ISSUE 12 VOL 2 JANUARY 15TH 2015
INSIDE
ARAVALLI TRAIL HUNTERS 1897 WINCHESTER DUPLEX CITY SLICKERS’ GUIDE TO 2015
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City Slickers’ Guide to 2015 Celebrating Turahalli Forest 1897 Winchester Duplex The Deccan Cliffhanger Enchanting Hesarghatta Aravalli Trail Hunters Boys Toys
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HEYA! The CRANK with ProCycle Team Publisher and Managing Editor Vikram Limsay Editor
Rahul K Thomas Technical Editor
Nilesh Dhumal
West Zone Bureau Divya Tate
Bike Tester
Ajay Kamble Contributions by
Viju Varghese, Shankar Shastry, Abhishek Madan, Kumar, K Narayan, Subhankar Dey, Farhad Patel, Abhinay Pochiraju, Preeti Chima, Ankur Gupta, Abhishek Gaurav and Vikram Sharma
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Heya! ‘Tis the holiday season and as winter gently nips at our heels, we thought it couldn’t be a better time to take stock of what’s in store for the new year for all those aspiring bikers. So, we bring you the City Slickers’ Guide to 2015 - a guide to some of the hottest hybrids in the market in 2015. This should help you choose one to ‘gently’ hint to your loved ones about. We then turn back the hands of time and take a gander at a bicycle that has seen events in 3 different centuries. Feast your eyes on the beautifully restored 1897 Winchester Duplex. This was a month of a little giving back too. Anyone in the mountain biking scene in India has heard of Turahalli - the crucible of trail biking in the south and the scene of many a Downhill and XC race. This past month we celebrated Turahalli Day where riders banded together with climbers, slackliners, bird watchers and many others to try and help save this precious bit of forest on the outskirts of Bangalore. All this and more in this issue of CRANK with ProCycle. Turn the page and read. Then get out and ride. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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Plenty of bikes coming in the new year. Image by
Rahul K Thomas Rear Cover
The ProCycle car blazing through trails Printed by
Print 2 Last Solutions
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The new and improved ProCycle Indranagar store
FEATURE
CITY SLICKERS’ GUIDE TO 2015 Images by Rahul K Thomas
Seen happy bicyclists whizz past you as you sit in your car gridlocked in traffic? Wistfully eyed that bike behind the glass window which is such a far cry from the clunker you rode as a child? Or perhaps you are just loving the crisp nip of the winter air and wish you could pedal away free and happy. With the Christmas season at hand and the new year in the offing, its time to look forward to a fresh new year of biking goodness. And what better way to do so than to lay your hands on a sexy new ride. Or, even better, to hint to your near and dear ones, at what might be a great gift. But, getting into cycling these days can be a confusing thing what with the myriad bikes which are on offer. So, keeping that in mind, we thought we’d bring you a little guide on some of the entry to mid-level 2015 hybrid or commuter bikes that have hit our shores. This is by no means a comprehensive guide but it does highlight what we think will be the more popular models in the year to come. Check out our pick for the commuter’s year ahead.
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The embossed head tube badge
A competent drive train doesn’t let the package down
Ed ito r’s
Scott Sub Speed 40 (CN) MRP: INR 40,300
Beautifully matched mud guards covers solid wheels with massive tyres. V-brakes are very grabby too
Ch oic e
Yup, we know its a mouthful of a name and we have no idea what the ‘CN’ stands for but, a bike this gorgeous and this retro probably deserves it don’t you think?
The Scott Sub Speed 40 is an ode to a bygone age. An age of grace and refinement when people had time to smell the flowers. Every single little detail on the Scott screams elegance and class - from the embossed branding and logo to the beautiful army tan colour to the perfectly matched mud guards. The minute you see this bike, you think of the tales your father told you of his first bike or your grandfather told you about the war. But, while it may take you back in time in your mind, its far from a slouch on the road. Sporting an 8-speed Shimano groupset, shifting should be pretty smooth. Stopping duties are performed by Scott V-brakes and they’re pretty grippy. Solid wheels roll well and huge 700x37c Schwalbe Citizen tyres are sure to give you a plush, grippy ride. But, the pride of this bike are the gorgeously sculpted and colourmatched fenders. Generously broad (considering they already accommodate massive tyres) and very long, they will ensure that no muck whatsoever will ever get kicked up onto you. These stock fenders are a first in the market and we must say that, apart from the beautifully co-ordinated colour, these are better than any aftermarket add-ons than we’ve ever seen. Frankly, this is in our opinion is THE most gorgeous hybrid to hit our shores and we therefore happily make it our Editor’s Choice hybrid for 2015.
