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Women Power HubbaLli in Guinness On country roads profiled: Anand Gangwal

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Cycling Federation of India

InThisIssue IndustryNews Hubballi in Guinness International Triathlon Championship 2019 The Ultra Spice Race - 2019

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ProCycling Women Power

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SoleTrip An Attempt to knit India

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Kids Trekking As Cross-Training

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Commute Commuter Profile

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Profiled Anand Gangwal

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LifeStyle On Country Roads

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ProductFeature 22 Kettlebell Training 24 Gatorskin is the Future

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Editor’sNote

The CRANK with ProCycle Team Managing Editor and Publisher Vikram K Limsay Invitee editor Onkar Singh, Secretary General CFI and ACC Edit Desk Dr. Meera Velankar Contributors Mili Sharma, Anand Baid and Amitoj Likhari Creative and Design

Dear Readers We dedicate this issue to the lady riders of our fraternity on the occasion of women’s day. We salute this brigade who have proven that endurance and enterprise on cycle can be proven in addition to their responsibility of work and home. Truly creditable.

We at CRANK firmly believe that commuter is going to lead the cycling revolution.

We profile one such commuter and expect more in the future. The Bicycle Mayors across many cities are doing stellar service fro our cause and we are standing behind them with full strength.

CRANK is soon going to launch its digital avatar and we will keep you posted.

N. Chandru

This means more coverage, wider reach and an even larger commitment to cycling.

Contact

Plus news from across the country from Hubballi to Ahmedabad to Pune and much

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Read, ride and stay safe

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Ciao

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IndustryNews

HUBBALLI in Guinness By: Anand Baid

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ubballi is on the cycling map and how! By making its presence felt right at the top. In the Guinness book! Recently a mega event was organized to create awareness and the theme was “Respect Cyclists & celebrate our beautiful Constitution.” The idea was to do something as big as a Guinness event, so that some actionable impact could be created which translates into respect for cyclists. We applied in the category of the “Longest single line of Bicycles - Moving”.

The existing record was 1186.

Since I mooted the idea to our club, I was appointed as Event Convener entrusted with the execution of the entire event in coordination with other members. The planning started in January 2018. We filed the application on the Guinness Website in January end. We got approval from Guinness to go ahead with the execution in March 2018. These 2 months we created various committees handling different aspects of the event. Validation of each and every cyclist was compulsory without, which he/she would not get a GREEN CARD, which is the passport to participate in the event. It was a great learning how to execute a Guinness record event.

Our validation team conducted validation tests all over Karnataka. Our HBC well wishers in Kolhapur conducted the validations on our behalf in Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Karad, Baramati, Pune etc.

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A Do’s & Don’ts video was released for participants to know how to participate in the event successfully.

This event united the cyclists of Karnataka & Maharshtra apart from cyclists from all over India. Numerous cyclists cycled all the way from Chennai, Hyderabad, Baramati, Sangli, Kolhapur, Bangalore, Shivmoga, Pune etc. to participate in the event.

Cyclists from the age of 7 to 81 years were among the participants. Food, water & accommodation were completely free for 2 days, for which we charged INR 500/- per person, which also included a beautiful jersey, medal and certificates. Most cyclists arrived on 25th January and registered themselves and rode around the city. We started on 26th January with breathtaking Mallakhambh performance, followed by various cultural activities.

Doyens of Indian cycling Amit Samarth, Mahajan brothers inspired people with their cycling stories on stage. Specially abled cyclist Govind Kharol, inspired people to take up cycling. Cycling Couple - Mrs & Mr Devidas Aher inspired the married couples to take up cycling. Sandesh Uppar, who represents India and is from Hubballi, spoke at the event. We lined up at 1.30 PM for the 1st attempt and MP Pralhad Joshi flagged off the event.

On the designated day all cyclists landed

up wearing India tricolor jerseys. All the cyclists completed the first attempt covering a distance of 4 KMS and were asked to wait for the remarks by Swapnil Dangarikar the official adjudicator till 3.30PM where he declared that 1st attempt was not successful due to large gaps between many cyclists. He asked us to initiate 2nd attempt where we removed certain cyclists whom we identified to be slowing down or creating large gaps. Many cyclists voluntarily gave up in the spirit to achieve. We started the 2nd attempt with 1300 cyclists and started riding back towards Hubballi. The 2nd attempt finished successfully by 6.30 PM and then we waited for Judge to announce the result.

The result was declared at 7.30pm. We had done it! We had set a new Guinness World Records of 1235 cyclists riding in a single line without gap for 4 KM. After this it was celebration all through the night. There were tears of joy on the faces of all the committee members and we celebrated our victory.

The event budget was pegged at INR 50 lakhs considering the grandeur of the event and large-scale marketing required for the event apart from the Guinness Adjudication fees & Logo usage. We got sponsors supporting the initiative generously and we could deliver what you see in the photos.

Hubballi is not known for cycling & we wanted to change that.

