India’s only lifestyle bicycle magazine
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Volume 4 Issue 4 May 15th 2016
INSIDE
The Impossible Race
d
lusive M e Exc
ar tner aP di
Merida Crossway Urban 20
Official a n
Meera Velankar Super Randonneuse
Cycling Federation of India
SCR series
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IN THIS ISSUE
Race Reports
Crank News Route
12 Nagour Duathlon.......................15
04 Bicycle Expo in Ludhiana......... 09
The impossible race...................
Cfi news..................................
CycTech
22 Shop Talk................................ 25 Boys toys................................ 26 Merida Crossway Urban 20.....
Coffee with Crank
16 Super Randonneuse..................18 karthink Nagarajan................... 24 Ludhiana Pedallers Club............
Menaka Gulvady was a British Airways Executive who was run over by a cab when she was on her on her morning bicycle ride. The gruesome accident led to her succumbing to her injuries within a short period of being brought to the hospital. The entire cycling community was in shock at the incident and has raised deep concerns about cyclists safety on the streets. A group of cyclists even gathered to pay Menaka their triubte. An online petition has also been raised to Highways and Road Transport Minister Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari to create a road for all. Tribute Ride from Town Hall
Menaka Gulvady The Crank with ProCycle team wishes to express our heartfelt condolences to friends and family of Ms. Menaka Gulvady. We would like you to know that Menaka is in our thoughts and prayers and that she will be dearly missed. Some of our staff have had the opportunity to interact with her personally and we are all very disheartened to know of her untimely death.
Editor’s note The CRANK with ProCycle Team Managing Editor and Publisher Vikram K Limsay Invitee editor
Mr. Onkar Singh Bureau Head Joseph Anish
India North Bureau Ashish Sood
Marketing and Distribution Joseph Anish
anish@procycle.in, +91 97415 77884 Test Riders
Ajay Kamble Ritwik D Burman, Joseph Anish Issue contributors
Uphill EMG Photography Team Yaduanand Prabhu, Chethan Ram All rights reserved by
Procycle and Sports India Private Limited Corporate Office
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Winning Stride, The Impossible Race Back Cover
A midsummer night’s dream Printed by
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Hello Readers, There is a whole lot that goes in to making that bicycle that you ride. There is a huge amount or R&D, testing and manufacturing processes that make that final bicycle that you ride. With SRAM and Shimano going head to head announcing 12 speed and 14 speed groupsets respectively, one can only imagine the kinds of leaps and bounds bicycle technology can take. And a lot of it comes down to the races that these technologies are tested or developed at. And one of them is the recently concluded legendary Paris Roubaix race. A lot of revolutionary athletes and technologies owe their existence and current ranking to this race. While technological revolutions are taking place at a global level. The humble Indian bicycle and the industry behind it isn’t too far behind as we find out at the Cycling, Fitness and Outdoor sports Expo held at Ludhiana. Read the exclusive report inside. Wondering what inspires people to do certain things in a certain way, we caught up with India’s only woman rider to become a Super Randonneur twice. We decode her and find out her future plans in an exclusive interview. We cannot have any edition of ours go without a bicycle to drool over and so we bring you the track style nut hubbed Merida Crossway Urban 20. Vikram K Limsay Managing Editor and Publisher
CFI News
Exploring Uttarakhand Crank CFI Bureau
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Scale New Heights
e would like to bring you a glimpse of what is happening at The Ultimate Uttarakhand Himalayan MTB Challenge. This year, between 8th and 16th April, many top level mountain bikers from India will be participating at the second edition of this esteemed race. The race brought forth a lot of new talent last year and gave opportunities to many amateur and enthusiast riders and exposure into a fully fledged CFI governed race. The race starts at Nainital and closes at the pristine hill station of Mussoorie covering a total distance of 628kms over a period of 6 race days and a rest day at New Tehri. The riders will get to soak in a lot of new sights and challenging tracks along this route. For safety reasons, the age limit was set between 18 and 45 years of age. The riders needed to possess their own good quality MTB for the race and are set to compete against riders from the Services and Railways and along with the Elite CFI license holding riders. The race is a joint endeavour of the Cycling Federation of India and the Uttarakhand Tourism to develop the ecological sustainable activity of cycling amongst the beautiful hills of Uttarakhand. With more vehicular traffic coming to the mountains in the form of tourists, the pollution levels can only reach uncontrollable levels. Curbing or controlling them in a manner that sustains tourism is what cycle touring can do to the state. The state of Uttarakhand is well already well known for the horde of adventure sports activity it houses and nurtures amongst young talent. Adding cycling to these activities is going to help a lot more to the cause of adding to this image of Uttarakhand as the adventure sports destination.
