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Issue 10 Volume 3 November 15th 2015
d
lusive M e Exc
ar tner aP di
MTB Himalaya 2015 Moto GP and Cycling Garmin Virb XE
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IN THIS ISSUE Around the world Punctures and Panniers...............
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Coffee with Crank
21 Bicycle Diary EP-7................... 22 Balancing Act............................
Crank News Route
6-8 Industry News.................. 10-12 Race report...................... 13-16 CFI News..............................
Profiled
18 Young Turk.............................. 20
Moto GP and Cycling................
CycTech
23 Boys Toys................................ 26 Garmin Virb XE........................
HI! The CRANK with ProCycle Team Managing Editor and Publisher Vikram K Limsay Invitee editor
Mr. Onkar Singh Bureau Head Joseph Anish
Editorial support Nishtha Kaushik
India North Bureau Ashish Sood
Marketing and Distribution Joseph Anish
anish@procycle.in, +91 97415 77884 Test Riders
Ajay Kamble Ritwik D Burman, Joseph Anish Issue contributors
Claire, Andre, Starkenn Bikes, Veloscope All rights reserved by
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Downhill trails at MTB Himalaya 2015 Back Cover
On Cloud Nine Printed by
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Hello Riders, With the international racing seasons coming to an end, national and league races have picked up pace and are giving more and more amateur athletes a platform to prove themselves. The cycling industry in India has been seeing a lot of changes. Many of the brands have been scaling up to reach to the new age customers of India. There are developments of more international brands stepping in to the country and you can be sure that Crank will be the first to bring you more on these developments. In a few weeks time the nationals championship in mountain biking will begin and a lot of new talent is sure to be spotted there. Deborah Herold, a 20 year old track cyclist has made India proud with her victories at the Taiwan International Track Cup. What she has shown is indomitable spirit and the will to go on and has joined the ranks of amazing Indian women athletes like Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal. We congratulate her on her winnings and wish her luck for the Track Asia Cup scheduled next month in Delhi. More importantly we take pride in bringing her story to our readers who can seek inspiration from her achievements. Until the next issue of Crank with ProCycle. Read on, Ride on, Ciao. Vikram K Limsay Managing Editor and Publisher
All SCOTT Junior Bikes are equipped with Alloy 6061 Tubing, Kids SpeciďŹ c Brakes, Softer Sprint Setup & have a super cool dirt jump look!
A cozy fire in Poland
Feature
Punctures and Panniers Images from punctures and panniers flickr stream
W
e at Crank have a responsibility to bring you stories that compel you to get out there and experience freedom on a bicycle. In our search we found Claire and Andre’s story. They are from England and Canada respectively employed at London and have left their jobs to ride a bike from the UK all the way to Japan. They will cover some of the most spectacular landscapes of Europe, middle and far east and have an extensive stop over at India. The idea really came as a crazy joke when they were listing all the places they had never been to and Japan came up as a common ambition from even before they met. They jokes about reaching there on a cycle and after simple contemplation concluded that cycling to Japan in fact was the most viable way to get there. While Andre is a civil engineer, Claire is a psychology research assistant within the Military Health Research department at Kings College London. They began at London and rode to Belgium, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Northern India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China and South Korea. Which is where they are currently at. They have a carefully documented blog www. puncturesandpanniers.com where they share their experiences and more importantly provide tips from ground zero. These tips are mostly about how not to cycle trip as they themselves have limited
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Greenwich
Claire and Andre at Qutub Minar
Highway Stall men at Azerbaijan
experience in cycle touring. They warn their readers and potential disciples against carrying too much luggage as in all possibilities, you will not use all the changes in clothes that you will carry but layering is the most important thing to do when riding through regions with such diverse weather conditions. To ensure maximum self sustenance, they carried their own sleeping gear, cooking gear and spares for their bikes. They were also sure to carry first aid and Iphones for navigation. After all, Japan was a long way from home. Their choice of cycling to Japan was the result of a strong desire to broaden their horizons, experience new cultures, and challenge themselves in ways they couldn’t whilst sitting at an office in central London. Their contemplation included comparing lives of their friends who were making the more conventional life choices and that they themselves were spending a year away riding bicycles like a bunch of kids. With only a short leg of their ride left, they swear by their decision that it was the best they ever made in their lives.
