The YakAttack Goes Global

The guys (and girls) at The Yak Attack have had a busy few months. As well as successfully organising the eighth edition of the original Yak Attack (the World's highest mountain bike race) the team have been travelling to all corners of the globe in search of new locations that could match the natural splendor and excitement of riding in Nepal.

The upshot of this is that they have! The Yak Attack now has two new exciting events on its calendar….

"Rumble in the Jungle" is a 4 day mountain bike stage race across Sri Lanka in November 2014. Starting in the steamy jungles to the south of the island, the race crosses Sri Lanka's highest plateau before finishing in the cultural centre of Kandy. From here the riders are transferred to the coastal paradise of Negombo for an almighty post-race beach party and the close to many riders’ race seasons. This will be the first time an international mountain bike stage race has taken place on the island and the excitement amongst the local community is already building. Sri Lankan Airlines have come on board as title sponsors offering subsidised flights for all competitors and, with $20,000 on offer as a prize purse, this is an end of season race that will be hard to resist.


During April 2015, "AlpacAttack" will take riders to Patagonia. Starting on the windswept steppes of Argentina, the race crosses the Andes and continues its route through Chile, finishing at the spectacular location of Pucon. The 6 day stage race takes riders along the shores of Andean lakes, through Araucaria forest, through lava field and across the flanks of snowcapped volcanoes. As a precursor to this the Yak Attack team are also offering entries into the AndesTrack 300km nonstop mountain bike race which takes place during the preceding week, making for the ultimate challenge for those that really want to test their endurance early on in the season.


The original Yak Attack in Nepal has changed dates and will now be held in September 2015. At this time of year there will be less snow on the formidable Thorong La pass, enabling the more technically skilled riders to enjoy the entire 2700m descent down to Kagbeni. After 8 years, the event is still searching for its first international winner. Peter Butt gained a place on the podium as 3rd place in 2012, Yuki Ikeda finished 2nd in 2014, but so far the number 1 position has always been held by Nepali riders, with National champion, Ajay Pandit Chhetri taking top place in 4 out of the last 5 years. It’s a big ask but, with the change of season, the route being even more rideable and an increase in international rider numbers, the Nepali boys are going to have a battle on their hands in 2015.




Details of all the races can be found online at www.theyakattack.com, and with details of at least 2 more races to be posted throughout the year, it’s certainly worth bookmarking this site for future reference.