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Discover New Landscapes
Big prize money to be won
Challenge yourself
The racers are treated with a lot of hospitality during the races. Every stage start is practically a celebration with school children cheering off the riders and marching bands making way for their flag off. Even along the routes, many school children take their time out to stand by the race route and cheer the athletes. The tough terrain demands high levels of stamina and concentration to react to terrain obstacles and the support received by the villagers and school children makes it worth the hardships. The race is also very rewarding. Across all categories, the race shells out Rs. 10lakhs as prize money. Last year the winner of the race was awarded a prize money of Rs. 1lakh. and runners up were awarded amounts of up to Rs, 50,000/- A race of such magnitude that traverses across an entire state is not easy to organize and the support that the Uttarakhand government and Tourism department offers is unparalleled. The support from the government is keen right from the start of the race to the finish. Mr. Harish Rawat, CM, Uttarakhand himself presents the winners with the awards and the prize money and feels ecstatic to honour the athletes for their performance. This year’s race has been nail biting so far with some of the biggest talents of Indian cycling showing up at the race. Only time will tell who gets to bag the grand prize and take the glory home. Crank’s CFI Bureau will be on top of this event and will bring you the latest from this and more events organized by the Cycling Federation of India. Catch the full race report of The Ultimate Uttarakhand Himalayan MTB Challenge, 2016 in our next issue.
Every stage starts as a celebration
CM Uttarakhand, Mr. Harish Rawat at the prize distribution from 2015
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Crank News Route
Giant Bicycles announces its 2016 Off-Road Team
F
ollowing a thrilling 2015 season that saw the team collect podium finishes and big wins at some of the most prestigious Downhill and Enduro events around the world, the Giant Factory Off-Road Team is back for 2016 with a renewed focus on the UCI World Cup and Enduro World Series races. Five-time Colombian downhill national champion Marcelo Gutierrez signed a threeyear extension with the team. Gutierrez is coming off a successful 2015 season that saw him land his first-ever World Cup podium finish at Fort William. The 25-yearold also repeated his title at the grueling Garbanzo DH, part of the Crankworx Whistler event in British Columbia. “Our World Cup DH squad had a great season last year, riding the new Glory Advanced 27.5 bikes and collecting some nice podium finishes,” Gutierrez said. “I’m looking forward to continuing the momentum and seeing what we can do in 2016.”
Beyond the global riders, the team also includes American XC and Enduro racer Carl Decker, a veteran from Oregon and Seamus Powell, a 25-year-old two-time U.S. Super D national champion. All of the Giant Factory Off-Road Team riders will be able to choose from Giant bikes like the Glory Advanced 27.5 downhill bikes, Reign Advanced 27.5 enduro machines, Trance Advanced 27.5 trail bikes, and Anthem Advanced 27.5 and XtC Advanced SL 27.5 XC bikes. Giant is also supporting the team with its Contact SLR saddles, the new Rail trail helmet, Giant footwear including the Charge XC shoe with Motion Efficiency System technology, plus jackets and other apparel.
Newly added sponsor 100% will bring a whole new look to the team, providing a range of products including their allnew AIRCRAFT Carbon full-face helmet, gravity race kits and gloves. Other new sponsors include HT Components pedals, Re-Fuel digital accessories and Jakroo XC kits. Returning sponsors include SRAM, RockShox, Schwalbe and a few more. Giant Starkenn in India is also the proud sponsor to one of the rising stars of Indian DH scene, Gautam Taode and has kept the enthusiasm of mountain bikers alive by throwing open the National MTB track to enthusiast and amateur racers last year.
Also on the downhill team is Spanish teenager Alex Marin, who makes the jump up to the elites this year following a successful run in the junior men’s category. Returning to the DH squad this year is 21-year-old French rider Guillaume Cauvin. The former junior French Cup winner had a solid first year with the team in 2015, highlighted by a podium finish in the pro men’s DH at the Crankworx Les 2 Alpes event in France. The team’s Enduro squad is led this year by Frenchman Yoann Barelli and joined by Australian Josh Carlson and American Adam Craig.
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(Lleft to Right): Alex Marin (DH), Marcelo Gutierrez (DH), Guillaume Cauvin (DH), Yoann Barelli (Enduro), Adam Craig (Enduro), Josh Carlson (Enduro), Carl Decker (XC, Enduro) and Seamus Powell (Enduro). Photo by Cameron Baird.
