India’s only lifestyle bicycle magazine
Volume 6 Issue 6
KARENG / 2016 / 68421
MAY 2018
Rs. 100/-
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Shivalik Signature Orange City - A Riders Delight Bamboochi Spirit of Para
Official a n
Inside
Cycling Federation of India
InThisIssue 04
CFINews The spirit of Para
ProCycling Life Begins When You Retire - On a Tandem!
Feature Bamboochi - Ride Naturally!
UltraCycling Shivalik Signature Economics of Ultracycling
Profiled Diren Bontra
CityTalk Orange city Nagpur TMR - The Malabar riders Ultra Running
IndustryNews Rush Hour Race
TriathlonCorner Bengaluru Aquathlon
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Editor’sNote
The CRANK with ProCycle Team Dear Readers Managing Editor and Publisher Vikram K Limsay Invitee editor Onkar Singh, Secretary General CFI and ACC Edit Desk
At the beginning I welcome Dr. Srinivas Gokulnath as our Trackside Editor UltraCycling. Readers will be enriched by his wisdom and experience in the discipline. Once again we bring to you a variety of cycling action from every corner of the country. From Chandigarh to Nagpur to Kozhikode. The most common question asked by all those who want to get into to cycling
Dr. Meera Velankar
is, where do we ride in this growing urban sprawl? At CRANK it is our endeavor
Sumana Dey Srivastava
to answer this question by bringing you riding routes to choose from and riding
Trackside Editor - Triathlon - Deepak Raj Track side editor Ultra-cycling Dr. Srinivas Gokulnath Creative and Design N. Chandru Contact editdeskcrank@procycle.in
communities you could join in as many towns as possible to reassure you that you can explore your passion even in this urban sprawl. An example is a report on the beautiful city of Nagpur and the many options it has. And we sincerely believe its only a matter of time that we will edge out our polluting commute cousins even from the city centre. So as is our motto, just #GETOUTANDRIDE and dont worry . Change is around the corner. Ultra riding events are picking up everywhere and the Shivalik Signature has set new
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standards. We give you an insight into the comics of ultra. Meet our para champions
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in this issue. We are especially proud of them and their grit and more importantly their achievements. And read about a couple on tandem.
Expert Team Test Kiran AM All Rights Reserved By ProCycle and Sports India Pvt. Ltd. Corporate Office and Showroom 226, 1st Main Road, Service Road, Domlur 2nd Stage, Indira Nagar, Bangalore – 560071 Tel: 080 41161902, +91 95380 66695 Website www.procycle.in Follow us on Facebook: @CrankwithProCycle https://www.facebook.com/CrankwithProCycle/ Photo Credits Front Cover - Sahdev Studio Back cover - Tarique Sani Printed By Print 2 Last Solutions
And keep reading and riding and get that SPF50 and the arm sleeve out. And yes keep yourself hydrated. Water with nectar. Ciao Vikram K Limsay Managing Editor and Publisher
CFINews
The Spirit of Para
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he human spirit is one of ability, perseverance and courage that no disability can steal away. The Indian Para Cyclists are making this quote come true in word and spirit. They are not only making a mark for themselves in the world of competitive cycling but are also bringing in great glory and inspiration through their achievements in the world of competitive cycling. We had an opportunity to catch up with three of the country’s brightest and toughest para athletes and each one of them had an inspirational story to tell.
