Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine #11 by Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine

mountain bike magazine

Issue 11 | Sept 2012 | Free Download www.freeridermag.in

EDITORIAL Monsoons are almost over and the Indian festival season has started. We saw lot of you beautiful people getting more serious about riding and going for long rides, touring and even racing. In other words we are really happy to see these changes in the Indian mountain bike community. I’m also overwhelmed with the response we got for our 10th issue. Worldwide encouragement and support from our reader and followers is the backbone of Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine. Honest feedbacks and suggestions also help us a lot and that’s why we blasted our website with more rich content. Review of bikes, components and riding gear. Famous interviews, Trail stories from India and around the world and lot more. You can even leave your comments or feedback on these sections. We are also proud to announce our magazine as the official magazine partner of the coming MTB Himalaya 2012. This epic mountain bike race is organized by the dedicated team of HASTPA and is back again with more action and less hostile riding conditions. This race helped me to explore the groovy riding options in the beautiful Himalayas. Not just that, it inspired me to get out of the corporate world and devote my time to this sport. It’s a must race and expeditions for any adventure enthusiasts and probably the best option to test your limits and ride your bike in the Himalayas. The last month was also full of wicked events like the BBCH DH Race, Suzuki 9 Knights, Eurobike and Crankworx. Our Deputy Editor aka The Desi Hucker Vinay Menon was present in the Crankworx and is still having a good time riding his bike with the legends. Vinay is the only mountain biker from India who is popular and respected in the western freeride scene and media. We hope more and more riders get inspired and raise the Tricolor in other parts of the world. Meanwhile, I was present in Pune to cover the 9th National Mountain Bike Championship which was a mixture of good and bad experience.

Read on your 11th issue to know the details. A big thanks to everyone that made it happen

Vineet Sharma Editor-in-Chief

COVER - Rider: Christopher Kawula - AGang Mbike.pl team | Photo: Jacek Kaczmarczyk - jacekslonik.pl EDITORIAL- Rider: Jeewan Jeet Singh | Photo: Vineet Sharma | Location: Chandigarh, INDIA Contributing Editors and Photographers Jacek Kaczmarczyk, Reisinger Nicole, Rahul K. Thomas, Dan Wright, Umagn Shrestha, Marc Brotherton, Kabir Dhillon, Andi Wittmann, Dan Brown, Vivek Nijhowne, Fülöp Miklós, Duncan Philpott, Sven Martin, Sportograf, Zerolevel Magazine

The Team: Editor in Chief: Vineet Sharma vineet@freeridermag.in Deputy Editor: Vinay Menon vinay@freeridermag.in Contributing Editor: Vaibhav Nijhowne vaibhav@freeridermag.in Trail Correspondent: Kevin Pabinquit Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine #2434-A, Sector: 39-C Chandigarh. 160036 INDIA. ........................................................ This magazine is intended for free distribution and is only available through our web portal www.freeridermag.in ........................................................ Feel free to write or contribute. E-mail at: vineet@freeridermag.in

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NATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKE CHAMPIONSHIP PUNE National Mountian Bike Championship organized by Cycling Federation of India and Maharashtra Cycling Association // 25th to 29th JULY, 2012 Words & Photography: Vineet Sharma

EXCLUSIVE

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Pune, the eight largest metropolis in India witnessed the 9th National Mountain Bike Championship organized by Maharashtra cycling association and Cycling Federation of India. The riders from various Indian states team got an opportunity to compete in a National level mountain bike race as it happened after many years. Teams from Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Indian Railways and the Indian Army were present at this event. The women category was also filled with female riders from all these states. The track was located in the beautiful and lethal Dighi Hill, which is controlled by the India Army. One can spot a tank popping out of nowhere; hear machine gun rounds firing, grenades bombing and also the local downhill riders ripping on local trails at the same time. However the Indian Army allowed the race to happen without any issues.

We were present there; managing the Chandigarh cycling team and also covering the event exclusively.

This is the first time that any Cycling Federation of India event was being covered by a dedicated mountain bike magazine.

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We started the journey from Chandigarh with the Chandigarh team. The journey to Pune was not pleasant as the train we were travelling had no confirmed tickets for us. The team had hard time to place the bikes in the same bogey and had to manage the 2 day journey without sleeping and roaming around in train. We were also accompanied by the Haryana cycling team. Most of the riders from their team had confirm tickets, but travelling in a sleeper class which had majority of people with non confirmed or waiting list tickets made no difference if one had a confirmed ticket or not, as all had to share the same seat. One can see 5 to 6 people stacked on one seat or berth. The humid weather made it even worse. We were relieved on reaching Pune. The team quickly pulled out their bike bags and got in the trucks that were waiting for us. It was a surprising view, how the national players from various states travelled and how they were being transported to their rooms which were located in a dharamshala (a charitable guest house supported by donations) in Alandi. Luckily the place was not in bad condition and each room was shared by a minimum of 6 riders. The logistics and the way the athletes are treated in India are way too different compared to western countries. On the positive and surprising side was the lovely weather in Pune. Ever since we got down from the trail, the weather was super pleasant and I was not expecting it. I had imagined Pune to be hot and sweaty. It used to rain in between and nice wind made it even better. We drove to the Dighi hill to check out the track that was selected by the Maharashtra Cycling Association and the Cycling Federation of India. The race track was a 4.94 KM loop around the Dighi Hill.

