On your marks...

Nosh Mistry continues his exploits at the velodrome

in the category Positioning in th e race , tactics and cl1e final sprint determine die winner Th.is is not a timed event eirner. However the average speed ove r the 10 km was about 55 kmp h, so it was still a 9uick race, he noted.

Indian Au stralian cycli ng ac e Nosh "Mistry has won a bronze medal at tbe2012 Cycling Australia Masters National C hamp ion ships

T he p restigious annual event was h eld at the Dunc Gray Velo d rom e in Banksrown recencly.

Representing the St George Cycling Club in cl1e Masters 2 age category (35-39 yrs), Jvlistry competed in the 3000m Individual Pursuit as weUas 10 km Scratc h Race, winning bronze for th e former

The CA Nation a ls are cl1e highlight of cl1e Masters raci ng calendar in Australia and will be followed up by Masters World Champio n ships at Manch ester in October.

" l t feels good to have reached a level where I am able to compete with peers of very high calibre in a very intensive sp ort", Mistry cold Indian Llllk. " It also feels good to be able to set an aioi and achieve

"Of course, I have go ne faster b efore, however g iven the conditions, it was m y best effort on d1at day," he ad d ed " You !earn from every race you ride and ad just certain things in training and testing w hich h opefully translate into bener and better times. In a sense you are al ways racing against yoursel f, rrying to g o better than the last time".

Acco rding to i\llistr y, di e 3000m pmsuit, which takes p lace with 2 ciders o n opposite ends of cl1e track, "looks decep cively simple, in diat aU it seems like is you get o n a b ike and pedal as h ard as you can for the specified disrance".

However, cl1e training, die p rep aration, me diet, the me n tal asp ects, me actual race , die lap tim in g spli ts, die aerodyn amics, cl1e bod y positioning, die bicycle, the attention co detail - all need to be dealt wid1. I t tes ts me co ntestant's m e n tal an d physical endurance

Usuall y cl1e results go ro me peop le who have put in me re9uired lim e to add ress aU me cri teria, he stated. In cootrast, the scratch or mass star t race involves 24 people, who ride at me one tin1e, wi di d1e fastest person over me line winning

These races are a b it of a lottery as it is not n ecessary that the strongest rid er wins, observed Mistry who finished overall fourth

The professional cyclist has a gruelin g training schedule, d ocking an average of 60-80 km daily Typically his training year is broke n d own inco specific phases of end urance, stre ngth and speed b uilding

Li t he e nd urance phase his daily wee kday sessio ns generaUy include 2 - 2.5 hours of riding, while weekend races cover approximately 150 km, be indicated

The strengrh phase involves a similar sessio n o n hilly terrains to b uild up stamina. FinaUy, me speed p h ase, which is normally six weeks prior to an event focuses on target racing at a velod rome l\1.istry's competition year is spli t into A, B and C category races with A of course being the most im po r tan t races where he strives to be at his peak. i\s weU di e Sc George Club, of which he has been a member since his arrival i.u Australia over a d ecade ago, has been very su pportive.

TI1anks to a \veU-coo t dinated schedule from Cydiog I SW and Cycling .Australia, this is possible. And o f course alJ this needs to fir arow1d work and famil y comm.itmenrs a nd very .soon it become an exercise in time management, he quipped M isery's wife and daughter are n ot only very supportive o f hi s rigorous sd 1edule but also accomp a ny him to mo s c interstate an d overseas events, e njoying a working holiday in cl1e process.

The clu b h as been a great source of inspiratio n, particula rl y several members w h o are curreoc a nd past wo rld and Olymp ic champions, he acknowledged.

"Their candor and willingness to share what rney know and a genuine arcitude to h elp is not something yo u get access co everyday" he r evealed. " This h as helped me learn a lo t and apply it to my racing a nd training. Even cl10ugh I live far from th e d ub, l am still an active m em b er".

Nosh participa tes in around 75 races annnalJy, his flagship events being individual pursuit and the road time trial. These even ts, he explained, re9uire a s imilar physio logy and trai ning regin1en and are classed as end urance events. This includes weekly r aces at clie club, competing against Olymp ics level riders as well as state and n acional championships.

The avid cyclist's rrysr w ith th e sport goes back cl1ree decades when Nosh got his fust bike from his uncl e as a p reschooler "He s ti ll fo llows m y career closely, offering pointers Since then, 1 have been attracted to high tech b ic ycles," l'vlistry confessed.

