Being a gravel event organiser isn’t that unusual a job any more, but being an event organiser who specialises in events in ‘exotic’ locations is a little less common. We recently chatted with Phil Evans, creator of Ride Sri Lanka, the Yak Attack and his latest addition, the Trans Nepal, to find out more about what makes him tick.
We started off by asking Phil to introduce himself and to tell us a little about his background. “I’m Phil Evans, I’m 58, I’m the founder of Multi Terrain Biking and I live in the mountains of North Wales, UK. I worked as a bike mechanic in my home town of Newport, Shropshire from the age of 14 before moving to Jersey at the age of 19 where I continued to work as a bike mechanic until being promoted to shop manager. In 1989 I caught the travel bug and spent 18 months travelling around Australia, New Zealand and SE Asia. Ever since then I’ve always been striving to combine my 2 passions of cycling and travel.”
GU - You’re well known for organising MTB events such as the Rumble in the Jungle in Sri Lanka and the Yak Attack in Nepal, both of which are pretty hardcore MTB events. Your latest event, the Trans Nepal is very different though, as it’s a gravel event. How did you first get into gravel riding and are you hooked into riding on skinnier tyres yet?
“We’ve been working with Sri Lankan Airlines since 2014 organising and managing cycling events on the island for them. In 2023 they asked us to assist them in putting on a gravel event there. The first two recce’s were done on my mountain bike with skinnier tyres fitted, but I enjoyed the variation of riding on smoother and slightly less mountainous terrain that I bit the bullet and purchased myself a bargain gravel bike. From then I was hooked and have since upgraded to a lovely new Genesis Fugio, which I have used for the last couple of times in Sri Lanka and will be taking out to Nepal with me next year.”
GU - You first organised the Yak Attack back in 2007. What was it that initially got you interested in riding in Nepal?
“When I was trekking in Nepal back in 1992, I stumbled across an article about the Everest Marathon (running race) and it really intrigued me. It wasn’t for another 11 years that I was in a position to be able to enter it and by this time I was definitely more of a mountain biker than a runner. During that time in Nepal, it struck me that the format would really suit a mountain bike stage race, so once I returned to the UK, I set the wheels in motion and four years later the inaugural Yak Attack took place.”
GU - Nepal is perhaps best known to western tourists as a trekking and mountaineering destination. For anyone who hasn’t visited before, could you give them a sales pitch for the country?
“Everything about Nepal, the sights, sounds, smells and culture are just so far removed from what most people are normally exposed to. I love going to the airport to greet first time visitors and watching their expressions as we exit the chaotic airport and launch into the craziness of Kathmandu, you can almost read their minds thinking “WTF I have let myself in for”! But the people of Nepal are some of the friendliest and happiest on earth and after 24 hours almost every new visitor is feeling totally at home in this fascinating country. There is nobody I have met that hasn’t fallen in love with Nepal.”
GU - How have things changed in Nepal in the 17 years since your first event?
“One of the most major changes is the development of jeep roads into remoter areas. In 1989 the route around the Annapurna circuit involved a bus to Dumre, a 4x4 truck to Besi Sahar and then hiking from there (around 6 -8 days to reach Manang). In 2007 you could drive all the way to Besi Sahar and maybe catch a very infrequent jeep a little bit further up the trail. Now it’s possible to take a jeep from Kathmandu to Manang in around 12 hours.
Another major development is cleanliness! Back in 2007 you were almost guaranteed to get “Delhi belly” to some degree but due to hygiene education and the interjection of NGO’s such as SmartPaani supplying clean filtered water to an ever increasing amount of communities and establishments, with a little bit of caution and common sense it’s very easy to enjoy your time in Nepal unscathed!
Trends have also changed. There is a famous travel book entitled “Video night in Kathmandu” which chronicles the phenomenon of nearly every café/restaurant in Thamel (the tourist area of Kathmandu) showing western videos each evening. This fashion has long since died out and has been replaced with live cover bands singing western songs! Internet cafes have all but disappeared too as WiFi and mobile networks are available even in the mountains now!”
In February next year you’re going to be running the inaugural Trans Nepal gravel event. Can you tell us a little about it?
“Trans Nepal is a crossing of the country from the Chinese border in the North to the Indian border in the south, using gravel and back country roads. The event starts in Upper Mustang, a remote and mystical former kingdom that has only been open to tourists since 1992 before entering the Kali Gandaki valley, the deepest valley on earth. After crossing the Himalayan foothills, the route finishes in the flat terrain area of Nepal at the birth place of Buddha, Lumbini.”
The event starts at 4600m altitude at the Korala Pass on the Nepali/Tibetan border and finishes at 96m of altitude in Lumbini, close to the India/Nepal country. That’s a heck of a range of altitude, scenery, culture and climate to ride through in 6 days. What are some of the highlights that riders will encounter?