Madhu Bagri First hand-cyclist in India to get an international medal, Madhu is a polio survivor and is confined to a wheelchair, but that doesn’t stop her spirit and she uses a hand cycle for cycling. Her tryst with the athletic world began early when she won the national championship in wheelchair lawn tennis twice. She was picked up by the Aditya Mehta Foundation (AMF) in Hyderabad and has been training under them for the last 5 months for cycling. AMF has appointed a qualified and experienced nutritionist and all support for nutrition and supplements provided by them. Madhu is a very positive human being and she personally believes that if we all start focusing on our abilities that we still have our hold on, we can emerge as a better and more successful person. She is grateful to his coach Aditya Mehta who has been his mentor and friend during his ups and downs. Madhu is also a Limca book of record holder . She was picked up by the Aditya Mehta Foundation (AMF) in Hyderabad and has been training under them for the last 5 months for cycling. AMF has appointed a qualified and experienced nutritionist and all support for nutrition and supplements provided by them. Madhu is a very positive human being and she personally believes that if we all start focusing on our abilities that we still have our hold on, we can emerge as a better and more successful person. She is grateful to his coach Aditya Mehta who has been his mentor and friend during his ups and downs. Madhu is also a Limca book of record holder
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Divij Shah Divij is chasing the Gold and chasing it with a swag! He trains with consultant who helps him design his rigorous training plan and helps him achieve his personal best. He uses a Merida Reacto 7000e with slight modification done to the brakes in a way that both the brakes can be used through 1 lever! Divij’s training includes daily routines ranging from Interval training, TT ride, endurance ride and recovery session alongside strength and condition sessions at the gym, all under the able guidance and training of Siddharth Kansal. His diet includes a balance of carbs and protein, essential fats required for the body and a lot of greens, fruits and beetroots. Divij is energetic and has a very positive approach to life. He is hardworking and is hoping to bring the gold back home ”I put myself through a strenuous training regime and improved my performance significantly. I have a better understanding of my body now and intend to improve at the game to get the Gold home. #ChasingGold”. Divij Shah led India’s charge in the para-cycling category in the Asian Para cycling championship, winning the silver medal for India.
Harinder Singh Harinder, an ex-BSF, was serving at the LOC, when he lost his right leg in a mine blast. His leg was amputated and now he uses an artificial leg. He has also been training with Aditya Mehta, coach & Founder at Aditya Mehta Foundation for the last one year in Hyderabad. He is very upbeat about his future and believes that his coach is his inspiration. Harinder bought home the Bronze in the 22 km individual time trial in the Asian Para cycling championship 2018. CRANK wishes all these champions the very best in all their endeavors.
ProCycling
Life Begins When You Retire On a Tandem!
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etirement is a new beginning for most people and generally associated with a peaceful way of life surrounded by friends and family and grandchildren. A bit of doing what one has always wanted to do and lot of free time to relax and for Ute & Konrad, from Germany, it was a new beginning too but with a very different dimension. Ute Pfeffer is an owner of an art gallery and her husband Konrad Hoetschl owned a glazing business in Germany. After 45 years of hard work, saving money and bringing up a family, they decided to go around the world and in that too the dimension they chose was very unique. They decided to go around the world on a Tandem Bicycle. Their journey started on the 3rd of April 2016 from Frankfurt, Germany and in the last two years they have travelled about 21045 kilometers and are adding the miles with every passing day. They travelled from Frankfurt to Ongole passing many a beautiful country. They have special memories of Tajikistan, where they touched their highest point at the Ak-Baital Pass on the Pamir Highway in at an altitude of 4655 meter. After crossing many an international border, the couple landed in India on 5th January 2018 and rode from Delhi to Nepal and came back to Delhi riding through the Sonauli border.
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They are now touring India and plan to cover the length and breadth of the country in the next six months. Their itinerary ranges from the deserts of Rajasthan to the plains in Gujarat and further down the western coastline through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala; touch the southernmost tip of our country at Kanyakumari and turn towards the eastern coast to go all the way up to Kolkata through the states of Tamilnadu, Andhra and Odisha. Their original plan was to ride into India via Pakistan, but as they had to go back home to apply for the Visa, they dropped the idea and flew into our country from Tajikistan. The other time they had a visa issue was with Turkmenistan, as they did not get the visa and they had to fly 3500 km instead of cycling 500 km. They use a tandem Cycle made from titanium, it is very light yet very strong. It is from “Santana� a US brand that they bought in Germany. Their entire bicycle can be taken apart in two pieces with just 6 screws. The cycle has 30 gears, 3 chainrings and a 10-speed cassette and weighs about 18 kgs. With the luggage and the riders, the total weight is about 250 kgs. They have now attached a trailer, that carries the tent, sleeping bags and tires. Earlier while riding without the trailer they had to consistently deal with broken spokes and sometime rims due to bad road conditions in many countries. Therefore, the trailer became part of their equipment and it has proved to be very helpful specially on climbs and bad roads. On an average Uta and Konrad ride about 80 to 120kms depending on road conditions, elevation, night halt location, wind and weather and it comes down to about 6 to 12 hours of riding every day. Between the two, Konrad is the captain and Uta the stoker and they do not change positions, because it is too heavy for Uta to handle the driver position with front bags and handlebar bag.
