Guwahati: Nepal’s Nirav Shrestha and Meghalaya’s Pynshngain Lyngkhoi emerged champions in the Men’s Elite and Hardtail categories, respectively, at the sixth edition of MONDURO, a high-altitude enduro mountain biking championship, which concluded at Drekhang near Tawang Monastery on Saturday.Held under the aegis of Arunachal Pradesh’s department of tourism, MONDURO 6.0 featured 25 riders, including international participants, who negotiated challenging Himalayan trails at elevations of up to 14,400 feet.Shrestha clinched the Men’s Elite title, while Christopher Keeling of the UK finished second and Meghalaya’s Aaronson Oneil Kharpuri took third place.In the Hardtail category, Lyngkhoi topped the podium, followed by Jarett Bang and Yosame Pakyntein, both from Meghalaya.The championship featured two routes spanning around 22 km through Tawang’s rugged mountain landscape. Participants from Nepal, the UK and Indonesia, besides various parts of India, took part in the event.Themed “The Ghost of the Mountains” and dedicated to the snow leopard, the championship also sought to promote Himalayan wildlife conservation and the protection of fragile mountain ecosystems.The event further underscored Tawang’s potential as a premier adventure tourism and mountain biking destination. The Tawang Cycling Association has been instrumental in promoting the sport and fostering adventure tourism in the region, officials said.