Looks just as good from the rear
The bike that Batman should ride - Cannondale Bad Boy
Cannondale Bad Boy 4 MRP: INR 47,800
At the other end of the spectrum, we have something altogether different. The most expensive bike in our line-up, the Cannondale Bad Boy has been around for a while but it just got a whole lot better. If its stealth black scheme was imposing earlier, now they are absolutely swoonworthy. With an aggressive geometry as hybrids go, the Bad Boy frame sports internal cable routing - unheard of in a commuter or hybrid thus far. This helps keep the bike frame looking absolutely clean. Drivetrain duties are handled by a Shimano Acera rear derailleur with an Altus front derailleur. The front fork is rigid and with monstrous clearance - enough to probably put a proper fat tyre in there.
Internal cable routing (unheard of in a hybrid) keeps it absolutely clean
Braking duties are taken care of by Cannondale’s in-house brand of mechanical discs - C4. C4 branded components also finish off the rest of the bike - bars, seatpost, saddle, etc. The wheelset is a quick-rolling combo of Alex rims with C4 hubs shod with WTB Freedom Thickslick 700x28c tyres. Don’t be fooled by the lack of a tread. The compound of these tyres makes them very grippy in all weather conditions. If the Scott Sub 40 turned the clock back, this just sent it forward. If Batman rode a bicycle (and we wish he would), this would be it.
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Massive tyre clearance
bike is made up of Cannondale’s C4 components. It sports V-brakes with very long levers. Braking is excellent and you won’t miss disc brakes on this one. Cannondale’s also spec-ced ‘ergon’ grips but in our opinion grip is a very personal thing and it is squarely up to you to find a grip and position that works for you. As you might have guessed, it is kept rolling by C4 wheels shod in Kenda Kwik Trax 700x32c tyres. As its name suggests, it is indeed a nippy little ride with the added benefit of being very comfortable. Long brake levers, independent of shifters, allied with excellent V-brakes give you excellent stopping power.
Cannondale Quick Series (4, 5 and 6) MRP: Quick 4 (INR 44,200), Quick 5 (INR 38,000), Quick 6 (INR 35,000)
Cannondale’s more moderate commuter offering is the tried and trusted Quick series. Legions of riders have taken to cycling with these and never looked back. With an excellent paint job, a comparatively relaxed geometry and solid componentry, the Quick is still a great way to get into biking in 2015. The Cannondale Quick 5 sports an 8-speed groupset with Shimano Altus shifters and derailleurs. Pretty much the rest of the
Its worth noting that unlike a lot of the other bikes here, the Quick 5 has independent shifters and brake levers. This is significant because it means you can upgrade your drivetrain (shifters) without having to spend more on new brake levers as well - something you would have to do on most of the others. Should you be on a tighter budget, you could also consider the Quick 6 which sports an identical frame but with a 7-speed groupset and a few other subtle differences. Priced at 3k less, it’ll still do you fine. Of course, if you’d like something even better, the Quick 4 retails for about 6k more and comes with a carbon fork and a slightly better drivetrain. But, when you’re already in that price league, we’d say just plump for the Batmobike - the Bad Boy.