International Triathlon Championship 2019 Gandhinagar

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ere is an event that has a lot to promise. A group of athletes from Ahmedabad have got together for initiating various activities for the betterment of sports and activities in India and to spread awareness about various sports like triathlon, brickathon, duathlon, cycling, running, swimming etc. The group consists of national level cyclists, triathletes and avid runners.

“As a part of our initiatives, we are organizing GandhinagarAhmedabad’s Only Half Iron distance triathlon event, an event that consists of swimming, cycling and running and also the =first Brickathon of Gujarat (cycling followed by running ) in various distance categories.”

The event is being held on 17th February, 2019 at Sports Authority of India Complex, next to Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar along with an expo of leading bike brands, nutrition brands, triathlon equipment suppliers etc. which was open for all people on 16th February, 2019 at Karnavati Club, SG Highway, Ahmedabad.

Race Categories: The race categories of ‘sprint’ and ‘olympic’ were aimed at beginners and amateur triathletes looking to experience triathlon for the first time or are interested in improving over previous races. The race category ‘half iron’ was aimed at amateurs to pro level athletes who are into endurance racing.

Race categories in Brickathon are for athletes who do not know swimming but are well versed with cycling and running. It is first of its kind race category introduced in a Triathlon event.

What’s special about the event?

Ingit Anand, 4 times Ironman finisher, Ironman Coach and podium winner at various triathlons in India was the race director for this event. he listed down the various reasons why this triathlon was the signaturetriathlon event across India: Lush green route, Zero pollution atmosphere, Less Traffic and partly blocked roads, Smooth roads with less speed breakers, Apt route to get your PB, Comfortable temperatures , Superb arrangements for participants and Swimming arena directly connected to bike route.

Already leading brands supported this event organized by Amdavad Crankmeisters like Astral pipes, Infoanalytica Foundation, Athlos, Yoska, Ace Blend , Epigamia, Fast&Up, 42.1, Duravit, Ramdev Namkeen, Revolutions Bike Store, Silverline , Apace and True Revo, Fitformance, Dr. Hiren’s O3 PhysioClinic, OYO amongst others It looks like there was a lot of flavour in the event, and to top it up, it was held in such a scenic and beautiful state of Gujarat. One should definitely try to attend this event if missed this time!

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The Ultra Spice Race - 2019

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he 3rd edition of the Ultra Spice Race, a multi day time trial (non stop) race, was flagged off on the 26th of January 2019 from Bogmalo Beach, Goa. The race had 3 distances of 600, 1000 and 1750 kms to choose from.

1 woman and 5 men raced 1750 km solo, 1 team of 2 men from Pune raced 1750 km relay, 1 man raced 1000km solo and 1 team of 2 men from Pune raced 1000 km relay. 2 men solo raced the 600 km solo including an international participant from Israel! All racers in all categories are accompanied by support vehicles and crew. Relay is RAAM style and Solo Races of all 3 distances are RAAM Qualifiers i.e. Solo racers who finish within stipulated time will qualify for The Race Across America. The Races are also on the Ultramarathon Cycling (UMCA) calendar.

Route The Route is Goa-Ooty-Goa, via Shivmoga, Chikmagalur, Coorg and Wayand with different distances turning around as required.

The Race starts right on the beach, and follows the coast crossing coconut tree lined creeks, before turning inland. Here the route goes through the forest and plantation covered mountains of the south crossing through the 4 states of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Aptly named The Ultra Spice Race, different distances expose you to everything from Betel Nut, Spice, Pepper and Coffee plantations to tea estates. The route returns again along the coast to finish back on the beach. The 1750km race with 22400Mts of elevation gain, is the toughest ultracycle race in India that not just qualifies but also prepares people for one of the world’s toughest races, Race Across America (RAAM).

Participants The 1750 km solo participants were all elite and accomplished racers, including Inspire India Ultra Award winner with 4 RAAM qualifications already, Kabir Rachure from Mumbai who won 2nd place in this same race last year. Also racing was the winner of the 3rd place in last year’s Ultra Spice 1750 km Bharat Pannu from

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Nasik and Sundaram Narayanan from Goa who is also RAAM qualified at Deccan Cliffhanger 3 times in the past! They were joined

by Karthik Padmanabhan from Chennai, who qualified for RAAM, winning his category in the very first edition of Deccan Cliffhanger and Dhanraj Karkera of Mangalore who is a very accomplished long distance racer. In addition this year’s race saw Ila Patil, the first and only Indian woman who has Qualified for RAAM attempt this extreme challenge of 1750 km solo!