The couple is not very high on statistics and data and ride as per their convenience and enjoy each turn and twist of their journey taking in all the nuances and experiences of diverse cultures of the places they ride through. They both feel they are learning and growing each day and are now more openminded and global in their perspective and they hope to keep and share this mentality as part of their experiences. Recounting their experiences, they feel they have been lucky to have met good and helpful people in every country and found Turkey, Iran, Nepal and India to be particularly warm and hospitable. The only problem they feel is the way every country manages their wastes and specially the plastic trash. They feel the garbage, if not managed properly, will one day destroy the beautiful world we all live in. On the physical side, they both have lost 10 kgs weight each and feel very strong and healthy at their age of 58. Before they started the world tour Uta was supposed to go under the knife for her knee problems, but she took an alternative path and started cycling and the activity helped her overcome the problem. India is their country #21 and they are currently enjoying the warm hospitality of the places they are visiting. They are feasting on the vegetarian food and the fascinating culture and hope to take back their learning and experiences of this colorful and diverse country back home. They have strongly started believing that the people everywhere are much better than the newspapers and television portray them to be and their 800 plus days of journey has added new perspective to their thinking and world view.
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Feature
Bamboochi: Ride Naturally!
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noble cause, an indigenous idea and a passion for cycling at the core led Captain Shashishekhar Pathak to start Bamboochi Bicycles (https://bamboochicycle. com/), A new concept of designing bicycle frames and components from bamboo. With a vision to make Indian bicycling community aware of bamboo as a green alternative to bicycle frames and a mission to create job opportunities at village level, Captain has been designing and customizing these bikes for about few years now. They have built 12 frames/ bicycles till now and some of them have been exported as well. They purely work on project basis and do not stock bicycles as these are completely customized and designed keeping in mind the individual rider. Bamboo has almost the same tensile strength as steel in certain direction, and this property is easily utilized in construction of Bamboochi Bicycles. Bamboo frame also flexes to certain limit during ride which improves ride quality by dampening high frequency vibrations. Bamboochi offers frame geometry as per rider’s body dimensions and options to choose drive train, wheel set etc. as per individual preference. They have an option to buy only the frame or completely built bicycle. They also offer bamboo handles and customized art work on the frame.
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Building these unique handcrafted bicycles have been a great adventure for the Captain. “We had to work out on various frame components as they were not available on the shelf in India. It took me two years for my first bamboo frame from conceptualization to finish. There were some technical problems in first attempt; like I could only provide front brakes, some alignment issues etc. We took this as a challenge and decided to take this to a level where our made in India bamboo frames will be at par with what is best available in world market in terms of design, aesthetics and functionality”. The biggest challenge was to reduce the weight of the frame from 3.5 kgs to below 2 kgs. To achieve this, they used high end aluminum alloy, carbon fiber and strong bamboo. The current frames weigh about 2kgs and the team is focused at reducing it further. “Our endeavor is to reduce it further and recently have started manufacturing carbon head tubes for bamboo frames with integrated angular contact bearings, press fit bottom brackets and through axle 142 x 12 rear drop out, internal routing of brake cables. All our frames are disc brake compatible. We have tested these frames extensively by riding ourselves in challenging city road conditions and these frames have given best performance for ride quality and durability”
In their constant endeavor to bring latest frame concepts keeping in mind the natural limitations of bamboo to make superb functional Bamboochi frames, two years back, they integrated a LightSpeed electric kit with the bamboo frame and this has proved to be another great product. Average weight of the electric Bamboochi with this kit is 17 kgs which is far below than existing electric metal bicycles. It has been a great journey, and captain calls out the support and encouragement from his family and specially his wife with great frevor “All this journey is not easy without support of my family and my wife equally participate in making of Bamboochi, from harvesting bamboo to building the frame. This is a mission for us with long-term objective of promoting bamboo in functional product category. This is a conventional product with unconventional material, as we are not used to see bamboo in this space. At this point we are working on educating cyclist about bamboo as a material in bicycle frame construction, its advantages also some disadvantages. Being natural-material it has its drawbacks like you cannot abuse it, but if taken good care it lasts very long�
