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04 11th Indian MTB Nationals, Pune

06 Feeding your wanderlust

08 19th Indian Road Nationals, Jamakhandi

12 The Impossible Race

14 Times Dehradun Cyclothon

18 Coorg on two wheels

20 Featured: Giant Anyroad 2

22 ProCycle Profiled

24 Bikers’ Lair

26 Boys Toys

14

IN THIS ISSUE

Tune your bike! Tweak your heart !Maintain your cycle, so that your cycle maintains you!

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Hello Readers!

While we bask in the glory of our 2nd Anniversary. There is a slight change in the corner room.

I will be sitting at the editor’s desk with a lot of tools and cycle parts lying around and guiding this one of a kind magazine from here on out. Judging from my picture, you should be able to tell how much of a fun loving person I am and that is the exact amounts of fun and a whole lot more that you will see in Crank with ProCycle from now on.

Our cover story on the 11th MTB Nationals brings to you the nation’s best mountain bikers. We also bring you coverage of the 19th Road Nationals and an exclusive interview with ITT champion, Naveen John.

Be sure to catch our new section, TRIP PICK as a guide for those who want to take up bicycle trips.

For the readers who eagerly wait for the hottest new bikes, we set you drooling over the Giant Anyroad 2.

Catch this and a lot more in the new and improving Crank.

Read through the pages, then get out and ride!

Nilesh N Dhumal Let’s Shred

The CRANK with ProCycle Team

Publisher and Managing Editor Vikram Limsay

Editor Nilesh Dhumal

West Zone Bureau Divya Tate

Marketing and Distribution Joseph Anish

[email protected], +91 97415 77884

Test Riders Ajay Kamble

Nilesh Dhumal Ritwik Burman

Contributors Naveen John, Utkarsh Rao, Divya Tate

Pankaj Mangal, Prateek Singh, Nandan Purohit Sheriyar Unwalla, Raj Shekar, Rahul K Thomas and

Robin Darius Conz

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Cover Karnataka’s Kiran Kumar Raju powers to the

finish line at the 11th MTB Nationals Image by Utkarsh Rao

Back Cover The ProCycle Mascot basking in the spring sun

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YO!

4 CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2015

COVER STORYShredding downhill

11TH MTB NATIONALS, PUNEImage credits: Utkarsh Rao, Text: Divya Tate

The 11th Indian National Mountain Bike Championships was conducted by the Cycling Federation of India (CFI) in Pune between the 18th and 23rd of January 2015. The event, hosted by the Maharashtra Cycling Association (MCA) was held on a track nestled in the hills beyond the spread of the city limits. There were over 200 participants from 13 states in the competition that included Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Haryana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra Manipur and West Bengal. There were 2 race categories, Time Trial and Mass Start, across 4 age groups for men and women. With the 16 races that were conducted, the race days were action packed.

The track was a gradually undulating dirt path that circled around a 3.5 km lap with a few sharp turns on rock and debris patches. There was even one patch where spectators were sure of seeing a rider crash every few laps. While it was not a challenging or technical trail that demanded downhill biking skills, the fast pace of the race did give rise to a fair number of mishaps. Numerous riders were sporting bloody or scabby wounds by the third day and some had even spilled face down to take ‘soil samples’. The person, who drew the most admiration for her bravery, was a young woman from Haryana, who fell and broke a collar bone, but made a decision to keep riding and finish the race, before being taken by ambulance to a medical facility.

The Races were from between 2 laps for the youth races, to 10 laps for the elite men mass start race. While most races had gaps of half a minute or more between podium finishers, some were hard fought till the very end. Priyanka Jadav of Maharashtra lost the youth girls mass start race, by split seconds to Danamma Gurav of Karnataka. In the Elite Women’s Mass start, Geetu Raj of Kerala finished more than a minute before Krishnendu T, also of Kerala. With Bismi S finishing soon after, that, the race was a clean sweep by Kerala, getting all 3 top positions.

The 35 Km Elite Men’s mass start took place in the heat of the afternoon on the 22nd with an impressive line up of over 50 racers. Amidst skidding bikes and dropping chains the Indian Army team set a tough

CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2015 5

Leaving the panaroma behind

Slicing through the jungles.jpg

Some much needed cooling off Victory Lane

Course Crash, resulted in a smashed collar bone

pace. In spite of having to keep up that pace for 10 laps, the finish was very close, with only 11 second gaps between each podium finisher. Bhairab Deuri and Purna Pradhan of Indian Army got Gold and Bronze medal respectively, with Naresh Barman of West Bengal getting the Silver. In the Elite Men’s Time Trial, Venkateshwarlu Reddy of the Indian Army showed a complete command over the race with 3 minute lead over the second place.

