WHEELS : On wheels to Tibet and base camp Kathmandu, November 29: Nepal has become an attraction for guided bike tours that have earned a reputation for exciting, off-the-beaten track itineraries and adventures lately. In the last couple of years, number of group biking adventurers has increased as one of the major vacation choices for the seasoned travellers. Last month, a group of six motorcyclists — including a lady rider from Australia with a Nepali Road captain — completed a road trip of over 2000-km from Kathmandu to Lhasa and returned via Everest Base-camp in 16 days. From dirt to high altitudes, rough roads and to newly black topped road from Gyantse via Gandrock, on new Royal Enfield Bullet 500cc motorcycles, the bikers led by Stewie McLean — who has been organising such adventure riding trip since 2004 — experienced an euphoria that cannot be described in words. Though McLean has been bringing adventure groups to Nepal every April and taking them on a ride on rough mountainous roads in Nepal from Kathmandu to Pokhara to Chitwan, and back to Kathmandu, its the first time he attempted a ride to Lhasa with his groups of motorcyclists including Chris Abbot (a businessman), Wayne Skues (a farmer), Helen Travers, Stephen Brand (a doctor) and Binod Chettri a road captain. Himalayan Riders — the local co-ordinator of the trip — has been organising such bike trips to different places in Nepal to make holidays of the tourists most memorable ever. It is organising such bike trips to Ladakh and Bhutan and planning to start a trip to Mangolia soon. “Its more free to travel on bike,” McLean, said, adding that the trend is picking up as the number of bikers is increasing every year. However, its very interesting to know that all these motorcyclists are 40-plus people. “Older folks like such trips,” he added. According to him the younger people don’t have enough money for such trips. In a long bike tour, the riders develop a certain comaraderi among themselves. “The group must be clear when to stop and how to communicate essentials like ‘stop’, ‘slow down’, or ‘I have a problem’,” he said, adding that one should make sure to have protective gear and use it properly. “Riding in a group requires a bit more skill than riding solo. A new rider may not have experience and the group will have to face the problem together,” he added. Apart from that its challenging not only because of rough roads but also due to unwanted stray animals on the road,” McLean said. “Its difficult to keep the speed and the riders have to blow horn all the time.” But how did it all start? “When I invited my friends to Nepal for trekking, some of them didn’t like to walk,” he said, adding that then an idea occured. “Can I arrange a riding trip, I asked them and they immediately said ‘ye’.” Unlike most of the Nepalis, for whom bikes are means of transportation, McLane and his rider friends take it as sport. “Its a group sport,” McLane added.