Bumpy road? It8217;s all thrilling

Things might change though. A few professional mountain bikers in Pune have gone ahead and formed what they claim to be the first mountain biking club in India, calling themselves 8220;The First Indian Mountain Bikers.8221; Sami Makki, Abhijit Nikalji and Praveen Prabhakaran are the three enterprising youngsters who have taken the first step in promoting this thrilling sport. They have been mountain biking for five years now. As their interest and ability grew, so did a determination to promote the sport. They approached several companies to sponsor some of their biking expeditions, but met with little success; everyone they approached wanted to know if they belonged to any official club.

They then wrote to the Cycling Federation of India CFI, asking for help. Getting no response, they went ahead and formed a club themselves.

And what do they hope to achieve through this club? 8220;We intend to popularise it,8221; they echo. Says Abhijit, 8220;Initially, the membership will be free. Age is no bar. A complete novice can join us8221;.

But why mountain biking? 8220;It8217;s eco-friendly,8221; says Abhijit, a final year commerce student of Symbiosis. For 18-year-old Sami, a student of Modern College, it8217;s the 8220;adrenalin rush8221; that drew him to mountain biking. Praveen, Abhijit8217;s classmate, admits that the glamour of the sport did appeal to him initially, though the pleasure he got from mountain biking proved enough to get him hooked on to the sport.

What exactly is mountain biking? Simply put, it8217;s an outdoor adventure sport that involves cycling on any surface or terrain other than a tar road. Like dirt roads, which can either be smooth and sandy or hard and bumpy. Uphill biking needs a lot of effort, depending on the incline of the terrain. It is downhilling, though, that these guys enjoy the most. This requires a lot of skill, not to mention a whole lot of pluck. An 18-speed or geared bicycle is necessary for mountain biking. Says Praveen, the more mechanically inclined of the three, 8220;When you go uphill, you put your bike in the low gear. This increases the revolutions per minute RPM of the pedal, making it less strenuous for the biker8221;.

In India, only 18-speed bicycles made of hitensile steel are available. The ideal weight of a mountain bike should be ten kgs. Light mountain bikes made of titanium, aluminium, carbon fibre are not manufactured in India, simply because there is no demand for them. Why has mountain biking remained such an obscure sport in India? Sami and Abhijit have strong views on this subject. 8220;Most youngsters think its uncool8217; to ride a bicycle to college. They prefer to zoom on a motorcycle to college. Besides there haven8217;t been any official efforts to make this sport popular8221;.

Whatever the reasons, what remains to be seen is whether this adventure sport will gain popularity and grow in this cricket-crazy country. And if you happen you have a yen for adventure, just pedal away!