Książ Castle & the flying dutchman
Not all plans in your life works out. Their denial to enter Iran due to visa regulation changes led them to ride across some of the more interesting places like Georgia and Azerbaijan. However, their typical day included packing up their camping gear and plotting routes and stops along the way. They set up camp early and start with their cooking to settle down before the dead of the dark hits them when they retrieve to their tent to enjoy some music or catch up on world happenings. But a typical day pans out a whole lot differently based on the country and weather. That unpredictability is exactly what they were looking for when they set out. The freedom and joys that can come from doing what you love and gaining new experiences and most importantly spending as minimal as possible while you are at it is unparalleled. The memories that they have collected are far more valuable to any job promotion or house that they could own for now they have houses and neighbours in close to 300 and counting places across the country.
CRANK with ProCycle NOVEMBER 15TH, 2015
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Deborah Herold (L)
CFI News
Deborah creates History Crank CFI Bureau
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or some time now, the country has been on the lookout for a new idol in the sport and has found one in Deborah Herold. Originally a footballer, Deborah has been proving her mettle in cycle sports since 2010. Deborah hails from the enchanting Andaman & Nicobar islands. All of 20 years, she is the latest sensation in Indian cycling by creating sporting history by winning five medals at UCI Class I event held in Taiwan. She has achieved 01 Gold, 03 Silver and 01 Bronze medal & has become the first ever Indian cyclist to gain these honors in women elite section. The 2015 Taiwan International Track Cup Classic I & II witnessed the first Indian to win a gold in the Women Elite sprint by defeating the Malaysian top rider, while in the Keirin event she missed a gold by a whisker to second in a photo finish contest. This is a commendable performance of this upcoming cycling prodigy who has a long carrier ahead of her. While congratulating her on superlative performance, Mr. Onkar Singh, Secretary General, CFI commented that this is just the beginning of a new era in the field of India cycling and was very positive of making inroads into other forthcoming International events such as UCI Class I event, Bangkok from 9th to 11th October 2015, Track Asia
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Cup, New Delhi from 18th to 20th November 2015 and Asian Track Cycling Championship in the last week of January 2016 in Japan. Deborah’s achievement goes to show that the cycling scene in India is gaining the right momentum and that the support bodies that provide training, nutrition and more importantly, motivation are doing a fantastic job and are displaying confidence in getting there. She has won medals in the following events
Taiwan International Track Cup Classic I – 2nd & 3rd Oct. 2015 1. Sprint Gold 2. 500 Mtr. Time trial Silver 3. Keirin Silver
2015 Taiwan International Track Cup Classic II – 4th Oct. 2015 4. Sprint Bronze 5. Keirin Silver
L-R Ashwani Kumar, Brian Cookson, Onkar Singh
CFI News
Indian Delegation at World Cycling Centre Crank CFI Bureau
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Onkar Singh (L) & Ashwani Kumar
r. Onkar Singh, Secretary General, CFI and Mr. Ashwani Kumar, COO, SAI National Cycling Academy and Project officer, Sports Authority of India visited the World Cycling Centre at the UCI head quarters in Aigle, Switzerland to finalize the commencement of the WCC satellite centre at New Delhi. The delegation had detailed discussion on the modules of training and working of the satellite Centre. Mr. Paul Henri Ray from UCI had been appointed as the in-charge of this centre at the WCC, who will coordinate on its behalf with CFI and SAI for day to day functioning of the Academy. A template was drawn with the specific time line during the discussion with Mr. Frederick Magne, Director of the WCC, who suggested to start various training programs of cyclists as well as coaches in the immediate future. The WCC will forward all relevant information on the coaching and training of cyclists based on specific parameters to improve the standards of the country’s cyclists. The delegation also met Mr. Brian Cookson, President, UCI and discussed development programs of the CFI, and he assured all support in this context. Discussions were also held with Mr. James Carr, Director, International relations on various issues of development and coaching programe Chennai Duathlon and had detailed deliberation on the future of the Great Malnad Challenge Satellite centre in terms of the making this project on Go Mad Cycle Tour the lines of World Cycling Centre. Mr. Onkar Singh 600 BRM extended an invitation to Mr. Brian Cookson to the 200 BRM upcoming Track Asia Cup 2015 at New Delhi from 18th to 20th Nov, 2015 and also to commemorate Track Asia Cup 2015 the inauguration of the satellite centre of WCC at New SKYi Manas Lake Triathlon Delhi.
