Food & Wine Nepal – July 2019

(42) Hospitality, Food & Wine, Monthly

has completed the entire Annapurna

circuit for 10 times with her mountain

bike. This is by no means an easy feat

of success.

Even no female cyclist of any country

could have paddled across Annapurna

Circuit for as many times as Laxmi

did. Moreover, Laxmi did participate

in the world’s most difficult mountain

bike competition known as THE YAK

ATTTACK NEPAL. The race begins

from Lamjung, Besisahar and ends at

Tatopani.

“THE YAK ATTACK NEPAL is one

of the toughest mountain bike races

in the world. As soon as we start

cycling from Besisahar, the alleviation

regularly increases until Thorang la

pass where the alleviation is as high as

5416 meters. This is the height where

oxygen is not enough to keep our body

organs working. One may suffer from

severe altitude sickness and even death

is possible in the absence of immediate

treatment,” said Laxmi.

The participants of THE YAK ATTACK

NEPAL have to complete about 350km

of distance and the path is as rough

as one can imagine. Crossing several

rivers, suspension bridges, rocky hills

and sometimes the trail is so bad that

the cyclists should carry their mountain

bikes on their shoulders.

Laxmi, for the first time, did participate

in THE YAK ATTACK NEPAL in 2013

and secured the second place in the

competition. She again participated in

the YAK ATTACK NEPAL in 2014 but

this time she could not secure a place.

This made Laxmi upset.

“I had participated in The Yak Attack

Nepal in 2013 and secured a second

Laxmi Magar on her

way to Mustang.

© Yak Attack / Igor Schifris 2017

Winning the Yak Attack High Altitude Mountain Bike Cham-

pionship in 2018.