CRANK with ProCycle - August 2014

ISSUE 7 VOL 2 AUGUST 15TH 2014

INSIDE

LOST LAKE TRAILS SERENITY AND A CYCLE TESTED: 2014 CANNONDALE TRAIL 7

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IN THIS ISSUE

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Serenity and a Cycle Lost Lake Trails, Gurgaon Race Across the West (RAW) ProCycle Profiled Tested: Cannondale Trail 7 Gear Review: Giro Aeon TAD 2014 Race Report: Cymour ITT Boys Toys

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HEYA! The CRANK with ProCycle Team Publisher and Managing Editor Vikram Limsay Editor Rahul K Thomas Technical Editor Nilesh Dhumal West Zone Bureau Divya Tate Bike Tester Ajay Kamble Contributions by Mridul Thomas, Joelyn de Lima, Viju Varghese, Abhinay Pochiraju, Dheeraj Aithal, Shivaraj Jana, Dinesh Kumar, Sourav Kumar Das and Nachiket Guttikar Registered to Procycle and Sports India Private Limited Corporate Office Indiranagar, 889, First Floor, 7th Main 4th Cross, HAL II stage, Bangalore - 560008 Tel: +91 80 41161902 Showroom Indiranagar #226, 1st Main Road, Service Road, Domlur 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore - 560071 Tel: +91 98802 16064 Koramangala/HSR Layout New #12, Old #75, Service Road, Jakkasandra Extension, Koramangala 1st Block, Near HSR 5th Sector, Bangalore - 560034 Tel: +91 80 2550 1967 Website www.procycle.in For queries regarding advertising and subscription mail us at subscribecrank@procycle.in Cover Christoph Strasser, King of the RAAM, has a chat with his crew as he sweeps past Divya Tate’s RAW team. Image by Divya Tate Rear Cover The new Indranagar store bigger and better than ever Printed by Print 2 Last Solutions

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Hello Readers!

This month we have quite a bit for you to choose from. Mridul Thomas rediscovers his cycling legs around Zurich, Switzerland. Nothing quite prepares you for the quaint and scenic trails which meander for miles alongside streams in the shadow of the breathtaking Alps.

Then Divya Tate brings you a blow-by-blow from the Race Across the West as she crewed her way across the American continent through freezing cold and roasting heat.

We bring you the skinny on the 2014 Cannondale Trail 7 - an entry-level hardtail with the potential to be your trail steed for many years. Then Viju Varghese brings us the lowdown on one of the most popular trail regions in Delhi’s backyard - the Lost Lake trails near Gurgaon.

All this and more in this issue of CRANK. Turn the page and read. Then get out and ride!

Editor

The new and improved ProCycle Indranagar store

FAR FROM HOME

SERENITY AND A CYCLE

By Mridul Thomas

I’m not what you would call a cycling fanatic. My biking experience was largely confined to commuting to school on an old hand-me-down Hero Ranger from my brother when he moved on to sleeker and faster things (mistakenly, I thought, since the fat tires were ideal for Madras roads). Cities largely suck the romance out of biking, but I had always hoped to return to it when circumstances changed. Having since moved continents a couple of times, I’ve been witness to strikingly different cycling cultures.

Growing up in India, cycling in India was transportation for those who couldn’t afford engines. This magazine’s readership notwithstanding, that is still largely the case. Where I lived, in the heart of rural USA with its massive open spaces, biking was rather different - a dedicated minority’s weekend hobby.

The trail ran by meandering streams. Image by Mridul K Thomas

Dirt trails criss cross the land. Image by Joelyn de Lima

A mallard dives for grub. Image by Mridul K Thomas

Recently though I moved to Zurich in Switzerland where I’ve been hoping to discover a combination of what I’d seen in the US with more bike-friendly infrastructure. After a few days, I finally get the chance to find out and I borrow a (surprisingly Hero Rangerish) mountain bike from my new boss and go off to explore the lay of the cycling land.

