So, I'm in - The Yak Attack 2014 Awaits!

YAK ATTACK 2014 - March 2 to 14

So I applied to enter the 2014 YAK ATTACK and what do you know - I only went and got in! Yee Haa...! I hear you cry - but I guess it may be me doing most of the crying given that this race is essentially the highest mountain bike race on earth, and one of the toughest mountain bike stage races on the world calendar - and here's the thing - I live at sea level out here on the beautiful Norfolk Coast, The Norfolk Broads to be exact!  So, not only do I have an abundance of the CO2 thing around me (unlike The Himalayas ) - I also enjoy riding my bike on & off road far far far away from anything which resembles a "Hillock" never mind a mountain!   However, as I will ongoing outline in this blog - this will be a tale of my planning, training and eventually racing of the worlds highest MTB stage race on the planet - and as I'm one of only 6 riders from the UK and only 30 other selected riders from across the globe - this I feel it is is a privilege to be selected and I'm thoroughly looking forward to the challenge - and hopefully the enlightening and humbling experience of quite simply riding my bike in one of the most beautiful places on earth! As mentioned earlier, the race takes place in the mighty Himalaya, comprising of grueling 8 stages (was 10 but they decided that it needed to be tougher for 2014!) - covering 400km and with a total altitude gain of over 12000m this race throws every obstacle under the sun at the adventurous riders daring to take it on.  There's the altitude - the course peaks at 5416m, where oxygen levels are only 50% of those at sea level. There's the weather - upto 30c over the first 4 days and then rapidly decreasing to a frostbite inducing -15c (before wind chill) as the race crosses the Thorong La pass. Then there's the terrain, bike wreckingly rough descents, soft sand climbs, streams, suspension bridges, mud, landslides and invariably, snow. Receiving accolades from previous competitors such as "This is the most awesome riding I've ever done", to "This isn't racing, its torture", Yak Attack is not just a race, its a life experience. I'm sure it will take me on a roller coaster both literally and emotionally and will ultimately leave me battered and bruised but with unforgettable memories of a beautiful country inhabited by beautiful people. For 2014 the Yak Attack has been made even tougher by combining 4 stages into 2 monster stages !! Stage 2 in now a whopping 86km with 2700m of climbing and stage 4 is close to 60km with a massive 3200m of climbing. www.yak-attack.co.uk "One of the treacherous trails to greet the unsuspecting foreign visitor!" Yak Attack 2014 starting line up Name Nationality Category Chris Gumley Australian Male 40 – 49 Cory Wallace Canadian Male 18 – 39 Craig Stappler Canadian Male 40 – 49 Daniele Modolo Italain Male 40 – 49 Eric Coomer USA Male 40 – 49 Eric Secher Swedish Male 50+ Erik Bakke USA Male 18 – 39 Gerry McCuaig Canadian Male 50+ Glen Crump New Zealand Male 18 – 39 Helen Brownlow UK Female Ivo Hluchy Germany Male 40 – 49 Jeff Neilson Canadian Male 40 – 49 Johan Lilja Swedish Male 40 – 49 Kate Aardal Norwegian Female Keevy Raes Belgium Male 18 – 39 kevin moginie New Zealand Male 40 – 49 Krzysztof Sochanski Poland Male 40 – 49 marcus peters New Zealand Male 40 – 49 Martin Door UK Male 40 – 49 Martin Rendle UK Male 40 – 49 Neil Cottam UK Male 40 – 49 Paul Cooper UK Male 40 – 49 Paul Kingston Australian Male 40 – 49 Peter Butt Australian Male 18 – 39 Robert Burnett USA Male 18 – 39 Steve Edwards UK Male 18 – 39 Steve Hammer Australian Male 18 – 39 Thomas Taut Germany Male 18 – 39 Thomas Vandendaele Belgium Male 18 – 39 Wendy Lyall USA Female Yuki Ikeda Japan Male 18 – 39 Nepal Entries (so far) Rajeev Rai (Team United Bakeries) Nepal Male 18 – 39 Ajay Pandit Chhetri Nepal Male 18 – 39