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Ultracycling
Shivalik Signature
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his was another CRANK partner event that we were proud to promote. The Shivalik Signature lived up to its promise to up the challenge one notch as a RAMM qualifier. CRANKS very own Meera Velankar was again in the middle of action to get you this report from up close. RAAM - Race Across America has been widely acknowledged as one of the toughest cycling challenges of the year and manages to generate tremendous interest amongst endurance cyclists. The qualifiers for this event that are held in different parts of the world give a taste of things to come but prime the riders for the actual race. Some of these qualifiers can be relays, time trials or unsupported rides. India has earlier held these RAAM qualifiers and a well-known team of two have already earned glory for themselves and the country by becoming successful finishers. We also have two solo finishers last years making India proud and taking it on world ultracycling map. Another team of four finishing successfully last years made it quite evident that India has arrived on International Ultracycling circuit. This year, on 7th April 2018, the Indian qualifiers for the world’s toughest cycling challenge- RAAM were held around the Shivalik hills off Chandigarh, Haryana and were therefore aptly called as the Shivalik Signature event. Saran Preeti- who happens to be Punjab’s first woman Super Randonneur and her husband Abhishek Kashyap organized the event. Last year, Preeti had volunteered as a RAAM official and was well aware of the format and the rules to organize these qualifiers. She thinks that the bigger challenge for her was to make all the participants aware about the RAAM format and rules since majority of these were from the
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brevets background. For this couple, due to the complexities and stringencies involved in organizing a RAAM event, it had taken almost 3 years of groundwork before these qualifiers could be held in their city. Members of their team included Dr. Hitendra Mahajan as the director of race officials and results, S. Mohinder Singh Bharaj as the technical head of the race along with Mr. Ulhas Joshi, Ms Gayatri Joshi, Neelam Mahi, Rahul Joshi, Vikas Chopra, Ms. Anahita, Jasraj, Ms Jyoti working in various capacities. Cyclists participating in Shivalik Signature had come from different parts of India such as Punjab, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Jammu and the race day begun with clear skies and temperatures ranging in between 19 -37 oC during race hours with a plain road for about 135 km followed by a gradual gradient up till the 160th km. To the pleasant surprise of the anxious organizers, the enthusiasm of the riders continued till the end and some of the strong riders could finish within record timings. The rider exchanges and execution of team strategies for all the teams seemed flawless. Most of the riders who were unable to finish were bogged down due to higher day temperatures, steep climbs during noon or cold
temperatures during the night. In order to succeed, they needed well thought strategies to overcome these challenges. In some cases, their choice of bikes such as MTB’s proved to totally wrong and also poor knowledge/execution of navigation skills increased their difficulty level. After the race, a participant -Dr. Amit Samarth who was the Solo RAAM finisher in 2017 mentioned that he enjoyed this race since he was practicing for the Trans-Siberian cycling event though he was riding a bit conservatively because of road conditions at some places and traffic. Only lady participant, Megha Jain was a strong rider but could not qualify despite having an experienced crew due to headwinds on the return. In 49 plus solo men category participants like Namadhar Maggo could qualify for RAAM with a very strong and stable ride. Chennai solo participant and his crew on the other hand showed smart strategy to have local crew members to deal with food,
language and navigation challenges. This event was conducted in an ideal set up if one wants to mix travel n tourism with RAAM qualifier many locations were worth the visit nearby like Rock garden, Ram Tatwali, Dholbaha Museum , Amritsar Golden temple and the famous Wagha border. Shivalik Signature was supported and sponsored by ISUZU Official vehicle partner, Punjab Tourism, Tourism Partner, Wild WaterRehydration Partner, Cycliste Cycling gear partner, Enerzal Energy drink partner, ) Manohar Infrastructure - Venue Partner, TriumphCycling apparels Partner, News 18 Punjab- Electronic Media Partner, Red FM- Radio partner, Punjab Bikers Club- NGO Partner and The Bike Store- Cycling tech Partner. The event concluded with announcement of a new bigger race K2K by organiser duo during gala cool off party and medal distribution.