events calendar
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Chennai
11/10/15 www.chennaiduathlon.com
Koorg
17/10/15 greatmalnadchallenge.in
Bengaluru
19/10/15 gomadcycletours@gmail.com
Surat
24/10/15 sahilparekh9@gmail.com
Hoshiarpur, Punjab
25/10/15 kaprolls@gmail.com
Velodrome, New Delhi 18/11/15 www.cyclingfederationofindia.org Pune, Maharashtra
21/11/15 www.manaslakemarathon.in
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Team Scott led by Jaymin Shah (centre)
Industry News
SCOTT 2016 Launch Crank India North Bureau
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fter the launch of many new aero road bikes and all mountain bicycles in the international races, the cycling community has been anticipating closely what will hit the mass consumer segment of bicycles. SCOTT Sports India has paved the way to their bold new range of 2016 model bicycles. Crank brings you exclusive news from the launch convention.
kept under anticipation.
The highlight of the launch was SCOTT’s new range of kids bicycles available from 20’’-26” wheel sizes under the range named Voltage and Contessa, specific to young girls. The bikes have a geometry similar to 4X or dirt jump bikes, making them a sturdy start for many youngsters. Their build quality and styling is definitely something that needs notice. The octagonal frame pattern on the top tube of the smaller wheeled bikes makes them stand out and an easy pick over the overt styling factors that are currently available in the kids range from competitors. Their bright and coordinated paint patterns also make them attractive. Their components are also child safe, they are built of the big boy bicycle 6061 alloy tubing and have child specific braking parts. The price point however is something that needs to be waited upon.
With their current offering, SCOTT, a global leader in manufacturing and racing has taken notice of the needs of a growing economy such as India by accommodating the new kids range and the presently elusive “Made for India” segment of cycles.
The other highlight was the global launch of a new category of mountain bikes called the ‘PLUS’ with offerings of upto 3” wide tyres which also meant a reworked geometry. Yet another announcement was the introduction of three new bicycles under a global segment called “Made for India.” The details of which are still
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Perhaps one of the most attractive of all the offerings the SCOTT Sports India had to make for the year 2016 is their interests to explore more into the market of accessories for sports beyond cycling, including running and even motorsports. Those cool motocross helmets from SCOTT seem one step closer to own now.
Scott’s New Kids range
Aditya Munjal (L) Shiv Inder Singh (R)
Industry News
Hero acquires Firefox Crank India South Bureau
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erhaps the most anticipated news for some time to come. Hero has finally acquired Firefox bicycles. The announcement frankly came as no surprise to anyone as the news was doing rounds for some time now. Crank met up with the Firefox team at a dealer meet organized in Chennai on the 24th Sept, 2015. Present at the meeting were Mr. Aditya Munjal, Director of Hero Cycles and Mr. Shiv Inder Singh and his entire operating team comprising of Mr. Ajit Gandhi, Head of Marketing and Mr. Sandeep Sinha, Head of Sales. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shiv Inder said, “I came from a non cycling background and started a popular youth brand in Firefox. I am proud that Firefox brand has acquired cult status in our country but it now needed more resources to grow. When Hero Cycles approached us, I saw that it was in the best interest of the Firefox brand to go to the next level in terms of brand relevance, product portfolio and the distribution network.”He adds, “With the Hero muscle, Firefox will be able to penetrate further into the Indian market. This deal will also help Firefox to expand its marketing visibility and acquire an aggressive approach in reaching out to our prospective customers.” Mr. Singh also mentioned that he
will continue to lead the Firefox brand and assured everyone that Firefox bikes would continue to function as an independent entity. Firefox bikes was the first to bring a global brand, Trek, into India in 2005 and has continued to market and promote it. Post this acquisition, Trek products will continue to be sourced through Firefox under the direct monitoring of an independent brand team led by Mr. Viju Varghese, Brand manager for Trek in India. Mr. Aditya Munjal added that he was happy with this acquisition and that Firefox will add tremendously to the already strong portfolio of Hero Cycles. Mr. Munjal is himself an athlete and has played tennis and other sports competitively and his young energy was exactly what was required at Firefox bikes. This acquisition brings nothing but great news to the bicycle market in India that is constantly growing and is expected to hold one of the largest shares in indigenously manufactured consumer goods. We look forward to getting a closer look at the new product range that the new Firefox bikes will now churn out.
