Manali-Khardungla Cycling Championship from July 26

The second edition of the Manali-Khardungla Cycling Championship (MKCC) will be held from July 26 to August 3.

More than 60 people have registered for the competition which offers two categories for participation with varying levels of difficulty. Approximately 50 will participate in the nine-day Stage Race, exclusively for long-distance endurance cyclists, while 10 enthusiasts will take part in the Ultimate Cycling Adventure Tour that will run parallel to the race.

Half of the participants are from the armed forces while the other half are civilians. There are three international cyclists too including three-time women's mountain biking national champion of Nepal Laxmi Nagar. The event is being organised by Northern Escapes and Cycling 4 Change.

"The Manali-Khardungla route is highly inspirational for the global cycling community. MKCC will be something that every participant will be extremely proud to be part of and compete in, for all of their lives," race director Anil Uchil said on Wednesday.

The race commences from Manali, a hill station in Himachal Pradesh, and passes through some of the world's highest passes, four of them being above 15,000 feet, leading to the grand culmination at the world's highest motorable road, Khardungla, at 18,380 ft.