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Economics of Ultra-Cycling By: Rutvik Khare
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to use personal vehicles of friends or family due to numerous rules. Generally two vehicles are sufficient for support but many people prefer three vehicles for mitigating risks due to vehicle breakdowns. Rented vehicles need additional insurance and if the finish of the race is not the same as the start, a drop off fee must be considered. The total cost of vehicles, insurance and fuel is about 10% of the use personal vehicles of friends or family due to numerous rules. Generally two vehicles are budget. The cost of equipment is very less as most probably you Thanks to multiple flagship endurance and ultra-races, Ultra-cycling sufficient for support but many people prefer three vehicles just for the fact that an already have a bike, its accessories and tools. Spares won’t cost in India is evolving at a pace higher than ever before. These races additional vehicle comes in very useful in case of breakdown of one of the vehicles. Most of much and if you don’t use them, you can always return them to have exposed our riders to an array of races around the world rented vehicles need additional insurance. Also if the finish of the race is not the same as your bike store. The equipment in total is again about 5% of the including Race Across America, Race Across Europe, Race Around the start, a drop off fee must be considered. The total cost of vehicles, insurance and fuel is budget. Austria and so on. These races are premier races in the world about 10% of the budget. The cost of equipment is very less as most probably you already and hence come at a cost. The registration fees for these races have a bike, its accessories and tools. cost much and for if you don’t use them, The remaining 30% of the Spares budgetwon’t must always be kept are just the tip of the iceberg. Here we are specifically focusing you can always return them to your bike store. The equipment in total is again unaccounted expenses. These expenses cannot be predicted but about 5% of on supported style racing for the sake of ease of understanding. the budget. are inevitable. It is important to take into account the safety factor in Unsupported racing has a different ideology and hence a different the budget as it is impossible to consider each and every expense style of budgeting. So far we have covered 70% of the entire budget. The 30% of the budget must that will occur in a race. always be kept as safety factor. This amount comes useful for unaccounted expenses. These If we carefully observe different racers in these races, it is clear that expenses cannot be predicted but are inevitable. It is important to take into account the There is one more very important factor that’s is not considered in such races can be finished well with minimal resources as well but safety factor this in the budget as it is impossible to consider each and every expense that will budget, the training and coaching fees of the rider. The training let us look at optimum figures for comfortably finishing these races. occur in a race. and coaching is very dependent upon the training style of the rider. The cost incurred is going to be dependent but not limited to the verymore important to do correct training and in this following factors: There Itisisone very important factor that rides I have notguidance considered in this budget field must never be neglected. Each and every training session and that is the training and coaching fees of the rider. The training and coaching is very adds up to the chances of your success and hence it must not be • The location of the race dependent upon the training style of the rider. It is very important to do correct training compromised in any way. A practice run with crew is a good way to • Duration of the race rides and guidance in this field must never be neglected. Each and every training session finetune the race day activities and can add up to the cost. • Size of the crew adds up to the chances of your success and hence it must not be compromised in any way. • Crew comfort You might want to also do some training rides with your crew as it will build a better and While budgets are very personal, it is important to ensure that there • Equipment more synchronous team. is no compromise on safety, security and legal compliances. One should be judicious in spending penny wise The registration fee increases as the race approaches, and this To sum up the whole thing, let us but looknotatbe the heads of and the pound budget and their foolish! factor must be considered while thinking of a race. The registration respective share. cost is not more than 3 to 5% of the entire cost one would incur. Races outside the country automatically becomes expensive due Various heads of an Ultra-Cycling Race to additional cost of international travel. Also, as the size of the crew increases, it is clear that the cost for their travel is going to Budget add up. Sometimes, visa application may pose a challenge and Registration might require you to apply multiple times. Along with travel and visa 5% costs, comes the cost of health insurance of crew members. Single Safety factor journey insurance is quite inexpensive but is very important as races 30% bring with them various situations. Travel and related RANK brings to you a quick view on the economics of ultra-cycling to help our readers, aspiring to join the bandwagon, understand about budgeting for these races and various heads for expenses for riders in India looking forward to do such races.
40%
For multiple day races, a crew size of 8 to 10 is considered comfortable and the travelling cost of the rider and crew comes to around 40% of the entire budget. For a race of around 8-10 days, the cost of food and stay of the crew is almost 8 to 10% of the entire race budget. Supported racing brings with itself requirement of more resources like support vehicles and tied with them is fuel. It becomes necessary to rent vehicles abroad as it is very difficult
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Profiled
Dhiren Bontra
T
hey say success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence. CRANK caught up with Dhiren Bontra a cyclist at heart and now a successful racer whose story replicates this quote.