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Flagging off the Cyclogreen
Crank News Route
Avon Cycles pedals to excellence at cycling Expo Crank India North Bureau
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von Cycles Limited participated in the Cycling, Fitness & Outdoor sports Expo (CFOSE) held at Ludhiana between 18-20 March, 2016. Their stall was visited by myriad dealers & sub dealers and cycling enthusiasts from across the country. Avon introduced their new premium category bikes Cyclux. Avon also introduced new models like Zoro, Octopus, Warrior ,Touch , SUV Freeway and Shadow. The innovative technology and unique designs of these new bikes was appreciated by luminaries including Mr. Ravneet Singh Bittu, hon’ble Member of Parliament,S. Paramjeet Singh Umranangal, Police Commissioner of Ludhiana and S. Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, Advisor to CM Punjab. Forwarding the message of enhancing a green lifestyle, Avon Cycles also organized a CycloGreen Rally on 20th March, 2016 in Ludhiana. Like every year, the rally was structured in order to encourage people for a cleaner and greener environment through cycling. A distance 8 Kms and was covered by many passionate participants including school children. The event was flagged off by DIG Dr. SK Kaliya, Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria , ADC Mr. Ajay Sood and SDM Shri Paramjeet Singh. Also present at the event were ED Mr. Mandeep Pahwa, Joint MD Mr. Rishi Pahwa, Dr. Baldeep Singh, Dr. Gaurav Sachdeva, S. Gurmeet Singh Kular President FICO and Shri Ravindar Arora Convener Punjab Industry Cell. At the Rally, Mr. Onkar Sign Pahwa MD Avon Cycles Ltd. forwarded an inspirational message highlighting the importance of a green environment and how cycling could help create a greener and cleaner society. Crossing another milestone, Company also received the best innovation E-Rickshaw award. Avon also expressed to continue promoting cycling by organizing more cycle rallies this year in cities like Varanasi, Bangalore, Baroda, Pune and Ahmedabad.
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Mr. Ravneet Singh Bittu among other dignitaries
Receiving the award for Innovation
Industry big wigs
Industry News
CFOSE, Ludhiana 2016 Crank India North Bureau
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Bicycles for all Indians, Neelam Cycles display piece
udhiana in Punjab is a place popular for its manufacturing capabilities of some of the most essential and premium industries in India and abroad. Ludhiana is largest producers of sewing machines and also houses exclusive manufacturers of BMW and Mercedes parts that are used in their global operations. Auto, two wheeler and tractor parts and components are a large chunk if what Ludhiana’s manufacturing facilities churn out. Ludhiana is Asia’s largest hub for bicycle manufacturing with many of the big names in Indian bicycle industry based out of here. Many components are manufactured here and the heritage of the industry set up here is much longer than that of many international brands. Annex Media’s initiative of hosting India International Cycle, Fitness and Outdoor Sports Expo in Ludhiana was a well determined call to get all these industries under one roof and exhibit and enhance their trade relations with each other and their consumers. Organizing CFOSE for the 4th time in a row, Annex Media has succeeded in their cause for creating a platform for the different industries to showcase their goods and services. The expo not only included bicycle and bicycle related industries, but also extended to other fitness related products like gym equipment, nutrition products, fitness wear apparel and even small to large scale manufacturing solutions. The premium stalls were occupied by the Bicycle Industry giants like Avon, Hero, Hero Eco Tech, TI Cycles of India, Atlas, Neelam cycles etc. While all their latest designs and models were brought on display, the key ingredient was to keep the stalls interactive to the general
CRANK with ProCycle MAY 15TH, 2016
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Creative Display pieces
Interactive demo spaces for young riders
public and the trade visitor. Many of the models were available for test ride and there were also virtual reality cycling booths for kids. Owing to the success of the previous editions of the expo, many global brands from Taiwan and Malaysia also had their direct presence here at the expo helping them grow in to a strong and vibrant market like India. There were a total of 124 stalls occupied by bicycle and bicycle parts, fitness and gym equipment manufacturers from all over the world. Avon cycles along with the Ludhiana Pedallers Club organized a Cyclogreen rally which saw a large number of participants. To help promote the fitness industry, a body building contest was also organized, the Federation Cup with the support of Indian Body Builder Federation. The order of the day seemed to be the move from mass to mass premium or premium segment bicycles. With the entry level new age bicycles being manufactured in house at the local manufacturing plants and most premium bikes being brought in from the international market under exclusive marketing rights in India. Many of the traditional brands in India are opening up to the idea of moving out from the conventional roadster models to a lot more appealing and better fitted MTB’s. Even the parts and components used are of better quality and compatibility, both mechanically and even visually. A good example of that would be the new bicycle, Stunner Pro-5 from Neelam cycles, a company which has specialised in roadsters for most of its history and very popular in the tricycle rickshaw and rickshaw conversion kits segment. The new bicycle is matte black with disc brakes, suspension and priced at a modest price around about Rs. 14000/-
Introduction of some new international brands in India
Neelam Cycles’ new Stunner Pro 5
The expo has provided an excellent platform for the industrialists, distributors, dealers and end consumers to get acquainted with the various offerings in all things bicycles and fitness. The consumers were able to see what is up for grabs in the near future and even got the opportunity to test out a few of them. The distributors and manufacturers got an opportunity to strengthen their ties and aggregate better plans to market their products. The next edition of the Expo is happening in Bengaluru where Crank is headquartered at and we are looking forward to looking what the expo has to offer in South India.
