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About HASTPA
Two decades of riding mountains. Building champions. Creating trails. Inspiring a nation.
It began in 2004 with a simple belief — that the Himalayas were not barriers to cross, but possibilities waiting to be explored.
At a time when mountain biking was barely recognised as a competitive or adventure sport in India, a small group of passionate riders, outdoor enthusiasts and believers came together in Shimla to establish the Himalayan Adventure Sports & Tourism Promotion Association — HASTPA.
There were few trails, almost no organised racing ecosystem, limited equipment, little institutional support and hardly any awareness of the sport.
What HASTPA had was mountains, a bicycle and a vision.
From those beginnings emerged a movement that would help redefine mountain biking in India.
Organisation Journey
HASTPA took mountain biking from unexplored Himalayan trails to an organised sporting platform of national and international standing.
Its flagship MTB Himalaya, launched in 2005, grew into one of India's pioneering multi-stage mountain bike races, bringing riders from 30+ countries to the Himalayas and placing India on the international MTB map.
Then came MTB Shimla, transforming the hills and forests around the historic city into a competitive mountain biking arena. MTB Himachal, Tour de Sanawar, MTB Chamba, community rides, heritage rides and numerous cycling initiatives followed — steadily expanding the culture of cycling beyond competition.
But HASTPA's contribution has never been limited to organising races.
It has worked at the grassroots through school cycling programmes, rider identification, training and mentorship. Through the HASTPA Cycling Team and Hero Action Team, promising young riders received opportunities to train, race and dream beyond their circumstances.
Many went on to compete at state, national and international levels, demonstrating that talent from India's mountains could stand alongside the best.
To develop professional mountain biking and adventure racing ecosystems in India, with inclusive and sustainable community-based tourism models.
To make the Indian Himalayas a global hub for mountain biking and adventure tourism.
Transparent governance, professional event management, community-first planning, sustainability-driven decisions, and excellence in race execution.
Beyond Competition
Over two decades, HASTPA's work has expanded across the complete mountain-biking landscape:
International & National Events • Grassroots Development • School MTB Programmes • Athlete Development • Competitive Racing Teams • Trail Exploration & Development • Cycling Advocacy • Sustainable Tourism • Community Engagement • Environmental Awareness • Heritage & Public Rides • Technical Knowledge & Capacity Building
From MTB Himalaya to MTB Shimla, from competitive athletes to children discovering their first trail, and from race routes to the emerging vision of a Himalayan trail economy, HASTPA has continuously pushed the boundaries of what cycling can mean for the mountains.
MTB Himalaya begins
MTB Shimla creates an accessible Himalayan racing platform
Hero–HASTPA partnership strengthens athlete and school development; Hero Action Team established
25th structured school cycling programme reached
Major grassroots drive reaches approximately 5,000 students across 35 schools and 22 villages
Mission Smile combines MTB Himalaya with sanitation and social awareness
Tour de Sanawar begins; 14th MTB Himalaya covers roughly 650 km over eight stages
15th MTB Himalaya; Road to Himalaya races organised across nine Indian cities
HASTPA-supported athletes receive international competitive exposure, including Portugal
MTB Himachal at Janjehli takes competitive cycling into a lesser-known tourism destination
SCOTT-HASTPA Racing Team launched
12th principal MTB Shimla; sixth Tour de Sanawar crosses 200 participants; MTB Chamba emerges as another destination race
MTB Chamba continues; public cycling campaigns and Himalayan trail-development work expand the movement from events towards a year-round trail economy.
Collective Experience
At the heart of this journey has been a committed collective of riders, volunteers, race officials, route experts, technicians, administrators, communities, government partners, sponsors and friends of cycling, led over the years by HASTPA's founding team and its President, Mohit Sood.
What began with passion gradually accumulated something far more valuable than infrastructure — experience.
Experience of mountains.
Experience of riders.
Experience of trails.
Experience of communities.
Experience of building something where almost nothing existed before.
The Road Ahead
HASTPA's greatest achievement cannot be measured only in kilometres ridden, races conducted, medals won or countries represented.
Its real achievement is that mountain biking now has a language, a community and an aspiration in the Indian Himalayas.
The organisation's journey is now entering its next chapter — using more than two decades of accumulated knowledge to develop world-class sustainable mountain-bike trails, destinations, athletes and trail economies across the Himalayas, while creating opportunities for local youth and mountain communities.
Because for HASTPA, a trail has never simply been a line through a forest.
It is a line connecting a young rider to a dream,
a village to an opportunity,
a mountain to the world,
and a sport to its future.
HASTPA | EST. 2004
Born in the Himalayas. Built on the Trails. Riding into the Future.
