Crank with Procycle September 2018

India’s only lifestyle bicycle magazine

Volume 6 Issue 9

KARENG / 2016 / 68421

SEPTEMBER 2018

Rs. 100/-

Navneet Banka Country Manager TREK India

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lusive M e Exc

ar tner aP di

tête-à-tête with TREK Gates of heaven Cycle to Work - A Practical guide My passion my fitness

Official a n

Inside

Cycling Federation of India

InThisIssue IndustryNews tête-à-tête with TREK

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CityTalk Amdavad Racing

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Gates of Heaven — GOH

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Bengaluru Duathlon

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Cycle to Work

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InternationalEvents Ultra Challenging the Odds

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Dusting Trans Am With Elan

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Profiled Profile - Sanjeet Bhawsar

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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 Dr. Meera Velankar Trackside Editor - Triathlon - Deepak Raj Firoza Suresh Contributors Mili Sharma, Pedal Pal, Bharat Pannu Creative and Design N. Chandru Contact editdeskcrank@procycle.in subscribecrank@procycle.in advertisecrank@procycle.in All Rights Reserved By ProCycle and Sports India Pvt. Ltd. Corporate Office and Showroom 1st Main Road, 20, 3rd B Cross Rd, Domlur II, nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560071 Tel: 080 41161902, +91 95380 66695 Website www.procycle.in Follow us on Facebook: @CrankwithProCycle https://www.facebook.com/CrankwithProCycle/ Photo Credits Cover: TREK India Back Cover: Brompton India Printed By Print 2 Last Solutions

I wish you all a very happy Independence Day. We are always happy when global brands show increasing interest in India. Trek, one of the most iconic brands is now here as a fully owned subsidiary. This will make a world of a difference to the industry. We had an opportunity to hear about their plans directly from Mr Navneet Banka Country Manager.

Its our endeavour to bring to you all hues of cycling. In this issue in line with our desire to have more people using a bike for regular commute we bring to you some tips for riding in cities. Hope they help.

Like I said last time as the Indian contingent gets ready for the Asian Games in Indonesia we keep our fingers crossed but are pretty sure we shall see some podium presence.

The endurance and ultra cycling scene is perhaps the most competitively active scene in the country. Largely amateur, it has a large number of people participating from all walks of life. They use this discipline to accomplish daunting physical endurance targets for themselves. It is aspirational for many and we encourage it as it gets more common people on the wheels than other disciplines which are sometimes restricted because of age and ability. Read about two interesting events this issue.

And there is more. Keep reading... and riding ‌ Ciao Vikram K Limsay Managing Editor and Publisher

CoverFeature

tête-à-tête with TREK A chat with Navneet Banka, Country Manager-TREK India Crank recently got an opportunity to chat with the man. Here are the excerpts.

CRANK: Welcome to India Mr. Banka.

How do you see the Indian Market today and over the next five years panning out?

NB: Thank you and it’s a pleasure speaking with you about cycling as a sport and as an industry in India. Trek was the first global cycling brand to enter India, way back in 2006. In 2017, we set-up our India operations as a 100% wholly-owned subsidiary of Trek Bicycle Corporation, USA. The past 12 years have been an amazing journey with more than 27,000 Trek consumers. If you look back at the market in 2006, the entire premium segment was less than 2500 units a year. Very interestingly, if

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you look at the market today, just the superpremium segment is more than 2500 cycles a month. We believe this segment presents an opportunity of USD 25 million which includes bicycles, riding gear, merchandise, parts & accessories.

Our focus is to grow this segment by providing a great buying and ownership experience while promoting the sport of leisure and competitive cycling in India.

Currently, we have 21 retail stores across India and we plan to add 25-30 retail stores across India every year for the next five years.

CRANK: How would TREK be approaching the Indian market? What will be the key focus areas?

NB: Trek’s primary aim is to grow the segment by getting more people on a bicycle and promote cycling as a fun & social way of keeping fit. We are working closely with our retail partners to bring focus on weekend rides, organize competitive events & support budding as well as professional cyclists through various Trek athlete support programs.

CRANK: TREK has been in the country for a few years now. How would things change on the ground with the company coming on its own?

NB: We are now a 100% wholly-owned subsidiary of Trek Bicycle Corporation, USA. Our mission is to build only products we love, provide incredible hospitality to our customers, and get more people on

bikes. We are looking at changing the way the trade of cycling works in the country by providing partners with the latest global products, state of the art enterprise resource planning software for streamlining and easing their business processes. For our consumers, we have introduced our global programs like “Warrantied for Life” on bike frames, “Unconditional Bontrager Warranty” on our riding gear & accessories and a very unique program called the “Helmet Crash Replacement”. You can get more information about each of these programs on our website.

CRANK: What is going to be the product strategy? Is there any specific India line in the pipeline?

NB: Our product strategy is simple - we always listen to our customers and introduce products they want! Currently we have products in all three categories: MTB, Road and Hybrid. We will keep on adding to our existing portfolio and all the products that we have (in India) are listed on our brand website. In addition, we have introduced a comprehensive range of riding gear, merchandise, parts & accessories under our Bontrager brand.

We strongly believe the Indian consumer is knowledgeable, extremely well-traveled and wants global products to be made available in India, thus we do not have any “India specific” line.

CRANK: What are key and driving consumer segments that TREK India will be focusing?

