With cycling fast becoming a part of the metropolitan culture, it comes as little surprise to find city folk taking to the sport by the hordes. Thinking along similar lines, the first edition of the Indian Terrain 'Champion Sportive Series' took namma ooru by storm. Three city youngsters; Phanibhusan Singhamahaptra, Kiran Raju and Akshay Hyanki jostled their way to the top and were adjudged winners in the men's category. Lakshmi Thangadurai bagged a position in the women's category. A race spanning across seven major cities of India, the top three contenders from each city gets to be a part of the Grand Finale in Delhi, accredited by Cycling Federation of India.
In a candid chat, the winning pedal-pushers tell us more... Chin up and saddle away!: Twenty-eight-year-old PhD student, Phanibhusan Singhamahapatra who secured the first place believes the nature of the mega cycling race worked in his favour. “I was very satisfied to win it. The race had a flat sprint finish at the end which suited riders like me. I worked hard for the 2017 season. Four to five days of cycling training per week added to calculated gym and nutrition. I'm glad the efforts paid off,” he states. The 100 km race, which flagged off from Indiranagar 12th main road on August 20 was clearly perilous. “It was very tough on the return leg because of the monsoon headwind slowing us down,” adds Phanibhusan, who completed the race in two hours and 49 minutes.
For Kiran Raju, a seasoned 22-year-old cyclist who secured the second place, the victory was expected but very heartening nevertheless. “This isn’t my first attempt. I have previously taken part in some other races too. I have even represented my home district of Mysore in 2016 State Olympics held at Hubli. I practice daily with Murali, one of the best cyclists in Bengaluru. His training has helped me all through the years to compete and win such feats. The competition mounted towards the end. Winning a race and standing on the podium is the dream of every cyclist, this is encouraging, indeed.”
For Akshay Hyanki, a 29-year-old e-commerce professional, a year of training helped. “I’d suggest people to give it a shot as it's one of the best channels in competitive cycling. Since the finale would be accredited by Cycling Federation of India, it is a huge deal for amateur cyclists. You can't expect to win but I trained to be in the podium. I followed a routine training which involves on and off bike training, strengthening and conditioning,” he adds.
Asserting how its important for such events to encourage more women to participate, Lakshmi Thangadurai, an entrepreneur, who won first in the women’s category, adds, "At events like these, the exposure is huge. Unfortunately out of 135 participants, the turnout of women cyclists were only 10! I hope there's a difference because this is the only sport where there is gender equality.”
