CRANK with ProCycle - November 2014 by CrankMag

ISSUE 10 VOL 2 NOVEMBER 15TH 2014

INSIDE

TO LEH TOUR OF CHINA II 2014 GIANT XTC ADVANCED TEAM

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IN THIS ISSUE

Tour of China II

To Leh on a leg and a prayer

Tour de Kerala

Giant XTC Advanced Team

20 PBCh

Tour to Shivanasamudra

Boys Toys

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

Mohammad Rafi Shaik, 7Cycling Harjot Singh, Team TdK Registered to

Procycle and Sports India Private Limited Corporate Office

Indiranagar, 889, First Floor, 7th Main 4th Cross, HAL II stage, Bangalore - 560008 Tel: +91 80 41161902 Showroom

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Heya! We got our hands on the incredibly hot 2014 Giant XTC Advanced 27.5 0 Team Edition (whew, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a mouthful) and we are absolutely blown away by it. So much so that we had to give you a peek. State of the art design and technology all right here in our backyard. Keep an eye out for our long-term review too. We headed out to China to catch the second leg of the Tour of China. Riders competed hard through blistering heat and miserably cold rain over the course of five days. Check out who came out on top. We also take a short tour near home with Mohammad, see what went down at the PBCh, head up to Ladakh with para cyclist Aditya Mehta and much more. All in this issue of CRANK with ProCycle. Turn the page and read. Then get out and ride!

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Sector, Bangalore - 560034 Tel: +91 80 2550 1967 Website

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The all-new, state-of-the-art Giant XTC Advanced 27.5 Team Edition. Image by Rahul K Thomas Rear Cover

The ProCycle car in the wilderness Printed by

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The new and improved ProCycle Indranagar store

Breakaways were reeled in quickly

INTERNATIONAL RACING

TOUR OF CHINA II Images courtesy 7cycling

Continuing where we left off in the last issue, we bring you all the action from Part 2 of the Tour of China where123 riders and pro teams from across the world put it all on the line over the course of five days. With Part 1 done, Kamil Gradek was trying to continue his form having won the yellow jersey while Boris Shpilevsky was vying with him to add to his blue jersey.

Stage 1 Type of race: Circuit Race (Xinning Langhan) Distance: 130.2 km The race began at 9:00 am in the scenic part of Langshan with 123 riders vying for honours. The weather is clear but hot with temperature over 34 Celsius. Frequent breakaway attempts were made by Giant-Champion System Pro Cycling and Hengxiang Cycling Team from China with speeds hitting 60km per hour. But, the strong international teams such as Kolss Cycling Team, Synergy Baku Cycling Project, Drapac Professional Cycling, Continental Team Astana and BDC Marcpol kept things in check. As temperatures rose, the peloton was tiring. The KOM (King of the Mountain) and sprints, however, offered a much tighter competition. Vitaliy Buts from Kolss

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A quick glance over the shoulder

Cycling Team continued his fine form (from the Tour of China I) to take the KOM. Piotr Bernas from BDC Marcpol won the first sprint while in the second sprint, Chaohua Xue (Giant-Champion System Pro Cycling) crossed the line first with Vitaliy Buts (Kolss Cycling Team) in hot pursuit. As the race neared the end, it was a sprinter who made the decisive move. Mattia Gavazzi (Amore&Vita-SELL SMP) went all out to win the yellow and blue jerseys. Things were looking up for him after having one a stage in Part 1 but losing out overall.

Stage 2

Mattia Gavazzi takes the win

The breakaway puts distance behind them

Type of race: A (Chenzhou) to B (Jiahe) Distance: 140.5 km The second stage covered 140.5km from Chenzhou (a city of forests) to Jiahe including a C4 KOM at 25.1 km and three sprints at 37.7km, 86.4km and 105.1km. Though the scenery along the way was breathtaking the race was anything but easy with the temperature hitting 37 degrees celsius.