As an adolescent he took up competitive cycling, w inni ng his first national medal in India. l ronicaUy, th.is was five weeks after a bad training accid ent in volving a learn er driver, he remembers.

Having dabbled in a n umber of sports, cycling, Nosh discover ed, was a perfect fit. Swim ming and long distance running followed and os h went o n tO win st.a te champ io n shi p s in both He elms took up cl1e triathlon and was soon named the national champion. Th.is led to a job "~ch the Indian R ailways, representing mem in numerous national events, while purs uing h is }.,[BA.

"It was good to be paid to d o a spor t I loved an d also continue m y stud ies," he admitted. 1n t hat sense i t was both a passion and profession for a w hile.

His only regret about competitive cyc ling back home, .is the total lack of calendar management a nd informat ion coo rdination.

"ln l.n dia, 1 wouldn't know w hen state or nation al eve n ts are un til a fortnight before die rnce So there was n o cha.nee tO be at your peak. This u.nfornmatel y continues to cl1is day, p reventing Indian competitors to pe r form their best at global levels", he lameoced However, when you love doing so m ething, it is n or very hard to keep you rself go ing. When it brings resul ts, wh ich are recognised at a high level like the nationals, that is a bonus, he in dicated.

On a philosophical level though, it is just cl1e simplicity of cl1e activiry of cycling and being com pletely absorbed in me moment mat keeps him going. TI1is motto g ives Nosh a complete se n se of pmpose and involvement wim life in general.

So what drives clie keen spo r tsman to sustai n the momentum?

Pursuing any acti vity ro me highest levels reguires tremendous phrsicaJ and mental stamina There are days wh e n cl1ings will seem harder, however as with anyming, pe rsis tence i s me key If you have discovered you have a talent for somecl-1ing, never ever, ever give up, he emphasised.

Mistry is alread y setting his sight.~ on me n ext eve n t.

Nosh Mistry takes the bronze in the 3000m Individual Pursuit event in the 2012 Cycling Australia Masters National Championships. Adam Simonelli wins gold and Rob Carlisle, silver.

Af te r " two ea.sy weeks", he hopes to get back in to the e ndurancetraining ph ase and build up d1e vo lume of training a nd aim for a better outcome next time be competes in d1e same even t. An action packed spo r ting calendar n o rwit hstan ding, l\1.is try also juggles a full time career in event photography

Meanwhile, if his perfo rmance t.'lxgers are on track, a shot at \\7oi:ld

M a sters in Manchester co uld weU be in th e offi n g.

BY PRAKASH SUBBARAO

he majestic Himalayas have always attracted me with its range of snow-clad peaks, deep gorges, green valleys, and the fast and furious rivers carving om their course over varied terrain since d10usands of years. l have travelled to both, t he lndian a nd Nepal side of the Himalayas by mocorbike and car in the past, so I yielded easily to m y brod1er's invitation to join him and Vand ana on a trek to the Markha Valley. Anita worked out all my logistics, a nd Apoo r va volunteered to take care of herself, Casper a nd our home.

Soon I was watc hing the KuJlu valley zooming up quickly as we began our descent in the turbo prop p lane

\Ve went on an acclimatization trek to d1e Solang Valley, to get our legs and ltmgs into shape for the change in altitude. The climb was steep and we had a few hairrais ing moments crossing a raging stream over a log of wood which served as a foot-bridge.

We crnssed Rohtang by road and faced a b ig setback at the base was dry with sparse vegetatio n in the valleys and highly prone to landslides and rockfalls. The days were hot and the n ights, windy and co ld. We followed the trail and camped at Rum bak, the base camp of GandaLa, Shingo base camp, Skyu, Sara, Ma.rkha, Thochuntse, N imaling and Chukmaro. On an average we trekked for about 4 - 5 hours eacl, day, and some clays were unbearably hot as the canyons turned in to heat radiators at noon. \'>,'e climbed rwo mountain passes at GanclaLa (5100 mts) and Go ngmaruLa (5300 mes)

Fortunatel y, acclimatization happened without any dramas.

"See that shirr hanging from the branch over there?" asked our knowledgeable gui de, G y an pointing. "It was from the p h otographer who was s hooting here when the Aoods swept him away l ast year " We quickly moved to higher grounds!

I felt claustrophobic ia the sleep ing bag and on some nights , 1 crept out of the tent to gaze at the sky with a million star s till the cold winds forced me back to the relative comfort of the tent. I came across mountain goats walking fearlessly and nimbl y over steep ledges where even the thought of being th at high made me feel faint. I came face - to- face with a chameleon who let me