While the Indian Army team dominated the Elite men’s races, Kerala had a very good overall performance across all age groups, especially the Elite Women Races. The most remarkable performance however was by the Karnataka team. Except for the 4 Elite age group races, at least one racer from Karnataka won a medal in each of the other 12 races, and often it was more than one. In a clean sweep of the youth boys final, Karnataka racers Manjunath Bhavi, Sachin Ranjanagi and Venkanna Kengalagutti came in within split seconds of each other to win all 3 top positions.

Participants were of different backgrounds, some with little or no experience of riding on trails. Many who are from a mountain biking background felt that the track demanded more power than technique, and would like to see more challenging off-road trails in future. Mountain Biker, Shiven Sharma of Himachal who won Gold and Silver in the Junior Men age category said-“The track was good, though it would be more fun and tough if it had more climbing and technical sections.” On the whole the event was successfully conducted, with a good opportunity for participants to test their mettle against other strong contenders.

Overall Team Performance

Senior Group – Men and Women

Winner Kerala

Runner Up Indian Army

Junior, Sub Junior and Youth – Boys and Girls

Winner Karnataka

Runner Up Kerala

Best Elite Rider – Men

Winner - Venkateshwarlu Reddy

Indian Army

Runner Up – Bhairab Devri

Indian Army

Best Elite Rider – Women

Winner – Krishnendu T Krishna

Kerala

Runner Up – Geethu Raj N Kerala

Overall Team Championship

Winner Karnataka

Runner Up Kerala


FEEDING YOUR WANDERLUST Image credits : The Art of Bicycle Trips

There are some places that you catch in the blink of an eye and there are others that a lifetime won’t suffice.

If there is one way to get around this dilemma, it is by exploring on a cycle. But, how does one go from flying business class and the comfort of on air conditioned car to sweating profusely while cycling up a hill with your heart pounding so fast that it threatens to burst out of your ribs?

You have to be a certain kind of a person to even consider taking bicycle trips that do not end at your grocery store or office. Pankaj Mangal of The Art of Bicycle Trips still remembers his first trip that turned him into that very kind of a person. It was a 100km cycle trip from Bangalore to the Bheemeshwari fishing camp with a few friends. During his transition into a long distance cyclist, he began wondering how he could do his part to get more people to take up cycling trips and enjoy the countryside the way it was meant to.

His conclusion was the inception of The Art of Bicycle Trips. Limiting its operations to the home base of Bangalore for its first two years, The Art of Bicycle Trips now has trips ranging from 4 hours to a day or two and extending up to 14 days covering stunning locations in Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Ladakh and Goa in India and Laos, Cambodia and Sri Lanka internationally.

They cater to Indian nationals and have also managed to attract a large crowd of International tourists. People from all walks of life, including, but not limited to Corporate professionals, entrepreneurs,

teachers and NRI’s from Singapore and the UK are the ones that are embracing this new lifestyle.

There is no such thing as a typical trip with The Art of Bicycle Trips. Each one is unique and has a few common factors that make them stand out from any other kind of a trip to the same locations. The team carefully selects multiple routes for a given destination which they can then rotate based on weather and road conditions. Each of these routes are first ridden by the team and this helps them gauge the fitness levels required and to classify their trips into four categories, easy rider, active rider, challenging and pro-rider.

Each of the routes are mapped to include a lot more than just cycling. Each trip is a mix of culture and countryside with travel. The routes are mapped so to include, temples, historic structures like forts, scenic lakes and backwaters. Their trips are a perfect mixture of landscape, people and cities.

Ranging from Rs. 2000/- to 2.5 lacs, The Art of Bicycle Trips has short trips that gives one a flavour of the outskirts of popular Indian cities and longer trips that take one from the hustle of a city to the spectacular beaches, backwaters and mountains of the sublime kaleidoscope that is India.

Providing well maintained bicycles of international brands on rent, Art of Bicycle Trips have denied you the excuse of not owning a bike to take up a cycling trip. Showing some amount of preference to the mountains, the team at The Art of Bicycle Trips declares the

Trippers at Pangong Lake

TRIP PICK

Cycling in the mountains of Leh region Very few things can beat the smiles plastered on a cyclist’s face

routes at Sikkim as their favourite from a cycling point of view and for the pristine weather.