His tryst with the cycle started in his school days as a commuter and continued through his graduation. After a small hiatus in his initial years in college he was back on his saddle to save time on his commute. After his graduation, along with his four friends he started BikeShark in 2012. The motive of the store was simple and impactful. They wanted to contribute to the cycling community by providing best in class equipment and accessories for cycling enthusiasts. As Dhiren puts it, “to us “BikeShark “ is a “Fun Project. The whole idea of BikeShark was to make available quality cycling products, high performance bikes and skilled services in the suburbs of Mumbai.” The store is committed to make cycling a way of life and organizes cycling rides known as bikersmeetup & practise race as bikeshark27 for beginners. Their prime focus is to develop the cycling community, nurture it in every little way and create a support system for the small but growing community of riders. Dhiren’s personal story is inspirational. He started racing in 2014. His first race was a road race, that he lost; he was out of the lead bunch with in the first 5kms. That same night he sold his road bike and decided to never race again in the road category. Though he went on to participate in MTB races and winning a few. Fate then got him to cross paths with his mentor & coach Paramjeet Sir, former commonwealth gold medalist in weightlifting and former national road racer who motivated and trained him to get back to becoming a roadie. The initial days of training were grueling. He started with cadence
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completing 6000 kms in 6 months, but that was just the beginning. Gradually that schedule changed to 2000 kms per month that was heck of a pain, as Dhiren puts it, “riding a bike is easy but training is not”. Eventually it all paid off and Dhiren, with complete support from his team started winning. As of today his tally in the 45 races that he has participated stands at 38 wins almost a 85% success rate!!! Dhiren attributes a lot to his diet. Aside from the scientific, like every athlete even Dhiren has a diet quirk. Chocolate and Oatmeal cookies from his favorite Agnee bakery in Vapi! His Wins in 2018 includes Mehesana cyclothon (100kms road race), Saksham Mumbai (18km road race), Valsad cyclothon & Surat city cyclothon. Way to go Dhiren...All power to you.
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Orange City Nagpur A riders delight By: Aniruddha
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“race” the 10KM along Hingna Road to escape traffic and then enter peace country for another 10 through villages, cattle and goat herds and village. We begin to breathe in life, breathe out smiles and do bicycle small talk. The lake is a bit off the road and most riders walk up to it. It is a panoramic view.
Things have changed and now for the past 4 years I make the same journey on my bike with my bicycle buddies. Only that from an annual trip it has now become monthly and I am sure the blessings showered on me have increased 12 times over. Just because of cycling.
Bor Tiger Reserve is another milestone 35 km further down the same route of you want to convert your 50 into a 100. By the way the total elevation is 800 meters. And there is a possibility of coming across a languid wild beast. The return journey is an anti Leige of sorts and you could achieve high speeds if you do not stop enroute for a snack that is.
nd if you thought this beautiful center of the country was just about oranges, tigers and mines. There’s more. It’s witnessing cycling revolution of sorts. The Elephant God at Adasa is a revered deity in our region and I have distinct memory of visiting it as a teenager every year with family. We used go the 35km in four-wheeler and it was a great picnic.
And its not just Adasa. Nagpur has some great riding tracks. Ride to the Zilpi lake, or to Ramtek which inspired the great poet Kalidasa, or to the old Gond for at Nagardhan, or even the Gorewada lake, Vena lake, Bor Tiger Reserve, Pench Tiger Reserve.... the list is endless. Every weekend, bicyclists head out to one of these places to embrace nature, to be at peace, to witness wildlife. And it’s for everyone. For the rodies, the shredders, the XCies, the crossovers and even for casual fun riders whether alone or with family. Zilpi lake is a favorite and regular riders share space with love birds at this beautiful spot. The lake is 25km from the city through the industrial estate at Hingna which is the meeting point. We often
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CRANK with ProCycle MAY 15TH, 2018
The Vena lake off the Amravati highway, again about 25 km from the city, is another favorite for both riders and fishermen. The men with the nets love it for the abundant catch and riders love the exhilaration of riding on its wide banks. The serpentine ride to the pump-house is a favorite for photo ops and selfies. Nagardhan Fort is another century ride via Kamptee-Kanhan. Most cyclists, who set out early mornings, have not witnessed the insides of the fort. It is always a “gate and stairs” pic for most of them. Good enough as the facade looks great. The rest of the fort, said to be built between 300 and 40BC by the Gond kings, is not in as good a shape. It nevertheless hosts the annual Kalidas music and dance festival. The return journey does not start without a pakoda snack and chai in Nagardhan, served with love and watched with great curiosity.
