"I am happy that such events are picking up speed in India. It's quite popular in Europe, North America and Canada. Himachal's terrain offers the most challenging environment in the Himalayas," Moniz told IANS.

During the training, participants, both men and women, passed through forest trails, village backtracks and unmetalled and metalled single-lane rural roads, winding through the hills surrounding Shimla.

"For us it was more of an adventure weekend. The boulder-riddled terrain was challenging. Overall it was a unique experience," said Prabhjit Singh, a cyclist from Chandigarh.

Sood said cyclists from Himachal were trained for free to enable them start their own ventures.

The growing enthusiasm among Indians for mountain biking has also meant growing business for the adventure tourism industry.

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