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The place has many nice trails and riding options, but the selected track for the race was a very simple and almost plain jeep track with no obstacles which was a very big advantage for the road bikers. The riders who are good at technical riding were not happy checking out the track and had clear disappointment on their face as they had lot of hopes becuase a National Mountain Bike Championships were happening after many years.

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The equipment: During the year of 2000, when 1st Mountain Bike Championships were held in Chandigarh, the hot topic was the non availability of proper mountain bikes and other equipments for the riders. Things started changing back in 2005, and have improved a lot without any doubt. More and more bike brands are approaching and introducing their bikes in the Indian market. Majority of riders at this event were using entry level mountain bikes, not to mention some really cool old school mountain bikes that were still being used by the riders. The Indian Railways team was spotted with some unknown commuter bikes from India and they were determined to perform and win.

The strangest debate during the race was: If the riders using clip less pedals should be allowed to race or not. Not to mention the riders from road racing background and were ready to race with road bike shoes and pedals installed on their mountain bikes. At the end of every topic: ‘It’s the rider – Not the bike’ implies. However, few riders had also brought hybrid bikes and decided to race on them after looking at the track. No one was aware that hybrid bikes will be rolling faster until the race day started. Another thing we have been observing at all National or State cycling events that few riders don’t bring their own bikes but share the bikes of other riders or borrow from other teams to race.

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Training Day: The super pleasant weather of Pune was a big advantage and a plus point for the whole week. The training day was welcomed with heavy rain. The outskirts of the track â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;which could have been chosen as the track to raceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; became extremely slushy and had no option but to cross it to reach the race venue. The bikes saw some real dirt sticking to them. Shoes filled with slush, disc rotors jamming, treads making no difference was the sight and few participants were really having a ball. Coming to the chosen race track, which had become even smoother after the rain was a shock for few riders. All the teams were allowed to practice the loops for the day. The riders and the military tank on the race course was a funny scene and even the soldiers could not resist to slow down the beast and to check whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on. During the evening, the riders were given their jersey numbers and were being registered for the event. The CFI Officials did their job pretty good considering the number of riders who had surrounded them with many queries. The day finished with dinner and the riders were ready to hit the sack in no time.

Race Day: All the charged up teams reported at the race venue early and did another practice lap. We were not surprised to see the smooth route packed up and hardened after the rain. This was sure going to be a fast day. The Chief Guest, being a Brigadier of Bombay Sappers from the Indian Army arrived on time and flagged off the race. There were several categories: Mens, Junior under 19, Junior under 17, Junior under 15 and same with Women category. The good part was; all the categories had good number of participation from all the Indian states.

During the race I interacted with Sibasis Dholey, A rider from West Bengal who had serious concerns about the sport. Sibasis has been inspired by Hans Rey and has been training hard on trails and technical riding but was disappointed when he saw the track chose by the officials. It was his 1st National level race; however he has participated in other private races like MTB Himachal which is now known as MTB Himalaya. Sibasis had been training 50 to 60 Km everyday for the race and was expecting more during the National level mountain bike race. Another rider from Chandigarh â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Harmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; who has got into the racing scene recently but has been doing dirt jumps and BMX was not at all satisfied with the food and had to visit a nearby restaurant. According to Harman, private mountain bike races are much organized and want the state cycling associations and Cycling Federation of India to adopt the same quality. Similar disappointment was seen on couple of more riders from various teams. The team coaches also had similar opinions but they decided not to comment much as they were more concerned to get medals for their state. The race continued and the remaining two days saw more action, more speed and rain. Mens mass start race was the most awaited event. Even the local audience had come specially to check the event. Most of them saw the daily exclusive updates that were shared through our Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/freeridermtbmag ). Confusions started rising when someone mentioned that riders with clipless pedals are not allowed in the mass start! Riders with cleats stepped aside from the group and wanted to confirm about it. The event carried on with more rain and wind. However few riders were stopped in between the race and disqualified as they were riding with cleats. Sandip Jhadav, a very fit local rider who was representing Chandigarh team was not all happy about it and was helpless at the same time.

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We also met ‘Abdul Rehman’ and 20 years old lad from Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) who is also a Guinness World Record holder for ‘Longest High Chair Nose Manual’ which he created in 2011 on a regular commuter bicycle. Abdul has been riding ever since he was 8 years old and loves it till date. He saw BMX on TV when he was very young and got inspired. Ever since he has been practicing on his own and his dedication has enabled him to get the World Record. Abdul is being supported by Green Planet Bicycle Riders Association from Bhopal. The association realized the importance of his skills and decided to support him by giving him a bike and cover all the expenses required by him to perform in various locations in India. Abdul Rehman was also representing his state team in the National championship as he loves to race and have also decided to race professionally after his 1st mountain bike race. A common story with most of us: Parents getting angry when you are totally into riding. Abdul had to face the same scenario but he is now happy as he gets full support from his parents too ever since he created the record and was featured on TV channels and newspapers. All this support inspired him more and he now teaches more than 100 children on how to perform tricks on their bikes. The best part is, he teaches them for free. This super talented dude has also appeared in famous Indian Television programs like Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega, and has recently got selected for Shabash India and India Got Talent. After watching him doing summer salt from his bike, we asked about his fitness schedule. “I have no fitness schedule.

