The 14th edition of Kora, the Biggest Ride in the Himalaya is all set to happen this Saturday, 20th July / Shrawan 5, all over Nepal. Over 4000 cyclists will ride in over 15 locations in Nepal, covering over 200,000 kms. Every year, they also ride to raise funds for charity, this time to upgrade the Pump Track in Nepalgunj.
Started in 2011 with just 35 riders, the Kathmandu ride has always started and ended in Old Patan, and makes a clockwise circuit of Kathmandu in 50 km, 75 km, 100 km and a newly introduced Ultra distance of 140 kms. The event happens on the third Saturday of July each year. The Kathmandu edition is still the largest and is expected this year to reach about 2500 riders
This year Lalitpur Metropolitan City, has teamed up with Kora 2024 to co-host the cycling festival and make the Kathmandu edition an event of the city.
“Lalitpur aims to be a smart cycle-friendly city, and without a critical mass of inhabitants riding cycles, we can never reach that status,” said Mayor Chiri Babu Maharjan. “Events like the Kora help this process of getting more and more people cycling, and creating a cycle culture within the city”, he added. “We have been promoting cycling by investing in cycling infrastructure such as cycle lanes and cycle stands and supporting women cyclists and now, we are happy to partner with home grown initiatives like Kora” he said, announcing this partnership.
Inclusion and women participation in particular has been a big focus of the Kora, and registrations have jumped, with overall participation of women in Kora jumping from 11% the previous year to 22% last year with 34% women participation in Kathmandu alone. It also helps that there are several initiatives in Lalitpur that are working on cycling training for women, which leads to an important aspect of empowerment through cycling in the community.
“We need to get more women on cycles”, says Bhushan Tuladhar, Chief of Party of the USAID Clean Air, which is supporting Kora to become more inclusive by providing training to women cyclists on cycling skills, cycle mechanics and first aid so that they can become Marshals who lead the Kora. A training of trainers has also developed women trainers who can help provide quality training to other women. “Women are important change agents in society and when a woman cycles, the whole family cycles,” he said.
“At Team Kora, we wish to cultivate a healthy community of riders all over Nepal, who come out to ride for fun. Everything we do at the kora, from distributing quality jerseys and neck bands, rewarding every rider with a medal, bringing several different stakeholders together, all go towards building this community. The critical mass of cycling enthusiasts (specially women riders) that this might result in is an absolute bonus”, says Raj Gyawali, Founder of socialtours and the person who designed the Kora Cycling Challenge back in 2011.
The Kora Cycling Challenge is organised by socialtours, Cycle City Network Nepal and Pangro Trade and Service Pvt. Ltd. The main partners of this edition of the Kora in Kathmandu are the Lalitpur Metropolitan City, USAID Clean Air, Nabil Bank, Australian Embassy, Turkish Airlines and the Himalayan Everest Insurance. It is also supported by around 60 other organizations, groups and individuals – from cycle shops, photographers, cafes, design companies, IT companies, gear manufacturers, local clubs, restaurants, hotels etc – all contributing towards building a healthy community – connected by the love of a healthy sport.
