Srinagar | A new chapter in the sport of ultra cycling will be written as Asia's longest cycle race, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, will be flagged off on Wednesday.

"This is the first-of-its-kind race in not only India but in Asia, which will cover a distance of 3655 kilometres from Kashmir to Kanyakumari," director of the ultra cycling project, Jitendra Nayak, told reporters here.

The race has been accorded the status of Asian Ultracycling Championship by the World Ultracycling Association (WUCA), Nayak said.

"The cyclists who complete this race will automatically qualify for the World event," he added.

Nayak said the idea to hold an ultra cycling race came after several cyclists from India participated in these events held in the west and the far east.

"It is a very expensive affair to participate in the races held in the west. So the idea was to allow the cyclists from India to participate in ultracycling events which are affordable. It will cost only 1/10th what it takes to participate in races abroad," he added.

Nayak said 12 solo cyclists, including one female racer, and four teams of four players, will take part in the race.

Race director Vivitt Walve said there are 12 time stations along the route.

"Each station is placed between 200 to 400 kilometres." He said all riders are tracked using GPS devices.