NB: We have all grown up riding bicycles, why focus on any one segment? Trek bicycles are designed for anyone who wants to get back on a bicycle to stay healthy, have fun, contribute to the environment and participate in racing events. Talking about the age group, almost 80% of our consumers are between 25-45 years of age.

CRANK: Trek has been available through the channel. Any changes on the ground?

NB: As I said earlier, Trek has been in India for more than 12 years and we have been looking at India as a subsidiary market for over 3 years now. We are already present in 18 cities via 21 stores! There is a huge focus on improving the service experience by training store technicians on basics like

correctly assembling a bicycle from the box.

In addition, we are looking to tie-up with retail partners who are equally enthusiastic about promoting the sport & providing a great buying & ownership experience.

CRANK: what can the customer and the market expect going forward from TREK? NB: We are committed to bringing our global products to India, including our Bontrager range of riding gear, merchandise, parts & accessories, providing a great buying experience via well trained sales & service consultants at our stores, bringing our world class warranty programs, and creating a great ownership experience through frequent rides & events around cycling.

CRANK: It’s a price sensitive market.

Can we look at an attractive price?

NB: We believe the consumer in this segment values global products, innovative technology and a great buying & ownership experience, rather than just the price. Trek range in India today starts at INR 25,600 which we believe is a great price point for

anyone wanting to ride a TREK! CRANK: What will be your key marketing thrusts and plans NB: We want to grow the sport of cycling and focus on building the community.

Recently, we signed up with Kiran Kumar Raju, who is India’s No. Cross Country Mountain biker. Also, we have collaborated with Bajaj finance to make bicycles more accessible via a ZERO Down and a NO-Cost EMI scheme available at all our retail stores. Further, we would love to collaborate with more pro-riders and racing events in India.

CRANK: Thank you sir. And as we wrap up, whats your. Ride?

NB : I ride a Trek FX Sport 5, which is a hybrid with TREK patented OCLV Carbon frame, Hydraulic Disc Brakes for awesome all-weather stopping power and IsoSpeed which keeps me energetic in long rides. It offers the best-of-both-worlds combination - road bike speed and city bike comfort.

From fitness and commuting to errands and doing long distance endurance rides, the FX Sport 5 is an apt bike for me!

Profile - Navneet Banka Navneet Banka, Country Manager of Trek Bicycle India is spearheading the Indian operations for the billion dollar, US headquartered, Trek Bicycle Corporation. With a sharp focus on expanding the premium recreational bicycle segment in India, Navneet has been on-board since inception and is entrusted with building the foundation and the future roadmap of the Indian subsidiary. Significantly enhancing the purchase and ownership experience of the customer is a vital area of operation for the organisation and Navneet is putting together a team of passionate individuals to lead key functions for Trek India. Additionally, the essential tasks of sales, marketing, supply chain and dealer network, all come within his purview.

Navneet brings with him more than 15 years of experience of having worked at leading global automobile & lifestyle brands. Prior to being at the helm of affairs at Trek India, Navneet spent more than seven years at Harley-Davidson Motor Company as a core member of the team that led the market entry of the brand into India. He actively drove Harley-Davidson’s performance in India, including sales of motorcycles, merchandise, parts & accessories, after sales service and customer experience. He was instrumental in establishing the company’s leadership position in the Indian luxury & lifestyle motorcycle segment and was credited with building the largest dealer network across 26 cities in India. Prior to that, Navneet was associated with Mercedes-Benz India where he was incharge of the Northern & Eastern regions of India from a dealer and sales standpoint and was responsible for the training and development of sales personnel across dealerships in pan India.

A Mechanical Engineer with a Master’s degree from the University of Akron, Ohio, Navneet is a passionate & adept leader with proficiency in building businesses & driving complex projects right from the incubation stage.

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CityTalk

Amdavad Racing

Changing the competitive landscape

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mdavad Crankmeisters Amateur Race Series 2018 is in the middle of an exciting series in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat this year. It all started in 2015 when eight like-minded athletes got together to further their ambitions of making their mark in races across world.

Their execution is in alignment with the vision of creating worldclass experiences. They have the network all across India to ensure huge participation from the sporting community. Most importantly, they have always delivered results.

With the evolving love for the sport of cycling and triathlon all over the country, the AC Amateur Race Series was introduced in following categories — 1. International Triathlon Championship (ITC) —

flagship event (February) 2. Amateur Road Cycling race series (March, May,

August, December) 3. King of the Road — ITT format race (July) The season began with ITC 2018 held on 18th February with national as well as international-level participation for Half-Iron distance (1.9K Swim, 90K Bike, 21K Run) and Olympic distance (1.5K Swim, 40K Bike and 10K Run) in Solo and Team categories.

The event also had Sprint distance triathlon (750m Swim, 20K Bike and 5K Run) in Solo.

Being the first Half-Iron distance triathlon in Gujarat, the event was a success with participants providing a very positive feedback about the professional way the event was conducted, finisher goodies and incredible race experience at one of the best roads at the event venue Gandhinagar.

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AC Amateur Race series focuses mainly on building up the competitive cycling spirit in the city and boosting participation right across from MTB, Hybrid and Road bike riders in 50K and 100K categories.

The first race was held on 18th March in Gandhinagar where the participation for both 100K (Road bike only) and 50K (Hybrid/ MTB) categories was more than 100+ and the participants were left in awe with the kind of smooth tarmac offered for the race and competition that was involved across many states.