In another first, the 1750km saw The Pedal Demons, a team of 2 from Pune, Adesh Kale and Dhanraj Helambe attempting relay from Goa to Ooty and back. There was also another team of 2 from Pune, Team Gear and Beer with brothers Kaustubh and Rohit Dandekar attempting 1000km relay, and Mayank Tripathi from Pune who raced solo 1000km. The 600 km solo race had Shlomi Kot from Israel who has previously raced at the Race across Germany and Vivek Shah from Ahmedabad. Additionally since each participant has to have a support crew, we had over 60 people of various sporting background like ultra runners, racers, randonneurs and ironmen in the role of crew support for the racers.

Results NAME

Distance Finish Cut off Category 1750 km 120 Hrs Solo Men 18-49

Results 95hrs 47mins

1750 km

120 Hrs Solo Men 18-49

100hrs 46mins

Karthik Padmanabhan Dhanraj Karkera Sundaram Narayanan

1750 km

120 Hrs Solo Men 18-49

119hrs 22mins

1750 km 1750 km

120 Hrs Solo Men 18-49 120 Hrs Solo Men 18-49

131hrs 57mins -

Status 1st – RAAM Qualified 2nd – RAAM Qualified 3rd - RAAM Qualified Finish DNF

Ila Patil

1750 km

128 Hrs Solo Women

136hrs 56mins

Finish

Bharat Pannu Kabir Rachure

Team Pedal Demons

Adesh Kale Dhanraj Helambe

Mayank Tripathi Team Gear and Beer

ShlomiKot Vivek Shah

1st Place

1750 km

96 Hrs 2 person Team – Men 35-49

1000 km

56 Hrs Solo Men 18-49

54hrs 32mins

1st – RAAM Qualified

48 Hrs 2 person Team – Men 35-49

47hrs 45mins

1st Place

600 km

32 Hrs Solo Men 50+

27hrs 25mins

1st – RAAM Qualified

600 km

30 Hrs Solo Men 18-49

29hrs 04mins

1st – RAAM Qualified

Kaustubh 1000 km Dandekar Rohit Dandekar

ProCycling

Women Power

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n the occasion of International Women’s Day celebrated on 8th March every year CRANK is proud to profile some women power on pedals as an ode to the woman of today stealing a march as and amongst equals.

Ranjana “The Iron Lady” Deopa “My story of becoming an Ironman is incomplete without my first Ironman DNF,” says Ranjana Deopa while sharing her journey of becoming an Ironman with the CRANK. Narrating her story, she says “To start with, I never ever thought of becoming a triathlete. At least not until I turned 39. I started running about seven years back and my husband Nitin took up cycling almost at the same time. I am not too sure whether it was a midlife crisis or just a way of being fit and controlling my growing midriff.

Anyway, we both enjoyed our respective sports for about two years and then Nitin took to running and I took to cycling. We were happy

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in Korea. The swim leg went off well and I was quite confident of finishing, but it was not meant to be as my bike had a mechanical failure just 10km short of the 180 KM cycling leg. I tried a dragging finish but missed the cut off by just 3km. Later I learnt that the spokes had given way and really nothing could have been done” “ Nitin though not keen on finishing as we had committed to finishing together but did end up finishing on my prodding and we had an Ironman finisher at home and a medal to take back. But it was still unfinished business and we vowed to come back the following year again to Korea to accomplish what we had started. And next year we did indeed finish. At the starting grid we made ourselves a promise that we target to run the red carpet together. With trepidation I agreed as I did not want to slow him down. Now, as I look back, the feeling of finishing on the red-carpet holding hands as we became an Ironman couple is forever etched in my mind.”

“It’s a been a huge learning experience for me over the last three years of my journey learning new skills, learning to train the mind and taking the many ups and downs during training. My biggest supporters, apart from Nitin and his inspirational discipline, have been my kids Nimai and Myra with their mother always on training mode” “From DNF to a winning finish has been a satisfactory journey for me and I hope to inspire more women to becoming triathletes” says Ranjana

Arpita “the Complete Woman” Pandya training and participating in half and full marathons. The only longdistance event we together participated in was a 74km Garhwal Ultra run in February 2015 and we were happy being runners and cyclists” “As we both were turning 40 in 2015 we both decided at the spur of the moment to become Ironman finishers to mark the beginning of our 40th year. We however had to encounter one small problem; Nitin didn’t know how to swim and I could barely cover 25meters.

But we put our full effort and Nitin learnt to swim over the next few months and I too got better. But then as triathletes we knew open water swimming would be a different challenge. We had our firsthand experience with open water swimming at a triathlon clinic organized by Coach Deepak Raj at Mysore. It was a disaster as we walked out of the water almost as soon as we got into it. We realized being comfortable in open water was going to be an uphill task and achieving that became our number 1 priority. We started swimming in pool on weekdays and on alternate weekends at Lake Bhardwaj, Delhi, and gradually became more comfortable in the open water swim with each trip. I also learnt how to keep the scary thoughts of the unknown under the open water at bay”

Determination, dedication and consistency results in accomplishment is the mantra our second role model Arpita Pandya follows.