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At the Starkenn flagship store in Pune
Industry News
Giant’s global head visits India
Crank India West Bureau
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ooks like all global majors are finally taking India seriously after all. In a list of international dignitaries from cycling world visiting India. The latest was Mr. Simon Lin, Giant International Sales head. Mr. Lin is one of the senior most executives of Giant and his trip to India is significant. Giant is the world’s largest manufacturer of bikes and is represented in India through its national distributor, Starkenn Bikes. Mr. Pravin Patil, Managing Director, Starkenn bikes and Mr. Simon Lin were on a whirlwind India tour covering Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Bangalore and Chennai. Amidst their busy schedule while on a stopover at Bangalore, Crank was able to catch a few moments with them. “India is a market of 17 million bicycles annually and we are very positive about this market especially in the premium segment where the growth is spectacular.” said Mr. Lin. “Just like China in the earlier years, the market is fast transitioning to black roadsters to performance bikes. Single speed bikes were the norm a few years back. But now it is heartening to see seven, eight and even nine speed bikes hitting the roads. We at Giant are very positive about this market and plan to support the growth of cycling here.” “We are proud to be associated with such an ambitious brand that has always been at the forefront of things to expose the Indian population to premium bicycling.” said Mr. Patil. He adds, “Mr. Lin wanted to acquire in depth knowledge about the functioning of the Indian market and we took him to bicycle shops in various parts of the country. Giant is a brand that has a strong footing globally
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and is reputed to be close to the ground in assessing the cycling needs.” Mr. Darren Fang, sales associate for India also accompanied Mr. Lin and was keen on making detailed observations of how bike shops are maintained and operated in India. Giant’s dignitaries at Delhi
Hero Action Team at the flag off
race report
MTB Himalaya 2015 Crank India North Bureau, Images: HASTPA
T
International performance participation
he mountains of Himalaya have always been a greater calling for the adrenaline junkie of the world. For the junkies who chose cycling, MTB Himalaya comes as a perfect release. Over the last 11 years of this race it has evolved a lot. The race was conceptualized to expose world class mountain biking enthusiasts to the terrain of the Himalayas and this year’s edition with 40 international rider participation from countries like Nepal, Holland, Bangladesh, Austria, Germany, Portugal and Canada has proved the vision of the race. The race customarily flagged off at HASTPA’s HQ, Shimla on 26th September, 2015. The race is for 8 days covering 550kms through the little explored back country of Himachal Pradesh along the Shivalik or greater Himalayan mountain range. This year the race saw carefully selected virgin tracks through the Deodar forests and over 100 villages. The elevation gain for the race is 15000m and the highest eleveation in the race is the Jalori Pass at 3250m.
Braving the himalayan odds
CRANK with ProCycle NOVEMBER 15TH, 2015
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Camp sites
The altitude along with the climbing challenged every rider. This year’s route had 2 extra days and 50kms of riding more than the previous editions. The terrain itself was a mixture of jeep tracks, gravel, mud, sand, streams, single tracks, pine forests and the challenging bike and hike sections that are meant for riders to hike the side of hills whilst carrying their bicycles. Concentrating on international participation, the race saw some top ranked UCI mountain bikers like Catherine Williamson, Ibon Zugasti, Anderl Hartman, Manuel Wesseinbacher, Jefe Brenham, Pau Zamora , Sonia Lopes, Sandra Pasco, Luis Leas Pinto, Wolfgang Renner and Reimun Dietzen who is a two time Vuelta Esapana podium winner from Germany. In the previous edition, riders from Nepal and the Services were the ones that would steal all the glory at the podium. This year however that trend changed and the local Winners circle
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Soaking the scenery Luis Pinto at the podium
Fast downhills
riders were able to get exposed to the techniques, skill, training regimes and even the diet of the international riders preparing them for world class races to come. The participants were divided into 4 categories of Women Solo, Men Solo, Master Solo and Team of two. Participation this year saw an all time high with the event fast becoming a benchmark for mountain biking races. The race also saw a spike in the number of first time participants owing to the position it has gained as a challenging race to prove an amateur’s mettle. MTB Himalaya, over the years has gained many supporters and Discovery channel is one of them. The race however is the primarily supported by Hero Cycles with the aim to improve the sport of mountain biking in India. HASTPA and Hero Cycles have also created the Hero Action team which is a professional mountain biking team, the riders from which are trained at Shimla and Gurgaon. These riders were also proud participants of the race.
