Four Indian cyclists, part of the Hero Action Team, will be travelling to Portugal to race at the Algarve Bike Challenge on February 7.
The UCI category 2 cycling race will host some of the finest riders from across the world in a three-day mountain biking extravaganza on the southern coast of Portugal. The race will witness participation of over 1100 cyclists from 16 countries.
The Hero Action Team cyclists -- Akshit Gaur (20), Ashish Sherpa (18), Akash Sherpa (22) and David Kumar (25) -- will be pairing up to make two teams for their participation.
Ashish Sherpa, youngest of the four, has already made a dent in the Indian mountain biking scene. Back in 2017, he finished 3rd at the Indian National Championship. He won the best Asian Rider at Hero MTB Himalaya, and finished in the Top 5 at the Darling Brew Extreme in South Africa.
His elder brother Akash will be racing his maiden international race.
Akshit, 19, is a student of Punjab University. He started cycling 5 years ago, when he got to know about mountain biking as a sport from a school program by HASTPA. He is a double gold medallist in the Junior National Championship. He is also the youngest Indian to participate in an International MTB race.
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David Kumar is the first human to take his bike to the Holy rock in Kinner Kailash. He has multiple podium victories under his belt at Hero MTB Shimla and Hero MTB Himalaya.
This is the second time cyclists from India will be racing at the event.