“My sporting career began after I turned 31. A Baroda girl, I migrated to Ahmedabad post marriage and started working as a physiotherapist. With work and family taking priority and as it normally happens with some of us ladies, post pregnancy, I had put on weight. It is then that I focused on my fitness. Being a physiotherapist, fitness was already at my core and I took to cycling to achieve my goal” rpita rode a fixie for 3 years starting with small distances and A gradually reaching 20 KM. She achieved her goal of losing weight by coming down to 55 from 85 KG. She repeated the routine again

he first triathlon experience for the duo was at the Half Ironman T distance at Delhi International Triathlon 2016 which had pool swim event to their relief. Having gained confidence of distance, they went on to becoming Half Ironman finishers at Bahrain in 2016.

“While, we were over a year late from our target, we did not hurry and trained for nine months before attempting our first full Ironman

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after her 2nd child. The turning point in her cycling journey was when she took part in the Ahmedabad Cyclothon in 2016, when she rode 50 KM on her fixie and won. “I started seriously dreaming of competitive cycling.” The journey began for her after she got her first road bike that year. Her 1st event was The Impossible Race next year where she finished 4th. At the following Ahmedabad Cyclothon her winning streak began. “I won podiums at State Cycling Championship (2017, 2018), Khelmahakumbh (2017, 2018). I won the Gold at the state MTB Championship 2018 and a Silver in the State Road Cycling Championship 2018 and got my ticket to the Nationals where I had a top 10 in both; the National MTB and National Road. Now the goal is to improve my position at the Nationals.”

“Cycling was my first love over running but my husband convinced me to take up running for cross training. I began by running 4-5 KM,but winning in a Duathlon motivated me to take up running.

Within couple of months, I increased my running mileage and trained for Half Marathon.” Ever since it’s been a journey of podium finishes and wins for her including the Adani Ahmedabad Full Marathon where she finished tops. “In 6 months, I went on from 5 to 42 KM and won many podiums in running since then like the Safal Full Marathon Adani Ahmedabad Marathon and the Vadodara International Marathon.”

It was hard grind all the way. Arpita’s daily training would start at 3 AM for two hours and with stretching and yoga. After the household chores would begin followed by a full day at work. “Family support is of immense importance. In fact, without the support of my husband and kids, nothing could have been possible.” It helps that Arpita’s husband is also a triathlete and her 8-year young daughter is a state level swimmer. So sports is in the family. “Women are naturally endowed with endurance, so if I can, anyone can do what I did. Just plan your training, have discipline and eat healthy home-cooked food. If we stay fit we can inspire our kids and future generations”

4 PM are two meals with fruit as fillers.”

Training and Coaching: “Start early and beat the traffic and pollution so you don’t have to pick an out of town road. I trained on city roads.”

Sponsorship: “Sponsorships and endorsements help. I had Unived, Gujarat University and SBI supporting me through various events”

Some important tips by Arpita

Ila “The Ultra Racing Girl” Patil

Nutrition: Vegetarians relax. “I stuck to my vegetarian diet. A simple home cooked Indian meal from which ever region is already naturally balanced. Training changes food timings though. 8AM and

Ila is not new to CRANK. Pune girl Ila Patil, who became the first Indian woman and so far, the only one to have qualified for the Race Across America (RAAM) in 2016, successfully finished the 1750 KM

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Ultra Spice this year. The endurance cyclist, who motivates women cyclists saying, “Hit the road, change the perception that women cannot do any outdoor activities. We are much more powerful than men”, is the only woman to have done this distance in India. The Ultra Spice Race is a RAAM qualifier endurance race with a total elevation gain is 2,400Mts. In 2016, Ila became the first and the only Indian woman to have qualified for the world’s toughest endurance cycling event RAAM by successfully finishing the Inspire India’s ‘The Deccan Cliffhanger’ race. Ila overcame injury, cramps, saddle sores, cold and fever and excruciating pain and finished the Deccan Cliffhanger race in 32 hours and 15 minutes, well ahead of the cut-off timing of 34 hours.

Ila, who idolizes the legendary cyclist Lance Armstrong, quotes his words, “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, an hour, a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.” The Deccan Cliffhanger race is an annual 646 km Ultra Cycling Race from Pune to Goa and the cut off time for women participants to finish the race is 34hrs.

Though Kalyani is a runner first, she enjoys cycling. “I find long distance cycling challenging as you are performing outdoors where so many things are beyond your control and each time you face unique situation and challenge. It’s a wonderful feeling to go pedaling to different towns or places in your own city.” Her first cycling event was Pune International Duathlon. Kalyani finds cycling best for cross training the muscle groups and to help with your alertness and especially useful to continue training in injury period without putting much pressure on injured body parts.

“For two years I trained solo by taking tips from experienced cyclists. For running, my coach is ace runner Manoj Rane. My nutrition bag contains electoral, dates, raisins, energy bars and peanut butter chocolate. I eat at regular and frequent interval with a light snack at the half way mark at any roadside available restaurant.”