The choice of many a rider looking to get back into biking, the Cannondale Quick 5 is one stylish customer
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The understated, efficient and very capable Trek 7.2 Fx
Trek Fx Series (7.2 and 7.1)
MRP: Trek 7.2 Fx (INR 37,500), Trek 7.1 Fx (INR 31,885) The Trek Fx series has legions of fans in India. As one of the first big brands introduced in India, its been around for a long time. So what’s made it such a hot seller? Well, the Trek Fx series has never been one to set any pulses racing. It looks solid rather stylish, dependable rather than inspiring. And yet, if you swing a leg over it, something just feels right about it. The ride is effortless and very comfortable and you find yourself cruising without really thinking about it. One of the reasons for it is that they come with a steel fork rather than alloy. Steel has the inherent property of being able to absorb buzz from the road resulting in a much smoother, more comfortable ride. Alloy, while being lighter, transmits every bit of buzz from the road to the rider making it a much harsher riding experience. Trek’s ability to identify what the beginner rider needs is pretty uncanny and it is decisions such as these combinations which has won them legions of loyal customers. Add the steel fork to a pair of solid rolling wheels and nice, large(ish) 700x35c tyres and you have a very pleasant ride. The ‘Hard-Case Lite’ tyres give you extra puncture protection too. The 7.2 Fx comes with a complete 8-speed Shimano drivetrain, including the bottom bracket and crankset and this is what aids in
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giving you that lovely-feeling ride when you get on it. If you’re looking for a bike to get you around with the minimum of fuss and excellent ride quality and don’t mind flying under the fashion radar, this is the bike for you. Should you be on a more stringent budget, you can take a look at the 7.1 Fx. It is an identical frame with the same steel fork but with a lower spec-ed but competent 7-speed drivetrain, steel handlebar (as opposed to alloy) and non-Shimano crankset. Should you want a suspension up front, Trek has its 8.2 line-up which has many of the same no-nonsense qualities as the Fx. We haven’t yet seen the 2015 versions but, if previous years were anything to go by, they are reliable choices for those who want a plusher rider. The steel fork of the Fx series gives you a smooth ride
The Merida Crossway 20 is perhaps the closest to being an actual ‘cross’ bike
Merida Crossway 20 MRP: INR 34,490
The Merida Crossway 20 is the only hybrid in our list with a suspension fork. One of the reasons for this is perhaps that Merida doesn’t have a rigid hybrid offering, at least in India. The entire Crossway series is with suspension.
All told, this is an excellent all-round bike for the beginner rider which will also allow you to try a few dirt paths should you be feeling adventurous. An adjustable stem lets you get the fit just right
The Crossway 20 sits squarely in the midst of all the bikes in our line-up. And perhaps this is one of the only ‘true’ cross bikes (a cross between road and mountain). The suspension is plenty plush but, also has a useful hydraulic ‘speed lockout’ feature which means you can flip a knob and make it rigid any time you want a little more speed and less wasted effort (suspension bob tends to rob you of some of your speed). It has a pretty typical drivetrain, in line with this group of bikes with a Shimano Acera rear derailleur and a lesser front derailleur (Tourney). These will do the job decently enough. Braking however is a surprise at this pricepoint with mechanical disc brakes. Although they are budget Promax brakes, these should do fairly decently for their commuter application. The Crossway also has a suspension seatpost which takes even more off the harsh edge of potholed roads. Wheels point in the bike’s ‘cross’ direction again - they sport massive Kenda 700x40c cross tyres.
A comfortable fork with a hydraulic speed lockout
Add the wheels to the front suspension and seat suspension and you have a very plush ride indeed. The adjustable stem also allows you to easily set the handlebars as high or low as you want, and change that as your fitness increases.
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Schwinn Super Sport 3 MRP: INR 28,000
The Schwinn Super Sport 3 is the lowest priced bike on our list. But, that doesn’t come as much of a surprise as Schwinn has built a reputation for offering excellent value for money at all price points. The Super Sport 3 follows in the tradition of the universally loved entrylevel hybrid - the Sporterra. For long the Sporterra reigned supreme as the Indian rider’s gateway to the premium cycling world so the Super Sport has a lot to live up to. For starters, the Super Sport 3 really leaves a somewhat ‘blah’ impression with its odd brown-grey paint job. On the up-side, it probably won’t get as many covetous glances either so can worry less about thieves. Drivetrain duties are entry-level Shimano Tourney 7-speed. These will do the job well if adjusted properly. You get a decent Suntour crankset with it too. Rims are Wienmann double-walled with no-name hubs. Same with the brakes. All of these allow Schwinn to keep the price down. Up front, there is a steel fork which should reduce road buzz (just as in the Trek 7.2 Fx), allied to a steel handlebar. 700x32c tyres keep help keep the speed up and it is nippy enough. A nice little touch is the useful kickstand it comes with. Just another little way of adding value to the package. All-told, the Schwinn Super Sport 3 is an excellent offering at the price and should keep any beginner happy. If you’d like a little more ‘zing’, for a few thousand more, you can pick up the Super Sport 2 which offers mechanical disc brakes and a better drivetrain. Which wraps up our 2015 City Slickers unveiling. We hope this helps you arrive at a better decision and, more importantly, that it gets you onto the saddle and riding quickly.