The path I choose follows a tiny stream that runs by my office. This rivulet, narrow enough to jump across in places (if you don’t mind getting a bit damp), is in the process of being restored to its earlier, wilder, meandering self. The animals and birds seem to approve of the changes what with a couple of recently released beavers causing mayhem in their attempts to dam the trickle.

A few hundred metres down the sandy path and I’m away from houses and buildings, surrounded by sizeable trees and a thick carpet of wildflowers. I share the path with only the occasional jogger and dog on a leash. It’s peaceful and full of birdsong

Mridul regains his feel for riding. Image by Joelyn de Lima

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and the buzzing of insects. I stop a couple of times to watch the mallards (wild ducks) lazily drifting with the current, occasionally bending over for a bite to eat, tails and feet up in the air. It seems like a good life.

Where cycling infrastructure meets scenic beauty.

Image by Mridul K Thomas

Where cycling is just a way of life.

Image by Mridul K Thomas

Back on the bike, I gradually regain my feel for it. The small adjustments I make as the path twists and slope changes are conscious at first, but slowly start to return to the realm of the instinctive. Gears are new to me and I play around with them to figure out when they are helpful, without much success. As the tyres eat up the sandy, pebbly track, I realise how much I’ve missed this. I pedal harder, startling a dog walker expecting me to ring before passing (my borrowed bike has no bell). I probably confused both owner and pooch terribly - I’ve since been told that dogs here are trained to stop, move to the side of the track and sit down whenever they hear a bell. The Swiss stereotype seems less of a caricature now.

As I get further from civilisation, the path forks frequently, with the occasional wooden bridge leading to unknown villages across the stream. I happily choose directions at random since I don’t understand enough German to make sense of the signs anyway. Further along the stream, I glide by yellow fields of flowering Canola (called Raps locally), in gorgeous contrast to the snow-

tipped Alps in their background. I pause for a while as the wind blows them at me in golden waves. Having travelled for several kilometres at this point, I’m surprised at how little I’ve had to see of the world of cars and lorries. Eventually, I do come upon a road, but crossing is straightforward and the path continues on the other side. I think about carrying on further but decide to return, satisfied with my first outing and hoping that I can find my way back.

On my return, I learn that Switzerland is criss-crossed with thousands of kilometres of biking trails such as these, and I could pedal to Germany from where I live in Zurich without much difficulty.

But, as fantastic as that sounds, it isn’t what strikes me as special about this place. The most powerful image I carry from that day is the sight of a man in full business suit and hat, holding an umbrella in one hand, biking home through a light drizzle - a sight wildly incongruous to me, yet one that seems normal hereabouts. So unremarkable in fact that nobody other than me pays him any attention.

Gorgeous surroundings and nice trails are wonderful to have, but the most heartening thing about biking here is its sheer normalcy - the way it is an inseparable part of everyday life.

Gotta love those Swiss flags! Image by Joelyn de Lima

Yellow fields of flowering Canola with the magnificent Alps in the background. Image by Mridul K Thomas

OFF THE BEATEN TRAIL

LOST LAKE TRAILS, GURGAON Text (and riding) by Viju Varghese, Images by Abhinay Pochiraju

Frequented by trail runners and mountain bikers alike, the Lost Lake trail is located a shade off the Golf Course Road in Gurgaon, near Manger village. Set in the midst of the thorny kikar trees and broken terrain of the Manger forest in the Aravallis, it is frequented

by Neelgais, foxes, hares and wild camels alike. In fact, you just may find them running alongside you and your mountain bike.

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The surrounding forest and trails are also home to the rare and elusive leopard. For the adventurous rider who wishes to venture off road about Delhi, this is perfect, containing a perfect blend of rocky terrain and singletrack.

The trail offers something for riders of every skill level. There is easy, rolling mud double track, perfect for the recreational rider or novice wishing to get a taste of off-roading. On the other hand, the trail also offers many technical and challenging sections which include rock gardens and single track sections.