Nine km south of Nagardhan is Ramtek. This one is 100-plus and takes you to a temple of Lord Rama atop a hillock. There is natural beauty, there is elevation, there is the deity. And if crave for a stronger elevation? There is Gadmandir (literally, temple on a hill) and this one is strong!
10 km from the city. There is the reserved forest that is restricted but a cycle safari with an entry fee is allowed that is a delight for the XC guys. You have to reach at 6 AM though in a group of 5-6 and a guide rides with you. The ride has great greenery, beautiful birds and lovely wildlife. Just carry plenty of water.
For a 200 km brevet head out to Pench. The famous reserve forest bordering Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. You of course can’t ride inside.
So there we are. Nagpur has everything for riders of all types. All you’ve got to do is take a ticket to ride to freedom in this beautiful city. Welcome.
Want to keep it short and not much sweat? Gorewada it is. The area has a lake that supplies potable water to Nagpur and is about
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CityTalk
TMR
The Malabar Riders
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RANK is always glad to hear about ride clubs from every corner of the country and this one from Calicut is taking some great strides or rotations shall we say? Team Malabar Riders, popularly known as TMR is a vibrant cycling club based in Calicut India. Started by Dr Jameel Sait with his friends and co riders Sahir Abdul Jabbar, Athul and Praveen the club is now in its 4th year and has about 250 members . The club has riders from all walks of life including teachers, mechanics, engineers, doctors and students. The club is also showing its presence in the Brevets with 4 of the members being Super Randonneurs. The club also boasts about some adventurous riders who travelled all the way from Kasarkode to Trivandrum in 3 days.
The club also has group of riders who do daily rides on the beach roads and through the city roads.
The club and its members are active about social issues and have done several rides to raise awareness about social and environmental issues, including the one to save the western Ghats.
If you are riding through this beautiful part of the country do not forget to connect with these guys.
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Their signature event is called “Conquer the Waynad Hill�, which they plan to make an annual affair. It is a national level championship that winds through the beautiful ghat roads of Waynad.
UltraRunning By Mili Sharma
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ou must have heard that “running is 90% mental and the rest is physical” and UltraRunning surely is. So what is UltraRunning? Any distance covered on foot running or walking more than the Full Marathon distance, i.e. 42.195km (26.219 miles), is called an UltraRunning. Some of the most interesting or in other words TOUGH UltraRunning events are: 1) Grand to Grand Ultra (236km) - America; 2) Badwater Ultramarathon (217.26km) America; 3) Fat Dog 120 Trail Race (193.12km) British Canada; 4) 6693 Ultra (193.12km and 563.27km) – Canada; 5) Hardrock 100 (160.93km) – America, etc. Popularity of running ultra distance is also increasing in India and one can name these events as top UltraRunning events: 1) The Khardung La Challenge (72 km) Ladakh; 2) Sandakphu 70 Mile Himalayan Race (112.654km) IndoNepal border and 3) Run the Rann (161km, 101km and 51km) Gujarat; etc. It is very natural that once you start running you feel like going little more further and achieve little more either in the terms of distance, or in the terms of improving the timing. However, one must take a realistic approach if planning to attempt an Ultra distance, which requires the proper training as well as the proper nutrition. UltraRunning requires not just long runs to build the endurance, but also speed workouts to avoid injuries. Everything matters in UltraRunning right from the undergarments to shoes, but at the same time nothing really matters when you are running an ultra distance because you reach a state of ‘Trance’, which is impossible to express in words. It is like a ‘date with yourself’, at which you go through so many emotions. So the key to success in an ultra is to ‘slow down’ and listen to your body and respect it’s decisions. Cycling in Ultra Running ross training is important in Ultra Running. I recommend C including swimming and cycling into your training program while training for any ultra event. Persanally while preparing for a major event, during the weekdays, my morning training plans include indoor cycling and running outdoors on alternate days. On Saturdays, I go for long rides of 7080km and I cycle indoors before my long runs (20+kms) on Sundays. I swim in the evening over the weekdays. And I eat a lot and yet feel hungry after every 2 hours. Trust me, it is fun to “train insane”. Me standing at the start line. Sometime during the run.