A handy little kickstand which is part of the package
The Schwinn Super Sport 3 isn’t really going to set your heart racing but, is a solid performer
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TRAIL CENTRE
Riders on the trail - we aren’t entirely sure what the mask was for though
CELEBRATING TURAHALLI FOREST The 30th of November dawned a crisp nippy morning - perfect for the day ahead. For on this day, all roads for mountain bikers, climbers and general adventure sports enthusiasts led to one place - Turahalli Forest.
Turahalli. Regulars can’t count the number of wounds, scrapes, torn ligaments and broken bones that have been sacrificed at the altar of Ma Turahalli in the never ending quest for the next level of mountain biking skill.
If you’re a biker from Bangalore, chances are you’d have heard of it, even if you haven’t been there. If you’re a mountain-biker however, whether recreational or competitive, you’d have ridden, trained and maybe even raced there. You see, this is our mountain biking training ground - the place where any number of Bangalore trail junkies first had their passion ignited.
So, it was only natural that on this day of all days - Turahalli Day, we returned to pay homage to our most beloved of trail networks.
Many happy hours, days and years have been spent riding at
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But to understand its significance and the draw, one must go a little back in time and expand one’s horizons. First ‘discovered’ by rock climbers more than fifty years ago (around 1960), Turahalli has become Bangalore’s bouldering
Nilesh giving riders a pre race briefing
cradle - a place where some of the most promising climbers in the country train and get back in touch with the rock that the city deprives them of. In more recent times, the city’s thriving cycling community have delighted in the trails that cut across the forest fostering an enthusiastic mountain biking culture. It was here that Bangalore’s first Downhill track was identified and developed. As downhilling grew and drew a dedicated bunch of riders. Turahalli has also been a staple venue for the Bangalore Bicycle Championships’ XC and Downhill races. Weekends see plenty of bird watchers, trail runners and walkers dotting the hillocks too. Turahalli Forest is spread over an area of approximately 1100 acres (and shrinking). A dry deciduous forest, it falls under the Kaggalipura forest range which lies to the south of Bangalore. Once upon a time, as late as the early 90s, it was contiguous with the BM Kaval forest reserve and was actually on the migratory route of elephants, connecting Bannerghatta with Savandurga. Alas, with highways and development slicing and dicing the range into smaller parcels the elephants have long gone. However, Turahalli is still a mini paradise for nature lovers who find it difficult to travel far from the city. Its rich biodiversity is staggering given the small size of this reserve forest. Birdwatchers have catalogued more than 120 species of birds including the Great Indian Horned Owl, Sirkeer Malkoha, Black-winged Kite, Brown Shrike, Rosy Starlings, Scimitar Babbler, Spotted Owlet, Blue-rock Thrush, Loten Sunbird and Bee-eaters of all hues.
Riders ripping back down
 Mountain bikers might suddenly be confronted by a peacock winging its leisurely way across the trail, lending its name to the most popular trail - The Peacock Trail. The rarest of sightings have been the Asian palm civet, leopard and jackal (mercifully not when one is shredding down the trail). Unfortunately, Turahalli Forest today is under greater threat than ever before. Despite being designated a (Major and Minor) state forest, encroachment has taken its toll on it, as it has on a number of other forests and lakes across Bangalore. Soaring apartment
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A climber hooks a heel as he attacks a problem
Slacklining - a fast growing sport in these parts
Children and adults queue up to scale the rock
complexes almost dwarf the hillocks these days. Every now and then, early morning riders out for a taste of the trails are hit by the stench of a couple of truck loads of garbage, illegally dumped into a ravine or space in the forest. It isn’t always safe to ride or climb here alone either - there are gangs of drunken thugs who show up on weekend evenings breaking bottles, littering and threatening decent folk who simply want to enjoy the peace that it offers. Muggings have become more frequent and while the understaffed forest department and the police do attempt to patrol the area, a combination of lack of manpower, apathy, ignorance and corruption make this less than effective. In recent times regular riders have found themselves on the receiving end of the police’s catch-all strategy (if it can be called that). They’ve been harassed, threatened and forced to leave the area. The worst news (if you didn’t think that this was bad enough) is that riders may soon be treated to the ghastly sights and smells of a disposal plant and all its trappings, right smack after the hillock. In this setting, led by the climbing community, cyclists, birdwatchers, runners, nature lovers and conservationists came together to celebrate all that is wonderful about this little patch of forest and, through it, to try and spread awareness to protect it for generations to come.
