LAXMI MAGAR: The first Nepali female cyclist of international fame

All photos are provided by Laxmi Magar.

 

LAXMI MAGAR

The first Nepali female cyclist of international fame

By LB Thapa

Those who have an interest in cycling must have heard Laxmi Magar’s name. Her incredible stamina and phenomenal cycling skills only materialized the other day when Laxmi Magar came to Pokhara to participate in the 5th GREAT HIMALAYAN FESTIVAL organized by the International Mountaineering Association (IMA), which has earned her a huge name and fame at home and abroad. 

For a long time, I wanted to meet her, but it could not materialize until the other day when Laxmi Magar came to Pokhara to participate in the 5th GREAT HIMALAYAN FESTIVAL organized by the Mountaineering Association (IMA). The competition was organized on the occasion of International Mountain Day. 

Leaving her competitors behind, Laxmi completed the 28-kilometer distance in two hours and bagged the 5th GREAT HIMALAYAN FESTIVAL title. After winning the race, she said, “I’m happy to win the race, but I expected tough competition.” 

Laxmi Magar is an energetic cyclist who is built for tough races. There is hardly any place in Nepal where she has not reached with her mountain bike. From the high altitude of the Himalayas to Tarai, Laxmi has already scaled the length and breadth of the country with her mountain bike. 

Laxmi Magar has set many national records, which seem unsurpassable for many years. “Cycling is my passion. I don’t paddle for fun or just keep myself fit. Over the last decade or more, I got involved in cycling like crazy,” said Laxmi with a broad smile on her face. 

Laxmi is a resident of Kathmandu, where she was born and raised to become a young girl. Remembering her childhood days, she said, “When I was a primary student, I would invariably try to ride my father’s Hero bicycle. I got hurt several times, but I did not stop trying to ride it. My father reprimanded me several times, but I did not stop trying to ride my father’s bicycle. At last, my father purchased a bicycle for me. You can imagine how happy I was when I had a bicycle of my own, and my happiness knew no bounds”. 

Besides professional cycling, Laxmi is very good at studying. “From the beginning, I was a bright student. From SLC to graduation, I passed all examinations with flying colors. At present, I’m doing my Masters in Fine Arts from Tribhuvan University," said Laxmi. 

In 2010, Laxmi got her first mountain bike. Within the first month, she explored almost every nook and cranny of the Kathmandu Valley. There was hardly any place where Laxmi had yet to reach with her mountain bike. 

“After exploring the valley, I decided to visit nearby places in the Kathmandu valley, and within a month, I visited all the places where my mountain bike could roll on,” said Laxmi proudly. 

Laxmi then wanted to test her skill and stamina by participating in various cycling tournaments. Over time, she won several races at the junior level; only then did she realize that she was too good for her age group, as she won all races too comfortably. 

“I prefer to race with boys to make myself more competitive. I have continued this sort of practice even today. This way of practicing has helped me to build enormous stamina that is necessary for long-distance cycling,” reveals Laxmi. 

There is a long list of medals that she won in several national and international cycling tournaments. Laxmi is the only female cyclist of international fame who has completed the entire Annapurna circuit 10 times with her mountain bike. This is a challenging feat of success. 

Even no female cyclist from any country could have paddled across Annapurna Circuit as many times as Laxmi did. Moreover, Laxmi did participate in the world’s most difficult mountain bike competition, known as THE YAK ATTTACK NEPAL. The race begins at Lamjung, Besisahar, and ends at Tatopani. 

“THE YAK ATTACK NEPAL is one of the toughest mountain bike races in the world. As soon as we start cycling from Besisahar, the alleviation regularly increases until Thorang La Pass, where it is as high as 5416 meters. This is the point where oxygen is not enough to keep our body organs working. One may suffer from severe altitude sickness, and even death is possible in the absence of immediate treatment,” said Laxmi. 

The participants of THE YAK ATTACK NEPAL have to complete about 350km of distance, and the path is as rough as one can imagine. Crossing several rivers, suspension bridges, and rocky hills, and sometimes the trail is so bad that the cyclists should carry their mountain bikes on their shoulders. 

Laxmi, for the first time, participated in THE YAK ATTACK NEPAL in 2013 and secured second place in the competition. She again participated in the YAK ATTACK NEPAL in 2014, but this time she could not secure a place. This made Laxmi upset. 

“I had participated in The Yak Attack Nepal in 2013 and secured a second place, but I could not secure a place in 2014... I felt miserable. I wanted to see myself as the winner of THE YAK ATTACK NEPAL and this was my dream. To materialize my dream into reality, I worked very hard for a whole year and prepared myself for the competition. I did participate in THE YAK ATTACK NEPAL in 2017, and this time I won it,” said Laxmi triumphantly. 

Laxmi did clinch the title of CROSS COUNTRY MOUNTAIN BIKE CHAMPIONSHIP, which was held in Dharan in 2013. She won the same title once again in 2015. 

Laxmi has been regularly participating in mountain bike competitions abroad. She participated in RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE, held in Sri Lanka in 2014. In the same year, she participated in the Asian Games held in South Korea. 

Laxmi left everyone stunned when she won the 9 DAY MANALI KHARDUNGLA CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIP held in Ladakh, India 2015. It seemed she was unstoppable because, in the same year, she won the Tour of the Dragon held in Thimpu, Bhutan. She secured the 3rd position in the 7-Day Stage Race held in Shimla, India, in 2015. 

Laxmi was invited to participate in the INTERNATIONAL GOA MTB CHALLENGE in 2015, which she won quite comfortably. 

In 2016, Laxmi participated in the South Asian Games, which were held in Guwahati. Once again, in 2016, she was in Sri Lanka to participate in RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE, where she had to be satisfied with the 2nd position. 

“I have received professional training related to mountain biking from Nathem, Kathmandu, Nepal. Later, I received an advanced course from Korea Satellite Cycling Course Level-1,” informed Laxmi. 

For her outstanding contribution to the field of cycling, Laxmi has received several awards. In 2012, she received the ‘BEST FEMALE RIDER AWARD’ from Dharan. She received the ‘BEST DOWNHILL RIDER AWARD’ from India in 2013. Laxmi was awarded with ‘CELEBRATING WOMANHOOD BHAWANI AWARD’ in 2015. In 2017, the National Sports Council (NSC) honored Laxmi with ‘INTERNATIONAL GAME WINNER AWARD’. 

Without a doubt, Laxmi Magar has been excelling in the field of professional cycling and making our country proud in the world. 

At present, Laxmi works as a professional Cycling Tour Guide.

LB Thapa is the author of CYCLING: POKHARA AND BEYOND.

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