Sprinting for the polka dot

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Boris Shilevsky (RTS Santic) takes the win, the yellow and blue jerseys Wouter Wippert (Drapac Professional Cycling) wins a hard stage

The breakaway rides through heat and exhaustion

Boris Shpilevsky (RTS Santic) wins the final stage and takes the overall yellow and blue jerseys Riders grit their teeth

The race begins in cold and wet conditions

Multiple breakaway attempts were made soon after the race started, but riders who got away for the moment would soon be caught by the peloton. In the last 5 km 19 riders formed a breakaway group. However, under the leadership of Team Vorarlberg and Drapac Prefessional Cycling, the peloton caught up yet again.

Vadim Galeyev (Continental Team Astana), Kamil Gradek (BDC Marcpol) and Milan Kadlec (Team Dukla Praha) made successful breakaways along the last narrow twisting 20km road and held on to the end. The order was maintained with Galeyev winning in 3:02’38’’ thereby taking the yellow jersey too.

In a chaotic bunch sprint, Boris Shpilevsky (RTS Santic Racing Team) attacked 200m before the final line to take the win. Mattia Gavazzi (Amore&Vita-SELL SMP) was penalised 5 points and 10 seconds for the violation of rules resulting in both the yellow and blue jerseys being taken by Boris Shpilevsky (RTS Santic Racing Team).

Stage 4

Stage 3 Type of race: A (Wuhan Jiangxia) to B (Caidian) Distance: 143.9 km The third stage of 2014 Tour of China II took place in Wuhan Jiangxia - Caidian and it was a great day out for Team Astana Continental. This stage covered 143.9km from Jiangxia to Caidian, including a C4 KOM at 83.3km and 3 sprints along the way at 33km, 75km and 120.8km. Just after the race started, three riders made attacks and successfully broke away, leaving the peloton far behind with an increasing time gap.

Type of race: A (Gucheng) to B (Laoheku) Distance: 138.8 km Stage 4 kicked off at 10:00 in the morning in weather completely different from the previous stages. Cold rain at temperatures hovering at 19 degrees celsius made the road muddy and slippery There were a number of crashes. Keeping this in mind, the peloton played it safe until the second sprint. While Boris Shpilevsky (RTS Santic Racing Team) took the first two sprints, Vitaliy Buts (Kolss Cycling Team) won the KOM and secured his polka dot jersey. Local hero Meiyin Wang (Hengxiang Cycling Team) out sprinted the rest to take the third sprint. With nobody making a clean break, the peloton headed to the finish, covered in mud. In the bunch sprint that followed Wouter Wippert, from the only pro continental team - Drapac Professional Cycling, broke from crowd with hands held high for the win in 2:53’16’’. Mattia Gavazzi (Amore&Vita-SELL SMP) took the second with Boris Shpilevsky (RTS Santic Racing Team) in third.

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Stage 5 Type of race: Circuit (in Tianjin Wuqing) Distance: 109.2 km

The race begins in cold and wet conditions

The final day of the Tour of China dawned drizzly and cold at the Tianjin Wuqing Circuit. Covering 109.2km with six laps, one C4 KOM at 82.8km and two sprints at 36.4km and 72.8km, the scene was set for an exciting finish. The big question on everyone’s mind could Milian Kadlec (Team Dukla Praha) hold off the strong challenge of Boris Shpilevsky (RTS Santic Racing Team) and Kamil Gradek (winner of Part 1 Team BDC Marcpol) to retain the yellow jersey? Shpilevsky rushed to first at the first sprint thereby reducing the yellow jersey lead by 3 seconds. Then an 18-rider breakaway group led by Kamil Gradek (BDC Marcpol) attacked from the main bunch, leaving the yellow jersey and Boris far behind. It seemed Gradek could take the stage if he stayed with it through to the end. But, with just 2km to go, an exhausted Gradek was overwhelmed by the peloton led by Astana Continental Team.

Boris Shpilevsky (RTS Santic) wins the final stage and takes the overall yellow and blue jerseys

In the bunch sprint that followed, Boris Shpilevsky stamped his class, breasting the tape in 2:10’42’’ taking the stage and the yellow jersey with it. In second place was Andriy Kulyk (Kolss Cycling Team) followed by Mihkel Raim (Amore&Vita-SELL SMP). Shpilevsky added yet another feather to his cap by taking the blue jersey as well. Meiyin Wang (Hengxiang Cycling Team) secured his white jersey while the polka dot jersey was won by Vitaliy Buts (Kolss Cycling Team).

