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Have wheels, will ride |
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By: Nicole Jones |
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Date:
2008-10-20 |
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Place: Bangalore |
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 M S Sriram is a 22-year-old engineering student at BMSCE, but his real passion is cycling. "I started cycling about one-and-a-half years ago. I wanted to lose weight I was a very unfit guy, so I started cycling in and around Bangalore," he says.
In that short span of time, he has started cycling all over India. As part of his training, he rides 160 km from Bangalore to Mysore once every two weeks.
"Bangalore is one of the very good places for cycling. It's a growing trend," he observes.
He was recently placed seventh out of 80 bikers competing in the fourth annual Hercules Mountain Biking Himachal 2008 (HMBH) race, where mountain bikers from all over the world come to compete in the race through the Himalayas a commendable feat for someone of his age and experience. Starting in Shimla, competitors ride for 10 days over almost 700 km, through some of the world's most beautiful but tough areas. The bikers endure grueling uphill climbs and mountainous terrain, finishing in Manali.
Pedal power
Here in Bangalore, Sriram rides with the group Bangalore Bikers, an organization with about 100 active members, but also takes solo routes; he even prefers to commute on his bicycle.
Adventure sports and cycling are rapidly on the rise in Bangalore and India. For Sriram, it's easy to see why.
"India has got everything mountain biking and road biking. India is one of the best places to go for cycling,"
he explains proudly.
"You get a high after riding. Cycling is such a stress reliever; it's very, very good. Anyone having any problems in their life physical or professional can just take up cycling. It's also a very good way to get from one place to another. It's the best way to commute in the city. I'm not joking it's the fastest way to get around."
Growing group
He is so enthusiastic about the sport that he is presently organizing a new event this December called, Tour of Nilgiris. He is putting together a group to cycle 1000 km around South India over seven days. They will start in Bangalore and go through Mysore, Coorg, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Ooty and, finally, back through Mysore and Bangalore.
He hopes the tour will become an annual event like the HMBH in Himachal but admits he needs sponsors.
"We don't have any now, but we're sure of getting some."
Sriram remains positive about his future in the sport.
Gimme more
"I would love to do the Tour de France, but it is a very challenging thing. I just keep my fingers crossed, but I'm not a professional rider yet. I don't have any funding, and it's a very expensive sport."
Even without some of the advantages of professional riders, he says he'll continue with the sport, even after he completes his engineering degree. |
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