Abduls is a visionary and we could clearly see that. He plans to become a coach in this field and wants to share his riding skills, and would like to represent his team worldwide. Abdul was recently invited to perform in China. Unfortunately he could not make it on time as he had no passport. Now ready for many coming adventures, Abdul also is getting into downhill racing. His association has sponsored him a GT Downhill mountain bike and he loves every minute he spends on it.

I just ride my bike.” he answers with a grin.

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Coming back to the race and looking at the positive side, there was a National Mountain Bike Race after decades and the response was as good as any private mountain bike race in India. There were riders with a lot of hidden talent that was exposed too. Looking at the response we talked to the CFI officials out of which few also work with UCI races worldwide. The officials were all happy and were dedicated to their work. Cycling Federation of India also announced that they will start organizing mountain bike races more often and also confirmed big level mountain bike races in at Kerala this year end which may also witness pro riders from different countries. Does this means UCI calendar races are coming in India? From the looks of it and the announcements, things do look more serious and full of action in coming years and we hope the level of National Mountain Bike Race also gets a world standard where the riders are happy and satisfied too while performing at the same time. Do you have any suggestions or contrubutions on how the racing scene in India can be developed professionally ? Do you think its fine the way the riders/athletes are treated in this country? Feel free to share your views on our facebook page ( www.facebook.com/freeridermtbmag ) or E-mail us.

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EPIC ENDURO

Photography: Sportograf

Lenzerheide | Switzerland

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The Trek Bike Attack is a 20km enduro downhill race with 2000 meters of descending and 140 meters of climbing. Starting at 2861 mtr at the Rothorn and arriving at Churwalden at 1240 mtr. The 16th annual Bike Attack race was held on August 11th and 12th, 2012.

This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Trek Bike Attack race was packed with more than 800 riders from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Lichtenstein, Netherland and Switzerland. RenĂŠ Wildhaber; one of the all-time greats of marathon downhill mountain biking was also present with other big names.

The long distance endure downhill race concept is very popular among many riders and girls were also spotted chasing the podium. The moon land surface was a perfect blend with the epic surrounded scenery. The race was also being broadcasted live on big screen and refreshments were also provided to the spectators.

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The race was brutal at the same time for some riders who had to taste the rocks at high speeds. No serious injuries were reported.

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The 2012 Trek Bike Attack finished with style and a great experience for the riders. Rene Wildhaber took the podium followed by Gustav Wildhaber and Arnold Marco, all from Switzerland. In womens, Ines Thoma from Germany came first, Brigit Braumann from Austria was second and Lucia Oetjen was 3rd. The Trek Bike Attack will be back again with more action. To know more details visit: Trek Bike Attack: http://www.bike-attack.ch and Lenzerheide: http://lenzerheide.com

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DOWNHILL

iN THE DAMP It all began a few years ago with a few roadies, pelting their way to Nandi hills. No fancy gear, no branding, no teams â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just pure fun and a little bit oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; street cred.

HOT STUFF Words & Photography: Rahul K. Thomas | http://beingthomas.wordpress.com

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Fast-forward to March of 2012. A call goes out to the Bangalore biking community to show up at a familiar hillside just on the outskirts of town. The goal – to spend a morning moving earth and rock! But, this came as no surprise to the community seeing as 2011 was the first year that the Bangalore Bicycle Championships included downhilling in its calendar. If the 2011 championships were all about introducing a new discipline within cycling to India, 2012 was about taking things to the next level. Thus, a motley crew of people showed up at Turahalli over a series of weekends to get their hands dirty, in the quest to make the race more challenging. Two months, 60 extra metres and 3 jumps later, succeeded. This year’s downhill race was streamlined to make it more professional and challenging at the same time. In the interested of safety, full-face helmets were made compulsory. In addition to this, after much debate, Team BBCh decided that it would be mandatory for all competitors to log a minimum of two practice rides, in order to qualify for the race. Over the course of the last two weekends before the race, scores of riders turned up to pit their skills against Goddess Gravity. Gravity usually won but at least a lot of faces were saved by the gear. Finally, D-Day (Downhill Day) dawned. And it dawned wet, muddy and overcast – perfect conditions for downhilling!

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Riders of varying degrees of skill and with varying equipment all showed up to compete. With three women spiritedly fighting it out and a kids race as well, the slopes of Turahalli took on a carnival-esque spirit with the rain deterring nobody. The track at Turahalli now measures around 600m with 3 jumps in between as well as several drops. With the rain, all loose soil and dust had firmed up providing some fabulous traction – the perfect setting for some record-breaking times. The seeding run allowed riders to get a feel of the track in its new avatar and most of them chose to ride it cautiously, preferring to reserve their best for the final. Of course, the top third of the field decided to pull no punches. Piyush, Corey and Anand rode smart, conservative rides to place 8th, 7th and 6th respectively. Local boys Ignatius ‘Iggy’ Chen and Karan Bhuta, held nothing back to place 4th and 5th respectively with Karan’s performance being particularly impressive (though unsurprising to locals) given he rides a hardtail. If this wasn’t quick enough, what was to come quickly proved just how far the sport of downhilling has come in the last year. Vinay Menon’s lazily elegant run proved to be as quick as it was entertaining, being completed in just 1 minute 13.6 seconds. If that wasn’t enough, last year’s runner-up Gautam Taode tore up the track in just 1 minute 11.6 seconds, to finish ahead of Vinay. With one rider left to go in the seeding run, things got even better as reigning ‘King of the Hill’ Nilesh Nelly Dhumal, belted his way down the track and grabbed big air on his way to an amazing time of 1 minute 10.9 seconds.