Fast elevation gains
The race concluded on 04th Oct, 2015 with more to be anticipated for the next year with the main three podium positions for overall championship being claimed by international riders and the team category was bagged by a team from Nepal. Detailed results as follows.
Category Men Solo
Women Solo
Masters
Team
Winner Luis Leao Pinto (27:29:22) Catherine Williamson (34:31:28) Reimund Deitzen (31:53:41)
Ajay Pandit Chettri, Bhuddhi Bahadur Tamang (65:11:21)
Second Andi Seewald (27:48:32) Ilda Perreira (38:52:53) Vanni Balboni (32:22:25)
Santosh Kumar Tripathy, Walter Perryman (82:24:33)
Third
Peter, Heidi (87:49:10)
Pau Zamora (28:19:13)
Laxmi Magar (47:06:22)
Telmo Falco (34:24:09)
CRANK with ProCycle NOVEMBER 15TH, 2015
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Giant’s Gautam Taode
Race Report
BBCh Downhill 2015 Crank Bengaluru Bureau, Images: Veloscope
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ownhill as a competitive sport in India has only recently picked up. League races that encourage amateur and expert level participation are key to the growth of any sport and the BBCh Downhill race is one such race to look out for. The race was customarily held at the Thuralli track and this year noticing the increase in the skill level of the participants, the race was shifted to the more challenging and technical Nandi Hills track. This was originally a track meant for Tippu Sultan’s infantry and cavalry and has undergone severe refinement since and has become a more competitive and a fast track for riders. Nandi DH track has been known for being notorious with fast off camber sections and ruts. It is also filled with high jumps, uphill sections and sprint finishes. This year’s race saw a large number of serious athletes participating in three categories and the victory going to some of the new age professional team racers who are giving a boost to the development to the sport. Amateur level racing of such unique cycling sports is what helps in its growth. And BBCh is known for producing many serious riders in different race categories. Downhill racing, no matter how expensive a sport in terms of a bike and safety equipment and the limitations
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to the places it can be pursued is here to say and the national level turn out at the BBCh DH 2015 is testament for the same. Scott’s Piyush Chavan
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1YEAR ` 720 12 ISSUES at 40% OFF the cover price DELIVERED TO YOUR DOORSTEP PLUS some surprise goodies along the way To subscribe, mail a cheque in favour of ‘PROCYCLE AND SPORTS INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED’ to our corporate office (address below) along with your details or drop by one of the ProCycle showrooms (adresses below) and pay cash. For queries, call Joseph Anish on +91 97415 77884 or email anish@procycle.in Showroom: l Indiranagar - #226, 1st Main Road, Service Road, Domlur 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore - 560071. Tel: +91 98802 16064 l Koramangala / HSR Layout - New #12, Old #75, Service Road, Jakkasandra Extension, Koramangala 1st Block, Near HSR 5th Sector, Bangalore - 560034 Tel: +91 80 2550 1967 l Sanjaynagar - #126, 80ft Road, RMV 2nd Stage, Ashwath Nagar, Bangalore - 560094 Corporate Office: Indiranagar - 226, 1st floor, 1st Main Road, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bengaluru - 560071. Tel: +91 80 41161902
Fast rides in the morning
Profiled
Moto GP and Cycling Crank Bengaluru Bureau
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Sandy at the Malaysian Superbike Championship
S
ome people cycle for fun, others for exercise and a few more as a means to commute. aniSh caught up with Sandy from Bengaluru who uses cycles of various kinds for all of the above and then some.