Come the weekend, the trails are frequented by cycling groups such as the Pedal Yatris, various trail running groups and, of course, by serious mountain biking enthusiasts like Viju Varghese and his band of merry MTB mates who can often be found out on the trail, training hard for various amateur mountain biking events. The Lost Lake trail is also the home to several local races such as Trek Firefox’s ‘MTB Firestorm’, duathlons and running events.

So, if (or when rather) the chaos and congestion of Delhi and the NCR get to you and the soul yearns to break free, head out to the Lost Lake for a break, a breath of fresh air and plenty of offroad fun.

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Christoph Strasser blowing past us in the Borego Springs desert

THE LONG ROAD

RACING ACROSS THE WEST

Text and Images by Divya Tate

The Race Across the West (RAW) an Ultra race that starts along with Race Across America (RAAM) solo riders from Oceanside California, ends at Durango, the first RAAM cut-off. It is 1400 Km of extremes! Racers face extremes in climate and extremes in Altitude. Temperatures varied from a low of 5C to a high of 43C in the desert stretches of Arizona. Descending 1300 Mts down ‘The Glass Elevator’ takes racers to the lowest point on the RAAM route, 71Mts below sea level.

Climbing out of some of the most arid terrain on the second day, the heat was peaking at 3pm when we left TS6 to climb Yarnell Grade. It took all we had to keep our rider, Dave Preston cool and hydrated as he climbed one of the hardest sections in the route.

Exactly 12 hours later, riding to Flagstaff, Dave had to put on all his warm gear to keep out the biting cold. In the follow vehicle however, we were already bracing for the heat that would hit us again, as the sun rose.

I met Dave at the finish of RAAM 2013, when he had just finished as 2 person team, riding the last 800 km solo after his partner developed a health problem. He won the Ian Sandbach ‘Spirit of RAAM’ award for his effort last year, but said he was going to take

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a break from RAAM. One hears that often at the finish line, but that feeling doesn’t usually last long. So it was, that while chatting with Dave I learnt that he was going to attempt RAW solo this year, and fixed up to crew for him.

Thrilled to be crewing for him, I met with the rest of his crew at Oceanside 2 days before race start. Manny, his crew chief has crewed for Dave and been his crew chief for many races, including 2 RAAMs, Andy and Tom, who have worked with Manny on other cycling events and Heather who is a cyclist herself. The Primary follow vehicle was Dave’s own mini-van, which was set up to carry all his requirements with 3 crew members, Manny and a team of 2 crew driving and navigating. The other vehicle, a Jeep was operated by the 2 off-duty crew.

Teamed up with Andy as his Navigator, it was while we were giving Dave leapfrog support out of Flagstaff, that we faced something much worse than the heat. As Andy and I drove over a hill, we saw Dave stopped and doubled up over the handle bar. Pulling up behind him in a panic, we jumped out to help him and ask what the matter was. He had been hit on the elbow by a vehicle passing too close to him! Probably a mirror, as he had not got thrown, but he

The sheer beauty of the scenery made the climb worth it.

Dave Preston starting RAW Dave Preston and Matthew Hoffman at start

After the severe heat of the desert, the second morning on the way to Flagstaff was extremely cold

The last push to the Finish, Durango Colorado

Dave’s and Matthew Hoffman’s crew at RAW finish

thought it was a motor-home going at 50-60 mph and once the anger had subsided we could only be thankful it was not worse. Getting him into the vehicle we examined the injury to his elbow, which was swelling up alarmingly and called the others.

Ensuring that nothing was broken and that Dave would continue riding, we applied an ice pack to his elbow and got him on the road again.

Setting up the follow vehicles Dave getting some TLC in Time Station 6 - Congress, Arizona

Dave’s Knee had started giving him trouble very early in the race, and dealing with that had slowed us down in the first night itself. Marko Baloh in the first position, followed by Adam Bickett had created a big lead. Dave had had to let go his 3rd place position the previous morning as Rob White and David Disney passed him on the grinding stretch from Parker to Salome. After this setback we all just focused on retaining this position in the race.

