiful locations and ride the best terrain in India. Pedal your way through gut-wrenching uphills, speedy downhills, village back roads, beautiful meadows, thick vegetation, jeep tracks and savour real mountain biking as you travel around 120 kilometres in 2 days. The race organisation Hastpa and Mr Ashish Sood (Race Director) level up the game of race every year. They play a major role in bringing up the Mountain Biking scene in India. I have participated in this race for two consecutive years 2017 and 2018.
Let’s talk about my experience of the 2018 season-
The race is organised in the month of April every year, I started my journey with two of my teammates from Noida on 13th of April 2018. We reached the queen of hills - Shimla around 4 in the evening. The next day was our day 0 of the race, which included the registration process in the morning and the prologue ride on the ridge Shimla in the evening. The prologue ride gives the riders a feel of riding in the mountains and helps then acclimatise to the weather conditions and the altitude.
After the ridge prologue ride, it was time for us to have dinner and go into our rooms for our recovery sleep before the stage. The next day, which was our day 1 in Shimla, began early for all the participants around 7 in the morning. All the riders were busy pampering their bikes and making it ready for the long day. Then after a while, it was time to fuel our bodies and have breakfast. The race began at 9 in the morning, I had filled both of my sippers with Steadfast Nutrition’s Carborance, to make sure my body has a constant supply of energy throughout the day. The unique blend of complex carbs that the carborance holds helps the athletes to maintain their body energy levels during long intense workouts or activities. I kept pushing myself throughout and kept climbing the never-ending climbs of the mighty Himalayas. Finally, I was able to make it through and it was an end of day 1. After reaching the finishing line (which was our hotel) the riders were filled up fatigue in their bodies, but not a problem for me, because I had my Steadfast Nutrition’s Power Protein with me which helped my muscles to relax and cut down all the fatigue and make my body ready for the stage 2!
All of the riders had dinner, serviced their bikes for the next day and were ready to sleep and recover! The next day started at 8 a.m. for all the riders, the race was scheduled for 10 am today. At 9:45 am all the riders were asked to assemble near the start line and I was again ready with my bike and sippers filled up with Carborance and ready to rock stage 2. This stage had even more steeper climbs. We started our race at 10 in the morning kept pushing our bodies for about 4 hours in the scorching heat of the mountains. Finally, it was 4:00 pm in the evening and I saw the board saying - 500 meters left, what a relief it was. And finally, it was an end to the brutal climbs of the Himalayas. In the evening it was time for the race ceremony and havan. We got our well-earned medals and certificates, finally it was time to head back home - to the flatlands! Steadfast Nutrition’s Carborance and Power Protein helped me a lot during these two stages of Hero MTB Shimla, Carborance provided me with just the right amount of energy to keep my legs moving and body pushing through these climbs. And for the post-race recovery, power protein helps to break down the muscle fatigue and relax the body helping me get ready for the next stages. I would strongly recommend these two products to who all are looking for good results in such kind of XCM races. You can head on to www.steadfastnutrition.in and order yours today!