A rider gets off his bike so as not to disturb a group of bird watchers
Riders turned up bright and early for a leisurely trail ride. But, since it was a mixed group, this was prefaced by some quick tips from Nilesh Dhumal (experienced MTBeer and Tech Editor of CRANK with ProCycle) who was leading the ride. Nilesh pointed out the finer points of mountain biking etiquette when riding in a group before they set out. Off the group went, up the Peacock Trail, hamstrings straining as this is an uphill climb designed to wake you up in the morning. The day was beautiful with the sun barely showing up for the day. In short order, the faster riders were allowed to ahead while the noobs enjoyed their first taste of dirt their mountain bikes being typically relegated to commute duties. At the head of the trail, the group ‘regrouped’ before heading back down. This is now a beautiful, quick, flowy section and everyone enjoyed it. Quicker riders went hellfor-leather up front while the enthusiastic noobs enjoyed a bit of a thrill. When riders finished up, they decided to head up the hill and check out the rest of the action. The climbing carnival was on in full swing as hordes of climbers - amateur and pro returned to their favourite routes at Turahalli. Kids took their first steps out on the rock as national climbers took on intense bouldering problems. In the midst of it all, people took the time to pick up litter which inconsiderate visitors had dropped all over the place. In all, a few hundred people turned up to celebrate all that we love about this stand of forest that is fighting to survive against all odds. A great day out and a shot in the arm of the struggle to preserve it for generations to come.
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ROLLING BACK THE YEARS
1897 WINCHESTER DUPLEX Images by Rahul K Thomas
You might recall a number of vintage bikes we covered over the course of the year (History in a Bylane Part 1 and 2 - May and June 2014). This one has to take the cake! In fact, it delights us to bring this to you since we’ve actually seen the frame lying in a corner soon after it was rescued from the scrapyard, just minutes before it was due to be chopped. Proudly restored by Kumar and his father K Narayan, whose bikes were featured in the aforementioned issues, and ready to transport you back in time, we present to you the 1897 (that’s the year of manufacture not some random serial number) Winchester Duplex. We are told there are only two other known pieces of this bike - both of them in museums abroad. Go on then! Feast your eyes on a machine that has seen the unfolding of events in three separate centuries. Beautifully fashioned replica wooden grips with a Hercumatic shifter
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Shaft-actuated brake system which is bone stock from the frame unimaginable after a 130 years!
Butterfly nuts allow quick release of the front wheel
The Winchester in all its glory
The beautiful crossed frame A carbide rear lamp
This antique stand was added by the restorer but we think it is very tasteful indeed Metal cable guides
Original brakes
Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub gear
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THE LONG ROAD
Team Kadakti Bijlee (Mahesh Iyer and Abhijeet Marathe) and Apurv Verma being escorted to the Finish. Image courtesy Farhad Patel
THE DECCAN CLIFFHANGER By Divya Tate
The second edition of the Deccan Cliffhanger just finished up on the gorgeous beach of Bogmalo. As the official media partners of the event CRANK with ProCycle brings you the lowdown on all the action that took place at India’s premier Ultra Race.
Yogesh Tiwari and Srinivas Golkulnath with various Limca Book records for endurance cycling feats. Karthikeyan Sundaram of the Indian Navy has a rich background of various activities incuding mountaineering, scuba diving and triathlons.
The parking lot outside Cafe Nook was buzzing with activity the evening before the race start. With Ultra racers from as far as Bulandshahr, UP, Vishakhapatnam, Mysore, Chennai, and 3 cities in Maharashtra, Pune, Mumbai and Nashik it was a great opportunity for people from around the country to meet each other. The title sponsors of the Deccan Cliffhanger - Merida Bicycles, had set up a much needed tech support section for the racers to procure last minute tools and spare parts.
Of the 7 other solo contenders, at the second edition of The Deccan Cliffhanger, Apurv Verma, Durgaprasad Pawar and Chaitanya Velhal had experience from either team participation or crewing Teams of 2 men each: Mysore Chennai Express, comprising Naveen Solanki from Mysore and Mahe and Black Hawks, comprising Abhijeet Marathe and Mahesh Iyer from Pune.
