Biking BRAVEHEARTS
The upcoming seventh edition of MTB Himachal is set to get not just bikes but also the adrenalin racing
Ruma Kat

CYCLIST & THE CITY Vineet Sharma with a model of a mountain biking track Says Vineet Sharma, a mountain biker from Chandigarh: "I went to buy myself a new car some five months back and had explored various options; but soon I went for my first camp of mountain biking on my old cycle. And after returning, I had totally changed my mind and thought: what will I do with a car? Spend so much on it, and it wouldn’t be worth it! So, why not spend the amount on a better cycle for my adventure trips. From there on, I have upgraded my cycle with new technologies and my trips have become much more fun." An adventure trip consultant, too, Vineet also organises biking camps for students in various parts of the country, like Mora village, near the Tons river, Uttarakhand, Kerala and Gujarat. These camps are aimed at providing the willing students with some ‘trick-nology’ of biking under special trainers. Also, the students learn how to survive in tough outdoors. "The majority of students who come to these camps belong to well-to-do families. So, they are least exposed to the outdoors. The first day is the toughest. Walking for just about 10 minutes makes them feel so exhausted that they are almost ready to give up," quips Vineet. "The sunburns they get is because they have never got out of airconditioned rooms." This camp is a base and trains the students and others to participate in the tough MTB Himachal event.

Stunts & safety Biking is a sport where one can explore every talent hidden inside. And it can let out everything that is inside you. For this, you need not travel all the way to the Himalayas. Urban biking is another option which provides you the maximum opportunity to try cycling stunts in your backyard. You can try hops, jumps, tabletops, drops, bunny hops, back flips, whoops, bar spins, tail whips, downhill, or so many other tricks and activities that you discover while travelling around. Not only does it help you get noticed by people while performing urban biking stunts, it also makes you fit and more experienced to travel across the world and see more remote places. For passionate bikers, this sport is more about leisure and adventure. But remember this is a tough sport and getting hurt is fairly common. So, do not try it without all the safety gear. Dirt jumping being practised as part of urban biking

It’s a fun way to explore the Himalayas. Biking at any time is loads of fun and frolic. But mountain biking is a whole new experience altogether. Mountain biking means testing your guts and resolve in extreme climatic conditions, learning the art of survival in rugged terrain and, at the same, giving yourself the thrill of adventure. Yes, the Himalayas are calling and there is no better way to revel in the hills than with a mountain bike at your disposal.

For a few diehard enthusiasts, mountain biking is the ultimate thrill. And, the only way for them to experience life in a more adventurous way. They do all sorts of things with their bikes —jump, hop and take huge trips, wherever – air, water, mountains, river beds, wetlands or anywhere your sight can take you.

These people come together every year to participate in India's biggest and the toughest challenge of biking — MTB Himachal. An initiative of HASTPA and Himachal Tourism, this event has become an international platform for both pro and amateur riders to showcase their skills and forget everything else amidst the breathtaking beauty of the Himalayas and the uncharted interiors through which they have to cross.

This season brings to you its seventh edition of MTB Himachal beginning from September 30, and is ready to pump your adrenaline even more. The 500-km-track begins from Shimla and covers a complete circle to come back to the starting spot in nine days. In between, the riders cross some deep forests and soak in the sun or rain while crossing the Sainj, Tanni Jubber, Kullu Sharan, Bahu, Chwad and Narkhanda.

This adventure ride promises a bunch of surprises for all the riders coming from different parts of the country and some even from the neighbouring states like Nepal. The rustic survival track with the most difficult technical sections in between brings out the real rider in you. And at the end, the sheer sense of victory and contentment after one conquers the trail is worth the whole effort! And it’s not just once that this feeling comes. The track is divided into seven laps, so at the end of each, there is a winner.

After covering each lap, there awaits a camp set up by the organisers, with food and drinks to be served. Beer is also available at some of these campsites, not to forget the fun involved with the whole event that makes it all the more lively.