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All things human powered
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Fast Downhill Sections
Race Report
The Impossible Race 2016 : Crank India West Bureau, Image Credit: Uphill EMG photography Team
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Chase
ith the news of registrations opening for the second edition of The Impossible Race, many cycling enthusiasts from across India were excited. The first edition had opened an entire new terrain and track for the Indian riders and many riders have been on the wait for an opportunity to prove their mettle on this new found proving ground since. The Impossible Race 2016 was organized by Uphill EMG and powered by Scott Sports India, promoted by the Gujarat department of tourism and supported by Red Bull and Goqii. The race is organized across the Polo forest that extends from the state of Gujarat and opens the gates to enter Rajasthan. The Polo forest is shrouded in nearly a millennium of mystery, Polo is fabled to have been an ideal refuge for kings and crooks alike. Numerous cryptic temple ruins lie scattered all over the woods, making Polo a hotbed of intrigue and a fountain of adrenalin. The second edition had 153 participants of both Indian and International origin taking the competition levels up by a few notches. It even saw Scott Sports India’s dedicated Downhill racer, Piyush Chavan taking his shot at the cross country MTB racing. The race had two categories, a three day stage MTB race of 151kms that flagged off on the
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18th March. The participants peddled hard across the jagged terrain of Polo’s hills that ultimately merge with the Aravali Mountain Ranges of Rajasthan. Piercing the dense vastness of forest, the riders navigated through uncharted terrain, dodged sharp rocks scattered on the technical trails, and rode through shadowy ruins that are said to have a life of their own. To add to the challenge, the MTB segment a GPS aided race. The format was simple, finish your stage for the day, return to the base camp
and the rider with the best cumulative timings, would be declared the winner. The third and final day of the MTB race was also the flag off day for the one day Road Cycling event. For the road bikers, this was going to be a completely different experience than what they are used to on urban roads. They traversed 115kms of tarmac with sharp hairpin turns and lush tree lines loop the perimeter of the forest. The inner roads were the real test, with narrow
Fast Curves
passages that can become especially tough to tread with bikes. Owing to the tough nature of the terrains, hydration and medical assistance was really important and was well taken care of by the organizers, but perhaps the most important of all support systems were mechanical assistance that was provided by the team of Scott Sports India. The Impossible Race is perhaps one of the most mentally and physically demanding races of India. Therefore it goes without saying the cliché “expect the unexpected.” Riding here required more than just physical
Scenic ride sections
fitness. It is going to need a lot of mental toughness too. Besides GPS, one also needs a certain level of directional astuteness for not much will change in the forest and it can feel like the same trail over and over again. It will not be wrong to say that this is one of those events where the trails will ride the rider and not the other way around. To the victors go the prizes and while the Impossible Race’s MTB segment saw some really tough riders, it was Thomas Kammermann from Switzerland who clinched the first prize followed by Devendra Kumar in close second and Kiran Raju in
Hike Sections
River crossing
CRANK with ProCycle MAY 15TH, 2016
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Flag off ceremony
3rd Place. In the Road Cycling Segment, Dilip Martand Mane, cinched the first prize followed by Sohel Riyaz Bargir in second and Niket Shrikant Patil in third place. In the women’s category of Road Cycling, Chaitali Milind Shildankar rode away with the first prize followed by Maitree Raj Pradhan in second and Usha Mukesh Chaudhari in third place. But it was Geeta Rao who walked away with the hearts and respects of entire event cast, participants and crew alike for her sheer passion for the sport. This was Geeta’s first ever formal race appearance and despite her physical limitations, she not only finished the event, but demonstrated the spirit of sportsmanship like none other. Even though she finished in over time, she did so on her own, and was awarded a special certificate for her heroic achievement. Sprint sections Road Race Start
The Impossible Race is fast turning out to be one of the most sought after proving ground for both amateurs and professionals alike and the level of bicycles that showed up at the race is witness to it. Crank with ProCycle is proud to be the Media Partner (sports) to an event of such magnitude.
