Test Your Stamina

Vijay C Roy in Chandigarh

Come April, Punjab will host one-of-its-kind ultra cycling race to get your pulse and pedals going. So, if you are an amateur cyclist, and have a passion for the sport, then get ready to test your strength, stamina and endurance. The Shivalik Signature, a 615-km cycle race, listed as the qualifiers for the world’s toughest bicycle race: Race Across America (RAAM). 

No easy-goers, please: the grueling distance, elevation and terrain may take a toll on riders. Only those who overcome the obstacles and manage to finish the race in the stipulated 30 hours (32 for females) would make it to RAAM, due in June this year in the US. 

This is the first RAAM Qualifier in Punjab. The event holds both solo and relay team categories. The latest was Deccan Cliffhanger in November last year, a 640-km run. The race started from Pune and finished in Goa. Set on the Deccan Plateau, the route followed the Sahyadri Range, which defines the western edge of the Deccan, finally dropping through dense forests that cover the cliffs of the escarpment, into the Konkan as it heads to the Indian Ocean. The solo event was a RAAM Qualifier.

The competition

Organizers say the race will begin from Chandigarh at Sukhna Lake and would conclude at the same place. The event will have participants cycling across the picturesque plains of Punjab and the Kandi region, located in the lower Shivaliks of the Kamahi Devi circuit. The participants would ride through the smooth highways of Punjab and the link roads joining Hoshiarpur, Kothi (Kamahi Devi Top), Dasuya, Pathankot, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Sirhind via Landran back to Chandigarh. Overall, it’s all on the plains, with two climbs; one for Kamahi Devi and another while entering Pathankot. It would be non-stop. 

The Shivalik Signature has both solo and relay team categories, giving riders an opportunity to test their abilities with the support of a crew and also an option to ride as a team. Solo riders will spend up to 30-32 hours on their bikes, while the team event sees riders taking turns to participate, as in a relay format.

The solo race is RAAM Qualifier (RQ) and team event is a RAAM style event. Solo racers finishing within cut-off time frame for the RAAM qualifier will receive an RQ finisher medal and will be eligible to ride in the world’s toughest bicycle race: Race Across America.

This is the first RAAM Qualifier in Punjab and as this will be the inaugural run of the event in North India, this year’s race will have a comparatively less challenging route in terms of elevation gain. As the event grows, it will see riders competing in a more challenging environment and experience more elevation gain. It is expected that out of the total participants from across India, 60 per cent would be from Punjab. 

The brains behind it

A Hoshiarpur-based couple, Saran Preeti and Abhishek Kashyap, left their jobs to pursue their passion. Their common objective was to get the cycle back into the lives of people, through recreation, exercise or sport.

Saran Preeti is Punjab’s first female Super Randonneur. She conquered the world’s highest motorable road from Manali to Leh and the first female from Punjab to be official candidate for the world’s toughest RAAM. Abhishek Kashyap is the founder of Punjab Bikers club, an NGO whose objective is to promote cycle tourism and generate rural employment. The couple has been organizing cycling workshops and have an experience of handling major events, including Cyclothons.

Abhishek had a successful career in Merchant Navy. A ligament injury in 2013 forced him to slow down. His doctor advised him cycling. On her way to helping her husband on the cycling trek, Saran eventually cycled from Manali to Leh where she conquered Khardung-La, the highest motorable road in the world. 

Both then organized many ‘Brevets’ —  rides of fixed distances to be completed within specified time-limits. “We met RAAM officials and they authorized us to conduct the unique qualifier in Punjab,” says Abhishek.

Who can participate

The race is open to amateurs in categories such as solo, tandems, two-person, three-person, four-person and eight-person teams. While the solo category is aimed at serious athletes, the team categories are open to cyclists of all abilities. Solo racers ride the entire distance and the crew provides complete support during the entire distance. Team racers take turns to ride during the event. 

“Ultra-racing is like starting a new era in Punjab and North India. I started cycling three years back to lose weight,” says Puneet Kapoor (41), a Patiala-based property consultant. “Our team ‘Royal Patiala Riders’ is a cycling group of 32. We are dedicated to health and sports,” says Puneet. He has participated in 18 endurance rides organized by Audax India/Audax France ranging from 200-300-400-600 km and achieved the title of Super Randennour. He says Punjab has 100 cycle clubs. 

Puneet is ready to participate in 615-km ultra racing. And so is Dr Amit Samarth (37), the winner of Deccan Cliffhanger 2017. Last year the Nagpur-based doctor made history, becoming the first Indian to finish Race Across America in his first attempt. He cycled 3,000 miles (5,000 km) in 11days, 21hours and 11 minutes.