The enthusiastic hordes wended their way to the slopes of Turahalli to watch the best gravity riders in India battle it out for the title of ‘King of the Hill’. The crowds were rooting for local boys Nilesh Dhumal and Ignatius Chen but they knew they were in for a battle since the entire Pune crew had turned out in force led by Vinay Menon and Gautam Taode. The format was simple – two runs, one a seeding run, followed by the final. Since BBCh aims not only to provide a battleground, but also grow the sport, there would be no cut-off bar for participating in the final. But, the seeding run would provide the order in which riders would do battle.

As the organisers flew to get things in order for the main event, participants began the long climb back to the top. The rain had slowed by then but the trail had changed yet again. All the traffic on the trail did not lend itself well to its preservation and the redistribution of mud on the trail rendered some sections a lot sketchier than two hours previously. This being the final riders threw all pretence at caution out of the window. The entire bottom half went for broke and knocked an average of 12 to 14 seconds off their individual times â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an amazing collective performance by any standard. But, this also took its toll. With riders cranking, tyres skidding and brakes squealing, the trail took a serious beating as the mud was completely redistributed. Top soil vanished and coated the rocky technical sections while the sketchier underbelly of Turahalli was revealed. This time around, the top half had to really work for each millisecond. And work they did!

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For the second time in two years, the race came down to the same three – Vinay, Gautam and Nilesh. Vinay was the first to come down the hill. With his trademark handlebar twist, Vinay came off the jumps with poise and style, never looking hurried. With 60m left to go, he gave it all he had, crossing the line in 1 minute 13.1 seconds, finally dislodging Piyush. Now all he could do was sit in the hot (red) seat and chew on his fingernails.

Piyush, who had a surprisingly conservative seeding run, left nothing in the bag as he gave every jump and curve, everything he had. In the process, he sliced an amazing 8 seconds off his seeding time to finish in 1 minute 17.4 seconds. The red (leader’s) seat was his. And stay his it did as rider after rider failed to unseat him. Corey, Karan and Iggy couldn’t catch Piyush and Anand came agonisingly close with a timing of 1 minute 17.6 – a timing which was good enough to earn him 4th place.

Last year Gautam Taode walked away with second and a broken collar bone to show for his troubles (albeit the fact that the injury came after the race). This year, he pushed his boundaries even further. Throwing everything he had at it and churning furiously, Taode caught some big air as he alternately battled and sailed down the hill. Sailed to a time of 1 minute 10 seconds flat – the fastest time of the day. And the fastest yet recorded at Turahalli! Vinay had to give up the hot seat, having warmed it for but a few minutes. In the end, it all came down to the last run of the day and the crowd knew it would take something special to beat Gautam’s time. As shouts flew down the hill, Nelly was a blur of furious action as he pushed his beyond his own limits on his home course.

As he hit the halfway mark, he knew he was lagging and he gunned it with all his might. As he came down the last long incline, he hit the first ramp fast than he (or anyone) ever had. Up and over. As he descended, his fork dropped and bottomed. Before he knew it, Faith (his trusty rig) had catapulted him over the bars a good fifteen feet and he landed spectacularly in a heap, with a bone-jarring thud. Concerned spectators rushed to his aid as he lay there stunned for what seemed like forever. Then, in a sudden burst of activity, he collected himself, grabbed his bike and finished the race in a creditable 1 minute 30 seconds (with two broken ribs as we and he later found out). Thus, the 2012 BBCh Turahalli Downhill saw the crowning of a new King of the Hill â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Gautam Taode. The rest of the podium was shared by Vinay Menon, Piyush Chavan and Anand Sadana. In the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s category, Meera Velankar came out on top followed by Sowmya and Pooja. Winners walked away with some cool swag from Fox, Trek, Rabobank, Sigma and The Sufferfest. Not to mention, a whole lot of downhill cred! A wet day, but far from damp spirits and a great shot in the arm for the sport of downhill mountain biking in India. The countdown begins to 2013.

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MOUNT AIN QUEEN d

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Dan Wright Words & Photography:

een” came in, d our fearless ‘Mountain Qu en the In p cu rld Wo the ness of the r! Both but considering the tough ce What an exciting summe pla nd 52 in to UK the Olympics in competitors who mostly finals in France and the course and the level of the ed glu re the t ou ers bik xt week this was a keep all those keen mtn on to the Olympics the ne nt we s wa al fin ic mp Oly Cycle athlete men’s and as the first Nepalese to their TV screens. The ult res at gre ck ne ally sic p race 5 riders ba ale to compete in a World cu fem or especially exciting with le ma r he eit int spr ole race and a lese Mountain Biking. and neck through the wh also made history for Nepa she ! tch wa to me eso aw – finish between two riders all her say a big thank you to to nts wa jala Nir , sed rai yan born and rs who have made Our very own, Himala s, supporters and sponso fan s thi ing rac s wa ar rak Tam ble but also so Nirjala “Mountain Queen” rld Cup race not only possi Wo s thi the in ted pe QOROZ she com her. Especially thanks to for summer in France where le ab joy en . als Fin p Cu l in the World untain Bikes and the Women’s Elite race for Nepa Professional Titanium Mo viding Nirjala n Friends” group for pro dia na ‘Ca pe sco to rly ea ys n” Titanium 10 da esome new “Mountain Wo She arrived in Val D’ Isere aw r he h wit e som t ge d 9.2kg ’s! e route an e which weighs in at just bik out the World cup rac on titi pe com an s wa What she found practice on it in advance. w.qoroz.com y tough uphill route with ww extremely technical and ver and the course builders some nasty rocky sections with a series of beautihad excelled themselves es and a town section fully crafted wooden bridg up a series of man-made riding down and then back very watchable race for obstacles. This made for a ride for the competitors. the spectators and a hard er the night before the To make things even tough and then all day of the competition weekend began king the course a slick first day it rained solidly ma ey say that mud is the mud bath for everyone. Th right, virtually no rider greatest leveler and they are dle all round the course managed to stay in the sad ich played live footage and the red bull website wh s of total, mud carnage! of the races showed scene

