‘The Kiss’ tops Click2Win

The photo of two riders in the Kathmandu Kora Cycling Challenge embracing and kissing each other as the cyclists get ready to be flagged off has won the Click2Win contest by Turkish Airlines and with it a return ticket from Kathmandu to any destination in Europe with the carrier.

The picture, by Ankit Shrestha and captioned ‘The Kiss’, selected as one of the finalists and then put up in social media for voting. The Kiss received 1,500 likes and was declared winner.

Click2Win was organised by Turkish Airlines, co-sponsor of the annual Kora Cycling Challenge. “This is the best season for cyclists to experience nature in and around Kathmandu Valley during the monsoon, and we hope participation in Kora will increase every year,” said Abdullah Tuncer Kececi, General Manager of Turkish Airlines in Nepal.

As mountain biking gets more popular in Nepal, the number of participants in Kathmandu Kora has been rising exponentially, from only 35 in 2011 to more than 3,000 this year.

“The Kora has actually helped kickstart the cycling industry, and drummed up business in the monsoon, a season when they were not doing anything,” said Kora organiser Raj Gyawali. “In fact, this year there were no bicycles to be found in Kathmandu -- they were all booked for the Kora.”

Turkish Airlines also announced the winner of Turkish Airlines Art Competition 2019 on theme ‘Flying with Turkish Airlines: Dream Destination’ on 11 September.

Vipassana Dhakal from Rato Bangla School wins a ticket to her dream destination Turkey along with a guardian. Forty-six schools participated in the art competition.