Making sure that bicycle trips are the way to go when one wants to explore, their goal remains to expand into the unexplored regions of the Indian North East and open up more options for a cyclist taking up a trip with them. The Art of Bicycle Trips would also like to expand out to the neighbouring countries of India and into the South East of Asia. Their greater aspiration is to expand into the wild and open terrains of South America.

Even with satellite imaging technology that lets us spy on our neighbours available in our pockets. There will always be a long list of places that one absolutely needs to see to believe. We at Crank believe that there is no better way to explore any place than on a bicycle. If you are a fan of wanderlust and cringe at being called a tourist, a bicycle trip is your ticket to get out more often and make the most of your journeys.

— Joseph Anish

The customary ‘before we embark’ photo

The freedom of cycling


RACE REPORTOff the start, Karnataka’s Naveen John

19TH ROAD NATIONALSAs told to Joseph Anish by Naveen John. Image credits: Vivek Radhakrishnan

There are two things that are famous in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district, the marvellous cave temples of Badami and the habit of serving large roasted red chillies with a meal. Both of these cause least amounts of excitement to most cyclists, especially the latter.

The way cyclists felt about Bagalkot changed in December of 2014, when CFI decided to conduct the 19th Road Nationals in Jamakhandi of Bagalkot. Jamakhandi has been one of the best training grounds for cyclists from Karnataka, who are nothing short of celebrities to the locals. The status that cyclists enjoy here is unlikely to be matched elsewhere in the country.

The 19th Road Nationals has by far been one of the best organized road race. We have the CFI and specially the Karnataka Amateur

Cycling Association to thank for it. With a magnitude of about 650 cyclists aged from 13 to 30 participating in the race, it is an event where every state in the country sends out the best of their cyclists. Cyclists who strongly believe that cycling is a sport and much beyond a mere mode of transportation. For all the people who think otherwise, the 19th Road Nationals was the perfect platform to be proved wrong.

Over the 3 day event, the long straight roads of Jamkhandi came alive, giving rise to large crowds along the stretch of roads that the racers would whizz past on. The local governing bodies have made the event a grand success with the immense levels of cooperation and more importantly turning up to cheer the racers.


The local governing bodies under the guidance of MLA Mr. Siddu Nyamgowda made the races a spectacle to watch and less toiling to the racers by getting all the roads on the race circuit paved and arranging for security and crowd management at critical points. Paving the roads no doubt helped the racers, but has come as a boon to the villagers as well. All this became a reality because Mr. Nyamgouda was able to raise amounts closing to 4 or 5 Crores in order to support the entire event. The other notable factor about organization of the event is the sheer number of race marshals on motorcycles. One could even say that the number of marshals per race was more than the racers themselves.

Yet another notable contribution was from Mr. R K Sharma who is one of the technical officials trained by the UCI who was at the helm of most of the planning and helped lay down the ground work for the races.

The level of support given to the participants can be noted in the fact that in a very long time, the winners were given cold hard cash for prize money in the amounts of 1 lac for the winner and 50,000 and 25,000 for second and third place respectively. The other detail to be noted is equal prize money for both women and men racers.

Beating the state of Haryana and fully utilizing the home ground advantage, Karnataka won the overall championship and Naveen John put to rest, his 3 year long conquest of winning the gold at the Individual Time Trial with a timing of 52m 44s.

Leaving very little to be desired by the increasing number of professional cyclists, the quaint little town of Jamakhandi has stood up to the challenge of hosting a very successful 19th Road Nationals and bringing the championship trophy home to the state of Karnataka. Crank is eager to see what the 2015 nationals will have in store for the roadies.

All of Jamkhandi was out, lining 20km of the TT course

Powering to the finish

The load of local that turned out to cheer the racers



Crank with ProCycle caught up with Naveen John, the winner of the Individual Time Trial at the 19th National Road Cycling Championship. Here’s a quick peek into the journey to his victory.

Naveen, fondly called NJ is a very prominent face in the competitive cycling scene. He has been competing at the national level for three years now. In December 2014, Naveen adorned the colours of Karnataka State and made sure that his yearlong training efforts bore good fruit. His gold at the Individual Time Trial also ensured that Karnataka won the overall championship.

NJ has been cycling competitively for the last five years and there was a time in 2006 when he weighed 98 KGS and was stuck to books and even more so, to computers. In three months he had lost 16kgs and thus began his journey towards a fitter lifestyle. He had started cycling for about 20-30kms for an hour a day. Running for about 3kms, twice a day and most importantly, enforcing a high level of discipline in what and when he ate.