What comes next? Well Nirjala has now completed all her major goals in mountain biking at a professional and National rider level so for the next year or so she will be looking mostly at fun and adventure riding and some competitions and in the future she will be working on developing her guiding with mtn bike groups in the Himalayas. You can continue to follow Nirjala â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mountain Queenâ&#x20AC;? Tamrakar at: https://www.facebook.com/nirjalatamrakar

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E L I F O PR R E D RI

Full Name: Umang Shrestha Nickname: Momo Hometown: Lalitpur, Nepal Style of riding: Downhill Favorite Drinks: Pineapple Juice, Orange juice, Cranberry Juice, vodka and beer. Music: Dubstep, Alternative, Metal, RnB and Rap music

G N A M U a h t s e Shr

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FR MTB MAG: When did you start riding mountain bikes? UMANG: It has been 4 and a half years now since I’ve been doing mountain biking. FR MTB MAG: Who influenced you and how? UMANG: It’s my brother Rupesh Man Shrestha who owns Epic Mountain Bike. I used to see him riding all the time. I was getting fatter so he advised me to ride at-least 1 hour a day. He used to lend me his bike for riding in the morning. One day I got addicted to riding, so I bought my first bike in December 2009. It was a Commencal Combi, an all mountain bike with 120 mm suspension fork. I started with all mountain XC rides and which I did for six to seven months. That’s when I met Suraj Pande (Buntay) who happens to be Nepal National Downhill champion and Kumar Pun, a BMX rider who is a Nepali but brought up at Singapore. We stared dirt jumping together and later on I got into downhill mountain biking.

FR MTB MAG: Tell us about your riding style. UMANG: It’s been years since I’ve been riding different styles like AM, XC, DJ, BMX, DH, street riding but riding downhill on a very rocky terrain feels the best. I somehow find it safer than cross country riding. Whenever I am free I just hop on to my Commencal Absolute and spend some time riding streets with my friends and the new kids. I can tell you those kids are going to be good street riders in coming years. FR MTB MAG: Flat pedals or Clips? UMANG: II really love riding with flat pedals and my confidence level is more compared to clipless pedals. I sometimes think, switching to clipless pedals may let me go much faster on downhill, but it may take a while to get used to them. FR MTB MAG: Your greatest achievement to date: UMANG: I have couple of them. If I remember, my first race was in 2010 and I wasn’t much serious about racing. Even then I came 13th with the time difference of 2 minutes with the winner. During the next race I crashed on a silly turn and I rolled down all the way on my back and I still managed to come 11th with the time difference of 1 minute. It was a good experience to meet the riders from India at Shivapuri. I could not complete that race as I had sprained my ankle in the seeding run. Came 9th in Pokhra, as the climbs made me slow. That’s when I got more serious about racing and started training hard and came 9th again at Hattiban race with the time difference of 25 seconds and came 10th in my last race with the difference of 10 seconds. So I think I’m getting there!

FR MTB MAG: Let’s talk about the DH races in Nepal. How do you rate your performance and what are your plans for the coming season? UMANG: It has just been around 3 years when DH races started in Nepal and as I remember there were very less (Around 5) Nepali DH riders those days. Rest of them were foreign riders residing and working in Nepal like Lasse Storholt, Markus Illomaki, Karma Lito, and many others. We used to race on jeep tracks with max of 5 ft gap and 1 ft drops. In 3 years things have changed. Big jumps, Gaps, Rockgardens, technical sections and many other obstacles are present. DH racing has really picked up in such a short time and more Nepali DH riders are coming up strong. If I rate myself, I think I have been in top 10 over all, and 7th as local which is not that bad. But I aim to be at top 5 in coming races. FR MTB MAG: Tell us about your bike setup. UMANG: I ride a Commencal V3 2012 with Marzocchi 888 RC3 V2 triple clamp fork and Marzocchi Roco rear shock.My bike has 40% sag in the front and back, which is usually 25 – 30%. I like it slack for more speed in steep rockgardens. I prefer keeping it on slow rebound setting.I ride with Kenda Nevegal 2.5 both front and back. FR MTB MAG: What are your favorite places to ride in Nepal? UMANG: My favourite places are, Nagarkot, Shivapuri, Nagegumba,and Hattiban Resort track. FR MTB MAG: Before we wrap it up, do you want to give any shout-outs or Words of advice? UMANG: I would suggest all the riders out there to wear your protective gears whenever you ride, and the most important thing; don’t ride fast - ride smart, you will be faster the next time you ride the same trail.