Right from hydration support, route technical support, breakfast and finisher medals, there were cash prizes for top podium finishers sponsored by Revolution Bike Store, Ahmedabad dealing in premium bikes.

It was first-of-its-kind event where both MTB/Hybrid and Road bike riders were involved in a single event due to which many beginners could participate and upgrade their levels of cycling.

Major General Shri Anil Puri and Smt. Sonya Puri were the chief guests as well as participants in Hybrid-50K category and they finished at podium positions in their age category.

The Second AC Amateur Race was held on 13th May. Owing to the heat and the humidity in Ahmedabad, the participation was lesser than the first event but outstation participation was found to be more — which was an impact from ITC 2018 and then first AC Amateur race owing to positive word of mouth and event management skills.

made sure the challenging route was conquered on race day.

Podium finishers were handed cash prizes and finishers shields were provided to all the finishers.

Upcoming races from the Amateur series includes the 3rd edition of the race on 12th August, where only 100K and 50K categories are available for participation in any bike (Road, MTB, Hybrid) for boosting participation for even small-distance cyclists. AC Racing calendar also includes Tour of Gujarat (3-day cycling tour across the state of Gujarat. Tentative date — Oct/Nov) and ending with AC Amateur Race 4 to be held in December.

Not to forget, Team AC has a strong volunteers base — motivated athletes who have the same vision as the team, backing up all of the events and making sure the events are conducted flawlessly.

This vision of introducing a structured racing calendar in the city is not only making people participate more in competitive races but also encouraging people take up a healthy lifestyle and inspire others to do so. They hope to make the difference and as their saying goes, Train Hard and Race Harder!!

(Upcoming events and registrations can be done on Team AC website www.team-ac.in)

The second race also followed the same 100K Road bike category and 50K MTB/Hybrid category and we would see many beginners from the last race, had participated in this edition and inspired to be regular riders to up their game.

King of the Road — 34K Individual Time Trial — on 15th July during monsoon had 40-plus participants across all India and the participation ranged from national-level time-trialists up to amateurlevel riders. A wet day but all-out efforts from the blazing fast riders

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Gates of Heaven - GOH

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Why it is called “Gates of Heaven”? s rightly said by endurance cyclists, riding a bike not only brings out perseverance, enthusiasm and the urge to experience the best of the nature, but it also trains one to be disciplined and courage to overcome all the fears. The GOH is a 1200km BRM run by Bangalore Randonneurs in association with the Audax India Randonneurs and the Les Randonneurs Mondiaux. The event takes cyclists on a roller coaster ride across the three southern states i.e. Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Kerala, cutting through the exquisite countryside, climbs on the colossal hills of Yeracaud, Nilgiris, Wayanad, Coorg, Sakleshpur, Chickmagaluru. These are some winding and deadly rolling terrain with an overall elevation gain of 13,000+ meters.

Route:

The GOH is designed in such a way that the Indian riders get the feel of international events like PBP or LEL in India and to prepare them for such events abroad. The terrain is a mix of highways, lonely countryside narrow roads, forest reserve, hilly rolling terrain, which not just tests the riders’ physical strength, but also their capabilities on sleep and time management at Check Posts (CP), their navigational skills, food and hydration planning and how they cope up with extreme weather along the route. The organizers had signed up only elite ultra-endurance cyclists and the demand

Bangalore – Hosur – Krishnagiri – Dharmapuri – Salem – Yeracud – Salem – Bhavani – Avinashi – Annur – Mettupalayam – Kothagiri – Ooty – Gudalur – Pandalur – Meppadi – Kalpetta – Panamaram – Beenachi – Kalpetta – Panamaram – Mannthavady – Kattikkulam – Tholepetty – Kutta – Srimangala – Gonikoppa – Pollibetta – Siddapura – Suntikoppa – Madapur – Somwarpet – Kothi – Hethur – Anemahal – Hanbal – Mudigere – Vastare – Chickmagaluru – Belur – Hassan – Channarayapatna – Kunigal – Nelamangla – Bangalore.

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to participate in the event was so huge that they had to put up pre-qualifiers to ride GOH. There were 42 participants from across the country (Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Calicut, Cochin, Baroda). Except for the start and finish points, the organizers had set 10 CPs along the 1200km stretch at a distance of every 100-130kms. Arrangements for shower, bed, food and rest were made for riders at 600km (Kalpetta) and at 882km (Sakleshpur). At strategic locations on the hills climbs of Yeracud and Ooty arrangements for snack, food and hydration was also planned to help the riders get the right amount of fuel and energy to spin on the hills.

Stats: 3 States: 2 Major Hill Climbs: 1200km: 13000mts elevation: 90hrs Time: 42 Riders: 1 Female Rider: 12 Control Points.

GOH – SQUAD (Support Team) Bangalore Randonneurs (Mohan, Harish, Jins, Satish) & Coimbatore Cycling (Chakra, Velu, Anand)

Ride Summary The ride was flagged off from Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore, on 14th July at 6am. Tailwinds and cloudy weather made the first 200km easy for all the riders and they all finished the first hill climb of Yeracud and reached the Avinashi CP (360km) well in time. Most of them rested there since the next day they had to face the climbs and rolling terrain. The challenge was to climb Ooty via Kothagiri and continuous climb of 30km and thereafter 20km rolling terrain to Ooty. The main attraction of the Day 2 was the weather. It started to rain heavily with heavy winds on the climbs from Kothagiri to Ooty where riders had a tough time and only 23 could make it within the cut off time. As they paddled towards Kalpetta, Kerala, they were greeted with heavy rains, landslides and cold on the descent from Ooty to Gudalur. After crossing the forest reserve late in the evening battling the rains and having a tough time, only 11 riders could make it to Kalpetta CP (600km) on time, whereas rest either quit, or

decided not to continue due to the harsh weather conditions.