I had first met Sandy when he was racing at the ‘Race to the clouds’ hill climb at Nandi hills back in 2011 and stayed in touch with him over the internet. I have since seen him evolve himself a path to racing bigger bikes at bigger races. When I found out that he uses a bicycle to train on, I had to ask catch up with him. I met sandy on his way to his training ride to Nandi Hills and first thing I noticed was that he had a smile plastered on his face. I know this smile. It is the smile derived from endorphin release through exercise. Sharing riding tips and gear recommendations, we sit down for a breather and the contents of this interview. Sandy is all of 24 and in the 4 years of his racing career has stepped up from racing in the 160cc class to 1000cc superbike circuit racing. He is currently competing at the Malaysian Superbike Championships where he is the only Indian on the grid. From competing at the Indian National Championship in the 250cc class last year to riding the 1000cc class this year has been a hard journey for Sandy. He uses cycling to build the much required leg strength and increase his endurance levels in addition to help maintaining a elevated yet constant heart rate. “Motorsports in India is not one that receives a whole lot of support, financially or otherwise. My race machine, high performance tyres that need to be changed every race and other equipment are all very expensive and in order to sustain these expenses, I have a full time job. Strength training in
the middle of all this can become very strenuous and cycling helps me cope with that, as cycling also manages to get me to commute while I get my exercise done.” says Sandy. Despite the odds, he is the youngest Indian to compete on a 1000cc races abroad against 30 racers in the same category from countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia. He will also be competing in the JK TYRE superbike championship this year in India and is ecstatic to race against 15 time national champion and also other international champions. His future plans also include riding the coveted Isle of man TT Manx GP and the Northwest 200. He clarifies that these are his goals and he will persevere to achieve them just like how he pushes himself over that climb when he is on his bicycle for when he reaches the other side the glory will definitely be worth it. He rides a Kawasaki ZX10R that has after-market parts such as forks, suspension, electronics, throttle, braking unit and also soft compound tyres. “It is heavy at 195kgs and he shares that riding is not as easy as it looks on the TV screen. it requires quick reflexes which I have mostly gained by riding a road bike over varied terrain including city streets. My favourite places to ride my Trek Alpha 1.5 are the climbs of Nandi hills, the long roads of Kolar and Tumkur highway and of course my daily ride to the gym in the evening.” says Sandy. More and more athletes are choosing cycling as a mode of cross training and have all shared stories of success in this methodology. We will continue to bring more such stories of stars from various other sports who cycle for fitness and mostly out of passion. Sandy’s story should inspire you to get on that bicycle and ride out into the sunset taking home one lesson that persistence pays.
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Aditya Kaul
Young Turk
Aditya Kaul Crank Bengaluru Bureau
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on the long highways that lead to Kolar or Nandi hills. While Aditya enjoys training for swimming and the running legs, he lets us in on a secret that cycling is his choice for a release and that he does not feel the stress of maintaining training schedules while cycling.
Aditya Kaul, 27 runs his own business firm and when is not crunching numbers or looking at balance sheets, can be spotted either in a pool or on a bicycle. Aditya’s strength lies in cycling. There has been no looking back for him since his first cycling race in the time trial race of BBCh where he placed 29th. He has since participated in league races under the sponsorship of the ProCycle racing team and has podium finishes under his belt like the Thonnur lake Triathlon (half ironman category) 2nd place and the LIC Duathlon (team relay category) 2nd place.
Generously, he lets us in on another secret, “It is important to spend time at bike shops to understand the components and mechanisms of your bike. In a triathlon, only the cycling stage is machine dependant and your machine better be in top form. Knowing the knick knacks of your bicycle helps you to identify any issues and adapt accordingly. Aditya has perfected the sport specific gym training method for himself. It helps him in strengthening and conditioning as he constantly pushes himself for his next big finish which in all likelihood will be at the Indian National Triathlon.