Overall Results Yellow Jersey: Boris Shpilevsky (RTS Santic Racing Team) Blue Jersey: Boris Shpilevsky (RTS Santic Racing Team) Polka Dot Jersey: Vitaliy Buts (Kolss Cycling Team) White Jersey: Meiyin Wang (Hengxiang Cycling Team) From L to R Meiyin Wang (White Jersey winner), Boris Shpilevsky (Yellow Jersey winner) and Vitaliy Buts (Polka Dot Jersey winner)

Aditya and Harjot en route to Khardung La

THE LONG ROAD

TO LEH ON A LEG AND A PRAYER Images courtesy Harjot Singh

Anyone would tell you that riding to Leh is one of the toughest rides you can do. Try doing it one leg! Internationally acclaimed para cyclist Aditya Mehta did just that a couple of months ago. Here are the highs and lows of his ride.

Day 1 Manali – Marhi (35.9 kms) The first day of my ride started from Manali and I aimed at covering a distance of 35.9 km to Marhi. The chilly winds, high altitude, heavy rains did hamper my attempt to create a balance between my breathing and pedaling but nevertheless, I pushed on. reached Marhi at 6 pm in the evening to see that the town had no hotels or lodges to offer but only a “hut”. This for a guy who has never ventured beyond the safety of a ‘rated hotel’ on any of a number of websites. Oh well, when in Rome.. The day ended in the company of friends in candle light in a hut - one of the most unforgettable moments of my ride.

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Day 2 (Marhi - Sissu 52.1kms) & 3 (Sissu-Jispa 52.9 kms) If the first day challenged me with a ‘5-Star Hut’, the second and third brought on new challenges. As it has to many a rider in this region before, altitude sickness hit me. Garlic water and onions did help but what was better was meeting and riding with a group of riders from Delhi.

Day 4 Jispa - Zing Zing Bar (31.2 kms) The journey towards Zing Zing Bar has to rate as one of the most difficult rides I’ve been through. A roadblock delayed my start until 10 a.m. And then the sun took its toll. Until lunch I was ok but after lunch, my ride uphill got worse. I was gasping for oxygen and wilting in the heat which gave me a headache.

Delight at the top of Khardung La

Nevertheless after some rest I finally reached Zing Zing Bar at 6 pm. Lack of mobile network and internet meant that I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t contact my family at a time when I was at a low and missed them. Things got worse. The side effect of Diamox (used to fight my altitude sickness) was that I ended up running to the washroom about 25 times. This was a disaster for my leg and I was in pain.

Day 5 Zing Zing Bar - Sarchu (52.3 kms) After an awful night, the next day I was told that the journey to Sarchu was comparatively better. I was relieved. Made it with relative ease. What did bring tears to my eyes was BRO (Border Roads Organisation) giving me the privilege of using the only phone line available to let me speak to my family. How I had missed them.

Day 6 Sarchu - Pang (77.1 kms) This was a terrible day. I was suffering from acute altitude sickness - headaches, nosebleed, lack of oxygen not to mention the dust all around which was taking its toll on me. The only thing that kept me moving was the mission behind this ride

The delightful (but rare) downhill ride

Fording streams along the way

- to support the 3 para athletes I wanted to raise funds for.

Day 7 (Pang - Debring 42.8 kms) & 8 (Debring Lato 65.1 kms) The thought of having done Kashmir to Kanyakumari gave me the morale boost I needed to pedal my way across the second highest road in world - Tanglang La. What was it like? Lungs full of dust, sun blazing high and pain and bleeding all through the ride from my socket and skin rubbing against each other! If I thought yesterday was bad, today was by far the worst. I was only kept going by the like-minded people who I met along the way.

Day 9 Lato - Leh (66.1 kms)

Head down in pain

Finally the day dawned when I was about to reach my milestone destination - Leh. The journey to Leh felt a little relaxed by me as the road was almost flat except some kms of downhill. But my injuries were not yet healed and the crazy wind during the ride did give me a tough time. With all the pain and fighting against the wind, I reached Leh much after the anticipated time. But, I was finally able to speak to my family and friends again. I would rest up for a few days before beginning my assault on the formidable Khardung La.