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FRESH JUICE

Mafiabikes is the brain child of Stomp Racing LTD, a UK company formed in 2004 & now holding various in house brands for off road motorcycles & bicycles with a clear emphasis on extreme sports. Two years ago, Managing director Marc Brotherton noticed a clear gap in the market for a quality entry level BMX that looked & performed like a high end complete/custom bike. The only bikes available in the lower end of the price bracket were ancient looking flatland bikes, the majority of which were sold by big-box retailers in the UK such as Halfords, walmart, Argos etc. In Marcâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind it was not necessary for these bikes to look so bad, it was simply a case of attention to detail design & component selection & for similar money, a far more up to date looking & performing bike could be produced.

Words & Photography: Vineet Sharma | Rider: Kabir Dhillon

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hits Ind!a

Marc then decided to take a brave step in marketing the bikes without a BMX team & solely online from eBay & his website i.e. a direct brand with no middlemen, from factory to retail. Using facebook giveaways and educational BMX videos as promotion Mafiabikes quickly became recognised in the market & the bikes started to fly out of the warehouse. The bikes sold so fast in fact that Stomp Racing were taken by surprise. The 1st 500 bikes sold out within 6 weeks of landing. Considering this was a completely new brand, with no shops or traditional marketing strategy, this was rapid selling. Unfortunately, due to the sudden success there was then a large gap of 4 months before more stock could be landed to the UK. By the end of 2011 & only 8 months after the brand launched more than 5,000 bikes had been sold. In 2012 Mafiabikes is set to double that sales figure with an estimated 10,000 bikes sales 95% of which will be into the UK.

Marc hopes he can attract others interested in the brand ethos, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;from factory to retailâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; & attract interested businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s around the world to take on the brand and be part of the Mafiabikes success story.

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The Clip2 was sent to us directly from Mafiabikes head quarter in the UK and we assembled it without wasting any time and were all ready to ride and check the classy looking BMX. The first day was spent riding the bike brakeless around the city and almost crashing into the crowd which was already attracted to the bright white bike which is visible from a long distance. Mafiabikes Clip 2 can be a very good choice of serious BMX riders who want to shred in urban areas or park. The Clip2 is designed to face them all.

The 20.5 inch TT hi tensile steel frame is strong and reasonably light weight. The next best thing we found on the bike was the super wide handle bar which is 29â&#x20AC;? wide and 8.8â&#x20AC;? high. This combination made the handling way better than other BMX bikes ridden before here. Other components on the bike are neatly designed and are as good as any high end BMX bike in the Indian market.

Taper blade threadless forks, internal sealed headset, Spanish sealed BB, Samox 3-piece 4130 crank set, 25T alloy front sprocket, 9T sealed driver, alloy 36h rear hub 32h front hub (14mm axle rear, 10mm axle front). Alex Y303 front rim, double wall 6061 rear rim, KMC chrome finish chain and Seriously FAT innova 2.3â&#x20AC;? tyres (fr&rr) make the Clip2 a perfect package. The brakes are optional feature, and we decided to install the brakes the next day. The brakes were easy to install and adjust and come with a clear pad and whole lot of instructions that canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make you go wrong. The bike rolls really fast and smooth and our bike trasher/ tester Kabir was really impressed the way bike performs and handles all the whips, hops and drops. The Kraton rubber grips were very comfortable and wide and can be good for longer rides too. The Kevelar covered padded seat with integral alloy post did not give up after couple of minor falls. We loved the seat! After spending almost a week riding the bike we can bet that Mafiabikes Clip2 can take a lot of punishment and is an excellent all rounder and a head turner for sure.

Mafiabikes, which has set the industry standard in 2011 for affordable BMX style & specification is currently not available in India, but they are looking forward to enter the Indian market with right people who can represent their bikes in the growing Indian BMX market. Check out www.mafiabikes.com for full range of bikes.

WHATS UP

Words & Photography: Vineet Sharma

A life changing experience I used to be a regular Joe with a regular job sometime back in 2007. Cycling in general was a weekend activity for me. One day I came across a website of MTB Himachal which is now known as MTB Himalaya. Then I realized that many of my friends have already participated in this race and without wasting time I applied for leaves and registered for the 2007 MTB Himachal. My manager was totally shocked and had no option but to approve my 12 day leaves! Me and my childhood buddy Vaibhav decided to prepare ourselves within a week for this race. I was totally not aware what was coming ahead of me. Having only one bike that time with a big fork and freeride setup, I thought I’ll manage. On the other hand Vaibhav was set with his XC bike. We started off from Chandigarh to our destination and start point of the MTB Himachal ‘Shimla’.

HI MA

L TO U RI SM

Located just 4 hours away from Chandigarh, Shimla is the capital city of the beautiful Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, located in northern India .It is bounded by Mandi and Kullu in the north, Kinnaur in the east, the state of Uttaranchal in the south-east and Solan & Sirmaur to the south. The elevation of the city ranges from 300 to 6000 metres. Shimla is well known as a hub for Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tourism sector. Mountain Biking is one of the sport that is gaining popularity in this Himalayan State. Thanks to HASTPA (Himalayan Adventure Sports & Tourism Promotion Association), a dedicated team which is the backbone of MTB Himalaya formerly known as MTB Himachal. We were greeted warmly, which is the trademark of Himachal Pradesh and were stoked to see all the riders from India and other countries. Soon we started to interact with some familiar faces and assembled our bikes. That was the time I started to panic a bit as I was the only one riding a big heavy bike and surrounded by riders with light weight cross country bikes. But the riders and the HASTPA team was good and encouraged me to try the race as their support and backup team is always ready to help during the race. The race was flagged off and the struggle started with a steep climb while getting out Shimla. Those days the Race was a very demanding long distance 9 day expedition that finished in Manali. But 2 years back the concept was changed after couple of feedbacks and the HASTPA team decided to try a new concept. Now MTB Himalaya starts and finishes in Shimla, which also helps the people to return back home without any issues and time constraint.