Ila, an engineer by profession working as a communications manager with an NGO, took up cycling seriously in late 2011 when she saw a bunch of cyclists at a café in Pune where she came to know about the Brevets de Randonneur Mondiaux (BRM). Ila, who used to ride just 30-40km over weekends, started to paddle 100-150km and raiser her bar to a 400km BRM. Ila, who believes that a woman’s body can endure more than a man’s, said that the more she tested her body for endurance, the more she succeeded.

Kalyani “The Podium Girl” Tokekar Who believes that “persistence and consistency takes you places in long distance running” tells us the story of her transition from a couch potato to the podiums.

“I am surprised to see my own transition from a physically non-active person till the age of 36 to running marathons and pursuing long distance cycling. I was a couch potato living complete sedentary lifestyle till 2015 resulting in multiple lifestyle health issues like cholesterol, triglycerides, and vitamin deficiencies. I decided to take the bull by the horn and joined local gym and also started paying attention to my nutrition. After seeing my batchmates participating in marathons, I signed up for my first 3k run. And my journey towards fitness and happiness began”

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SoloTrips / Touring

An attempt to knit India

By Abhijit Bhandarkar

I

had never imagined that a casual reading session at the Purnanand library would change me and my life completely.

While leafing through some media randomly in the library, I came across an article, which profiled a 65-year-young man Shripad Shidore, who along with a friend, had embarked on an 85-day journey on cycle across Europe that too after recovering from a bypass surgery. Shripad and his group also rode from Pune to Kanyakumari in 12 days. It was such an inspirational article that I went to meet him and after meeting him I thought why not I attempt a ride from Pune to Kanyakumari myself?

I run a private Engineering Diploma Coaching Center and train engineers and don’t get too many holidays. April and May are the only months in a year when I can think of embarking on any trip. But in May it gets very hot and it seemed difficult to start the trip. When I communicated my intention of riding from Pune to Kanyakumari to m y family, everybody opposed my idea except for my wife, who stood in the support of my decision. Finally, I made up my mind to go for the expedition in June. As I like to say, “it was hot, but my passion was hotter”. When I narrated my plan to my friends many wanted to join me, but due to some exigency or the other could not. So I started my journey alone towards my dream to salute Swami Vivekananda. Before this, I had only cycled to Shivthar Ghal, which is about 160km from Nigdi, from Pune twice.

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I dedicated my expedition to Baba Amte’s ‘KNIT-INDIA Movement’ and ‘Go Green’. Before starting my 1600 KM journey I needed to address issues like selection of a lightweight cycle, cycle maintenance, learning to fix punctures on my own etc which I did with the help of a friend Santosh Pawar, who is an IT Engineer and a cyclist himself. His help was most valuable and I call him my mentor.

First day of my ride took me from Akurdi to Satara (150km). I rode non-stop for 70km, but in the middle of the highway my legs cramped up which is when I realized that I must keep myself hydrated always. This might give you an idea about my preparedness. I was a newbie and just started and was depending largely on my will power.

On the 2nd day, I cycled till Kagal (near Kolhapur) and the day on the saddle was beautiful and amazing. I started the ride in the morning by 7am, had breakfast at 10am, lunch at 1pm and stopped cycling at 7pm. The alone time on the cycle allowed me a conversation with myself and my soul was enlightened. I discovered a new me.

After two days of cycling, I realized that it was very hard for me to walk even for few meters. My body was not prepared for such an

intense physical activity. My mind and body both were tired. That was when a cyclist couple - Prashant and Shruti - came to meet me. They had already cycled to Kanyakumari earlier and motivated me to go on.

On the 3rd day, when I crossed Nipani, Karnataka, heavy rains and poor visibility welcomed me. I got scared and called Shripad to ask for guidance. I was hoping that he would ask me to take rest for a day and then continue the next day, but he said, “Wow, it’s raining! Then enjoy the rain and go ahead”. I was a bit nervous, but I continued to cycle.

As the time spent on my cycle increased, I started to gain lots of confidence and was less scared. My next destination was Belgaum where I reached by 4pm and stopped for a cup of tea and that was when I came to know that my cycle was punctured. I repaired the puncture and started again. That night I stayed in Kittur where I realized that my cycle was again punctured. In the next 8 days, my cycle got punctured 6 times, which was the main obstacle of my journey, but I overcame it. I suggest that every cyclist must have some basic minimum knowledge of repairing the cycle. Support vehicle is also very helpful in such cases. Well, in this situation my friend Santosh helped and guided me a lot on phone and through WhatsApp. He was there whenever I needed to make my journey smooth with his valuable guidance. He called me daily to take updates and motivated me to go further. In Dharwad, Dr. Mahendra Kaulguru met me, who is also a cyclist.

On my journey, I had amazing experiences. One evening my cycle got punctured in the forest. I was looking for someone to help me to drop me to the nearest town (Chitradurga). Each asked for a hefty sum ranging to Rs1000 for the drop which was expensive.