Road Biking - Male Sr. No. 1 2 3
Bib No. 36 33 37
Name Mr. Dilip Martand Mane Mr. Sohel Riyaz Bargir Mr. Niket Shrikant Patil
Time 3:09:25 3:09:26 3:09:28
Road Biking - Female
Sr. No. 1 2 3
Bib No. 30 138 91
Name Ms. Chaitali Milind Shildankar Ms. Maitree Raj Pradhan Mrs. Usha Mukesh Chaudhari
Time 4:18:07 4:28:17 4:39:58
MTB No. Bib No. Name 22 Mr. Thomas Kammermann 2 29 Mr. Devender Kumar Kumar 3 25 Mr. Kiran Kumar Raju
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Day 1 3:42:41 3:42:51 3:43:05
Day 2 Day 3 Total1 2:20:10 1:53:48 7:56:39 2:20:16 1:53:46 7:56:53 2:38:00 1:54:11 8:15:16
Riding Fast
Nagpur Duathlon Crank India West Bureau
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agpur, well known as the Orange City is also at the dead the centre of India. The district so far has remained on the radar for a lot of sporting activities and recently hosted its first Duathlon on the 20th March, 2016 organized by ProHEALTH foundation. The Duathlon was hosted at the Central Province Club which was established during the preindependence era and made a fitting location to host a pioneering event in the history of Nagpur City. The race was split into three categories, Standard, Novice and Sprint, each with the option of individual or team participation. The overall participation was up at 220 athletes with the highest concentration being at the Novice category. Athletes participating in the Standard category had a 10kms run followed by 40kms of cycling and finishing with a 5kms run. With these distances halved was the challenge for the athletes participating in the Novice category and a initiative 2kms run, 10kms cycling and a 1kms run was the
Chase
target for those looking to get a quick taste for the Duathlon sport in the sprint category. The race route goes through the seminary hills of Nagpur and has two climbing sections which are 1.5kms and 0.5kms respectively. The 10 km route has two climbing sections which are 1.5kms and 0.5kms respectively. The Bike route is on Koradi road of Nagpur which is a four lane road with 3 long flyovers. While maximum of the participants were first timers and amateurs looking to get a flavour of a multi sport event in their own town, there were many who came prepared to set a good timing for themselves. One such was Dhawal Hingankar the winner of the Solo Standard Distance. He is a budding triathlete from Nagpur and wants to represent country in Olympic Triathlon. With the efforts of Dr. Amit Samarth and his team from ProHEALTH, Nagpur city now has its own Multisport event that has promised to now make annual appearances and inspire more to participate.
With Dr. Amit, (second from left)
Winners
CRANK with ProCycle MAY 15TH, 2016
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Large participation in the group rides
Club Connect
Ludhiana Pedallers Club Crank India North Bureau
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ith a motto of cycling for health and happiness, the Ludhiana Pedallers Club (LPC) is one of the largest registered cycling clubs in India. With over 300 registered members, the club organizes daily rides and special rides on Sundays. Their dedication towards riding a bicycle is reaching new heights with every new registered member. LPC was the brain child of Mr. Davinder Nagi who is originally from Amritsar. His vision for the club was to engage more and more people in to the habit of cycling and has even gone to the extent of supplying bicycles to many children to learn cycling. His vision was strong, but the path hadn’t been all that easy. In the last two years of forming the club, he has since gained acceptance and popularity for the club and its motives from politicians to bicycle industry big wigs. Ludhiana is known for being the bicycle manufacturing hub of India. From spares to accessories to whole assembled bicycles, one can find one of the largest capacity producers here in Ludhiana. The formation of the club was an effort to unite these manufacturers in the larger goal of
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Endurance rides
Visiting heritage sights
Morning Rides 2
promoting cycling. Mr. Nagi in what can only be called his charisma has managed to get Member of Parliament Ravneet Singh Bittu to cycle to work and get onboard with promoting cycling to make the city of Ludhiana better sustainable than its current pollution levels are letting it be.
Spirit of Punjab
Keeping the community together
The club members range from students to elders to even industrialists who own some of the largest chunks in the bicycle manufacturing scene of India. To encourage more riders, the club rides to selected heritage zones of Punjab and also aims at introducing new and challenging route each time. Their rides are filled with anywhere from 50-60 regular riders and more keep adding each time. The club maintains special rides for festivities and other occasions where a sense of communal camaraderie is up kept. Many of the rides are also aimed at creating awareness towards other social causes and raising funds for different charities. The recent Nepal earthquake is a fine example of how the members of LPS raised money and resources in large amounts and transferred directly to the Nepal government. The vision of Mr. Nagi has come this far into being one of the largest cycling clubs in India and managing to rope the support of the government and the industry. We wish the club and its members more such successes in the future.