After coming back from race, I decided to quit the regular office life and got into the adventure field ever since. I never imagined a mountain bike race can help me to get out of a regular office life and explore the country with a free mind. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure it can help you to make some good decisions too. So register for this year MTB Himalaya and experience the challenge. This year MTB Himalaya, Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier international mountain biking challenge is back with the same enthusiasm and the HASTPA team has energized the event with fresh ideas brought about with an experience of 7 years pedaling through the most gruesome terrains of the Himalayas. There are advanced route, better cycling conditions, and revamped structured management, for an altogether distinct and improved cycling adventure. Professional riders to amateurs, one will ride through uncharted interiors, hike through deep forests, soak in the sun and experience nature all around. Pedal your way through gut wrenching uphills, dangerous downhills, village back roads, beautiful meadows, thick vegetation, jeep tracks and savor real mountain biking as you live through 9 days of adventure racing covering 500 km/380 miles, 3250 mt above sea level and take on the Himalayan Challenge. The 2012 MTB Himalaya commences in Shimla as the race is flagged off on 29th September and (the registrations / briefings are done the day before). The next 8 days put you through obstacles and test your perseverance. Gear up for an inconceivable journey through the grandiose of the Himalayas.

The 2012 MTB Himalaya commences in Shimla as the race is flagged off on 29th September and (the registrations / briefings are done the day before). The next 8 days put you through obstacles and test your perseverance. Gear up for an inconceivable journey through the grandiose of the Himalayas. The accommodation is also taken care of professionally. The race package includes accommodation for the riders on twin sharing basis. During the race day riders will live in Alpine tents pitched up at the race campsite. The package also includes food, medical service, transport and limited bike services. In simple words, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a professionally organized mountain bike challenge in the Himalayas, and one of the best options to check out this beautiful Himalayan state on your mountain bike. Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine will be covering the event and will bring you the daily updates. For registrations and other details check out http://www.mtbhimalaya.com

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s i s i th

Y T A E P So far Steve Peat has had a season riddled with injuries and bad luck... Episode 4 seeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Peaty pick up the pace and get back to his old self... Things are just as fast off the bike when he and Josh Bryceland head over to Birmingham to get coached at Drift Allstars academy... Whilst back on 2 wheels, can Steve make it 10 National titles at Moelfre and break back into the top 20 at the penultimate World Cup round in Val Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;iserre? Watch Episode 4 to find out + more... http://www.Thisispeaty.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMeZNC1Kb2s

Photography: Duncan Philpott

By: Andi Wittmann For the second time, some of the best freeriders in the world accepted the invitation of host AndiWittmann to come to the WildkogelarenaNeukirchenBramberg for some freeriding on the highest level. Several film crews followed the action and the result of their work is breathtaking. But not just the filmers delivered some exceptional pictures. Four renowned sports photographers took their best shots and competed just like the riders to see who would come out on top. A selection of their pictures was judged by the most critical jury composed mostly of the photographers themselves in six categories. Here are the results: - Best Action Shot Big Air: StefCande (FRA) - Best Action Shot Trail: Daniel Rönnbäck (SWE) - Best Black&White: Carlos Blanchard (ESP) - Best Creative Angle: Daniel Rönnbäck (SWE) - Best Lifestyle: Markus Greber (Ger) - Best “Wildkogel” Shot: StefCande (FRA) The winning shots are definitely worth a look, you can browse through them exclusively on http://nineknightsmtb.com/2012/08/28/2012-foto-contest-results-and-images/#more-1427

As opposed to comparable contests, the riders had almost a full week to show their skills at the Suzuki Nine Knights presented by G-Shock. In that time they were observed by the judges to pick the winners in several categories at the end of the week. Two riders deserve a special mention, the newcomers Xavier Pasamonte (ESP) and Anthon Thelander (SWE). Shervy’s extremely extended Superman stands the comparison to his fellow countryman’s Lacondeguy and won him the “Trick of the week”. But even he couldn’t touch the overall performance Anthon Thelander showed throughout the week. That the jury awarded him the title “Rider of the week” didn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

Check out the complete results: - Ruler of the week: Anthon Thelander (SWE) - Trick of the week: Shervy Pasamonte (SPA) INSANE SUPERMAN - Best Trick on contest day: Yannick Granieri (FRA), BIG FLIP DOUBLEWHIP - Best Line on contest day: Martin Sรถderstrรถm (SWE) - Highest Hip Air: Andi Wittmann (GER) / Kurt Sorge (CAN) - Best Whip: Louis Reboul (FRA) More info on www.nineknights.com and www.facebook.com/nineknights

