The veteran Nepali cyclist, who has participated in about three dozen mountain bike races, is ahead of second placed rider Narayan Gopal Maharjan by overall 16 minutes and 17 seconds while the last among the 20 national and international riders participating in the 12-day event is trailing far behind by five hours and 27 minutes.[break]
Pandit covered a distance of 50 km from the historic Nuwakot Palace to Dhading Besi in 2 hours 13 minutes 11 seconds to maintain an overall lead of 4 hours 8 minutes 34 seconds while it took 2 hours 22 minutes 32 seconds for Maharjan with an overall timing of 4 hours 24 minutes 51 seconds. Padam Sabenhang finished third with a timing of 2 hours 27 minutes 1 second (4 hours 30 minutes 6 seconds overall).
Nine among the top ten riders are from Nepal.
The race started on Monday from Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu and headed across the Shivapuri National Park to Nuwakot.
The second day of the race saw the participants descend comfortably in the 8 km black-tarred road from the palace to Trishuli Bazar and then headed towards the rocky and sandy trails of the countryside to the west with numerous climbs and descents. The race ended at Dhading Besi, the district´s major town that lies about 500m above the sea level, as the riders are yet to see the challenges that lie ahead.
The third day route will cover a distance of 56 km from Dhading Besi to Gorkha and ascend to a height of 1700m.
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