This is the world of biking, which is impossible to be seen by static observers. It involves various activities — cross-country biking, free ride trips, all-mountain journey, downhill biking, dirt jumping, street riding, and trail riding.

For every category, there are special cycles and different sports gear required. These cycles are obviously of a high range, because just like you use your SUVs for long journeys, similarly, these cycles let you travel more than thousands of kilometers on them. So, they are meant to be sturdy, heavy, with strong and suitable suspension, and a well-built frame that can resist every kind of surface you travel.

To participate in this event, your bike must be a Mountain Bicycle (MTB) with a front suspension. So, do not mistake a bicycle as a poor man’s vehicle. In fact, you need to save money to buy one of them and experience the real biking. Prepare yourself to just begin, and then the picturesque surroundings will keep you going through these extreme trails.

Jeevanjit Singh of Chandigarh helps to prepare mountain bikes

Fitness mantra
BRIDELICIOUS BITES
Ratna Bose

The wedding season is upon us. So, it’s important to remember that the diet for a bride or groom-to-be is as important as sending invitations to everyone. The bride and groom are always expected to look their best on the D-day. But the sleepless nights before the wedding, disturbed eating before wedding, surrounded by lots of people and wrapping up of the shopping leaves them so tired, it results in their dull looking skin, indigestion, lack of energy, and stressed faces.

Hence, taking a healthy diet before a wedding is extremely important for the bride and groom. Their diet needs to be very nutritious and well balanced. They not only need to take a low-calorie diet but also a diet full of other nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin A, zinc, Vitamin E and proteins.

The pre-wedding diet is gaining a huge popularity in today's fast-forward world, as it seems to be the best option to get what is desired in the minimum time. It is best to stick with a balanced diet and exercise. This diet is started two to three months before the wedding. When on a pre-wedding diet, the idea is to cut down on the excessive calorie intake but not too fast. A daily intake of 1800 calories for men and 1600 calories for women is recommended. It is recommended that small meals be taken throughout the day. The three main meals of the day remain the breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Breakfast for bride-to-be

The first main meal of the day, which is very important for every person, should be balanced and good. Never skip your breakfast. It needs to pack all the energy that is necessary to start a day. A good breakfast should comprise of protein, fibre and complex carbohydrates that include egg whites (1) along with brown bread (2 slices) and double-toned milk (1 glass) / Aha dalia with milk (30 gm + 1 glass) / poha with lots of vegetables (1 plate) and lemon water (1 glass) / oats with milk (30 gm + 1 glass) / fresh fruit chaat, including apple, guava, mousami and berries (1 quarter plate). Avoid the empty calories found in soda, alcohol, soft drinks and sweet fruit juices, stay away from processed foods like cheese, jam, mayonnaise, etc which are high in calories, sodium and other chemicals.

Light lunch

The second main meal of the day, it must provide complete nutrition. An ideal lunch for a bride/groom-to-be should be high in protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals and low in simple carbohydrates. Grilled/roasted/boiled chicken/fish (50- 100 gm) / tofu (25 gm), whole dal (1 katori), vegetable (1 katori), missi chapatti (1-2) / brown rice/boiled rice (1 quarter plate), green salad/vegetable salad (1 plate). Make a well-balanced lunch that is good for health and will keep active for most part of the day.

Dinners before D-Day

The third main meal of the day, should be light and very low in calories because at sleeping time, the body needs few calories. So, in dinner take salad (1 plate), soup (1 big bowl), vegetable curry (1 katori), chappati (1)/curd and khichdi (1 katori + 1 plate). Avoid white breads, desserts, polished rice, fried foods and high-calorie drinks.

For snacking, fruit chaats are best, some nuts like almonds (4-5) can be added, salads, herbal tea, lemon tea, lemon water, buttermilk (lassi) – 1 glass, are good for health.

Apart from this, exercise is also very important. If both the bride and the bridegroom do this bit together, it could help in keeping the motivational levels high. Exercising becomes fun when trying to lose weight along with your partner.