During his studies in the US, he went from racing at pro collegiate level to being a part of amateur race teams there. Only to defy well thought out advise of staying in the US to finish his studies and continue racing in the US. In 2012, Naveen landed in Bangalore to

start racing in India. He landed on Friday, checked out the course on Saturday and raced on Sunday at a BBCh race. If there is one thing that is common in Naveen’s story, it is perseverance towards his dreams.

In his first year competing at the national level, he was there purely to check out the competition and identify his strengths and weaknesses. He was in awe of the level of enthusiasm and passion that the cyclists brought to the track. His second year, 2013, Naveen participated with a very strong will to place himself at the podium. But given his fitness level, he placed 4th by a mere 30 seconds.

Naveen was 70 seconds behind first place in 2013. And he dedicated a whole year to beat these 70 seconds. Every single day of the training year was mapped out and a strategy laid out for getting the gold in 2014. The biggest contribution to this win came from his coach Dan Henchy of PBS Science. Dan is well known for coaching many European cyclists and is keen at identifying when an athlete should be taking a break to recover. Training with

power is the method Naveen and Dan employed to guarantee this win. Using a power tap training wheel was the final straw at ensuring the victory.

Naveen stresses that his training methods are unique and that no one in the country is training like he does. His key is consistency. There are very few days in a year that he does not train at. Naveen trained in the busy streets of Bangalore where traffic posed serious problems. In the manner of being a true believer of Murphy’s Law, Naveen says that everything that could go wrong, did go wrong and threatened his efforts. He had to brave a hamstring injury and sinus problems and is happy that he has managed to secure the victory in spite of it all.

Before the win, he had hoped to take a break from racing and continue his studies, earn a Master’s degree in Sports Science and ultimately become a coach. After the win, all he can think of is a lot more racing and is waiting eagerly to get a chance to defend his ITT championship and to win the top step at road racing.

Aiming for a double gold at the Road Nationals next year, Naveen John has now set off to Kerala for the 35th National Games. We wish him luck to bring more accolades to the state of Karnataka.

10 minutes after crossing the line - having difficulty wraping my head around the results

ON TOP OF THE ROAD As told to Joseph Anish.

PLUS


The state of Gujarat is known for a lot of things. Our PM Mr. Modi, the Kite festival, the compelling narrations of Amitabh Bachchan in the Gujarat tourism tv adverts, the Gujarat Global Investors Meet, Rann Utsav, Kutch Mahotsava, Navarathri and Dhoklas. Crank would like to add one more to this growing list.

Looking at the furore with which the MTB Nationals in Pune was received, there is a definite need for finding newer training grounds for the Indian mountain biker. With access to amazing bikes and great training techniques, India’s MTB enthusiast is itching to prove himself. And the answer to this itch might just be the Polo Forest.

Uphill EMG, a division of Brand Aid Pvt. Ltd. introduces you to one of the best kept secrets of the country, the polo forest. Where is this polo forest? The Polo forest is situated on the northern fringes of Gujarat and most of the forest lies in Rajasthan. The hills extending from the range of Mt. Abu are scattered all over the forest. The forest extends from Bhiloda in Gujarat to Gogunda in Rajasthan. The Polo forest is an extensive forest on the Aravali range, covering acres of land. Polo (derived from POL, which translates to “gateway”) was the gateway of Rajasthan. It has also been a hiding place for fleeing rulers, fugitives and anyone who wished to disappear. The climate here is continental.

How do you get to polo forest? Head North on the pristine roads from Ahmedabad for about 150kms and you will first encounter the massive and majestic boulders of Idar. Then you will come across rolling hills and serene lakes. That’s when you know you are entering Polo. Polo forest has beautiful roads with a breathtaking canopy surrounded by hills, lakes and ancient temples.

The ruins found in the Polo forest are from the 10th Century AD. These ruins are from a civilization that mysteriously disappeared. Polo is in-fact, shrouded in mystery. The Polo forest is protected by the Forest departments of the government and has a long list of animals that inhabit the hills like the Indian sloth bear, the leopard, grey crested hornbill and the brown headed barbet. Vegetation is mostly deciduous and thorny along with bamboo. Farmers cultivate crops such as castor, wheat, corn, cotton, maize, barley and such. They even have orchards of Litchi and pomegranates.

There could be no greater set of reasons to host ‘The Impossible Race’ in the polo forest. Prateek Singh who is the assistant race director of The Impossible Race, recalls how he was first called by Mr. Kerav at Uphill EMG to organize this race and he did not even know of the Polo forest’s existence. What Prateek found on his reconnaissance rides left him completely amazed.