As the crew and riders prepared their bicycles and vehicles for inspections, they sized up the competition. Karthik Padmanabhan who won the Solo men category of the first edition of The Deccan Cliffhanger (TDC), Sumit Patil and Prahsant Sharma were 3 race participants who have successfully completed RAAM qualifier races previously. The line up also included 3 cyclists, Rajanikant Yadav,
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After a pre-race briefing for Racers and Crew, that emphasized safety, sleep management and compliance to rules, Race Officials were similarly briefed on how to ensure the same. Since the first Race, Inspire India regularly conducts crew seminars to build a community around ultra racing that understands what is required for successful racing and to keep everyone safe. The start was impressive with a large number of spectators from the
Chaitanya pushing on at the Panchgani Mahabaleshwar Streach. Image courtesy Subhankar Dey
Pune Cycling and the Pune Running communities coming to see off the racers. Racers were flagged off by Raj Vadgama an Ultra runner who had just completed 6000 km of a 10000 km running feat. Heading out of Pune the route turns up toward Mahabaleshwar, at 125 km. By that time the racing had begun, with Apurv, Chaitanya, and Srinivas taking turns to lead in the first 200 kms and Karthik P and Sumit giving them chase. Apurv reached the 1st control at the top of Mahabaleshwar, the highest point on the route, with Srinivas only a couple of minutes behind him. By the second control near Kolhapur, however, Chaitanya had gained a small lead of 11 mins on Apurv. By night fall, the 4 official vehicles were hard pressed to continuously check that racers were complying with safety regulations that require the crew vehicle to keep the riders in their lights at all times. Driving ahead to Belgaum to mark the route before racers would get there, our official vehicle, with me, Farhad and Diana met the soloists, Karthik, Apurv and Srinivas all looking very strong. By control point 3, Kittur at 454 km, Chaitanya had a lead of 50 mins on Apurv who reached Kittur past midnight. It was during this, the witching hour, that the need for sleep would overcome solo riders, including Apurv who could not safely ride without taking a break.
Team Mysore Chennai Exp -T-01’s Naveen Solaki doing 50kmph+ on a stretch just before Wai. Image courtesy Subhankar Dey
Having just finished marking the route in Belgaum at 1:00am, and taking a quick dinner break, we learnt that Chaitanya had sped through Belgaum control, 500 km at 1:25 am and was headed for Chorla. This section of the route, between Belgaum and Goa was one of the toughest, not only because of the rolling terrain, but more so because of the cold and damp of the dense forest in the night. Coming on top of a long hot and dry day of riding this added a special challenge to the ride. This is great preparation for RAAM, where temperature variation can be as much as 35-40 degrees C in one day alone! Mukund Thakker quit after 400 kms and returned to Bombay. The 2 person team of Chennai Mysore Express had had to deal with the loss of one rider, Naveen Solanki, to a severe knee issue, early in the race. Mahendran J had pulled on till after Nippani but found it difficult to continue. Sumit Patil also suffering from a knee issue was riding slow and steady with a focus on completing the course. Rajanikant Yadav, facing mechanical issues since early in the race, struggled all night before calling it quits, as did Yogesh Tiwari.
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Srinivas was leading the pack during the 1st half of the day with his strong off the sadle climbing performance making the difference. Image courtesy Subhankar Dey
Karthikeyan of Team Navy Powering his way through the tunnel into the remainder 600+ kilometers. Image courtesy Subhankar Dey Chaitanya crossing the finish Line in record time. Image courtesy Subhankar Dey
Speeding through curves on the outskirts of Goa. Image courtesy Subhankar Dey
Later that night, we learnt that Karthik Padmanabhan was hit by his own crew vehicle, when they fell asleep at the wheel. Escaping with minor injuries and a badly mangled rear wheel, Karthik was too shook up to continue and prudently decided to quit the race and rest at Belgaum. Apurv managed to maintain his 3 hour lead on Srinivas at Kittur and Belgaum controls. Our lead official vehicle, stopping to mark the route in Goa, made it to the finish line near Vasco, only 20 mins before Chaitanya came cracking through, looking ready to do another 400 miles. His timing of 26 hr and 46 mins is exactly how long Shusannah Pillinger took in the last TDC. Both will be course records as the route was different both times. After escorting Chai through the last few km of the course, to Bogmalo Beach where the route ends right on the shore of the Indian Ocean, and giving him and his crew a couple of beers, we headed back to receive Apurv, the 2nd Soloist finishing in 29:16 and Kadakti Bijlee, first place 2 person Team finishing in 29:46.