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IndustryNew
All commuters set to start the challenge
RUSH HOUR RACE Find out who won?
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USH HOUR RACE, SCOTT Sports India’s latest experiment is going to change the way people think about urban commuting and make cycling an everyday affair. 6 Mumbaikars participated in this race from Thane to Lower Parel using different modes of transport, and the cycle won! The RUSH HOUR RACE had 6 people commuting – 1 on a Scott E-Bike, 1 on a Scott Road bicycle, 1 on a Scott Hybrid bicycle, 1 by car, 1 by bus and 1 by train, and they were timed from Thane to Lower Parel on 16th March 2018 during Mumbai’s peak morning travel hours. The city’s first RUSH HOUR RACE, was flagged off at 8:22 AM at Hiranandani Meadows in Thane, Jithin Mohanan emerged the winner, who completed the race in 59 minutes at 9:21
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Jithin Mohanan - Hybrid Cyclist
Venkatesh K. - Car Commuter
Kanchan Pawar travelling by ricksaw & train
Mahesh Kini E -bike Cyclist
Kanchan Pawar travelling by train
Commuters complete their challenge
AM at Peninsula Business Park at Lower Parel. Mahesh Kini on the E-Bike came in second at a close timing of 62 minutes and Jose George on the Road bike came in third at 68 minutes. All the other modes took much longer with Kanchan Pawar by train taking 88 minutes, Venkatesh K. by car taking 94 minutes and Chetan Suryakant Nakashe by multi-transportation (Rik/Bus/Ola share) taking 164 minutes. According to Jaymin Shah, Country Manager, SCOTT Sports India,” Urban Mobility is a challenge faced by most metro cities in India.
Through this race, cycling has emerged the winner and is definitely an alternative for commuting in the ever-crowded cities in India.” As per Jose George, Owner, Haybren Adventure, “I feel if citizens can ride to work at least once or twice a week it will make a great impact but there are other factors which will encourage such activities, like providing cycle parking and shower facilities at work places. If employers can do something about this, then they can have much fitter employees too.”
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TriathlonCorner
Bengaluru Aquathon By: Rudraprasad Nanjundappa, Co-founder, Yoska
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or those who are wondering what’s an Aquathon doing in our friendly bike mag CRANK, it’s the second steppingstone to Triathlon. 11-Mar-2018 will hopefully go down in the history of endurance sports in Bengaluru and probably in India as well, since “Bengaluru Aquathon” a first of its kind event exclusively for Aquathon was organized by Yoska.in, a next generation fitness coaching company offering programs for endurance activities, in partnership with Decathlon, a pioneer in making sports affordable in India. Aquathon as a global sport existed from 20th century and it is a continuous two-stage race involving swimming and running. It generally follows triathlon distances, but there is variability. Aquathon is a great stepping stone for people wanting to explore Triathlons. The standard categories as promoted by ITU (International Triathlon Union) is 2.5km run, 1000m swim, 2.5km run OR 1000m swim and a single 5km run OR 2000m swim and 10km run. The ITU Aquathlon World Championships have been held annually since 1998.
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Bengaluru Aquathon had a single open category of 500m swim and 5Km run. The venue was beautiful pool at XLR8 indoor sport arena in Hennur. The swim course design was in line with international events and not something commonly seen in Indian pool-based events. While it meant more effort for the organizers, it meant less wait time for participants and hence better experience. We had 40 registrations and 31 participants who showed up on the event day. It was encouraging to see people travel from other states for the event. It had a mix of national & state level swimmers, but each of them was mindful and encouraged amateur swimmers. The run leg was a 2.5 Kms loop well guided by volunteers mostly from Decathlon on foot and bike. As organizers it was great to see on time start, nobody being lost, the ambulance on standby never being used and no DNFs :) And it’s amazing when participants at the end of the race request for more of such events to be organized. Aquathon will gain momentum in India, are you geared up?
GET OUT & RIDE!
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