He declares that the polo forest has some of the gnarliest terrains he has ridden on. Prateek explains-“Polo has a diverse topographical reach. The riding here has both good and not so good sides. The trails include steep rock sections, flowing single-tracks, roots scattered all across and loose rock strewn all over. They also include boulders, gravel, and riverbeds. The best part about Polo is that while riding, you can actually see and feel the topography change under the tires.

Coming to the challenging part, the trails also include long hike sections, sections where you may have to push the bike up or carry it. There are sections where the majority of the vegetation comprises of thorns. Yes, flat tires are inevitable in some sections. Running tubeless can be an option but the thorns are relentless.

THE IMPOSSIBLE RACE Images by Nandan Purohit, As told to Joseph Anish by Prateek Singh

MEDIA CONNECTIt is easy to get lost here, by choice or not

The pristine roads for the 222kms road race

The dried out rocky lake beds of POLO

Negotiating the tough single tracks

Single tracks at the POLO forest


Overall, the riding in Polo is gnarly yet amazing. I had super fun navigating through the trails, climbing over roots and shredding down the rocks of some of the oldest hills in the world.“

‘The Impossible Race’ has two events, a 222kms road biking race with a cut off time of 8 hours and a 151kms GPS guided MTB race spread over 3 days. The varying terrain and the presence of some of South Asia’s most venomous snakes and wild animals promises to make this a one of a kind race in a one of a kind jungle. The race will take its racers through a huge load of mysticism, history, culture and riding terrain. Only the ecologically sustainable sport of cycling could allow Uphill EMG to be the first to organize a race in this region. And this unique nature of cycling has also found supporters in Gujarat tourism and Government who are very excited and gearing up for it by paving roads and providing traffic and security management.

Scheduled to take place between 13 and 16th March, 2015, this race is expected to bring in a lot of talented riders and race teams including that of ProCycle. Taking the conservation of the forest region into mind, the registrations are limited and the total race party including management will be restricted to 500 people and given the nature of the region that the race happens at, The Impossible Race follows the ‘Leave No Trail’ policy where there will be no waste disposed into the forest and no trace will be left except for footprints and tire tracks from the bikes.

Catch exclusive news of The Impossible Race at Crank with ProCycle. For more details and registration, visit www.theimpossiblerace.com


Raring to go at the start line

TIMES DEHRADUN CYCLOTHONText and images by HASTPA

Harshit was at high enthusiasm on 1st Feb, 2015. Loaded with all the necessary safety gear he was standing at the long queue along with so many others waiting for his turn to be registered for the biggest cycling gathering in the city of Dehradun. A huge smile appeared on Harshit’s face when he got his bib number. The organizers bowed to his excitement and eagerness to pedal an amazing 18kms from parade ground through the boulevards of Sahastra Dhara road and back.

Times Dehradun Cyclothon presented by The Times of India, Dehradun and organized by HASTPA (the founders of MTB Himalya) emerged out as one of the well managed cycling events in India. Having seen a participation of almost 600 riders and appreciation from the Governor of Uttarakhand Mr. KK Paul, the Cyclothon succeeded in creating an awareness about using cycles in an emerging city like Dehradun. There are hardly any instances when one could see so many people gathered at Parade ground with such an energy level on the wintery morning of the Cyclothon. While there were participants who brought their own bikes, there were quite a few more who didn’t have one and still wanted to participate by any means.

The route was chosen and planned by the experts from HASTPA keeping in mind that riders from various age group will show up for the Cyclothon. Feed zones and appropriate route marking enabled

A custom bike that showed up at the race

IN THE NEWS

A young rider finds out how much fun it is to cycle

the smooth flow of the Cyclothon where the participants were even cheered by a group of monks on the way. The resulting amounts of adrenaline rushing through ones spine is what each participant looked for while pedaling their breath away. That feeling of having achieved something great is a moment all the participants cherished upon finishing the race.

The event saw the support from the local administrative bodies and corporate organizations which are ready to create an environment fit for cycling in the city after the success of Times Dehradun Cyclothon. The Times of India team sees it as an appreciation for cycling by the citizens of Dehradun and hold the promise of bringing back such events in greater frequency. HASTPA’s team has a goal of spreading eco friendly tourism and adventure activities and the Doon Cyclothon has managed to arrest yet another city’s interest towards cycling.A long line of cyclists

The team of organizers and volunteers


EVENTS CALENDAR

4th to 13th Feb, 201535th National Games, Kerala Cycling Triathlon and Cycle Polo http://www.kerala2015.com

7th Feb, 2015200 BRM Bangalore Dipankar Paul [email protected]