That meant keeping an eye on his friend Matthew Hoffman’s position on Tractalis, the rider tracking app. Matthew had crewed for Dave last year in RAAM, and though the two were competitors in the race, they were both raising awareness for the same Organisation, Veloyouth in San Diego, where Matthew trains underprivileged kids for Track racing. We kept Dave going by telling him how close Matthew was getting to our position.

Later that afternoon while riding through Utah, Dave started hallucinating. He tried to tell us that the guy next to him was getting offended by our language.... The guy was his shadow! Luckily for us Ares Bursic a RAAM rider pulled up along Dave, and the two rode together for some time, while we speculated whether Dave was introducing his shadow to Ares!

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Dave Elsberry and Dave Preston

Either way, the chat helped Dave pick himself up as we entered Monument valley at sunset, with the full moon rising on the east. It was a beautiful time to be there. Later that night on the rollers between Mexican Hat and Montezuma Creek, sleep deprivation, pain and fatigue slowed Dave down terribly.

Taking a call to let him sleep worked wonders for his performance. Putting him back on the bike at sunrise gave him the boost he needed, to ride strong for the last 175 kms.

We pulled into the Finish at Durango just under 71 hrs since we started from Oceanside, exhausted but proud to have finished in good time. A couple of hours later we returned to the Finish line to greet Matthew and his crew as they finished the race too. Other than having had to put up with Dave’s singing each night, it was a great experience for all of us, and over too soon. It was good news for us all to hear that Dave has set his eyes on a RAAM solo attempt in 2016. 2 years of training and fine tuning his learning from RAW, and Dave Preston will be ready at Oceanside, looking to ride solo all the way to the Finish in Annapolis!

In the desert

PROCYCLE PROFILED

DHEERAJ AITHAL Dheeraj started off a couple of years ago, toodling around town, commuting on his cycle. But, he quickly fell in love with the road less taken and is now obsessed with riding trails. Starting with riding cross country, he is now honing his downhill skills on a pimped out KHS Alite 1000. We wish him plenty of thrills and as few spills as possible as he pursues gravity.

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BIKE REVIEW

CANNONDALE TRAIL 7 Images by Rahul K Thomas Price: INR 39,440 The Cannondale trail series has been around for quite a while and its one of the most recognised entry-level hardtails in the Indian market. This month, we put the 2014 entry-level model - the Trail 7, through its paces.

The Indian biker has always looked at the Cannondale Trail series with a mixture of awe and lust. Its beautiful tubing and excellent paint jobs invariably taking it to the top of everyone’s shortlist.

However, the last couple of years, have seen a slew of competing models enter the market, all of them with drop-dead gorgeous looks. In the new pecking order, the Trail series has begun to look just a tad dated. Its mixture of black with some amount of neon green leaves it looking distinguised but doesn’t really set the heart racing compared to some of the bikes it rubs shoulders with in multi-brand showrooms. Peer at it closely and you’ll notice that the ripple welds at the joints have been smoothened up to a point but are still visible. That’s a hint at its entry-level nature since as you go up the food chain, the welds vanish entirely.

Hop on the bike and the bike simply feels right. Except for adjusting the saddle, we didn’t have to do anything - no fiddling with handlebar settings or moving the saddle fore or aft or anything of the sort. It was perfectly dialed in from the get-go. Pretty amazing, particularly for bikes at this level which usually require some amount of adjustment.

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The superb rear triangle which gives the Trail 7 excellent vertical compliance

We rode this bike on a mixture of tarmac and trail since it is squarely aimed at the leisure rider who is looking to test the offroad waters.

Fork The fork specced on this bike is the absolute entry-level Suntour XCT-100. It’s so basic that it has only a preload dial, doing away with a lockout feature. We don’t like this since the lockout does help a lot when riding on the road. On the up side, we extracted a decent amount of travel from this fork. Load weight on it and does suck up some buzz.