Finally, I got into a tempo that dropped me in Chitradurga and when I offered the money, the driver refused to take it saying, “you are promoting the theme ‘KNIT-INDIA’, how can I accept money”. His name was Anwar. A similar experience awaited in Salem (Tamilnadu) when my cycle got punctured and a man from the nearby cycle shop helped me. The man, who fixed the puncture, had only one hand as he was specially abled, but it amazed me that he repaired my cycle fast and efficiently. I offered him money, but he also refused to accept it. His name was Rafique Bhai. According to me, Rafique and Anwar are the real heroes of ‘KNIT-INDIA Movement’.

I got lot of encouragement from them and they also taught me a beautiful lesson of my life that one can do anything in the world and that we Indians have great heart and help is beyond Religion Caste and Creed.

June is when monsoon starts and that was when I was headed South. Generally, through journey I encountered strong headwinds after 3 PM that slowed me down and I was riding at 10-15 KMPH which was 20-22kmph earlier and due to which I couldn’t reach my final destination in time which slowed me down. I was behind my schedule and my flight was scheduled from Trivendrum on June 12th. Hence I was forced to cover the distance between Madurai and Kanyakumari in a bus. It still hurts me that I couldn’t make it to Kanyakumari on my cycle, but I am sure that it won’t happen in the future, as I will cycle again from Pune to Kanyakumari.

Friends, I’ve found vital energy from this journey. Seeds of dreams are very important, which yield fruits of confidence, happiness, satisfaction and optimistic attitude towards the life.

Jodo Bharat!

CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2019

15

Trekking As Cross-Training

By Dr Meera Velankar

T

rekking or walking uphill is always seen as fitness activity for the whole body. When you use your body weight and carry it against the gravity it is a very good cardio activity that strengths your entire lower body. Walking uphill allows you to engage various muscle groups in the lower body that are not used while walking on a flat surface. It is also one of the fast calorie burning activities. Group walks and treks are great team building activities and can help inflow of all the positive energy that is temperament booster.

Kids can explore natural surroundings and have enriching experience of learning about different types of trees, shrubs, rocks etc. While they get acquainted with the local activities like silk production, they can also enjoy local cuisine at the same time on such outings. These type of trips can prove healthy for kids, both physically and mentally, and are also a good way to escape from the daily chaos of city traffic and concrete jungles. These trips also offer meditative experiences. In addition, trekking can also be incorporated as a routine cross-training activity in any fitness training.

In India, there are numerous options for such short one-day trips.

Sinc I live in Bangalore my two favorite are:

1. Nandi Hills Trail If you go straight ahead from the Nandi Bull Statue for another 10 KM you will hit this trail. Villagers are very friendly here and one can park the vehicle there if you have plans of coming down the same way. One can also park the vehicle on the top and then drive there from another side. It is around 2km-long trail and time required for moderately fit bunch is round 1hr and 30mins. There are no water or food options on this walk and have lots of monkeys on the route.

It is two hours of driving distance from the city making is perfect early morning or one-day excursion.

2. Madhugiri Fort This is near Tumkur in Karnataka and at a 3hrs drive from the city.

The elevation is 787M. Madhugiri is a town in Tumkur District in the Indian state of Karnataka. The town derives its name from a hillock, Madhu-Giri (honey-hill), which is in the south of the place.

Madhugiri is a single hill. It is the second largest monolith in Asia.

It is moderate to difficult level trek and it is better to explore it with the help of a local guide. It is advised to take some food and water along with as this trek takes around 3 hrs of walk up and 2 hrs of walk down.

Will bring you many more short treks for your family soon

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The Impossible Race

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Commute

Commuter Profile Bhaskar Mittal

C

RANK is always happy to profile regular bicycle commuters. Its one thing to do competitive cycling for glory and profile timeline but its another to quietly and diligently use the two wheels on a daily basis. Commuters are really the ones who are leading the cycling revolution in the city.

It has been 6 years that Bhaskar Mittal commutes to his office on his cycle. Bangalore’s Bhaskar, who works as a Sr. Lead Engineer at Qualcomm says he finds commuting to his office on the cycle as the fastest mode of transport in Whitefield considering the traffic condition of the city. Add to that the fact that cycling keeps him physically active despite sitting from ‘9 to 5 in front of the screen’, which is a requirement of a corporate job. “Plus commuting on the cycle reduces carbon footprint and gives you a certain satisfaction”, he emphasized. Bhaskar regularly commutes between 5 to 15 KM every day.

Bhaskar, who is an M.Sc. (Physics) and M.E. (Microelectronics), gives due credit to the support he gets from his organization for his commute quest. His office has dedicated cycle parking stands and multiple wellmaintained shower rooms for them to freshen up after reaching office.