8th Feb, 2015MVS Coimbatore Criterium Contact: Sanjay Balu +919843028817

14th Feb, 20151200 BRM, Delhi Contact: Shubho Bagchi [email protected]

18th Feb, 2015UCAI Daal Baati Choorma-2 Contact: Manas 9810609616

19th to 22nd Feb, 2015Go! Mad Cycle tour http://madcycletours.in

22nd Feb, 2015Goa Triathlon http://www.goatriathlon.org

1st Mar, 2015Vodafone Cycling Marathon, Bangalore www. vodafone.in/cycling

5th to 8th Mar, 2015Goa International Mountain biking challenge http://www.goamtb.com

13th to 16th Mar, 2015The Impossible Race http://theimpossiblerace.com

15th Mar, 2015Duathlon Phulgaon http://exploreadventures.co.in

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THE LONG ROAD

COORG ON 2 WHEELSText by Sheriyar Unwalla. Images by Raj Shekar

Tranquil Trail? Clearly a less than appropriate name for the extremely strenuous uphill gravel laden ride. There were moments (several of them) when we felt this should have been named ‘Torture Trail’, but at the end of it - 2 day 190 kms ride around Coorg left us speechless. Not just because we were breathless, but also because there aren’t enough adjectives to describe the magnificence of the ride.

It all started with a very casual exchange of pleasantries when we met at different pick up points – first timers, experienced tourers, some with a lot of luggage, others with just a backpack. Little did we know that we would all part as good friends just 48 hours later.

29 of us cyclists started on the overnight bus ride to Makkandur in Coorg. We reached there at around 5 a.m in pitch darkness, trekked in to the home stay and slowly but surely started admiring the beauty of the place as the sun rose over the coffee estate.

After a wholesome breakfast and some bike fixing, we started off on the first leg of our journey from Makkandur to Mallalli Abbi Falls via Kotte Abbi Falls. The first 4 kms. were downhill through a tiny scenic road off the highway. We enjoyed zipping down narrow paths through green fields, but the honeymoon ride was short. Then onwards, it was uphill all the way for the next 35 kms… Every time we saw a hairpin bend it gave us hope of the road flattening out ahead, but to our dismay it seemed to be getting steeper with every turn. There were stretches where we just could not pedal any more and had to get off and push our cycles. The biggest motivator to ride higher and higher was the view we were anticipating. It was worth every drop of sweat!

The last 12 kms. were largely downhill and we could manage a quick pace to reach Mallalli Abbi falls. There were several trails along the route which were pretty technical and those were the most amazing stretches, including the last few hundred meters

leading up to the falls. Some first timers found it very difficult to cope with the steep uphill climbs and needed to hitch a ride from the canters following us.

The waterfall itself was amazing. Only one brave soul ventured all the way down 350 steps to the base of the falls (we nicknamed him Mr. Single Speed). The rest of us just enjoyed the view from the top.

We all assembled at an open patch close to the falls where we feasted on some curd rice and vegetable Biryani. After burning thousands of calories and struggling to reach up there, the humble food seemed as tasty as a buffet spread at the Taj.

The numbers further dwindled post lunch. A handful of us decided to ride back all the way while a majority comfortably nestled themselves in the canters. We were to ride back to Makkandur, but from a different route via Somwarpet. Few of us took a gamble assuming that since the first part was largely uphill, logically going back should be largely downhill. That of course was after we tackled the 12 kms of steep uphill ride back to Bettadalli, which was a common stretch both ways. That was perhaps the toughest stretch as we were already exhausted and then started off on the steep climb right after lunch. To add to it, we were welcomed by some rain and leaches on the way too. That was bad enough to bring down the number further. Finally just two of us were riding back, both alone.

Knowing that only Mr. Single Speed was ahead of me, and unlikely that anyone else would catch up, I rode almost the entire distance alone. There were moments when I seriously considered getting off the saddle and waiting for the canter to pick me up too, especially when it started getting dark. But, after having done so much, I did not want to give up.

Just as these thoughts were rushing through my mind, lo and

behold Mr. Single Speed was right ahead of me and it was ‘we’ again! That feeling of catching up with a fellow rider and riding together was just so phenomenal it is hard to explain in words. The two of us pedalled the last 6 kms with renewed energy and reached the home stay well after sunset.

Despite being fatigued like never before, we somehow managed to stay up and party till quite late in the night before carrying ourselves back to bed.

