T’puram: The site at Nedumkuzhi in Vilappilsala, once burdened with the waste of the capital city, will witness the high-speed action and adventure of Keralam’s young mountain biking talents.The 23rd State Mountain Cycling Championship will be held at the former Vilappilsala waste treatment plant site, which was shut down in Dec 2011 following strong public protests. The championship is being organised under the leadership of Kerala Cycling Association.The two-day championship will be held on Saturday and Sunday, with cyclists and teams from various districts of Keralam taking part.The event will be inaugurated by Kattakada MLA M R Baiju at 10am on Saturday. Mayor V V Rajesh will flag off the competition. Kerala Cycling Association president Kottukal Krishnakumar will preside over the function.Nemom block panchayat president P Shanmugham, Vilappil grama panchayat president Soumya P, Kerala Cycling Association secretary K Vinod Kumar, along with various elected representatives, will attend the event.Keralam has increasingly emerged as a promising destination for mountain biking and adventure cycling. In Oct 2023, Kerala Cycling Association hosted Asian Mountain Bike Cycling Championship at Ponmudi.The Olympic qualification event attracted more than 250 athletes from around 20 countries. Cyclists, coaches and representatives of Asian Cycling Confederation, including participants from China, praised the track prepared at Ponmudi and highlighted Keralam’s favourable climate for mountain biking.The organisers believe that Thiruvananthapuram, with its varied terrain and favourable conditions, offers considerable potential for adventure cycling.