Mr. Davinder Nagi, Founder LPC
The Ludhiana Pedallers Club has a public service announcement to make. All cyclists, Indian or International, passing through Ludhiana on their bicycles will be extended hospitality and travel arrangements at the expense of the club. They will be escorted in and out of the city while on their ride across Punjab state/Ludhiana district. Such riders are requested to reach out to Mr. Nagi over his phone or email below at least a week before their intended date of arrival in Punjab.
Mr. Davinder Nagi: Ph: +91 9915351040 Email: davindernagi76@gmail.com CRANK with ProCycle MAY 15TH, 2016
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At Tour of Nilgiris
Profiled
Super Randonneuse Crank India South Bureau
D
r. Meera Velankar, 40 a PhD in Life Sciences lives in a posh locality in the new Bengaluru that is Whitefield with her husband Harshad Velankar and two lovely daughters. She is originally from Mumbai and has previously worked at various organizations as Chief Microbiologist and Scientist for various time periods. After relocating from the USA in 2011, her stay there and the need to adjust back to India struck a few chords inside of her and she has not been the same since. Crank brings you an exclusive story on one of India’s most inspirational female endurance athlete. Meera looks like any other devoted housewife. But, when she is not packing lunch for her daughters or finding her husband’s missing tie, she is out setting Limca records in the field of cycling and other endurance sports. And she does all this despite the stigma that challenges Indian married women. Meera is the manifestation of inspiration to Indian riders and she has even proved it by supporting
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other women to grow in the field of endurance sports. Her tryst with cycling started with her hate towards sitting idle and waiting for the right job opportunity. She had experienced a different kind of cycling while at the USA and at her first opportunity here at the Great Malnad Challenge in 2011, she managed to finish 850kms in a matter of 9 days on a simple bicycle. She started improving on her skills and training to set a better timing for whatever came her way next. And the Tour of Nilgiris came her way in 2012, a 800kms ride done across 7 days. Meera not only finished the race, she places second in the Women’s category. The idea of being on a bicycle for really long duration triggered her nerves to believe that it holds a different level of joy to the mind, heart and soul. Meera began riding brevet style races across the country, improving both her stamina and now paying attention to the bicycles and other equipment she was using. She was honing herself
During the BBCh DH race PC: Chetan Ram
With her huband and loving daughters
to move from being a savage rider to a more cultured sportsperson. And her research background only added to this methodical approach of hers. With the goal in sight, the journey from third place at the Desert 500 Ultra Cycling in 2012 to becoming a Super Randonneur in 2013 was simply rewarding to Meera. To accomplish the Super Randonneur (SR) Meera had to complete day and night continuous rides of 200kms, 300kms, 360kms, 400kms and 600kms within the stipulated time in different states of the country in a single year. She chose the states of Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Harshad’s support expressed creatively
She did not stop there. She could not. She now had a new purpose to life. To outdo herself! With better equipment, diet modulation and rigorous training, Meera managed to bag the title of Super Randonneur again in 2014 making her one of 4 Indian women to ever achieve this title and the first ever woman to achieve it twice. Her achievements in cycling continued, she went The Super Randonneuse Tattoo PC: Yaduanand Prabhu on to becoming the first woman rider in India to finish a Fleche in 2013, podium finish at the Mysore state level race, received the Distance Award from IISC Randonneurs club for 20122013 for cycling a total of 2060.5 Km in 20122013. She even tried her hand at Bangalore’s favourite DH track, Turahalli and set herself a record for being the fastest woman on that track. Her achievements so far were in no manner small. But with the continued support of her family and friends, she started to aim for bigger targets. Not knowing how to swim had always stopped her from enjoying it. But the new found confidence from cycling helped her understand that putting the mind to it is the first step in getting things done. She took up swimming classes, learnt the sport, got good at it and then hit the triathlon scene with her first successful finish at the Hyderabad triathlon in 2014 and then again at the First Mountain Tritahlon NEF Endrure. In her search for new proving grounds, she found the 70.3 Half Ironman in Malaysia, training hard for about 6 months for close to 8 hours a day helped her finish the race. Meera later on formed the first all female triathlete team and entered the Limca book of records. The inspiration of being in a team with other women, helped her realize the magnitude of what she wsa doing. Her efforts then went on to support a fellow lady going through her own battles and crisis. Meera helped boost Sheetal Bamblukar’s self confidence and to gain a sense of achievement by helping her complete a 200kms BRM on a tandem bicycle making them the first Indian women to achieve this and get onto the Limca book of records. Sheetal now is Meera’s accomplice to achieving many more accolades in these sports.