According to him, other than the health benefits, cycling also refreshes his mind, which is important for a good start to the day. He continued that major impediments for people who want to commute are concerning to pollution, traffic and safety. But these were trivial and each of them has a solution when you start riding. The benefits far outweigh anything else.

Bhaskar has been working on promoting cycle to work initiative in his office and has been successful in convincing a lot of people to ride to work. Result is evident from the leader board of ‘Cycle to Work’ Initiative taken up by Bangalore Cycling Mayor, where his office Qualcomm sits at the top of the table among 100 other companies registered from Bangalore.

In the past 6 years, Bhaskar has used cycles ranging from basic Hercules to premium Cannondale, but he believes that the model doesn’t matter unless one has a strong will to pedal.

All the best Bhaskar. You are a commuter hero!

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CRANK Profiled

Profiled

A

nand Gangwal’s, a Sports and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist’s journey to becoming an Ironman was quite unique. In 2005, he was studying in Australia and doing his Masters in Sports Physiotherapy. He first read about Ironman Race in a local newspaper, which was being held there. He was fascinated by the complexity and endurance of stages that included a 3.9 KM swim, 180 KM cycling followed by a 42KM full marathon to be completed in less than 17 hours.

Coincidently at that time he had to submit an assignment on an unusual kind of sport for his masters in sports physiotherapy. So he decided to take up Ironman as a topic. He did a lot of research and submitted an essay on Ironman triathlon where he described the history, the training, the injuries and explained in detail the nature of the sport. That was also day he decided that at least once in his life he would participate in this race.

Anand came back to India in 2007 and for the next few years the work kept him busy, but at the back of his mind the thought completing this race was always there. Slowly and steadily he started training for it. He did his first half marathon in 2008 in Mumbai which got him hooked on to the endurance sports. In the next few years he participated in various events like Enduro Adventure Race, cycling races and also completed a full marathon.

In 2013, he participated in his first half Ironman race in Philippines.

Half Ironman race consists of 1.8km of swim, 90km of cycling followed by a half marathon of 21km. Unfortunately, due to lack of practice and 2 punctures during the cycling leg he could not complete the race. But he did not give it up. Next year, he successfully completed 2 half Ironman races and that motivated him to attempt his first full Ironman.

In 2015, he attempted the first full Ironman race in Zürich Switzerland. It was a tough race and unfortunately, he could not complete the last 10km of the race as he ran out of time. Finally, in June 2016, he completed the race in Klagenfurt Austria in 16 hours and 30 mins. Not entirely satisfied with his timing, he once again began his specific training for the Ironman Austria again for 8 months. Daily routine consisted of waking up at 4.30AM. Morning training session consisting of either cycling or running or both followed by a full day at work. Evening sessions consisted of swimming for at least an hour. On weekends the training sessions lasted between 6-8 hours.

Training for the Ironman requires consistency and dedication. It also requires guidance of an expert coach. Anand says he was lucky to be trained by Chatrapati award winning cyclist Vishal Pawar and Santosh Pawar. Family support is very crucial and Anand couldn’t thank his family enough for supporting him through the training.

His wife Dr. Lisha Gangwal had to make a lot of adjustments to her schedule so that he could train comfortably. Along with his training schedule and her work she also took complete responsibility of their

3-year-old son. Most of his weekends were spent training at the expense of the family time. His work and patient appointments had to be planned around his training schedule. Work did suffer a bit, but it was all worth it. Training and participating in all such events has considerably helped him in treating his patients, who are mostly athletes. It has made it very easy for him to understand and treat their injuries because he could relate to their problems, training and psyche as he himself has experienced it.

Since 2016, he has participated in Colombo 70.3 (half Ironman) and also in Goa Triathlon. He has also participated in various local running and cycling events. His cycling team – Team Axis – has won the Deccan Cliffhanger Relay Cycling event (650km) for 2 years.

Before concluding Anand said, “Training and completing the Ironman is possible for anyone. It needs a lot of mental commitment and consistency. The mantra of Ironman race is ‘ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE’ and also as they say ‘PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY CAN OR WHO SAY THEY CAN’T, ARE BOTH USUALLY RIGHT’.”

Cheers Anand all the best and here’s to many more victories.

CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2019

19

Me riding with my luggage on one of the cycling highways.

Lifestyle

on Country Roads

by Mili Sharma

“Baptism by fire!” Yes, that’s exactly what happened to me as far as cycling is concerned.

I

am Mili Sharma from the ‘CRANK Team’. I am a runner from the heart, but love cycling equally. My running journey started in 2007 and I bought my first cycle (Hercules) in 2014. While I have participated in a number of half marathons, full marathons and ultra running events, the cycling journey has remained a memorable one as I learnt how to ride a cycle just before turning 40.