After dinner they had to complete a loop of 60kms in Kerala, which riders took up immediately and planned to rest once completed.

Since it was dark and raining, all the riders left in 2 different groups, but unfortunately one rider missed the route and landed in a forest checkpost where he was not allowed to continue to ride in the middle of the night. On the Day 3 after a good amount of rest, all the 10 riders started early in the morning and entered into Coorg crossing the Tholipetty forest reserve on the border. All the riders made it to the next control point at Gonikoppa with few minutes to spare. The real challenge was the next 122km to Sakleshpur since it was highly rolling terrain, navigation was challenging and rain made it all even tougher. The challenge of the Day 3 was the 50km ride from Somwarpet to Sakleshpur, which is a lonely narrow road, there were heavy winds and being late evening it was pitch dark as there was no electricity. Eight riders fought through all the challenges and reached Sakleshpur 882km late in the night.

Thereafter 2 riders - Monish from Bangalore and Dilip from Mumbai - decided to continue in the rains in middle of the night and rode in the rain passing by Chickmagaluru, Hassan. The Day 4 was easy since it was mostly tailwinds and back on the 4-lane highway both the riders finished at the Kanteerva Stadium, Bangalore, within the allotted cut off time - 90hrs. A huge crowd of cyclists was waiting at the finish point to welcome the ‘Heroes’ of the GOH-2018.

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also provided an opportunity to enjoy the countryside and meet a whole lot of fellow cyclists.

Monish Calappa Personal Info: Like any other working professional, Monish Calappa, 37-year-old Bangalorean, had also gone through the grinding of working in MNCs after he completed his studies.

However, he soon realized that his daily routine was only to spend long hours at work, which resulted in there being no time for anything else. He was gaining weight and needed to add some physical activity into his daily routine. That is when he took up cycling so that he could exercise while commuting to and from the work.

Bikes: In July 2014, he bought Merida Mats 10 D (MTB), from where his cycling journey started. After a year on the MTB, he bought a road bike in February 2016 - the Btwin Triban 300 - and then sold it and purchased the Trek 1.5 Alpha in July 2017. The Merida and the Trek are the cycles he current has.

Touring: He loves to travel and finds that the cycle is an ideal means of travel as one gets to enjoy the route rather than just the destination. One gets to see the route in more detail than while just whizzing past them in a vehicle. His cycle touring started with a ride to Goa after 6 months of buying a cycle and since then there has been no looking back. Since then, he had made trips to Kodagu, Mysore, KodaikanalMunnar, Dandeli-Goa, Chennai-Puducherry, Hampi-Badami-Bijapur and HogenakalYercaud. His trips have ranged between 2 and 9 days and most have been executed with his friend Rajkumar Khot, an avid cyclist and an expert in cycle touring.

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Brevets: It was not long before he also got smitten by the long distance cycling bug. While surfing the Internet, Monish came across the Audax India Randonneurs website and registered for a 200km Mandya Brevet, held in March 2016. Then he completed one SR series in 2015-16, two SR series in 2016-17 and two in the current 2017-18 brevet season. The 2017-18 season is the one, during which he has ridden his first 1,000km and 1,200km rides.

Other Events: 1. Mysore Kadur Hiriyur, 600km - Bangalore Randonneurs; 2. Twin Hills, twice 600km - Bangalore Randonneurs; 3. Kittur Express 1,000km - Bangalore Randonneurs; 4. Sir Arthur Cotton Ride, 1,000k, Hyderabad Randonneurs; 5. Palace on Wheels, 600km - Mangalore Randonneurs; 6. Anchetty, 200km - Bangalore Randonneurs; 7. Dhanushkodi, 600km - Trichy Randonneurs; 8. Gates of Heaven, 1,200km - Bangalore Randonneurs.

Why GOH? Monish says that to participate in the Gates of Heaven 1200km Brevet was the natural progression in terms of distance after having finished the 1,000km brevet.

He added that apart from the distance, the GOH also had the distinction of being a difficult ride passing through 3 states, forests and interior roads, which according to him was pure joy. He said that the GOH

GOH Preparations Monish resumed specific practice about 45 days before the event in June. His idea was to go for long rides, which would mirror the GOH brevet. The rides were executed with the emphasis on being on the saddle for over 24 hours and preferably in the rolling terrain. However, he did not start very well as he crashed on the first ride in June (Anchetty - Hogenakal), fortunately he was able to ride without losing time on recovery.

Anchetty 200km BRM in 2nd week of June gave the confidence that he could ride in rolling terrain at a fairly decent speed. The subsequent week, the plan was to ride over 24 hours to get the body fatigued and then attempt climbing. He tried it by cycling on the Hassan route, however, he was not able to climb Nandi Hills. Now there were just 3 weeks remaining to the GOH, out of which he had only one spare weekend to train, since he had planned to ride the Dhanushkodi 600km BRM and the weekend before the ride was a rest weekend. He made maximum use of the weekend and did the Yercaud - Pollachi - Coonoor ride. In spite of having ridden 6,700km in 2018, of which 2,300km being ridden just in the month of June, he still felt under prepared while going for the GOH event.