Meera with Indira Ghosh and Pallavi Kukarni
CRANK with ProCycle MAY 15TH, 2016
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During her Limca book record attemt with Sheetal Bambulkar
Meera’s accolades won her a lot of sponsorship and support from various brands and friends. She has been sponsored and employed as a consultant with Trek Firefox, She was sponsored her bicycle by Merida, Nike sponsored her shoes for her running and training, she even bagged equipment sponsorship from Garmin. With all of this going for her, she has never once neglected her family. Her conservative husband has his own manner of supporting her endeavours. He is always concerned about Meera’s safety while she is on one of her events and says to her, “ I will not be able to take care of two girls alone so be safe and come back.” as he understands that is impractical to always accompany or support her. It has taken Harshad some time to get used to idea of his wife being out on a bicycle on the highways that can become dangerous in India. He has previously raised concerns about Meera’s attire too. But her success and continued passion for the sport has earned his trust and support. He has really warmed up to the idea of endurance cycling and expressed relief every time Meers is back from an event by saying, “So now you do not have to go anywhere , at least for few months?”
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Meera with all respect for her responsibility of creating and nurturing her family finds racing her way of being in tune with her individuality and makes it her way of connecting with herself more than disconnecting with everyone else and responds to her husband, “If am alive I will call you, if I am not alive someone else will call you, so relax!” This passion is what has resulted in her achievements and her passion is what drives her to do everything that she does in her life whether racing or raising her children. The fruits of this passion is her Super Randonneuse title and she wears that proudly as a very creative tattoo on her sleeve. She has chalked herself a new milestone which is International Super Randonneur (ISR) where she has to finish rides of 200kms, 300kms, 400kms and 600kms BRM each in four different countries. So far around 86 people in the world have done it and only 6 are women and none of them are Indian. With one SR under her belt already and one of the qualifying rides accomplished in India, Meera is out to secure her second out of the four qualifying rides on the 28th May, 2016 at Surin, Thailand. Such an attempt can become a logistical nightmare
to secure papers, authorizations and plan the itinerary in advance to keep costs low and Meera is willing to put herself through this and more to see it till the end. With her ways of supporting her purpose, she encouraged women to form the first all women triathlete team in India, helped women like Sheetal Bambulkar realize their potential and use endurance sports to help deal with intense personal times and give more to look forward to in life. Meera Velankar and her very adjusted and balanced lifestyle is often admired upon by her peers and other women her age and situation, but seldom does she see these women acting on taking up these additional roles and initiate self satisfaction. Meera would like to spread the message through this article, that women can and should do what they like to and making your mind is the first step towards accomplishing it and moreso to get support for accoomplishing it. The Crank team wishes Dr. Meera Velankar all the best in her International Super Randonneur attempt and wishes she receives all the support she might need for such a task.
Merida Crossway Urban 20
Bike Feature
Merida Crossway Urban 20 aniSh
T
Stiffer frame tubes
o get out and ride out in the city is almost always about commute, but off late it has also turned out into more of a fashion statement. If we can agree that stealth black colouring on commuter bicycles is meant for camouflaging with the concrete, then the subtle undertones of the bright yellow colour on this bicycle here makes it stand out and grab attention. The Crossway Urban series from Merida is their latest 2016 offering of great quality bicycles with a retro themed twist optimising it for city commuting. The original Crossway series of bicycles was designed for versatility across most terrains, tarmac commute and mild trail trekking in mind. The Crossway Urban brings the same versatility to the rider with a tighter focus on commuter. The Crossway bicycles have features like suspension and, adjustable stems to make longer journeys comfortable, while the urban series bikes have rigid fork for reduced weight. Much efficient braking and rider positioning keeping tarmac as the primary riding surface. Perhaps the first thing you notice besides the colour scheme on this bicycle is the fact that it does not have quick releases for the wheels. They are fastened by nuts like our older bicycles or how track bike wheels are bolted down. This is made in an attempt to keep the wheels from being stolen easily in an urban environment.