Wheels As we rolled along, we were rather surprised by this wheelset.

Comprising 32-hole Alex DC 5.0 double wall rims laced to Cannondale’s own branded C4 hubs, they do a pretty decent job.

Rolling resistance is pretty low allowing you to get up a decent rhythm. They are laced to a tyre we aren’t overly familiar with Kenda Kadre 2.1s. We found that on trails these are quite nice - rolling along quickly while still affording decent grip. When used on tarmac with higher pressure however, they aren’t too grippy, so that’s worth keeping in mind when scooting through traffic.

Brakes The Trail 7 has been specced with Tektro Novela mechanical discs.

These do a decent stopping job as things go. They did take a much longer time to bed in than expected but still they worked.

Our usual gripe about disc brakes at this level being actuated by

Absolute entry-level Suntour SCT fork - nothing to write home about

We love the feel of the grips and the fact that it matches the paint.

Really wish we had separate brake levers and shifters to do justice to the disc brakes

levers actually design for v-brakes continue. The integrated brake-shifters from Shimano really feel pretty mushy when you want to stomp on the brakes and let the package down a bit.

Drivetrain

Cannondale’s own branded hubs do the job very well

Excellent Jagwire cabling helps to shift smoothly

Which all brings us to what the average tends to focus on when buying his or her first new bike in India - the drivetrain.

The public’s obsession with ‘how many gears’ is something we have never been able to fathom, but there it is. Its an 8-speed Shimano drivetrain which gives you a total of 24 (8x3) gear options. Now, this is where Cannondale has really economised on this bike. The front derailleur is the entry-level M190 while the rear derailleur is a Shimano Altus.

We’ve already mentioned the Shimano integrated brakeshifters previously. Though they let you down in the braking department, they do a decent job of shifting. The crankset (both arms and chain rings) is Suntour, the cassette is

by Sunrace and the chain is a KMC. Now lets be clear though, the drivetrain does its job decently for something of this level. The whole package shifts decently enough for the novie rider. When we saw it, we were pretty sure the crankset would fall apart under the treatment we planned on handing out to it. But it didn’t. It stood up to some scrutiny. Shifts are smooth as long as you shift sensibly, without mashing or grinding on the cranks simultaneously.

The only obvious place it suffers is when the bike gets up to speed going downhill, hitting rocks and ruts along the way.

It’ll last you through your learning stage. The pedals are plastic but surprisingly grippy. It won’t last you very long but they’ll do a decent job as long as they last.

Alex DC 5.0 rims with Kenda Kadre 2.1 tyres

Entry-level Suntour-Shimano mixed drivetrain will help you learn but will need to be upgraded as your skills improve

Welds which are smoothened but still visible

The frame But, all this discussion brings us to the soul of this bike - the frame. And here we are completely and utterly sold. The Trail 7 frame is wayyyyyyyy beyond the level of what it has been specced with. It has really nice vertical compliance thanks to that thin seat tube and the chainstays. Which means it sucks up chatter from the trail delivering a beautiful ride. The beautiful big top and and downtubes mated to it make for a lovely package. This is a thoroughbred trail bike which can stand by you through your learning curve. As you get better, strip and upgrade every component and the frame will reward you in spades. It doesn’t give you the 1.5 inch headset, but its a bige fat tube which has been tapered in order to take a 1 and 1/8 which means it’ll allow you to spend less in the upgrade to extract performance from it. Slap a good fork on it, upgrade the drivetrain and give it some decent brakes and you’ll be blasting down trails with a big grin plastered all over your face.

Its a pretty comfy saddle

The bottomline At just shy of INR 40,000, the Cannondale Trail 7 is one very expensive entry-level bike with basement level parts on a frame that is in a totally different league. Now this is a bit of a marketing problem since its a bike for the discerning rider being down-specced and marketed to the novice. That’s a tough one for the seller. But, you are looking for a bike and can get past the price tag, buy this bike and it’ll reward you well in the years to come.

