Mountain Biking Besi Sahar to Chame

Mountain Biking Besi Sahar to Chame, stage 2 of Yak Attack – The highest mountain bike race on earth.

Most people are drawn to Yak Attack by the incredible mountain biking and the battle with altitude. After all it is the highest mountain bike race on earth, topping out on Thorong La at 5416m above sea level. But Nepal’s premier international mountain bike race isn’t a 1 trick pony, it is made up of 7 unique stages.

Stage 2,  Besi Sahar to Chame  is normally tackled over 2 days during an Annapurna circuit mountain bike tour with an overnight stay in Taal. During Yak Attack however it’s done in 1 day and it’s  the one stage that throws in more surprises and challenges and has the most DNF’s than any other stage in Yak Attack history

On paper stage 2 of Yak Attack looks very tough with 2900m of climbing in 66km, but in reality, it much harder than that, and here are some of the reasons why.

• Extreme heat
• Intense cold
• High altitude
• Long ascents
• Baby heads
• Water crossings

And not forgetting a possible 10 hours in the saddle!

Extreme heat

Not something you would probably associate with Nepal and the Himalayas, but Besi Sahar sits at only 760m above sea level and temperatures at this altitude can reach 30˚c+. Couple that with hours of climbing rough off -road trails and keeping hydrated becomes vitally important in being able to finish this stage.

Intense Cold

There’s not many days of mountain biking where you could start in 30˚c+ and finish in negative figures but stage 2 of Yak Attack is one of them. Chame sits at 2650m altitude and is surrounded by high mountains. In late afternoon, when the sun disappears behind the mountains, temperatures plummet and tail enders can find themselves finishing the stage in down jackets and gloves instead of the lycra they set out in!

High Altitude

 In respect of what is yet to come, Chame isn’t that high, but for those that have recently arrived from around sea level, 2650m is a height where the first effects of altitude can be felt. Symptoms won’t be too alarming but some riders will experience increased respiration, shortness of breath and maybe lucid dreams. We like the lucid dreams bit!!

Long Ascents

 So we know that Besi Sahar is at an altitude of 760m and Chame is at an altitude of 2650m, so a simple calculation will tell us that there is at least 1890m of elevation between the 2 villages. BUT it’s not that simple! During our years of mountain biking in Nepal, we have invented a new word – “updulating”! We coined this phrase to describe a trail that undulates but in an skyward direction. Besi Sahar to Chame is the epitome of this! Factor in the “updulations” and the total amount of climbing for stage 2 of Yak Attack is 2900m. Then factor in that only 200m of climbing happens over the first 20km and you have 2700m of ascent in 46km. In simple terms that’s a 5.86% gradient climb for the entire remaining 46km. But take a look at the course profile and you’ll see there are a number of descents between km 35 and 45, which brings into play another Nepal mountain biking phrase “What goes down, must go up!” Needless to say, unless you are a complete mountain goat climbing masochist, you will have had your fill of going uphill for a day after rolling into Chame!

Baby heads 

Fun when you’re flying down a fast flowing single track, but they can be somewhat frustrating when toiling up 66km of mainly uphill!

In mountain biking terms baby heads are rocks the size of, well, a baby’s head! A few sections of the trail between Besi Sahar and Chame can get extremely muddy. To overcome the problem of jeeps becoming bogged down or chewing up the track, the very worst of the mud has been replaced with what can be very loosely termed as cobbles. Not the type of cobbles experienced in the Paris – Roubaix – no, these would shake a road bike to pieces in seconds. These cobbles are even a match for a 130mm full suspension mountain bike and will bring the nimblest of cyclist down to a snails pace! There is one particularly “knobbly” section in the forest on the climb between Danaqu and Timang, just before the last aid station when most riders are usually at their most tired! Nice!!

Water crossings

As if all the above wasn’t enough to test your resolve, there are also a number of water crossings to negotiate on the way to Chame. Depending on recent rainfall higher up these can vary from trickles to small rivers and can throw up a number of new obstacles to tackle.

First of all there’s wet feet, never nice, especially not if you are finishing in the cold. Secondly, under water nasties, including rocks, potholes and very slippy algae, you don’t want to be falling off in that refreshing mountain water! Thirdly there’s  the grit! When riding through puddles or shallow slow running sections of water, the sandy grit flicked up plays havoc with your chain. You’ll find yourself needing to swill off and re-lube your running gear on many occasion during the first 30km of stage 2 to avoid massive chain suck. That’s all you need during a potential 10 hours in the saddle!

The Finish Line

But, once you have arrived in Chame, you can give yourself a massive pat on the back for completing what has to be one of the toughest mountain bike stages around. There’ll be a hot drink waiting for you, a comfortable (ish) bed, hot nourishing food, a mechanic to take care of your bike and a massage therapist to take care of your aching muscles, and after all, it’s only another 2.5 days of up to go!!!

Stage 2 of the 2022 Yak Attack details

Date – 14^th November 2022

Route – Besi Sahar to Chame

Distance – 66km

Total ascent – 2900m

Fastest recorded time – Cory Wallace – 3 hours 58 minutes 40 seconds in 2019

Latest Yak Attack stage 2 timings – https://www.mtb-worldwide.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Stage-2-Results-complete.pdf

Full details of Yak Attack 2022 can be found at https://www.mtb-worldwide.com/the-yak-attack/