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BSA Hercules India Cyclothon in Mumbai With over 7,000 participants at the BSA Hercules India Cyclothon and Being Human Tour De Mumbai 2010, the event boasted of six different categories and each saw a decent flow of entries. Bollywood actors Salman Khan and his brother, Sohail, were at the event on February 21, 2010. So were Congress MP Priya Dutt and local MLA Baba Siddiqui. The professional cyclists mingled with the amateur enthusiasts comprising children, students, executives, corporates, housewives and disabled. Salman participated in the 24-km ride with cycling legend Eddy Merck, Siddiqui was seen cycling along with them. Salman and Siddiqui had ordered bicycles with special gears from Australia for the occasion. Sohail accompanied his son, who took part in the 2-km Kids’ Ride. Ms Dutt was seen cycling down Carter Road. The two events were held under the aegis of International Cycling Union (UCI), Cycling Federation of India (CFI), Maharashtra Cycling Association (MCA) and promoted by Sport 18, Network 18 and ID sports. The 12 km Nokia Green Ride, with the maximum participation, took the participants riding on the Bandra Worli Sea Link. Amidst these were over 200 dabbawalas, showed up at Bandra’s Reclamation ground early on Sunday morning to participate in the Race. The members of the city’s Dabbawalla Association dressed in their every day attire of white cotton shirts, trousers, rubber slippers and white Gandhi topis perched on their heads, the band of dabbawallas strikingly stood out from the crowds. Most of the participants in the Nokia Green Ride 12-km and the Corporate Ride 24-km races were regular cyclists, out to show their enthusiasm and support for the first cycle race in the city. To support the event 350 Indian Navy personnel also took part in the Green Ride. With over 600 kids participating at the Tata Kids Ride (2km) Cyclothon, the level of enthusiasm soared new heights with constant hooting and cheering. Running alongside these kids were 10 participants of the Nina Foundation on their two-wheelers. “Even our wheelchairs have two wheels and we don’t pollute the atmosphere either,” said one of the participants. International Elite Ride & National Elite Ride. The more professional categories like the National Elite Ride (50 km) and the International Elite Ride (90 km) saw huge participation in numbers with 22 teams and 10 teams taking part in the national and international riding categories. The cyclists from all over the world who were invited to participate in this race, cycled over an expanse of 100 kilometers. The event was flagged off at the Mumbai suburbs. Many well known cyclists from around the world participated in the game among which Australia’s Stuart O’Grady and Baden Cooke demands a mention, as both have participated in the esteemed “Tour De France”. The Mumbai Cyclothon was recognized by Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and had been backed by many eminent cyclist of the world. Argentina’s Jose Juan Haedo won the inaugural Tour de Mumbai; India’s first professional cycling race sanctioned by the sport’s governing body with timing of 2:15.07, The Team Saxo Bank sprinter took the $50,000 first prize after shaking free of Germany’s Dirk Mueller, from Team Nutrixxion-Sparkasse, on the final lap of the 90-kilometre course. The pair had been part of a six-man breakaway for much of the race, which took place in searing temperatures in Mumbai’s northern suburbs, but they struck out together with four of the 32 laps to go. German rider Tobias Eller, from the Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team, suffered a puncture with five laps to go but still managed to sprint into third place. The Australian sprinter Baden Cooke, who was fourth and fellow countryman Stuart O’Grady, who finished in the peloton. Of the 14 Indian riders compromising of two teams, 12 were told to pull over as they are about to be lapped. Only two, Amandeep Singh and Harpreet Singh of the national squad, were able to complete the race. |
Read INDIAN BICYCLE AMBASSADOR February 2010 Issue for more details |
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