Bicycle Races in Himachal Pradesh

Here’s a list of the best bicycle races in Himachal Pradesh, where you can work on your skills and competitive spirit. The list comprises mountain bike races.

Amateur races are arguably the purest form of racing. You spend money, time, energy and for what. Just for pride. To beat your competition. And feel that adrenalin rush.

You don’t win big prize money, no photographs in the newspaper, no adulating fans.

There is only one reason why you go racing at these amateur races. For the love of the sport. Because from the racers to the organisers to the volunteer marshals, every single person is there because they are brimming with passion for the sport.

These amateur races are also an excellent testing ground for the competitive folk to sharpen their skills. It lets you push yourself to the limits, with nothing at stake, but pride.

There is no quicker way to get fitter on a bike than racing. Having your ass whooped by your riding buddy, will make you pull out all stops to extract sweet revenge in the next race. In the process you and your buddy, will get faster…

The race organisers’ list below is not exhaustive. If you feel we have missed out on any bicycle races, let us know in the comments below!

Bicycle Races in Himachal Pradesh

MTB Himalaya

MTB Himalaya is easily the most prestigious mountain bike race in Himachal Pradesh, and arguably the entire country. With its first edition in 2005, it is the longest running MTB race in India, stopped only by the pandemic.

This MTB stage race lasts over 8 days and has around 16000+ metres of climbing covering 600 km approx. As the years have progressed the organisers have been making MTB Himalaya progressively more difficult and is now an extreme XC (Cross Country) race.

The race has multiple race categories including men, women, master, and grandmaster in solo, as well as a team of two category. This race normally happens in the month of September or October, after the monsoons.

You can get in touch with the team on their Facebook Page.

Also read, Prateek Thakur’s experience of Racing MTB Himalaya from Shimla to Dharamshala.

MTB Shimla

From the organisers of MTB Himalaya was born MTB Shimla. It was originally a spinoff from the bigger event. A smaller 2-day stage race for people who were not prepared for the rigours of MTB Himalaya. Later the organisers broke it away and started organising MTB Shimla in the month of April, unlike the bigger event.

MTB Shimla might be much smaller than MTB Himalaya, it is nonetheless extremely challenging for riders going from the plains. If you want to test your mettle, we suggest giving MTB Shimla a try!

You can reach out to them on their Facebook Page.

Also read, A First Timer’s Perspective of MTB Shimla.

Grey Ghost MTB Challenge

Grey Ghost MTB Challenge is a mountain bike race held in Lahaul Valley which had its first iteration in 2021.

You can read about the inaugural Grey Ghost MTB Challenge on CyclingMonks.com

Manali MTB Fest

Manali MTB Fest had its first iteration in the beautiful mountains surrounding Manali in 2021. The event has BMX, XCO and Downhill competitions. One of the few places in India where downhill races happen.

Thanks to the big mountains, the DH courses are also longer than most and much longer than what the racers get on the Nationals circuit.

You can get in touch with the team on their Instagram Page.

Thanks to Sandeep Thapa for helping us put together this list.

If you know of any bicycle races in Himachal Pradesh that we have missed out, let us know in a comment below.

Also read, bicycle races in Odisha, bicycle races in Tamil Nadu and bicycle races in Gujarat. See the top bicycle races in India.