The Finish Award Ceremony on the beachImage courtesy Farhad Patel
A little later we repeated the process to receive Srinivas G who looked too close to the cut-off time when he left from CP5 at Usgaon in Goa. A quick reminder to the crew to make sure he does not waste any time off-saddle brought him to the finish line in 3rd position in 31:16. These were the only 3 out of the 13 who started, to finish the race within RAAM qualification timings. The Race was rounded off with a beach party called The Deccan Cliffhang’ov’er, giving folks a chance to exchange notes before heading back home.
OFF THE BEATEN TRAIL
ENCHANTING HESARGHATTA Text and Images by Shankar Shastry
It is no secret that the Hesarghatta grasslands in North Bangalore are one of the most beautiful grasslands in the country. Back in 2009-2010, there were many trail rides to and around the dried up Hesarghatta lake which served as the perfect cross country trail riding destination to anyone living in Bangalore with a penchant for off road riding. It has been a couple of years since I sold my erstwhile mountain bike which was, in hindsight, a huge mistake. I had been missing trail riding for quite a while and picked up a new MTB on a whim and head out to Hesarghatta. But to my utter surprise, the lake was actually filled up with water and the rest of Hesarghatta lies under or smokes out a huge pile of garbage instead. With the misery of discovering a darker side of Hesarghatta, I turned to my second favorite piece of my trail history – the Byalkere peacock reserve. Here again, I was taken aback to note that the reserve was more of a human settlement with too many makeshift tarp tents crowding the place, leaving almost no place to ride safely. This is where Abhishek (fondly self-christened Madman) came in and made my life easier. He had been an avid trail rider in the past and had recently purchased a mountain bike and he had ridden a new path just off Byalkere which lead to some hitherto unexplored trails. Since then, I have been riding with madman for about two or three weeks almost every single day and we have discovered several pieces of singletrack heaven in this time.
Our typical early morning trail ride starts with a sandy descent complete with three small 1 foot drops and a sharp turn at the end which snakes into a valley with man- made water bodies on either side. After riding through the water bodies, we climb into a bunch of wild bushes for a little while before we ride through lush green grass which turns right sharply at the end of the climb onto a few rocks. This turn takes us through some nice singletrack which runs in between another couple of lakes, over a few roots and into a grove of eucalyptus trees which comes out into a singletrack smacked between knee deep grass next to a farm. As if the blades of grass brushing against our legs are not enchanting enough, this route also has stacked up hay and hordes of birds chirping which gives you a sense of being so far away from the concrete jungle we call home. After stopping for a quick bite here, we ride back into the woods and through a single track which is probably the most exciting part of the entire ride. This track is a really fast descent through hardpack, sand, pebbles, rocks and roots which stretches to almost 15 uninterrupted minutes of non-stop descending fun while giving a serious workout to our ever concentrating brains. After this exciting affair, we ride back through a rocky descent, into the bushes, pumping a few dips in the route, next to a few small ravines, out onto the road and back home, excited for what we will discover tomorrow. Although the Hesarghatta is no more the trail riders paradise, these trails that we have recently discovered have restored our faith that North Bangalore is indeed the best place to be if you are a cyclist.