Day 10-14 Chilled out in Leh. Went river rafting! Day 15 Leh - Khardung La (46.7 kms) Independence Day! Reached the Khardungla top: Border force jawans and public paying homage to the national flag on top of the highest motorable road in the world.

The dusty road to Leh

Aditya is all smiles before the trip

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RACE REPORT

The race is flagged off

TOUR DE KERALA Images courtesy Team TdK

While Kerala’s mountain biking races (MTB Kerala) and brevets have enjoyed excellent success over the last couple of years, its road racing is just about coming of age. We check out all the action from the first ever AICA Tour de Kerala Mountain Challenge, held on the 28th of September. As has to be the case in Kerala, the route was picturesque indeed, running from Perunad (Ranni) to Chalakayam and back. A total of 86 kms 80% of which ran through forest. The course was short by the even the average Indian classic standard but challenging enough considering the number of amateurs competing on everything from hybrids to mtbs. Of course, there was the odd semi-pro and Pinarello to behold but the numbers were made of enthusiastic riders from all over the country. Add to that, the climbs (and descents) of Sabarimala and it had more than a few riders out of breath. Organisers took extra precautions to ensure that the race would go off without a hitch even going as far as to have the entire route cleaned with the help of Fire force twice before the race. Regular

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road maintenance was even put on hold by the District Collector for the Tour de Kerala. Add to that, the support of the Forest Department and the Police Department. If that isn’t collective responsibility, we don’t know what is. The race kicked off to much fanfare at exactly 8:00 a.m. The first 13 kms comprised some tough climbs and the field quickly thinned out. The semi-pro riders quickly scooted ahead while the rest toiled it out in the heat and humidity that is the norm for this part of the world. The first rider crossed the finishing ribbon in exactly 2 hours and 50 minutes. About seven minutes (2.57min) later, the second rider broke the tape followed by the third in hrs 07 min. Riders bagged some cool swag with Fuji bikes (Fuji being the prize sponsor) being the highlight. All-told, it was a successful day with organisers learning a thing or two for next year. Water stations being ‘plastic free’ were great in theory (and intention) but proved to be a hindrance considering the

Aerial view of the race

Not the most disciplined peloton but enthusiastic indeed A taste of Italy in God’s Own Country

A rider whips past the lens

A roadie gets his game face on

heat and the number of spectators who turned out. In the end, 108 riders turned out to take part in the event. We’re sure its only going to grow from here on out.

Results: Open 1. Ramesh Nagarajan. Chennai 2. Gokul VR, Chennai 3. Muhammed Anees, Kochi

Competitors toil their way uphill on MTBs Spinning up a climb as the locals look on curiously

MTB Category 1. Vijosh Vicky, Kochi 2. Devendra Singh, Kochi

Women’s Category 1. Nidhi Sharma, Delhi

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BIKE FEATURE

GIANT XTC ADVANCED 27.5 0 TEAM

Images by Rahul K Thomas

This month we feature the draw-joppingly gorgeous 2014 Giant XTC Advanced 27.5 Team Edition. With a frameset weighing in at an astounding 970 grams (you read that right) and a carbon wheelset that clocks in at just 1.4 kilos, this bike will have weight weenie roadies with stars in their eyes. And with all that, they’ve even beefed up the BB and the headset. This Team Edition is appropriately clad in SRAM’s top-of-the-line XX1 carbon drivetrain and their Avid XX World Cup brakes. To say this is a rocket is something of an understatement. This bike in full race-readiness weighs in at under 9 kilos without pedals. And if you’ve got a cool 5.65 lakhs INR - the price at which it retails in India, you can leave those roadies eating your dust. Be warned though, if we ever hear that you rode this on road, you’re going to have to go into hiding. Feast your eyes!