Nutrition Monish was dependent on local food for his nutrition needs. What works for him as energy boosters is a soda based drink and he drinks Pepsi/Coca Cola on long rides, especially during climbs to get him to the top of the climb. Other than this, he keeps a few candies handy to get through to the nearest food stop available. He started cycling with Enerzal, however, over the course of a long ride it did not work for him.

He finished the GOH in a total time of 86 hours and 40 minutes, out of which the total ride time was 65 hours and 19 minutes and the total rest time was 21 hours and 21 minutes. Monish said that out of the total rest time, he had spent just about 5 hours sleeping or taking power naps and the remaining 16 hours were spent on the food and refreshment stops.

Bengaluru Duathlon Maiden cycling event on NICE Corridor

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he first-ever cycling event on the NICE Corridor in Bengaluru was successfully organised by Life is Calling Sports in the form of Duathlon — now in its fifth year.

The overwhelming response to the city’s premium Duathlon event on June 24 — in which about 1,000 participants signed up from across the country — surprised many but not Life is Calling Sports officials, who are the pioneers in sports management and endurance events.

This Duathlon provides a platform for athletes to challenge their endurance limits by running and cycling on a rolling course and negotiating both headwind and tailwind.

For Duathlon, participants ran 3 km, cycled 17 km and again ran 3 km in individual and team of two categories. Other segments were 12.5 km run, 7.5 km run, 34 km cycling and 17 km cycling. All the events were clocked using timing chips.

Race director Sunil PV planned the race with proper focus on safety and technical support. Exclusive course was planned for both cycling and running

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stretches which were traffic-free till the last participant finished the race. The well-planned aid stations, medical support and course marshals with motorcycles first responders were stationed to ensure a safe event for the participants. Participants were informed about the dos and don’ts at the beginning of the race and also reminded to ride safe and consider safety of fellow participants.

Both men and women gave their best in the individual and team categories to reach the finishing line in style.

Many were first-time participants in Duathlon and were trained with League of My Own Run Club (www.leagueofmyown.in) who was the training partner of the event. The fitness services group trained participants for general fitness, running and duathlon. Run Club provides training in Bannerghatta Road, Vijayanagar, GKVK campus, HSR Layout, Mysuru and Kanakapura Road.

Run Club regularly organizes LSD runs, yoga, cycling and other programme-specific training in a scheduled scientific manner so that participants can achieve their event goals. They also organise speaking session with experts and accomplished athletes and coaches to share knowledge and best practices.

next level but in a gradual manner. The 12.5 km run was organised to provide as a step-up for all the 10 km runners to move towards half-marathon progression.

The organisers hoped that after this first-ever cycling event on the NICE Corridor, cyclists and runners will have unmatched riding and running experience on this stretch. “The event also encouraged team building with an informal sports backdrop. We strongly believe that professional skills acquired at the workplace will come handy while taking on the challenges of this event and participants exhibiting technical finesse, team work and precise execution were winners,� an event official said.

The organisers also thanked KSRP Additional Director General of Police Mr Bhaskar Rao for supporting the event. Many participants from the reserve police force were nominated to participate by ADGP Rao to ensure they stay fit and also provide an exposure into running and cycling events.

Top three finishers in Duathlon, 34 km cycling and 12.5 km run received trophies and certificates.

Life is Calling Sports carefully plans their events to provide unconventional distances for runners to challenge their limits to the

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Commute

Cycling to Work A Practical Guide

By Firoza Suresh

always accurate, but it gives you a good idea whether or not you need to ride along with your rain gear.

C

ommuting to work back & forth each day either by car/ two wheeler/ public transport could a daunting task in most Metro Cities of India. Adding to the chaos, the Metro construction work, barricades, illegal parking, encroachments, filth, open drain grate & potholes. (Metro - attached pics) The joke doing the rounds on social media, who needs to go to the moon to see the craters, our roads give us enough first hand experience. (pothole - attached pics) With these ground realities there are many who brave these conditions & prefer to Cycle2Work. The quick & best solution to commute is to hop on a cycle. It is practical, liberating, and a great way to integrate fresh air and exercise into your daily routine.

It allows you to arrive at work energized and ready for the day, and is not nearly as challenging as you might think. It’s a small choice that’s part of a much bigger movement towards a cleaner, healthier planet and happier, more connected communities. And the best part? It’s really fun.

In reality, is cycling to work really practical?

Here are few of my observations for those who have the intentions but feel it intimidating to share the road with unruly motorists & two wheelers. And to add lack of proper roads, parking & shower facilities at office premises.

So before you wheel your way to the office, however, take a look at these basic dos and do nots of commuting by a cycle.

DO wear a helmet. Safety first.

DO check the weather forecast. It’s not

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DO carry a Road ID. Include your name, blood group and an emergency contact number.

Your number one concern is to be as visible as you can to cars, especially if you will be commuting at dawn or dusk. So, that means investing in some lights and reflectors for both you and your bike.

DO pack the appropriate gear - clothes for the work day, nutrition and fluids. What about your laptop? Plan ahead and leave it at work the day before if you ride in the morning. Last thing you will want to do is turn around and ride home to get what you forgot, and then drive back to work.

DO NOT pack the wrong gear. Jeans instead of dockers? Forgot your work shoes and have to wear tennis shoes to the office?

Plan ahead.

DO pick a safe bike route away from busy roads.

