Pushkar Shah to cycle Great Himalayan Trail

Nepal's famous cyclist Pushkar Shah on Thursday emerged with an adventurous and inspiring mission -- cycling The Great Himalayan Trial for rural development.

Cyclist Shah, 43, who hails from a modest farmer family of Nepal's Dolakha district, had on November 29, 1998 set out from Nepal to travel the world on his bicycle to spread the message of peace. Eleven years later, on May 17, 2010 -- the final day of his successful accomplishment of world tour -- Shah was on the top of the Mount Everest with colorful flags of 192 countries.

After two-and-half years of physical and mental rest from his world cycling expedition for peace, which covered an extraordinary 150 countries and 390,000 kilometers, in a press conference in Kathmandu, Shah,revealed his next mission with an aim to promote The Great Himalayan Trial -- a 1,700 kilometer-long network of existing treks and trails of Nepal stretching from east to west and winding beneath the world's highest peaks.

According to Nepali trekkers, it takes 120 days for a person to walk through the trial, which includes a couple of high passes with altitude above 5000 meters.

Shah and his six-member team, including a mechanic and a photographer, will cycle for 45 days starting on April 5 this year from Western district of Darchula to Eastern Taplejung district.