KHUNJRAB (Gilgit-Baltistan):Super-fit Abdul Razaq of Balochisan won the Serena International Tour de Khunrab Road Cycle Race after coming from behind crossing a high altitude 15500 feet in the last leg of 10-km uphill journey in just 28 minute to finish overall first with his total clock time 8 house 55 minute and 31sec on Saturday.
Abdul Razaq had the honor of winning the 66km first stage of the three stages Tour de Khunjrab from Gilgit to Rakaposhi View Point with a 2 hours, six minutes and 25sec and got fourth position in the second stage of 110km from Rakaposhi (Nagar) to Sost by maintaining his lead of just 4 minutes from the fellow cyclists. He recorded his clock time of at the end of the two stages as 5.37.01sec, taking a four minute lead from Hanzala 5.41.50, Najeeb Ullah 5.51.04.
“I had my hard training back home with three hours each morning and afternoon and I know to win back the historical title and when I took the first stage it gave me more confidence so I did all out efforts to make things in the right direction,” Abdul Raqaq told media.
“My coach and international cyclist Nisar did lot of efforts with me and guided me a lot so I have given good performance against most senior and experienced cyclists,” Abdul Razaq added. “Reaching on cycle with such heights was actually my dreams come true,” he added. “Maintaining the white jersey on the second day gave me a slight edge over fellow cyclists and despite my pincer tyre in the last stage, I could not withheld and reached at the top after changing the tyre,” Razaq said.
Abdul Razaq got second position in the third stage of 84km from Sost to Khunjrab Pass but he maintained his lead till the finish and was declared as overall winner. He was closely followed by another promising Hanzala, who got second position in the first stage with his clock time 2.11.01sec, followed by second position in the second and third stage with his time 3.30.16sec and 3.18.30sec by making an aggregated total of clocking time 8.59. 62sec. The total length of the race was 258km.
Najeeb Ullah of Pakistan Wapda got overall third position with his clock time 8 hours, 60minute and 67sec. Najeeb, got third position in the first stage with his clock time 2.11.01sec, followed by third position in the second stage with 3.30.16sec and 3.18.30sec.
Earlier, in the last stage of 84kg from Sost to Khunjrab Pass, bordering on Pakistan-China border and on a high elevation of 5000m, Najeeb Ullah claimed the first position with his clock time 3.18.30sec, followed by Abdul Raqaz 3.18.51sec, Hanzala, a young rider, also from Balochsitan, who was also declared as the best young rider of the Tour de Khunjrab, clocked 3.19.45sec by taking third position, Azzat Ullah of Wapda clocked 3.21.49sec and took fourth position, Habib Ullah of Sui Southern Gas got fifth position with his clock time 3.22.06 and Abdullah, the winner of the second stage from Pakistan Army, got third position.
A total of 72 cyclists appeared in the race including cyclists from Afghanistan, Switzerland (Mr. Martin), Pakistan origin Australian Ismail. Balochistan got overall first position as a team, followed, Wapda, Army, SSGC and Afghanistan.
Deputy Commissioner Sost Captain (Retd) Syed Ali Asghar and Secretary Pakistan Cycling Federation Syed Azhar Ali Shah formally opened the third stage while Secretary Sports and Tourism Waqar Ali Khan, Chief Commissioner Muhammad Usman Khan received the cyclists at the Khunjrab Pass.
Khunjerab Pass or (elevation 5,000 metres or 15400 feet) is a high mountain pass in the Karakoram Mountains in a strategic position on the northern border of the Pakistani region of Gilgit–Baltistan Hunza – Nagar District on the southwest border of the Xinjiang region of China. Its name is derived from two words of the local Wakhi language “Khun” means Blood and “Jerav” means a creek coming from spring water-water falling.
The Khunjerab Pass is the highest paved international border crossing in the world and the highest point on the Karakoram Highway. The roadway across the pass was completed in 1982, and has superseded the unpaved Mintaka and Kilik Passes as the primary passage across the Karakoram Range.
On the Chinese side, the pass is the southwest terminus of China National Highway 314 (G314) and is 130 km from Tashkurgan, 420 km from Kashgar and some 1,890 km from Urumqi. The Chinese port of entry is located 3.5 km (2.2 mi) along the road from the pass in Tashkurgan County.