Ladakh & Manali MTB Fest 2021

Ladakh MTB Fest is back for 2021. Folks from the Unexplored Ladakh crew picked up the shovels, filled up the water containers and packed in the Disko Valley park course once again for another year. Along with local rippers, riders from Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra joined the rad week of ripping.

Rider: Vinay Menon \\ Photo: Blackfurst Media
Riders: Gautam Taode and Vinay Menon
Rider: Vinay Menon
“Disko Valley” bossman Skaldan Urgyan and Vinay Menon discuss lines
Friends of late Fhzal Wani from Srinagar joined the Ladakh MTB Fest 2021 and rode in his memory.

The Ladakh MTB Fest is one of the smoothest gathering of local mountain bikers from Ladakh and other parts of India. Downhill and pumptrack races, jump sessions, live music and chilling with buddies. True to the bikes, budds and beer spin, the LMF 2021 was a highlight of the year.

For more, checkout the story on Freeridermag.in

Vinay Menon airing the “Padvalator” – a jump built at Disko Valley Bike Park, in memory of late Ajay Padval from Pune.
Rider: Vinay Menon \\ Photo: Gautam Taode

A month after the LMF 2021, the MMF 2021 was scheduled. The Manali MTB Fest 2021 is lined up with XC, DH and BMX comps. The lush green hills of Manali is a drastic change from the dry and warm Ladakh belt.

Team of Manali MTB Fest 2021
Trail build day in Solang Valley

For 2021, joining Manali’s local rippers and old buddies, Rinku Thakur (Asian Enduro Jr Champ), Manish Rana and Vikas Anand was a positive push to the Downhill race scene in Manali. When Rinku approached me to join the organizing crew and design, build a new DH course in Solang, I was up and rolling! Building a fresh new course at Ski Himalayas added to the rad times at Manali MTB Fest 2021.

With over 120 riders filling up the rider’s list for Cross Country, Downhill and BMX combined, the MMF 2021 saw some of the top talents of each discipline of riding, all in one place! Racers from Nepal along with riders from Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and more, all gathered up for a rad union of the two wheel family.

#AjayShresForever #FhzalShredsForever
Manali MTB Fest 2021 was all about bikes, budds and good times! Pictured: Ignatius Chen, Deepak Jimee, Vinay Menon, Manik Taneja and Nepal’s Nirav Shrestha in the back.

For more, checkout the story on Freeridermag.in

With two of the high altitude mountain bike events through, it’s time to return to Pune for the CFI Indian MTB National Championships, confirmed to be held near one of my usual riding zones.