Just after two months of learning to ride a cycle and riding a maximum distance of 80km, I participated in the ‘Tour of Nilgiris’ (TfN) in 2015 and rode 680 KM in 9 days. One year later we did a self-supported, month-long cycling tour in the “Beautifully Brutal” terrain of the UK. This experience was special. I carried my luggage on my cycle and on my back during the entire cycling tour, which started from Bransgore (160km from London) and ended at Oxenhome (434km from London). I was on the saddle for 15 days, riding for 1,200km.

The route map was from Bransgore to Warminster; Warminster to Usk; Usk to Llangorse; Llangorse to Llanidloes; Llanidloes to Dolgellau; Dolgellau to Chester’s Lake District; Chester’s Lake District to Garstang; Garstang to Orton; Orton to Haltwhistle; Haltwhistle to Kielder; Kielder to Carlisle; Carlisle to Keswick

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Lake District; Keswick Lake District to Low Wray; Low Wray to Oxenhome.

During the entire tour, we cycled and camped as we were on a budget trip. While the average cost per night of a campsite range from GBP 15-30, the average cost per night at a hotel starts from GBP 100. My mornings started at 6am with a cup of coffee with some biscuits and we left the campsite by 7.30-8am. Our breakfast and lunch used to be cold sandwiches from gas stations enroute our destination and the only hot meal we ate was the dinner that we cooked ourselves in our tent. The UK campsites were well equipped with toilet and shower facilities, although not always taking a shower was free. Some campsites also had a common place with benches so that one can cook and eat there. It was perfect place to meet and interact with other campers. The first task after reaching the campsite was always to set up the tent and put the luggage inside followed by shower, dinner, sleep and repeat. On alternate days, I would wash my cycling clothes, but drying them was challenging as the weather changed significantly when we moved up towards the North where it was always wet and cold. On the trip, I carried 2 cycling shorts, 2 cycling jerseys and a rain jacket for the rides and a full-length track pant, 2 t-shirts and one jacket to wear after the rides. All the clothes I carried were Dri-fit so that they get dry fast after washing them.

Yes, I rode in Scotland too.

I loved this campsite

The UK has dedicated cycling highways - away from the motorized highways, silent and they were very beautiful. But I didn’t like them much because they were rolling. Every downhill was a promise to another brutal uphill ride. But still it was a lifetime experience to cycle in the UK, where the cars would silently follow a cyclist (yes without even honking or yelling at them) and would overtake ONLY when they find ABSOLUTELY NO traffic coming from the opposite

direction. Since I am a slow rider, I would feel embarrassed in the situations like this and trust me I was in similar situation many times a day and almost everyday.

Riding in the countryside whether in India or any other country is an experience all must encounter.

CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2019

21

ProductFeature

Gatorskin Is The Future

C

ontinentral Gatorskin tires 25C comes in folding / nonfolding tires and are made in Germany. The approximate weight of folding tire is 240gms and this low weight is the good quality of a strong tire. The non-foldable tires are 50gm heavier and cheaper as compared to the foldable tires.

Though Gatorskin tires are stiffer as compared to other premium tires, they have very nice rolling. Gatorskin tires are made of carbon black mixture compound, duraskin puncture protection.

The sidewalls have continental duraskin puncture protection. The tire is known for its puncture resistance quality. These tires are specifically made for training and commuting purposes. The center thickness of the tire is 3.2mm and sidewall thickness is 0.7mm. The

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CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2019

air pressure for Gatorskin is 95PSI to 120PSI. These tires are easy to remove and fix to the wheels. The grip is very good on the road for summer and enough grip to keep you on the roads on winter days too. Available tires for roadies in India are Ultra Sport – INR 1,500, Gator Skin – INR 3,500, Gator Skin Hardshell – INR 3,590, Grandprix 4000 SII – INR 4,600, Grandprix 4 season – INR 4,900 and Grandprix 5000 – INR 4,900. The most used tire in India is Gatorskin 25C for long distance touring purpose and GP 4000 / 5000 for racing purpose due to their technical built and proven performance. GP5000 has been recently launched with added advantage on to GP 4000. Gatorskin comes in the below sizes, but in India the commonly used size is 25C.

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Kettebell training is relatively a new training method and has made it to gyms only lately. Its often mystery even to established gym instructors how to use them.

Amitoj Likhari is an athlete, strength and conditioning coach, sport psychologist, program manager and specializes in kettlebell training and feels it can be an integral part in a cyclists and tri athletes training regime. He combines his skills in his latest avatar as a fitness entrepreneur driven to solve fitness and lifestyle issues for all. A former national level basketball player, he holds two

master’s degrees in computer science and Sport Psychology. He has over 12 years’ experience in the corporate world in both the US and India. His last desk job was a Senior Program Manager for Microsoft. His efforts are now focused on bringing the latest and best of training from around the world to athletes in India.

“Everybody is an athlete” is his motto. To this end, he founded and runs Born Infinite Fitness in Bangalore, India. He was certified as a CrossFit level 1 coach in 2010. He specializes in using kettlebells is a certified SFG1 Instructor from Strong First, the world’s premier organization in kettlebell training.

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