DO make sure you have someplace to clean up, incase your office doesn’t have a shower facility.

DO treat this like a training ride. Make sure you have your lights, nutrition and spare tubes with you.

DO NOT think that because you are “just” riding to work it’s no big deal. Riding on the roads with cars is always dangerous. You still have to keep your head on a swivel.

Practice your riding skills at a cycling event.

Do investment in a MASK, as you’ll be spending more time on the road, without the cover of a car. This depends on how polluted the streets you use.

Climbing up a flyover will consume considerable energy, but you won’t be able to speed down the flyover, to leverage momentum, due to traffic.

Not practical under hot sun. Rider should plan to leave early morning and return after sun sets Riding night time, while it is raining etc add up to complexities and demand even greater alertness as other drivers may not notice the cycle till they come close.

Your brand new and reliable cycle will not remain brand new and reliable always.

It does command some attention, with respect to maintenance. If not, you might have to face problems like low tyre pressures, weak brakes, chains coming off etc, inconvenience caused from which can spoil your mood/day Not ideal if you don’t have a fixed commuting plan (For example: Sales people who’ll have to travel to different parts of the city)

Few other things, while deciding to cycle to work, primary factor will be the distance.

If your work place is less than 5kms away, cycling won’t be much of a trouble. If it is 5-10kms, it’s still possible. When the office is more than 10kms away, it depends largely on your stamina to cycle, will power and patience to spend adequate time cycling all the away. Cycling may not be practical if the distance is more than 20kms.

Be alert & kindly refrain the use of ear phones will cycling in busy streets.

Be friendly, wave or greet co-cyclists, road side vendors, city cops as you would frequent the same route & might require them in case of any untoward incident.

Lastly, now that you have the know-how and still reluctant then reach out to your respective Cycling clubs or Community or Facebook - projectcycle2work who could

assist you initially to get used to riding, till you gain confidence to ride in peak hour traffic.

Despite rain, wind, pollution, lugging kit around with you, the humidity, no parking, no shower facility at work, struggling to get yourself out of bed that bit earlier, cycling in still wins hands down over a packed train commute. It keeps you fit, saves you money, saves the environment and avoids the early-morning stress of competing with your fellow travellers for a tiny portion of space on a hideously overpacked carriage.

It also improves your mood and helps you sleep better. And even when your journey is of poorly roads followed by busy roads there are moments of pure pleasure to be had at the sensation of freedom and speed produced under your own power.

So get that freedom machine & explore your city like never before :)

CRANK with ProCycle SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2018

17

InternationalEvents

Ultra Challenging the Odds

By Bharat Pannu

(Bharat, an ultra cyclist, finished Race Around Austria in 2017 as first team of two from India, apart from completing numerous endurance races. He also aims to finish RAAM as a solo racer.)

I

t all started in the first week of April 2018, when I became part of Team Sea To See, which was a 4-person (under 50) mixed team on tandem bikes participating in RAAM-2018. Team Sea to See was the dream of Dan Berlin and Jack Chen for finishing Race Across America (RAAM) as the first all visually Impaired (VI) cycling team. It has an ultimate goal of empowering others in the blind community and changing society’s perceptions of the blind. There is a 70% unemployment rate among the blind, and unfortunately, this statistic does not change very much when you only consider collegeeducated blind persons. Now, after having met a lawyer working for Google, a CEO, a federal prosecutor and a marketing/social media guru – all of whom just happen to be blind (riders of the Team) - obviously that statistic grossly misrepresents the capabilities of blind persons who want to enter the workforce. The team had four pairs of pilots and stokers — Caroline Gaynor and Jack Chen, Pamela Ferguson and Tina Ament, Chris Howard and Kyle Coon, and Charles Scott and Dan Berlin. There were three female members and five male members in the team.

The first training camp of the team took place in Arizona in January 2018. The aim of the training camp was to simulate 24 hours of our race conditions so the crew and riders could experience what the exchanges would look like and how it all worked. The second training camp took place at Grand Junction, Colorado, in April 2018.

On June 11, I reached Oceanside, the start point of RAAM, where I met all the team members as they arrived. It took no time to gel with them although I was the only foreigner in the otherwise allUS team and crew. Most members of the team stayed in Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, where we had to prepare the tandem bicycles — of various brands like Cannondale, Co-Motion, Calfee,

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Hawthorne, Seven and Granite — and vehicles.

Also, all bikes were 11 speed — four with Shimano Di2 (Ultegra), two with Shimano Ultegra (Mechanical version) and two others with SRAM Red eTab components.

On June 14 evening, Blind Stokers Club of Oceanside welcomed us with open arms and gave us a chance to speak about what motivated the team to want to do the 3,000-mile race. At 12 noon on June 16, Team Sea To See started the race after dipping our bicycles in the Pacific for good luck.

Our strategy was simple: four pairs of riders were divided in two sets; each set would take 4-6 hour pull while the other set would rest. With each pair of rider doing anywhere from 4-10 miles depending on the terrain, sleep deprivation or muscle fatigue, etc.

At any given time, a tandem bicycle was on the course with a follow van and a shuttle van. Often, a command van was also deployed for emergencies. On top of the vans leapfrogging, the two RVs (one of which towed the mechanics trailer) were leapfrogging the resting riders. We followed fire-drills, which are the times when all of the crew in vans gets exchanged. Fire drills are definitely a well-choreographed logistics dance, given that everyone changes

TEAM SEA TO SEE has been awarded Lee Mitchell Cup for having the best crew out there in RAAM 2018.

