An Indian Army soldier, Naik Khushiman Gharti has emerged as the overall champion of Yak Attack -2026, one of the world’s toughest high-altitude mountain biking races that is conducted in Nepal, while the team bagged several other top positions.
Competing across six gruelling stages in the Annapurna region, covering over 250 km, climbing 9,000-plus meters and crossing the formidable Thorong La pass, the entire Indian team showcased pure domination, exceptional endurance, determination and resilience, by bagging the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eleventh positions, the Army said on Wednesday.
The participants were from 11 countries, including Austria, Brazil, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Nepal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the US, with a total of 21 international riders and seven Nepali riders.
The event involved pedalling over varied terrain including unpaved tracks, forest areas, snow covered routes and narrow mountain tracks. Altitude, temperatures, basic accommodation and the terrain make Yak Attack one of the hardest mountain bike races.
The highest altitude touched by the competitors was 5,416 m at the Thorong La, a legendary high-altitude mountain pass in the Annapurna region of Nepal, which is close to height of the Everest Base Camp.
Earlier this year, the Indian Army Mountain Terrain Biking Team dominated the 22nd National Mountain Bike Cycling Championship – 2026, held in Arunachal Pradesh in Arunachal Pradesh during February. The team of six emerged as the overall champions, with Khushiman Gharti bagging two gold medals.
The Indian Army actively promotes adventure sports to build courage, resilience and leadership qualities among its personnel. These activities are conducted by the Army Adventure Wing (AAW), that comes under the purview of the Directorate General of Military Training, at 25 nodes across the country.
As many as 17 disciplines are included in the AAW’s schedule such as skydiving, scuba diving, white-water rafting, hot air ballooning, para-motor gliding, hang gliding, mountaineering, wind surfing, rock climbing and microlite flying.