“During the first couple of days riders will encounter an open arid landscape dotted with Buddhist stupas and tiny sparsely inhabited mountain villages. As the route descends from the plateau of Upper Mustang into the Kali Gandaki valley, giant 8000m snowcapped mountain will tower above before the landscape gradually turns tropical with paddy fields and banana plants lining the roads.”
For anyone considering signing up, what advice would you give them in terms of preparation, training, bike set-up, kit to bring etc.
“I’d say the most important things to bring are climbing legs and a sense of adventure! Nepal by its nature isn’t flat so there is a lot of elevation gain and loss in a relatively short distance and although you’ll be descending from 4600m to 96m absl there’s still an awful lot of climbing. The accommodation, especially in Upper Mustang, might be a bit more basic than some people are used to so it’s best to come with an open mind and embrace the adventure. Kit wise, you’re going to have to be prepared for temperatures as low as 0˙C at altitude up to around 25˙C in the lowlands.”
For someone who hasn’t ridden at altitude before, is there any advice that you could give on how to deal with it?
“Yes, take is slowly! If you feel you heart rate rising to uncomfortable levels then back of the pace, it’s much better to be slow and steady than stop start bursts. We will be ascending from lower altitudes so that will help with acclimatisation. I’d also recommend speaking with your doctor about Diamox which helps speed up the acclimatisation process.”
Part of the attraction of visiting a different part of the world is to experience different cultures and interact with local people. Can you tell us a little about the different experiences that riders are likely to have during the event?
“The event will be manned entirely by Nepali crew. These guys and girls always have so much fun and are a joy to encounter during the day and spend time with in the evenings. In Upper Mustang, riders will get to experience a very Buddhist almost Tibetan culture with locals sat around reciting mantra’s and counting mala beads. Lower Mustang is much more used to tourism, but locals are still intrigued and excited by cyclists speeding past and the greeting of Namaste will be ringing in your ears for the entire time. Upon reaching the terrai, the feel will be much more Indian with farmers hauling their crops with ox and carts with colourful Hindu temples in every town.”
GU - The event is limited to 30 participants, but when you’re in a super remote location like Upper Mustang, presumably it’s quite a challenge to look after everyone’s safety and wellbeing. What kinds of things will you be doing behind the scenes to make sure everyone is ok?
“We will have a fully trained doctor experienced in dealing with altitude-related illness and a number of first aid staff capable to dealing with trauma injuries will be along the course each day. Although the route is fairly straight forward and will be well marked, there will be regular checkpoints to ensure everybody is on course and there will be motorbikes and vehicles sweeping the course in case any body runs into any difficulty. Compared to Yak Attack and crossing the Thorong La at 5416m with no vehicle access, Trans Nepal throws up far fewer safety and logistical hurdles!”
GU - One of the major benefits of cycle tourism is the direct financial benefit that riders can bring to an area which would otherwise struggle financially. What are you doing to maximise the benefit for the communities that the participants will be riding through?
“Our entire crew are local Nepalis and we’re not using any middle men, so we can and do ensure that they are paid fairly and above the rate given by most other companies. Payment for hotels, food, porters etc goes directly to the local establishments and with the event being outside to main tourist season, it’s a welcome source of income that wouldn’t be present without the event. When the opportunity arises, we ask local communities to put on cultural shows etc for which we make donations to the relevant committees.”
GU - The flipside of course is the potential negative impact of bringing a group to areas which are not used to dealing with tourists. What can you do from an event organiser’s perspective to minimise the impact on the local environment for example?
“One of the most important aspects of integrating successfully with local communities is etiquette. Before the event we send out comprehensive information to each participant which includes a section of local etiquette and differences in cultures. During the event we hold daily briefings reminding riders how to politely pass pedestrians and vehicles and how to pass animals without startling them. For the 17 years we’ve been operating in Nepal, our events have been welcomed with open arms by the communities they pass through.”
GU - For the Yak Attack you’ve worked with a local company called SmartPaani to try and reduce the amount of single-use water bottles being used by participants. Are you going to do something similar for the Trans Nepal?
“Yes, we have strong ties with SmartPaani, who always support our events and provide all the equipment to allow use to produce enough filtered water to supply all the riders throughout the day. We are strongly opposed to single use plastic bottles for all our events and work year on year to reduce their use.”
GU - A quick bike question for you – if money was no object, what do you think would be the ideal set-up for the Trans Nepal?
“I’d have to say a Canyon Grizl CF SLX Trail - light enough for the long climbs but with wide enough tires and suspension to handle the long rough descents.”
GU - Finally, if you were going to give participants one word of advice, what would it be?
“Embrace the Nepali staple meal of Dhal Bhat, it’s the best fuel you’ll ever have. As the Nepali’s say Dhal Bhat power 24 hours!”
If you’d like to find out more about the Trans Nepal event, then head over to their website, but don’t delay – entries for the 2025 event close at the end of November…..
All images @Gravel Union except where credited