The next day, after a pretty relaxed breakfast, we packed our bags and started off on our last leg. The 2nd day’s ride was fantastic. It was hilly terrain again, but a mix of up and down. The sceneries were beautiful and the roads were very good. We took an extended tea break after the first 20 kms where we were greeted by little children from a village nearby who insisted on us taking their pictures and explaining to them what we were doing there on cycles.

Since a lot of riders were exhausted, the plan was to end the ride at Gonikoppa, around 30 kms short of Irpu falls (our original destination). Four of us were not in the mood to stop short, so we made it till the end without too many breaks. The ride beyond Gonikoppa was the toughest though. No, not because of the terrain or slopes but, because of the delicious mouth-watering aroma of Coorgy food joints along the route. It took a huge amount of restraint to keep riding and not stop for a meal there.

The last 6 kms. ride up to Irpu falls area was absolutely gorgeous. Tucked away behind a small forest, the 110 steps to bathe at the top of freezing Irpu Falls was the perfect end to our 2-day 190 km Ride.

I made new friends, enjoyed eating enormous (and frequent) portions of food, felt good for having completed the entire ride and extremely humbled in front of Mother Nature. A weekend well spent!



BIKE FEATUREReady to take on any road (or the lack of it)

GIANT ANYROAD 2Images by Rahul K Thomas

MRP INR 101,260At first sight, the Giant Anyroad looks nothing like any bike you’ve seen before. And that’s probably because it isn’t like anything built before. Giant threw out the rule book and designed this from the ground up. The name reflects its intent and its ability too. The Anyroad has a curvaceous alloy frame - the kind one sees on mountain bikes these days, a testament to its intent.

Originally aimed as a crossover bike for riders looking to move from mountain bikes to road bikes, this bike can do sooooo much more than that. It can certainly deal with gravel and atrocious roads. In fact, put fat tyres on it and we’re pretty sure it’ll eat up singletrack too.

The massive standover clearance makes for confident handling

and will appeal to a wide array of riders. In recent times we’ve seen the advent of disc brakes in road bikes. They make even more sense on cross bikes, considering the muddy conditions such bikes are meant to be ridden in. For the roadie noob, disc brakes are very reassuring. The Avid mechanical disc brakes specced on the Anyroad give you massive, confidence-inducing stopping power. To make things more convenient, Giant has specced brake levers for riding on the tops. This is so that you won’t panic and have to shift hands to the drop bars in case of an emergency. While these levers aren’t really true cross levers and are more for recreational use and ergonomics, they are a nice touch. More advanced riders will probably swap them out for better ones or do away with them entirely.

The Anyroad frame has a nice, clean look about it. Complete

internal cable routing is at the ‘root’ of it. This allows the viewer to appreciate the lines of that beautiful frame. The integrated seatpost adds to the aesthetics of it. There is a nicely recessed little nut at at the intersection of seat and top tubes which allows you to adjust the height of the seatpost.

The frame is carbon with an alloy steerer, the blades of which are plenty broad but look fairly aero-ish. This should help dampen some of that painful road or trail buzz.

A Sora 9-speed gropuset keeps things honest. It’ll do the job decently enough but the frame certainly deserves better and is very upgrade-worthy. A better groupset will help drop some weight off what is a fairly heavy package, while simultaneously standing up to the bashing that the frame is designed for.

32c knobby tyres on Giant-branded wheels keep things rolling decently. The wheels are plenty bashworthy while the frame has massive clearances for much fatter tyres. We honestly don’t know how big you could with this but you may even find yourself in monster-cross territory if you really tried.

The Giant Anyroad, is a bike that’s been designed for a number of riders and it seems to have something to offer each of them. While it won’t keep you abreast of the peloton, it’ll be great for long days in the saddle and for fun days out in the mud with the local cyclocross crew.

All-told this bike does exactly what its name promises - deal with any road (or the lack of it) you throw at it.

The frame has internal cable routing, not to mention a luscious paint job

Integrated seat post (note the nut which allows adjustment)

Massive tyre clearance makes the stock Giant P-RX2 700x32c knobby tyres look tiny

Ergo brake levers to allow comfortable riding on the tops A basic Shimano triple crankset

Avid BB5 mechanical disc brakes give immense stopping power

Shimano Sora 9-speed derailleur

Wide-bladded composite fork


ProCycle PROFILEDSantosh Chowgule with his faithfuls, Zen the dog and Brompton the foldie

UNANIMOUS LOVE FOR KINETIC HONDA, HARLEY DAVIDSON AND FOLDING BICYCLES.ProCycle profiled is a section where we show off some of our most valued cyclists. This month we talk to Mr. Santosh Chowgule, MD, Keltech Energies

Crank Staff

Mr. Sanotsh Chowgule, MD, Keltech Energies, proud collector of a Mercedes Benz E Class, a Harley Davidson Fat Bob and a Brompton folding bike loves all his machines equally.