“For a triathlete, cycling can be quite the deal breaker or the maker in the race.” says Aditya patting the saddle on his faithful Giant TCR. He spends many of his mornings bonding with this machine
In a casual moment he confesses that he has had his eyes set on the Giant Propel and someday hopes to possess one. Stay tuned to Crank for on Aditya and more such rising stars.
triathlon is considered as the ultimate endurance sport. It tests both body mind. Being a triathlete requires discipline and Crank connected with triathlete Aditya Kaul to bring you a glance at his training regime.
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Coffee with Crank
Balancing Act
M
ost adults on the planet have learnt to ride a bicycle. I have not. My sister is somewhat of a bully and never let me use her bicycle. The one off times I was graced with the opportunity to take the bicycle to a shop close by, I managed to push the bike, bringing the groceries in the pretty little basket attached to the handle. Years have gone by since my teenage infatuation with a bicycle that yielded to nothing. I am now in a new city and have survived by using public transportation. My new job at Crank is less than 6kms away from where I live and using a bicycle was something that I was recommended repeatedly by my colleagues. Embarrassment was not the only thought that held me from accepting that I did not know how to ride a bicycle. A grown woman not knowing how to ride a bike was almost taboo. I gathered my courage and accepted that I did not know how to ride a bike. Surprisingly, I was not the first one of my kind they had come across. A bicycle was deputed to me and with the saddle at its lowest, I was off to learn how to ride. After being told not to meddle with the gears, I learnt how to apply brakes. While my tutor established my confidence, a single thought ran through my head. What if I fall down? I was reassured that you can’t learn if you live in fear. I made up my mind that I have the golden opportunity to get a nice bike to learn to ride on and a patient teacher who know his bicycles. It cannot get any better than this. I have to shed my fears and just learn now. What good am I as a human if I cannot learn to balance two wheels while moving forward. A video of how a bicycle has the inherent ability to balance itself based on logic and physics encouraged me further and I was off. After having learnt how to ride a bike finally, I believe that it is the most simplest thing to have learnt. There is no reason to be scared of establishing balance. Balance is established once you get the bicycle moving. Getting it moving requires only two things, an initial push followed by constant pedalling to keep the momentum going. Once can use the foot that is planted on the floor to push into an boost before pedalling gave you momentum. Riding a bike is simpler for the fact that you cannot forget how to ride it. I had achieved something that had been thought impossible before. It made me a different kind of happy and filled me with a special sense of satisfaction. I had something new from the mundane to look forward to. I now have a new skill that I had always thought was impossible to achieve. The sensation of being off your feet and yet in motion was something that I could welcome with a marching band. A few weeks into having mastered riding a bicycle, I am now the happiest person on the planet. If you are someone who does not know how to ride a bicycle, I recommend borrowing a bicycle from your kid, neighbour, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, whoever has one and taunting them to support you with stories from how they first learnt to ride a bike until the point that your mind tells you that it is alright to start late and that the fault lies in never having tried. Get out and ride.
CRANK with ProCycle NOVEMBER 15TH, 2015
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Mounting options
Crank Tested
Garmin Virb XE aniSh
F
or a while now, I have been on the lookout for a good action camera to shoot all the falling down I do while at the trails. It is mostly to have a personal action replay and find where I am going wrong.
you hold the camera you begin to feel its weight. At 151.7gms, the camera is quite heavy. What you will also notice that it has not the slightest resemblance to the older Virb and that there is no LCD viewfinder on it. Bye-Bye to efficiently framed shots I thought.
I had already used the Virb Elite a few times and was amazed by the fact that it can collect wireless data from other devices measuring heart rate, altitude and this data can be used like a heads up display on the final edited film. The new Virb XE also does this, only better with the G-Metrix technology which allows you to track and overlay the obtained data.
Closer inspection revealed a lot of other refinements. The mounts are all secured via allen head bolts minimizing vibrations and increasing footage stability. The Virb XE shoots HD video in 1440p at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps and 720p at 120fps which simply means, a lot of slow motion ability in post production and yet retain high quality footage. In full quality 12 megapixel still photo mode, it can manage to click up to 30 frames in a second putting most professional DSLR’s to shame. It also has single, burst and even a coveted time lapse modes.