CRANK with ProCycle JANUARY 15TH, 2015
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RACE REPORT
Out of the blocks at full tilt. Image courtesy Preeti Chima
ARAVALLI TRAIL HUNTERS SEASON 1 By Viju Varghese
It all started in the basement of a hotel in Gurgaon, during the felicitation ceremony for the winners of MTB Firestorm in the early spring of 2014. K Kiran Raju (of Specialized Kynkyny) was sharing his training experiences and describing the benefits of the monthly calendar based road racing scene in Bangalore. The seeds were sown right there, in that conversation. The important points that came out of that discussion were that the Delhi NCR needs a regular MTB racing scene - one which needs to be self-supported in a simple format. Soon after, Ajit Nair and Gautam Chima, started training for MTB Shimla-2014, and in the process started to hunt for more trails that could possibly be incorporated in future race courses. They both realized at that event, that in order to get better at the two BIG annual MTB races, they would have to start racing in the Delhi NCR region. Joined by Abhishek Purohit, the duo started a FB group, “The Aravalli Trailhunters� and outlined their objectives. The idea was to keep it all very simple, to make the races happen with minimal outside support and to target all aspects of MTB Cross country ( XC) racing. 8 months, 9 races, 40 racers, 300 Kms and 2700 Meters - this is
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how Season One of the Aravalli Trailhunters MTB Series ( 2014) panned out. The season included a gruelling 55Km race finale, the first ever 2-day stage MTB race in the Delhi NCR and one race a month. The races were all MTB focussed offroad Cross-country. All races were executed by a bunch of friends getting together to build a competitive MTB culture in their neighbourhood, without any sponsorship or outside financial support. While the Aravallis, with a maximum elevation of 320 meters in the Delhi NCR region, rising from a base elevation of 220 meters, do not lend themselves naturally to extensive climbing, they offer a great variation in riding terrain. The trails incorporate short but steep climbs and downhills, technical rocky patches, undulating sandy/ loose over hard track trails , tight rocky single tracks , and all out super fast jeep tracks. All of these trails are set in the backdrop of the Aravalli Shrubbery Buffer Zone, in the midst of thick Keekar jungles and replete with wildlife ranging from peafowl, foxes, jackals, Hyaenas, Hares, Deer, wild camels, monitors and even the odd leopard! The group, using smartphone driven GPS apps like Strava and GPS kit, started surveying, mapping and collating data for making
A happy band of trail warriors. Image courtesy Abhinay Pochiraju
A little hiking to go with the biking. Image courtesy Abhinay Pochiraju
race routes. It was decided that the race formats should cover all levels of difficulty but should start small and easy. From one race to the next, the difficulty level of the race courses would be increased incrementally to a grand race finale which would cover all the previous race elements. For each race a Strava segment is created and after each race Strava creates the timing leaderboard. If any racer does not complete the segment as per the race course, they would not show up on the leaderboard and would naturally get a time penalty. This simple solution takes away the need for timing marshalls, but the group had to test if it would work in a real time race. Over the last year , the Strava leaderboard has generated fairly accurate
Viju battles it out with Matt. Image courtesy Vikram
leaderboards in 9 races, but more importantly it has always pointed out racers who did not complete the course as intended. The group then transformed into a community driven race club quite naturally, where all racers/members contribute to make the events successful including sharing costs, helping out with route recon, segment creation and marking rides. It is also not uncommon to see younger children with their bikes on the side trails while their parents race! ATH also got the award winning design firm “The Grafiosi” to design the team logo and race jerseys. More interestingly, they introduced the concept of a ‘KOM GAUNTLET’ (King of the Mountain Gauntlet) where a rider can challenge the race club to a re-race of a particular race course,
CRANK with ProCycle JANUARY 15TH, 2015
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Riders slug it out. Image courtesy Abhishek Gaurav.
by beating the race course timing within 6 days of the race. In the past season, the KOM GAUNTLET was called and completed successfully once (by yours truly). The races have attracted riders from all age groups varying from early teens to early 40s allowing for all riders to participate in a friendly competition irrespective of their varying fitness levels. The 2014 season closed with a points leader-board of 26 racers, apart from 14 other racers who got either a DNF or a DNS.
Matt Barrett (L) and Viju Varghese (R) - Winner of the finale and KOM of the first season. Image courtesy Vikram Sharma Crossing the finish line. Image courtesy Preeti Chima
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CRANK with ProCycle JANUARY 15TH, 2015
The winner of NCR’s first 2-day MTB race , ATH 1.5 , Vikash Kashyap, has been sponsored by HASTPA to participate in the upcoming 2015 MTB-Shimla. Matt Barrett took the top position in the series finale held on December 7th, 2014 and Viju Varghese (the resident race advisor) took the title of Series KOM , topping the series with 14 points and 3 race wins.
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BOYS’ TOYS
PLANET BIKE BRT STRAP What’s an arm band, a trouser clip, a blinkie, a dog collar and gawd-knows-what-else, all rolled into one? The oddly-named Planet BIke BRT Strap is what! A brilliantly made little device which every commuter should have, the LED is bright enough to be seen at 2000 feet, has a blinking and steady mode and will also allow you to keep your puppy safe while walking him at night.
ICETOOLZ PUNCTURE KIT Ever gottent irritated rummaging around in your pack for all the bits and bobs you need to fix a flat? We certainly have. Enter the IceToolz puncture kit. In a sweet little tin case, you get everything you could possibly need to fix a flat and more. There’s even a very nice little set of tyre levers that fit in perfectly. Keep one of these to chuck into your pack every time you hit the trails. For more details drop us a line at torquewrench@procycle.in
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