Santosh upgraded from riding around a Kinetic Honda in the 90’s to his next two wheeled wonder, a Harley Davidson Fat Bob in recent years. However, he cannot stress enough on how much he enjoys cycling to office on his Brompton folding bike that he picked up at London. He also owns a TREK Hybrid from ProCycle to be able to ride longer distances.

Santosh has also managed to hook his lovely wife, Mrs. Sushma Chowgule onto cycling as well. She enjoys collecting curious artworks and has been a water colour painter herself. She speaks about art and cycling with equal amounts of fervour and enjoys riding her Trek Skye around the city.

Keeping his Sundays booked for a date with his Harley, Santosh is on a lookout for cycling groups that can keep his Saturday’s engaged.

Whether it is on his HOG or the Brompton or the Trek, Santosh is sure to turn heads in admiration while on the streets. Only the resulting questions vary from,” kitna deti hai?” while on the HOG to “kitne ki hai?” while on his cycles.

Addressing the issue of cycling in traffic, Santosh says that with the kind of technology and components being used on bikes these days, one never needs to fear climbing up a flyover or potholes. He yearns for a day when Indian cities will become a lot more cycle friendly and is certain that very soon, people will appreciate these fine machines and won’t look down upon cycling as a mode of commute.

Santosh on his HD Fat Bob Proud two wheelers

CRANK with ProCycle MARCH 15TH, 2015 23A cycling couple is a happy couple

BIKERS’ LAIR

Ashish Kasodekar at Khardungla Image courtesy Rajoo Desai

Ashish and Rajoo en route Image courtesy Rajoo Desai An event at the Dreams Cafe

DREAMS CAFEText by Divya Tate

No event at Dreams Cafe is ever complete without cake! From the time it opened, the cafe created events around two-wheelers and offbeat adventure, and celebrated them with cake. Dreams Cafe opened two years ago with a gathering of cyclists in Pune, from Pro-racers of yesteryear, to cycle-tourists and Randonneurs. Since then it has regularly hosted bicycling and events, and is a hangout for musicians and motorcyclists.

Ashish Kasodekar who conceived of this place to serve as a small hub for offbeat activities, is himself an ardent traveller, cyclist, runner and motor cyclist! The cafe also hosts The Travel Bench, his travel company that offers sports tourism packages. A national level basketball player who has taken to cycling and running since 5 years, he also has a passion for motorbikes. Since 2011, Ashish has been setting himself one adventurous goal each year. On 11.11.11 he and a friend cycled a distance of 450 kms from Pune to Goa in 22 hours. On 12.12.12 he walked 120 kms from Pune to Panchgani in under 24 hrs. The next year, 11.12.13 he did a solo motorbike event called the Bun Burner riding his Harley, 2400 km from Pune to Madurai and back in under 36 hrs!

He has started the 3 year circle again, with a cycling adventure in

2014, called 0 to 18000. He and a friend Rajoo Desai cycled from Khambhat in Gujurat at an elevation of 0 feet above sea level to Khardung La at about 18000 ft. His plans for this year are going to be challenging, as they may include an Ultra run. Continuously planning some adventure or other, he enjoys pulling people to share his interests, through small events at the Bakery. And the cake ensures that they are hooked!

Events vary - a couples ride to introduce new people to the joy of cycling with their partners, a night ride around the city that ends at the Bakery and even a slow cycling race. The race saw a number of people of all ages and cycling abilities attempt to keep their balance with minimum forward movement. Without question, the younger riders were adept at holding their place, until rules required that they be prompted by the marshals to move ahead. Participants are looking forward the next edition to see if the previous records can be broken. Events have also included a cake eating and a burger eating contest. The next event on the cards is a combination of the two - a cycle ride followed by cake eating, that may challenge the bakery that supplies the cake. Participants of any event at Dreams Cafe can be assured that they will be infected by a spirit of adventure.

A slow cycling race in progress Ashish K and Rajoo Desai on the 0-18000 ride Image courtesy Rajoo Desai


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FLR CARBON ROAD SHOESIf you were in the market for some road shoes, look no further. FLR is a less known name in India but they make some superb products. This road shoe is ultra light as its been crafted from carbon. The upper is beautifully finished with good breathability. The stiffness of the sole guarantees optimal power transfer, all in an uber stylish package.

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