Tektro Novela mechanical discs. Even the grasshopper approves.

Superbly aerodynamic with 24 vents

GEAR REVIEW

GIRO AEON ROAD HELMET If you’re in the market for an uber cool helmet which’ll protect your noggin while also feeling like next to nothing as you zip around on your new road bike, the Giro Aeon is one you need to check out.

Basically Giro set out to create a helmet which married the (almost ridiculous) weight of their ‘Prolight’ to the superb adjustability and ventilation of the ‘Ionos’. This is what they came up with.

The Giro Aeon is light. REALLY light! It weighs in at just 190 grams for a medium (you read that right).

So if you have to keep reaching up to check if its still there, we won’t blame you. It’s Roc Loc 5 retention system allows you to adjust it so that your helmet hugs you all the way around your head. It also has 15mm of vertical adjustment.

X-static padding is top of the line and very comfortable.

In terms of ventilation, this is right up there with the best. The Aeon boasts 24 vents which’ll keep the wind whizzing through your hair

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Excellent clasps and straps

X-static padding keeps it all comfortable

Superb Roc Loc 5 retention system makes sure the helmet fits snugly around your head. It also has vertical adjustment (the clasp above the strap)

(or scalp if you’re bald) ensuring you stay cool during those heartbursting climbs. In a country like ours particularly, you can’t have enough ventilation and this is probably its most standout feature.

Easy 2-finger adjustment allows you to dial in the fit just right

But, does it protect your head?

Indeed! While they’ve shave a lot of weight off this helmet, its structural integrity is supreme. Giro’s ‘in-mold’ construction process takes the impact-absorbing EPS liner and fuses it with the outer shell during moulding. This makes it lighter but also more durable. It has a ‘roll cage’ reinforcement which is a web of tough DuPont Nylon moulded into the EPS foam liner. Even more strength and less weight.

Bottomline This is a world class piece of kit as is reflected by its hefty price tag of USD 250 and more (depending on the model chosen). Buy it if you can afford it. Actually, buy it even if you can’t! You can’t put a price on the value of your head can you.

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And they’re off!

EVENTS

TAD 2014 Images by Sourav Kumar Das

June 22nd dawned with a chill in the air. And yet, some 300-odd participants enthusiastically turned out at Delhi Public School East at 6 in the morning for the TAD (Triathlon Aquathlon and Duathlon). For many of the participants, this was the first time they’d participated in an event of this kind.

Organised by Fit I AM, TAD 2014 drew participants from all walks of life, from the novice athlete to the serious amateur, from all parts of India - West Bengal, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Coimbatore and so on. There was a competitive category for the Triathlon (Swim 200 mts- Cycle 10Kms – Run 5K) aimed at the fitness enthusiasts and also a Maja Tri (Swim 50 mts – Cycle 5k – Run 2.5 K) for anyone inclined to having some fun. There were also Aquathlon (Swim 50mts – Run 2.5K) and Duathlon (Cycle 10K – Run 5k) events to ensure people could choose to participate in events they were most comfortable with. The brainchild of Dinesh Kumar (founder of Fit I AM), TAD 2014 seeks to bring new sporting events to the forefront and bring members of swimming, cycling and running communities together.

Not owning a bike wasn’t enough to stop the excited participants who queued up in droves at the bicycle stand to rent one for the day. ProCycle was an integral part of this show with a huge stall with premium bikes on rent for participants and the team participating in the races.

Parents encouraged little ones to take part in the event and were the biggest source of crowd support - cheering and clapping from the sidelines. They were joined enthusiastically by the TAD volunteers.

The whole trail was verdant and lush and participants rand and rode through as picturesque a scene as one can find around cities. The cool morning breeze kept them

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Chirag (R) and Sharath ((L) - winner and runner up of the competitive triathlon

on edge as directions were clearly marked. Volunteers manned the sidelines with water and aid stations dotted the route. Of course, the sounds of cheering and clapping rent the air through the course of the event.