SRAM XX1 11-speed shifters

Internal cable routing SRAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s XX1 Type 2 rear derailleur with a roller bearing clutch (eliminating chain slap) and cage lock (to keep it out of the way while taking the wheel off). Save for the largest ring, the whole cassette is machined out of a single steel ingot

SRAM XX1 34T crankset (single chainring) up front with carbon arms

A close-up of the clutch and cage lock

Avid XX World Cup brakes with convertible 142/135mm rear dropouts

RockShox SID XX 100mm travel with 15mm thru-axle and XLoc Full Sprint (hydraulic) remote - note the cable running to the top of the leg The Rockshox XLoc Full Sprint (hydraulic) remote lets you stiffen the fork and fly uphill at the flick of your thumb

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The all-stealth carbon levers of the Avid XX World Cup brakes The ridiculously light (1.4 kilo) Giant P-XCR0 Composite Wheel System with Schwalbe Thunder Burt Evo 27.5x2.1 tyres. Tubeless at its finest!

Giant Contact (carbon) SLR stem

Giant Contact (carbon) SLR 690mm handlebar

Giant Contact SLR (composite) seatpost integrated seat clamp (notice the last of an external clamp) with a Fizik Tundra 2 saddle (titanium rails)

The GIANT XTC Advanced 0 27.5 Team Edition (whew) is a full-on hardcore race machine which is so light itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll leave most road bikes in its dust.jpg

The peloton heads downhill

RACE REPORT

LIFECYCLE PBCH PUNE PANCHGANI 100K CLASSIC Text and Images by Divya Tate

Tilak road in the heart of Pune city, usually abuzz with motor vehicles, wore a completely different look in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday the 28th of Sept. Cyclists from around the country were gathered outside Lifecycle Mall, the start point for a 100 km race to Panchgani, a high plateau in the Sahyadris. After a short neutral start of 7 km till the highway, where the race actually started, the racers were immediately ascending on a low grade uphill to Katraj tunnel. On that uphill itself the race saw it’s first attack and a solo rider from Trek team broke away. The peloton, made up of riders from Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Satara, as well as from Germany, Spain and Belgium, stayed in a tight group through the long flat stretch. A couple of attacks from riders did not survive the Next climb up Khambatki Ghat, a 3.5 km long ascent of 350 meters. The race started to play itself out on that climb which was congested with traffic that morning. Michael Lehnig of Team Lifecycle Racing lead the race up the Ghat and the peloton broke up. Regrouping soon after, the peloton was much smaller when 2 riders from Trek and Makarand Mane of Team Lifecycle, attacked as

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they began the last climb, Pasarni Ghat. Within a few km the race got brutal with Michael and a small number of racers overtaking the 3 in the front. Halfway up, Michael achieved a compelling lead between himself and the others, to become the first to finish at Harrison Folly. Michael Lehnig, the coach for Team Lifecycle Racing, Pune said that it was a very challenging route for every participant. He had prepared for the last 2-3months for about 2 to 4 hours a day specifically for this event. It was a great venue for an award ceremony, as everyone unwound from the hard ride on Harrison’s Folly. A clear and beautiful day with wonderful views of the Sahyadri mountains.

The Results: Open Group: Men’s Road Bike: 1. Michael Lehnig 2:36:27 2. Enaut Gonzalez 2:37:45 3. Aniket Sonawane 2:46:52:

Riders take a hairpin

Winner of the Youth Men’s Event - Aunsh Bandiwadekar

Winner Open Men Road Bike event Michael Lehnig

Open Group: Men’s Hybrid Bike 1. Lal Bahadur 3:38:28 2. Ashwin Trimal 3:40:51 3. Pramod Singh 3:45:45

Masters Group: Men’s Road Bike 1. Ronny Schrijuers 2:40:36 2. Prashant Tidke 3:06:33 3. Vivek Agarwal 3:29:02

Masters Group: Men’s Hybrid Bike 1. Vishal Pawar 3:20:08 2. Ashok Captain 3:20:30 3. Baban Dolas 4:12:05;

Youth Group 1. Aunsh Bandiwadekar 2: 39:45 2. Rishabh Hattarki 2:39:50 3. Dhruv Shah 2:41:30;

Women’s Open Group: 1. Shraddha Rathod 3:19:55

Women’s Masters Group: 1. Anjali Bhalinge 3:20:43

Winner Open Men Road Bike event Michael Lehnig

The stream next to what should have been TK Falls

OFF THE BEATEN PATH

A WEEKEND BIKE TOUR TO SHIVANASAMUDRA Text and Images by Mohammad Rafi Shaik

One Saturday afternoon in 2012 my friend Nagraj Harsha and decided to head out on a bike tour to Shivanasamudra waterfalls via Kanakpura road. As Nagaraj had to work half days on Saturday, I decided to get a head start in the morning and take in some of the scenes along the way. Nagaraj was to catch up later. A post on a couple of cycling groups resulted in Supraja and Saswata deciding to join me till TK falls.