The unboxing is pretty straight forward and you find all the usual suspects like the cables and mounts in the box. But as soon as
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CRANK with ProCycle NOVEMBER 15TH, 2015
Allan wrench mounts
The interface and the controls are simple and crisp. A flick of a button begins recording and a dedicated shutter button takes images even while recording. The menu and controls are also direct and easy to get a hang of. With inbuilt GPS technology, the camera can display your Speed, G-force and Elevation on its control screen. The camera can also be connected via its in built wi-fi to devices
Virb XE Video screenshot
like phones and tablets to remotely control the camera and view the footage and image samples which solved my need for efficiently framed shots. The cherry on the cake has got to be the new Virb’s ability to dive up to 50 metres without any extra housings. Which means I never have to worry about keeping the camera from rain, which meant beautiful footage and more importantly footage from diving classes to random post ride dives into refreshing pond water can all be shot with this one camera. Perhaps I was looking for the wrong things in an action camera. I just did not need a camera that could shoot the action, but also survive it. And the Virb XE does a good job at it with its sturdy build, waterproofing and helps me not just create an action replay but recreate my experience with all the required data collected and displayed in my final film. What eludes me though is the price point. Garmin has not yet announced a price for the Indian market and the US pricing is tolerably at $399.99 I guess I will wait and then let the world watch my story.
CRANK with ProCycle NOVEMBER 15TH, 2015
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Bicycle diary ep7
No memory left behind
aniSh. This is the seventh part of a short novel. Catch a fresh episode of this multipart series in the following issues. Get involved. Write to us. Maybe you could impact the course of the story.
I
have just seen the most beautiful sunset in my life and Maya was right beside me holding my hand. I have never witnessed the possibility of so many colours in the sky. Every ordinary object and form around me has formed such divinity into itself right now. Maya and I are the only two people on top of this hill. Not taking my eyes off the spectacle in front of me, I tell Maya, “I’d like to believe that we are the only two people who are this happy right now.” Maya says, “I’d like to believe that we are the only two people existent right now.” I smile at her spirit of freedom and hold her hand tighter and reassure her thought. She looks into my eyes and smiles and says “I’m so happy that I met you.” As the last bit of the sunlight dims out, we start setting up our tents and begin to pack away our stuff. Over the last few days of cycle touring, I have learnt a lot about packing stuff and compacting my luggage. Maya has indeed been a patient teacher. Cycling has not just made me stronger in body and mind but has also changed my outlook on travel. Being on a cycle lets you really soak in the sights and get to know the geography of the place you are in. People are a lot friendlier to you when you enter a village on
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CRANK with ProCycle NOVEMBER 15TH, 2015
a bicycle and neither with the roar of a motorcycle nor on a extra loaded SUV. I have picked up a special attitude on this trip. There is no outside and nothing is left behind. If you soak the memory in for long enough then it remains with you forever and will not be of something that was outside, but is something that is now inside your mind and a part of you. And I could only have picked up this attitude by riding and experiencing the places I visited and not merely passing through them. I look at me neatly packed luggage and sigh that I have to get them all open to get my supplies out. I could never have been this tidy and orderly if Maya hadn’t taught me how to. All the things I had worried about discovering in her that I might not have liked, astonishingly, do not exist. If there were degrees of perfection, then she is at the highest notch. She catches me brooding in thought and staring at my luggage and says. “I know you do not want to disturb all that order you are so proud of. It is going to get cold tonight anyway. Do you want to share my tent?”
Boys’ Toys
Topeak threaded 25g CO2 cartridge Here comes competitive edge with instant CO2 filler cartridges. Flat tyres do not require pumping for ends on with these simple one time solutions. They are compatible with Topeak pump valves and micro adapters. CO2 is harmless under high pressure and delivers all of the required volume in one single go all for the price of Rs. 1570/-.
Sigma CAD computer The Sigma BC 16.12 is a clever option while shopping for computers. It is priced at Rs. 3279/- and has your usual distance, time and averages displayed and you can even add a cadence sensor at the pedal to measure your pedal rate. This lets you plan your stamina better on long training rides. All sensors of the device are connected via cables and can be easily secured to the bike frame.
GET OUT & RIDE!
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