By: Dan Brown | Photography: Sven Martin

I P L A N O H

HIG

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After a chaotic but successful weekend at the Val d’Isère World Cup, the GT Factory Racing team were longing for some down time. As Rach packed her bag and got ready to leave, she stated “That was a very difficult race, im ruined...lets just drive to Alpi and chill out, eat some good food and ride our bikes, preferably not with YOU lot!! ” A 90km trip over the Col de l’Iseran and down to Italy through Modane took in some amazing scenery and got the riders in the mood for a chilled week of riding and relaxing at the Alpi Bike Resort in Northern Italy. Gee said “This is home from home for us – I already feel like I’m on holiday” The team’s base for the week was Bardonechia, one of the eight resorts within the Alpi Bike Resort group. There’s a couple of lifts to ride here and depending where you stay in Bardonechia neither of them are far away with both offering great riding, Colomion and Melezet have more for beginners while Jafferau has two black runs which get pretty steep and technical in parts. We could see the lift from our hotel window which was enough to pull the entire team out of their beds nice and early on Tuesday morning to hit up some stunning red and black trails. After a typical Italian lunch of pizza and pasta, and a quick look at the head cam footage from last years visit that sees Rachel following her Dad down Baronecchia, laughing manically the whole way! We set off in pursuit of Dan Atherton who had been busy racing and filming up in Sauz du Oulx, Sauz’s trails are a little less demanding on the bike and they’re the perfect place for an all-mountain bike.

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Rolling meadows carpeted in wildflowers and lush green woods make this section of Alpi overwhelmingly beautiful, the trails are spectacular. We found Dan looking very happy, riding a rolling singletrack that runs to 20 minutes in length. He seems to be at home here and it’s the ideal place to train for his new passion; Enduro. Dan was with Clay Porter and his motley crew, busy shooting for a new film which will profile Dan and his change to the new discipline. We’ll have more news on this soon but from what we’ve seen so far it’s going to be pretty special. We spent another epic day at Sestrierre, the location of the downhill skiing course for the Torino Winter Olympics in 2006. More importantly to bike fans it’s also home to the Italian National Championships’ track. Rachel was beaming from ear to ear “This place is so rad, so beautiful, and Lindsey Vonn trains here!!!.” Marc took to the racetrack like a duck to water – he loved the variety that spread its 3km route. An open top section with fast drifty corners and big floaty jumps soon drops into some testing wooded, rooty, steep and rocky sections, before emerging once more into the open and a fast few shoots to the bottom.

Marc Maurrissen, Beaumonts mechanic, and Rachel’s mechanic, Andy Lund who both do a lot of riding around their home towns of Genk Belgium and Llangollen Wales, also joined in the fun with some spectacular crashes and roost competitions on camera– but they’re not saying who got down fastest! Alpi is a great place to ride, whatever your level, whatever type of riding you’re after there’s something for everyone. And there’s so much to try - with only 3 of the 8 resorts visited this trip we’re all looking forward to our return when we hope to tackle Cesana, Chiomonte, Claviere, Pragelato or Prali. Maybe see you there.

UNDERWORLD

CUP - 2012 Underground mountain bike race in Budapest

In the past year, an underground mountain bike race has become a huge success in Budapest. The course is 2km long and runs can last between 60 and 80 minutes depending on the category. On 11 August 2012, an underground bike race was held in Budapest’s Merkapt Maraton Sports Centre – the MOFÉM Underworld Cup, which partly involved going through a 150-year-old system of tunnels. It is open to amateurs as well as professionals. Damp, cold passages and sharp curves The 2 km route runs over grass, pebbles, tarmac, cobblestones, gravel paths and off-road tracks. A 700 m section that takes the racers through the system of tunnels ten metres below Budapest’s Kőbánya area is sure to provide plenty of excitement. The cellar passages are on average 2 to 2.5 metres high and 3 to 8 metres wide, but since there are several very dark, narrow and low sections, the racers are not allowed to overtake underground. “Those with enough experience and a certain level of mountain biking ability can take part in this race,” says Miklós Fülöp, the organiser of the MOFÉM Underworld Cup. “In addition, professional bikers can rise to the challenge in a separate race.” Throughout the course of the day, a total of five races took place, each with a maximum of 70 cyclists. There were three age categories for men, one race for top mountain bikers and one for women and juniors. Racers from all over the world have registered, according to Fülöp, with bikers from Spain, Romania and Slovakia, among other countries, took part in this year’s underground adventure.

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Cooling off in dark tunnels The underground cave system in Kőbánya dates back to medieval times, since the right to quarry stone in what is today part of Budapest was handed out then by the Hungarian king Béla IV. This limestone, a remnant of the Pannonian Sea from the Cenozoic Era, can be found in numerous buildings and monuments in the Hungarian capital. The quarrying of several million cubic metres of stone left behind a system of tunnels totalling between 20 and 30 km in length and concealing even today many secrets. From time to time, new, hitherto unknown shafts and passages are still discovered. About 150 years ago, after quarrying had finished, industrial use of the tunnels began. When the Austrian Anton Dreher bought the brewery in Kőbánya in 1862, the tunnels were used for sprouting hops, and during the Second World War, parts of them were used as a factory for Messerschmitt military planes. Since part of the tunnel system stretches under the Merkapt Maraton Sports Centre, brave mountain bikers have been able to race through the damp, cold passages since 2010 as part of the MOFÉM Underworld Cup. Underworld Cup official website: www.underworldkupa.hu

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mountain bike magazine

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