Lush greenery down Kanakpura Road

Shortly after we started, we were surprised to see some of our old trekking gang on the road - Arun Karthik, Ambika and Jayan Santhosh. They decided to join us too. We took a detour from Kanakapura Road and reached Vadherahalli Lake - a soothing place with the lush green of Bannerghatta forest on one side. After fixing a flat, we moved on. Back on Kanakpura Road, we continued till Kaggalipura and then detoured to Thottikallu Falls (aka TK Falls). The route from Kaggalipura to the falls is another beautiful stretch with Malbar crops on both sides. Reaching TK falls is a little confusing as there are no proper signboards. A few chats with locals quickly fixes that however. Parking our bikes at a temple, we took the short walk to the falls. Alas, little did we know that they are only visible at the height of the monsoon. In fact, it was bone dry! Nevertheless, we spotted a small stream and decided to explore the area a bit.

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Mohammad at Yogavana Hill - the place where he first began cycling

Vadherahalli Lake

Just then, it began raining. We were drenched in the heavy downpour. But, there is nothing quite as much fun as riding in the rain, when its out in the countryside. I decided to ride further while the rest headed back to Bangalore.

A farmer distributes silk worm larve on a mat

I decided to head to a temple at the top of Yogavana hill. There, I got a call from Nagraj saying that he was about to start from office and he meet me around Santhanur. On the way, i had noticed mulberry crops and silk worm cultivation. After a short discussion with the farmers I got to know the complete life cycle of silk worms and witnessed some of them first hand. I reached Santhanur and had lunch by which time Nagraj caught up. We had a chatty ride about triathlons and where to eat fresh fried fish at the falls. We checked with the locals for a short cut to Shivanasamudra falls. After some discussion, we decided to take the planned highway route to reach the falls. By the time we reached Marehalli, it was dark. We had dinner and started riding to the falls. After a 20km ride we finally reach the deviation point to the falls

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Nagaraj with the bikes and tent at Shivanasamudra waterfalls The first flat

Mohammad on the road. Or off it!

and from there the route passed through the forest. It was already 10 p.m and the locals had warned us not to ride through forst after dark as there were elephants and leopards on the prowl. Having no choice, we turned our bike lights all the way up and continued riding while simultaneously scanning every bush to make sure that it was safe to pass. We reached the check post. As the forest guard was sleeping, we slipped by and continued to ride further to reach the falls. Finally, we reached Gaganachukki falls and setting up our tents quickly, we fell asleep. The next morning we awoke up, mesmerized to see the roaring water falls. On the left one was Barchukki and on the right one was Gaganachukki falls. To have the view entirely to yourself without any crowd is an amazing feeling. After taking a few pictures, packed up the tents and finally headed towards Talakadu. Along the way, farmers offered us coconuts while refusing to accept money for it. We then reached Somanthpur and visited some ancient temples. Finally we made it to Talakadu, where the Kaveri river flows peacefully. We had a nice refreshing dip in the water. Nagraj decided he wanted to cross the river as a part of his training for the Ironman triathlon (which he has since completed twice). Running out of time, we headed out for lunch. On reaching a village, we asked where we could get fish. Locals guided us to a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Military Hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and we reached there only to find out that it would take another hour for food to be prepared. Well, since we both love fish curry, we decided to wait it out and it was well worth it. The food was so good we probably downed about a kilo of fish.

Endless roads with no traffic

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Post lunch, we decided to ride back to Bangalore and took Mysore road for a change. The connecting route from Malavalli to Maddur is in pretty bad shape and Nagraj got two flats in a 5 km stretch. On reaching Maddur Station, we learnt that at Chennapatna Station, we would have the option of loading the bikes onto the train. We had 17km to cover and the train was expected to reach in 50 minutes. In Team Time Trial style, we made a run for it, sometimes clocking 33+ kms per hour. We got there in time, loaded up our bikes and headed home.

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