Lee Mitchell Cup is presented to the best crew in RAAM. Parameters for winning it are - No penalties - Positive feedback from RAAM headquarters and RAAM staff enroute. roles and vehicles while the racing never stops. We followed the RAAM rules (all 46 pages of them), got used to the vehicles, lighting systems, navigating ourselves and racers, and troubleshooting.

My role was of primarily van driver either in shuttle or follow role and my days were driving for 12-14 hours in each shift. Each van had a driver and navigator. We always had spare bikes in the vans, food, ice, radio sets and plenty of laughter! The vans were equipped with radios so we were in constant communication with each other (as long as we were in range). After my shift was done, a quick meal, bathroom break, then sleeping for eight hours and balance of the time interacting with other crew members. There were four sets of driver-navigators and I have to say we had a solid easy-going relationship out on the road. My navigator was Sheila Stevans. We worked extremely well together — Sheila had local knowledge of the route and knew what the riders would need. We definitely got a lot of practice pulling tandems in and out of the back of cargo vans!

We were always quick on our feet and laughed until we cried.

There were always six of us in three vans (driving and navigating) and four cyclists out on the road (two waiting and two actively cycling) while the remaining team was stationed in the RVs — either sleeping or driving. Every nook and cranny of the RV was taken over by either luggage, water bottles, snacks or tired bodies. The RVs took local roads and highways. If you are okay with tight sleeping/ living quarters, minimal showers (I took three showers during the entire seven-day trip), hanging with stranger-turned-friends, then this was definitely the adventure for you!

The blind / VI riders were confident and always positive in view of the typical challenges in front of them, still crewing for blind riders was different in many ways. They were required to be escorted

paramount importance and follow vehicle was responsible to ensure this. At an instance, while crossing a rail road crossing in Kansas on Day 4, Chris Howard and Kyle Coon had a bad fall resulting into some minor superficial injuries and acute pain in right elbow of Kyle Coon. Despite the pain, both the riders resumed the race but after the finish of the race, Kyle was diagnosed with radial head fracture in the right elbow. Kudos to the spirit of the cyclists who achieve the target despite all odds.

We obviously encountered some hiccups along the way but fate always seemed to be on our side. At an unknown place, chains of two of our bikes snapped and as we were figuring out what to do, we drove slowly passed a bicycle repair shop whose owner directed us where to get chain replacements! Also, due to the amazing preparedness of our food managers, we never went hungry. Our vehicles got stuck twice and, on both occasions, — once in mud and the other soft sand — we were able to get out in a reasonable amount of time. Fans who tracked us online seemed to always make an appearance whenever we needed our spirits to be lifted the most. Weather, for the most part, was on our side but we did face some nasty ones, including flash flood, lightning bursts and insane hailstorm. A large hail even broke our van window! Thankfully, Dan Berlin was wearing a helmet in the van for protection!!

For all the crazy lows, there were so many positive memories. We all came together for a common goal, giving up weeks of our life, left our families at home while most of us had never met before, sacrificed hygiene, and all these to support eight cyclists to make history! At 6.21 am on June 24, we became the first-ever VI team to cycle across the US. The common theme to this adventure and word I keep coming back to is — gratitude. We made history in becoming the first ever VI team to participate and finish in RAAM. We raised awareness for a community with a 70 per cent joblessness rate but most importantly we treated each other with kindness and encouragement. We left Annapolis with more friendships, permanent smiles, giddiness to tell the world what we had done, and an increased kindness for humanity and each other.

The numbers: 2 RVs; 3 Passenger vans; 28 crew members; 3 RV nutrition managers; 4 blind stoker cyclists; 4 sighted pilot cyclists; 11 film crew with a van and a RV; 3069 miles raced in 7 days 15 hours and 3 minutes; 16.77 mph average speed (includes stops); 19.1 mph average moving speed; 54 Time Stations where we zeroed out our odometers to stay on track with the preprinted RAAM directions; 12 states — California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland; 1st place in our division of tandem cyclists.

for all transitions. A routine update of the surroundings was done to keep them in an upbeat mood. Safety of the stoker was of

CRANK with ProCycle SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2018

19

Dusting Trans Am With Elan By: Pedal Pal

I

t is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them — Ernest Hemingway. In a social media post on June 20, 2018, Nishanth Iyengar of Bengaluru writes, “A few years ago on this day, I had decided to go out on a bike ride across the world. I didn’t have any money or even know how it would happen. The date was something I had just set. A random date. Today, as I sit on a bench with a cup of coffee and a rollie outside Yellowstone National Park, it feels strangely satisfying.”

Nishanth is no Hemingway but the thoughts remain same albeit decades apart but in the same country. At 32, Nishanth could have focused on career, family or even his puppies at home. But he chose bicycle, that too a challenge not many would have dared to — finishing Trans Am Bike Race. The name is telltale — racing on a bicycle across America, from Astoria on the west coast to Yorktown on the east. The rider has to cover 6,920 km across 10 states — Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.

But what made him to take this arduous ride? “I always wanted to ride coast to coast on a motorcycle across the US. When I started riding my bike, I figured if I could ride the motorcycle then I can do it very much on the bicycle!