A participant is thrilled to break the tape

Typically it is the swimming section which is a little tougher logistically, what with limited space in a pool and a lot of participants. Here however, participants were organised into ‘waves’ (or batches) and this proved tremendously effective.

Apart from the race there were recreation activities and different games were set up at the venue where families and kids had a great time in a carnivalesque setting.

The day was made more special by the participation of Archana Jayaram and Arti Krishnamoorthy - two athletes diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Archana was a gold and a bronze medallist in cycling events at the Athens Special Olympics in 2011. They also did a little dance for the spectators which was met with thunderous applause. Their participation was about as inspirational as it can get.

RESULTS Event

Category Winner

Runner Up

Triathlon

Men’s Chirag Kumbalgod Women’s Suman

Sharath Raju Kiran

Aquathlon

Men’s Suraj K Women’s Keerthana

Suhas Srivani

Duathlon

Men’s Women’s

Kumar L Siddhi

Vignesh M Ramya V

Maja-Tri

Men’s Women’s

Pratheep Debangshu

Shwetha S Kavitha N

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And we’re off!

RACE REPORT

CYMOUR ITT Text by Divya Tate, Images by Nachiket Guttikar Cymour Racing Club, a brainchild of Aniket Mahashabde conducted its first race on Sunday, 6th July. An individual time trial ITT of 14.5 kms, it saw participation by an enthusiastic community in Pune. 6 laps of a rectangular 2.6km loop around Kalyani Nagar, meant only 6-8 riders could race at a time. Though the road was closed, a large team of volunteers was needed to manage the traffic entering from by-lanes in the loop. With 4 corners to take on each lap, the TT would necessitate caution on the part of the riders.

In the first group to start, 7 riders in the Junior Men category raced for 3 positions on the podium.

Rhishsabh Hattarki finished in 23:49 min, 25 sec ahead of Aunsh Bandivdekar in 2nd position with Makarand Mane in 3rd. All 3 have only recently taken to cycling. The Masters Men Category was won

by Prashant Tidke in 25:23 min followed by Vivek Agarwal in second position. The women’s race was won by Arti Patwardhan in 33:06 mins.

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Arti Patwardhan is all business

Michael Lehnig grimaces as he cranks on

Pankaj Madan whizzes by1

Riders battle towards the finish The Open Men category with 19 participants had 6 members of Team Lifecycle Racing and the podium belonged entirely to them.

Michael Lehnig who has been training the Lifecycle Team for the past 2 months, finished in 23:08 min, followed by Siddhartha Gadekar in 2nd and Nachiket Joshi in 3rd.

Merida and Ice Toolz prizes were presented to the winners by Aniket Mahashabde.

Cymour Racing Club plans to put up a variety of races, TTs, Relay, Mass Start and Criteriums for road and MTB. Monthly races are a great motivation for pro and amateur cyclists to train toward. With competition, the organisers hope to see participation grow, and amateur racing standards improve in the years to come.

The winners of the first Cymour race

BOYS’ TOYS

TOPEAK RIDE CASE Ever wished your smart phone was secure and yet completely accessible? Well, meet the Topeak Ride Case. Mainly aimed at the iPhone but with models fitting Samsung’s Galaxy series and even the odd HTC, this is the mother of all phone mounts. Its engineering grade plastic frame also holds a carbon back ensuring your phone can resist the most nasty of impacts. What’s even cooler is that it can clip on to your handlebar or stem or (best of all), the stem cap. Fully adjustable to ensure maximum visibility while still keeping it rock solid, we simply love the Topeak Ride Case series.

CAMELBAK MINI M.U.L.E Meet the pint-sized version of Camelbak’s most popular pack - the M.U.L.E. With a capacity of 1.5L and their patented Big Bite valve, this pack will make sure your little tyke can keep on rolling and causing mayhem while staying abundantly hydrated.

For more details drop us a line at torquewrench@procycle.in

GET OUT & RIDE! RNI No. KARENG04437

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