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Retro striping vinyls
40C White Wall tires
This bicycle is not to be mistaken for a shy kitty. It has an 8 speed Acera, Tektro Auriga hydraulic brakes a very appealing frame and vinyl design to go with it and all at a pretty good pricing of Rs. 37990. Crank gives the Merida Crossway Urban 20 an AHT (Average Head Turning) Factor of 7 out of 10
Shimano Crankset
FRAME CROSSWAY URBAN TFS 6061 Double butted and technoformed aluminium frame with mounts for rack, mudguards. FORK Aluminium rigid fork DERAILLEUR Shimano M191 / Acera-X SHIFTERS Shimano EZ fire BRAKE LEVER attached BRAKES Tektro Auriga HYD disc brakes - 160mm rotors CHAINWHEEL Shimano M131 48-38-28 BBSET Cartridge Bearing CHAIN Chain 8s HUBS Alloy RIM Merida D FREEWHEEL Sunrace CS8 11-32 TIRES Cross 40c
8 Speed Acera 160mm Rotors for the Auriga HYD brakes
Stylish Saddle
Embossed Plate Logo
CRANK with ProCycle MAY 15TH, 2016
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With his Scott Plasma
Young Turk
Nagaraj Harsha Crank Bengaluru Bureau, Image courtesy: Scott Sports India
W
e have been tracking 25 year old Bengaluru boy Nagaraj Harsha and his Randonneuring for some time now. He comes from the corporate world and has many endurance race victories and positions under his belt. Nagaraj got hooked on to Endurance sports in the year 2011. He completed his first triathlon event in the year 2012 at the age of 21. Nagaraj is the 5th place finisher at the Ironman half 70.3 Sri Lanka in the 18-24yrs category and currently has 3 Ironman world championship finishes on his plate. Till date, he has competed in 4 International Triathlons, 1 National triathlon and numerous discipline specific endurance events and has shown great promise during all the events. Nagaraj also holds the “Super Randonneur” title by completing the 200kms, 300kms, 60kms, 400kms and 600km brevets. Following his progress closely, SCOTT Sports India has signed up Pro Athlete Nagaraj Harsha under the SCOTT Sponsored Athlete Program. Armed with
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a list of successes and goals, Nagaraj is the first athlete under this program and will be competing under the SCOTT wing. As a ‘SCOTT Athlete” Nagaraj will be training extensively for triathlons and will be fully exploring his potential in the sport to break new barriers. Till date Nagaraj has achieved exceptional results by serious training and he will continue to vie for the top step of triathlon’s most prestigious podiums. Both SCOTT and Nagaraj are extremely excited about this association! Owing to his association with SCOTT, he will be on the all NEW Plasma 20, which, with its Plasma 4 frame, boasts of extremely aerodynamic characteristics. It features next level adjustability; integration and an option to mount a storage box which can come in handy for the rider to store nutrition. Besides the bike, SCOTT will equip Nagaraj with the Arx Plus helmet, the SCOTT Team bikewear wear line and SYNCROS accessories. Crank congratulates Nagaraj on this milestone and wishes him luck to make the most of this association.
Nagaraj Harsha
Edgy to wear
Shop Talk
Noor LED Jacket aniSh, Images by Noor America
V
isibility is one of the most important thing to urban cyclists. There are multiple solutions to this problem out in the market and we have explored a few of them here already. But when we found out the LED jackets from NOOR America which have over 250 LEDs, turn signals, detachable sleeves, reflective from every direction, phone charging option and 6 pockets we just had to dissect the jacket for our readers. The jacket is made of some seriously high quality making it lightweight and durable. It’s a jacket, so having it waterproof was really important and the material allows that. With all these features, the jacket is bound to be in constant use and can get dirty soon. The jacket is machine washable despite the LED strips and is a delight to own. The jacket has five utility pockets and
Brightness of the Jackets
one more for the battery compartment. The battery can last for up to 12 hours and can also be used to charge your phone while on the go. It is all the things that a regular jacket can be and so much more with the added visibility it offers. The jacket makes you more visible than most car lights will and when the jacket lights are turned off, the reflective strips take over and still keep you visible. But what caught our attention the most is the turn signals option at the back which is controlled via a remote control that can be attached to the bicycle handlebar. The design of the jacket is very edgy and sporty and mostly seems to derive inspiration from motocross jerseys making a cyclist look equally menacing while out on the streets. The Noor America jacket is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to gain crowd funding for mass production.
Boys’ Toys
Custom Race Plus Rs. 1050/With space age advancements in bicycle frame drive train technology, it was time to upgrade the bottle cages too. The Elite Plus looks straight out of a sci-fi movie and amazes you with its incredible design features. The new design streamlines the bottle for easier handling and improves bottle cage insertion and removal. It has a painted with Fibrereinforced (FRP) construction and has an adjustable elastomer rubber shim which is what catches your eye mostly.
Mako and CherryBomb Combo Rs. 2999/Nite Rider offers you this incredibly well thought out combo of front and back LED lights. The Mako head lamp is 150 Lumen and is a great option for those lonely late night rides home. For early morning rides, it also has a low intensity and flash modes. It runs on 2 AA batteries. The CherryBomb as its name suggests is a firecracker of a tail lamp. It has variable intensity modes and also has the best spread visibility to the riders behind you. It even has a selective number of LED’s that can glow in a particular mode, further controlling the spread and throw of the light. It uses 2 AAA batteries and has some good quality weather sealing available in this pricing.
GET OUT & RIDE!
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