Blame it on my laziness or what, I never figured out a good route till I bumped into Trans Am, which helped me set up the route etc. Also, every race/ride insisted that I wear a helmet all the time and this one didn’t. That is another reason for me to choose this — the freedom of wearing a cap sometimes,” says Nishanth, who have been doing

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long rides in India for a while. His memorable inter-city rides include one from Bengaluru to Chennai and the other from Delhi to Indore.

To finish such a long ride, one needs meticulous planning. Nishanth is not an exception. The most important is the bike. He chose his good old horse — Surly Long Haul Trucker (LHT), which he bought from a fellow rider some five years ago. “On long rides, this one is extremely comfortable and anyone can fix it given the easily weldable steel frame. I changed tyres at the start of the race with Schwalbe Marathon for the back and Specialized Nimbus in the front. I had to customised a frame bag for essentials. Also, set up the hub dynamo with a phone charger. The bike had no other fittings apart form a phone holder. I carried a tent, sleeping bag, insulated sleeping pad, an additional ground sheet and a sleeping bag liner. I also had a compression bag with me to carry food.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take the stove with me since I packed up everything in the last minute,” charts out Nishanth about the pre-race paraphernalia. “I was so fortunate that on the 6,500-plus kilometres, I did not have to face any problem regarding the bike.

The LHT killed it. I had a super worn-out crank and cassette, and was thinking of changing that before the race but finally did not. It worked really well during the race without letting me down ever.”

Nishanth, the way he planned, had a lovely touring on an uncharted course. Although he had a tent and sleeping bag, he did not even know where to pitch the tent till finding a park or a post office or even a church for the night. “Even I did not have any nutrition plan as such. I used to eat anything that I could find. For me, it was more of touring and knowing people and places than a race,” recalls Nishanth, who also celebrated his birthday on the road. “On the 49th day of the race, my birthday, I met a Gujarati gentleman managing a gas station while I was riding from Mackville, KY, to Sandgap, KY. Finding a fellow Indian biking on the road, he gave me his lunch; and, yummy it was — homemade food after so long!”

The scenic route with mesmerising hills, blue sky and occasional showers — what better could Nishanth ask for during his 56-day ride across the country roads. He reminisces, “Another memorable ride was in Afton, VA, where I reached in the middle of the night

with dense fog blanketing the street. A dot watcher drove up to see me with grapes — undoubtedly the world’s best grapes from the best of vineyard in Virginia. People I met on the route have always been extremely friendly and kind. Sometimes, I walked into someone’s house or farm by accident and they extended greetings with a cup of coffee. Was offered water on really hot days, while I took cover under a tree to escape the heat. Wherever I went, I was literally showered with love in the form of coffee! Two other incidents will be etched in my memory — watching the Old Faithful geyser erupt at Yellowstone National Park and 4th July (US Independence Day) celebrations in Sterling, KS.” A bicycle ride in the US, especially crossing so many national parks, can never be lonely without spotting wildlife. “I saw a couple of bears, deer and moose but none of these ran after me. I cycled till about midnight a couple of times and not beyond that. I used to put on a reflective jacket during night; however, I preferred riding during daytime. In terms of weather, hailstorm hit all of us on the second day while it was quite cold till Pueblo, CO, and then it warmed up.

Layers and a jacket used to keep me warm during chilly rides,” adds Nishanth, who incidentally spent the least on accommodation — only $50 in the entire trip while food, spares, clothing, tent and sleeping bag cost $1,800 apart from $800 for flight tickets.

About the motivation part, Nishanth feels strangers on the road rooting for him were his main force to finish strong apart from mental strength that every other long-distance cyclist has.

“Somewhere during the halfway point, someone told me about the 1781 Siege of Yorktown in which the British army lost. What an interesting and historical place to finish the ride! If someone likes riding a bike for extended periods of time and like history, then this is an excellent ride. It’s a little tough but the ambience changes every day!” Nishanth exclaims in jubilation. “Next, I would love to ride the length of Europe at some point and the Indian Pacific Wheel Race (IPWR) in Australia. The IPWR is on the list since one can really ride in absolute isolation for 1,500 km in the Nullarbor Plains as hardly anyone stays there!”

CRANK with ProCycle SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2018

21

Profiled

My passion my fitness

By Sanjeet Bhawsar

H

ow many kilograms have you lost while chasing your passion? If I’m asked this, I’d say 25. Yes, to me it’s a huge change that cycling brought in my life in the past four years.

After my bariatric surgery in 2014, I took up cycling as suggested by my surgeon, who helped me cut 55 kg. But even at 120 kg, I kept a challenge for myself — reduce another 30 to stay fit. I’m doing just this by pedalling 30 and odd kilometres every day in my town of Vyara, which is the district headquarters of Tapi in Gujarat.

In my profession of business in mobile and telecommunication, I otherwise get very little time but cycling has changed my lifestyle.

I’ve been an avid superbike enthusiast but along the Harley Davidson and Ducati, my garage now has space of Scott Aspect 740, Scott Speedster 40, Scott Spark 750, Scott Addict 10, Fuji Origami 1.1, Bottecchia Dolce Vita and Brompton — my prized possessions.

From road bikes to MTB to folding to hybrid to even vintage one — I have everything and I use those according to my mood and road condition where I am cycling. I never race nor compare with others. I love pedalling and I ride for my health and enjoy life and nature’s beautiful landscape. These days, fresh air, greenery and scenic roads have turned out my best friends. Cycling also helped me nurture my other hobby of photography — that I inherited from my father — as I get more space and time to explore the beautiful world.

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