Participants of the Briar MTB Challenge 2018 organised by Pinnacle Sports and Welfare Association wound their way through the picturesque Valparai town on Sunday as part of the Scott XC series.
The Briar MTB Challenge, in its second edition, is run in the Enduro format in three stages with the winner being the rider with the shortest time across all the three stages. Almost 40 riders in three categories (elite men, amateur and women) lined up at the start. After a fast downhill along a rocky road worn out by the recent rain, the riders followed a narrow twisty, undulating path along the river before climbing back to the finish line along a steep path.
Shiven Aerohawk from Himachal Pradesh took the overall lead in the men’s elite category followed by multiple national champion Lokesh N from Karnataka and Thomas Hajarimayum from Scott Sports finished third.
In the women’s category 13-year-old Karen Marshall impressed everyone with her stellar performance to claim the winner slot. Mownicaa from Chennai put in a momentous effort to take second place in what was only her first MTB race. In the amateur category Vinay finished first with Nibin Baby from Kerala finishing second and Lakshmish from Karnataka finished third.
The rally will conclude at the MVS Cycling Carnival in Coimbatore on October 2.
