PESHAWAR
In order to celebrate the 74th Independence Day of the country in a grand manner and to commemorate the Independence Day, Cycle Race at historical Khyber Pass to Michini Post will be organized on August 13.
The Cycle Race is going to peddle off from historical Khyber Pass, located in a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with Afghanistan. It connects the town of Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud by traversing part of the Spin Ghar Mountains.
The Race will end at another historical and prime location which has international fame “The Michini Post, Landikotal – a gateway to the Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics.
The Khyber Pass is a mountain pass on the border with Afghanistan, connection (Nangarhar Province). An integral part of the ancient Silk Road, it has long had substantial cultural, economic, and geopolitical significance for Eurasian trade. Throughout history, it has been an important trade route between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent and a vital strategic military choke point for various states that came to control it. The summit of the pass is 5 km (3.1 mi) inside Pakistan at Landi Kotal, while the lowest point is .46 km (0.29 mi) at Jamrud in the Valley of Peshawar. The Khyber Pass is part of Asian Highway1 (AH1).
Cycling road trip to historical Landi Kotal from Khyber Pass would be unique wherein national and international cyclists peddling off from Khyber Pass to reach Michini Post. Historically, this route was made to connect Central Asian countries with Asia via GT road, though the GT road was constructed during Sheikh Shah Suri.
According to history books, Alexander the Great invaded India from Landi Kotal. The military mess, Khyber Rifles, has deep-rooted history. The place has been visited by dignitaries from around the world. People like JFK, Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, Queen of England and many more visited the area and one can say that it was the first line of defense against the communist expansion.
In 2018, the area was merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, but it is still one of the more difficult places to visit, and especially a hectic task to be done for the cyclists to cross up and down roads, narrow terrain.
The historic Khyber Pass has been an important trade route connecting the eastern and western cultures. The Sulaiman Mountains on the border are where Alexander the Great’s army, and the Chinese Buddhist Scholar, Xuanzang (In Japanese known as Genjo) crossed here. During the Mughal Dynasty, it was developed as the Grand Trunk Road running from India to Kabul in Afghanistan. It also became a significant battlefield from the First British War to the independence of Pakistan in modern times. After Pakistan’s independence it became a tribal area.
The Khyber Pass is also famous as Bab-e-Khyber. The Pass became widely known to thousands of Westerners and Japanese who traveled it in the days of the hippie trail, taking a bus or car from Kabul to the Afghan border but now on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day, the national and international cyclists arrived in Peshawar to participate.
When contacted, President Pakistan Cycling Federation Syed Azhar Ali Shah disclosed that all arrangements have been finalized for the smooth conduct of the Race and Director Sports Merged areas Pir Abdullah Shah has extended all financial and moral support to the Federation for holding the historical Cycling Race.
