Athlete spotlight: Ashish Sherpa’s quest to become Asia's best | #345
From almost quitting the sport to training like a pro for the very first time
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This week:
Ashish Sherpa’s quest to become Asia’s best
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1. Ashish Sherpa’s quest to become Asia’s best
Since January, Ashish Sherpa has been staying in the Bay Area, many miles from his homeland of India, eating, living, and breathing cycling. Despite being a two-time national mountain bike champion, it’s the first time he’s truly had a training camp, one where he’s been able to dedicate every waking moment to his passion and gift as a USBC sponsored athlete.
Part of the reason for the camp is so Ashish can work back toward full fitness from an injury he suffered last year. But the real goal? Qualifying for and competing in the Asian Cycling Championship.
His comeback is going well. Last month, he won a local race, the region’s largest and longest running mountain bike race, part of the 3CX Winter MTB Series.
We sat down with Ashish to learn a little bit more about his story.
Ashish hails from a family of racers. As he describes it, it’s in his blood.
Ashish: My father was a professional motorbike racer. He used to do motocross, participating in one of the toughest races in Asia. I knew I also wanted to race. I remember when my brother started racing bikes. He was a beginner at the time, but I would go and watch his races and see these incredible athletes. I was really inspired. So I started cycling when I was 14. At the end of 2025, last year, I completed ten years of racing.
Originally from Nepal, his family struggled financially after grandfather’s tragic passing during a torrential rainstorm and lighting strike. In terms of becoming a champion cyclist, the odds were always stacked against him.
Ashish: After my grandfather’s death, the government provided my grandmother a small place to stay, but we weren’t in a great situation financially. My father was 14 or 15 at the time so he had to start working to support the family. He learned how to repair motorbikes—which is how he got into racing. When he was 20 or 21, he opened his own garage. (I would later work there myself.) My father met my mother, who is Indian. I’m proud to present India in cycling.
When I started cycling, money was always tough, but I was in the junior category and performing really well at the time. I was lucky to find an initial sponsor that would supply me with a bike. Things were actually going great until COVID hit. My sponsor ended the contract and took back the bike, components and all. That’s when I got the job fixing motorbikes—eventually, I was able to save enough money to buy a new bike. My goal at the time was to win the national championship and then represent my country in the Asian continental championships. But balancing work and training was very, very hard. In the mornings I would biek to work, about 30km downhill. Then I would bike home, uphill, and continue training.
When dedication pays off
Ashish: After three years of that grueling schedule and having saved a bit of money, I finally left my job to focus more on my training. The gamble paid off. I won the gold medal at Nationals in 2023. I have four national titles—two bronze, one silver, and one gold. My target now is the Asian Championship.
I want to win the Asian Championship, for myself but also for my country.
As a result of his injury, Ashish’s primary target is 2027
Ashish: Maybe I will participate in 2026, but my main goal is 2027. I got injured last year, which prevented me from training for over two months—this was during qualification and the national championships.
Now, I’m working toward getting back to full health. While in California, I’ve done some testing to see where my performance is. It’s not really good! I’m not in my best shape, but at least I am healthy and can train again. I’m fully recovered—I’m pushing and doing everything I can now.
How he met Greg Kidd and the USBC team
Ashish: They booked a bike tour with one of the local companies, but they came at the worst time—peak monsoon season. The week they were here, there were massive landslides. In North India, the roads were fully blocked. Greg and his group were about to start their tour but got stuck just outside Delhi. The tour operator reached out to me to help since I wasn’t far away. I had just gotten my cast off so it was a nice opportunity to get some riding in.
Greg and his team ended up meeting me in my hometown and I drew up a new itinerary for them. Of course, we soon got stuck in another landslide. We were stuck in the same spot for three days, during which we had a lot of conversations. I told them about where I came from and where I wanted to go, my big dreams. That’s how all of this started.
Ashish almost called it quits
Ashish: Even when I go and compete in the national championship, I don’t get anything from my government. Even traveling, hotels, I have to pay for everything myself. Over time, this became very hard for me to manage. It’s a really expensive sport. I was about to leave the sport this year. I had a plan. I was thinking about how I would quit. My plan was to start focusing more on my business in 2026.
A man from the mountains
Ashish: My surname is Sherpa. I belong to the mountains—especially the high, high mountains. My first dream was to become a mountaineer, climb all the mountains in Nepal. I feel comfortable in high mountain areas. I never get scared from high passes.
I climb mountains with my bicycle as well. I believe in my own raw paper. I’ve always felt like I have the strength and I really like to do that kind of challenge, where I can cross my limits. And then to come out the other side thinking, yes, this is something I have overcome. I guess it probably has to do with being originally from Nepal.
It’s part of who I am.