May The Tribe Grow!
When was the last time there were 46 women participants at BBCH races? Never before! But, this Sunday, for the ITT, we saw a total of 46 registrations.
There was a time, not very long ago, when the BBCH couldn’t do the full podium for the women category because the category didn’t have the minimum required number of participants to do a full podium.
This time the number of women participants was big enough to warrant a separate category for Master’s women(age40+) for the very first time! There were 20 participants in women (under 40) and 26 participants in Women Master’s category! How awesome is that?!
Kudos to all the women who turned up to race! May the tribe grow bigger and faster!
The Race of Truth!
The individual Time Trial is a disciple in cycling that requires utmost focus and concentration. The race against the clock is immensely challenging and equally satisfying when it goes well.
No wonder it is termed as the race of truth as there is no drafting or hiding from the wind while you race against the clock and look to complete the course as fast as you possibly can!
When you get into a rhythm and find your focus, it is one of the most beautiful feelings there is. It feels as though you are one with the bike and you are flying! But, if you find yourself having an off day where you seem to have suddenly lost your legs and couldn’t bring yourself to push, it can be one of the most horrific of experiences.
For me today was one of those days where I seem to have lost my legs and my mind together! These are the days that make you question everything you’ve done in training and ask yourself if all that suffering in preparation for this day was worth it, if only momentarily.
These are also the days that humble you, keep you grounded and hungry for more. ‘It is okay to lose. But, don’t lose the lessons’, read a message from a teammate. How very true. These are the days that teach you more than the wins.
A Day For Personal Bests!
Unlike me, most of the 150+ starters seem to have had their personal best performances for the course. The wind was mild and the conditions were perfect for a fast ride if you can put some power into the pedals.
Pooja Srinivas finished first in not just the Master’s women category (over 40) but among all the women participants including under 40 category. For someone who’s speciality was falling of the bike at incredible regularity and had zero skills just a couple of years ago, she has come a long way. She aced it on her Trek Speed concept TT bike on her way to her personal best as well as best time by any woman on the day.
She shared the podium with Ketaki Agtey Sathe(2nd) and Srivani(3rd).
Blossom Fernandez took the win in Women open category. She shared the podium with Shyama Sharma(2nd) and Sowmya Chandran(3rd).
In Elite category, Prajwal Prasad took the win with an awesome ride closely followed by Shaurya Kaushal and Dipankar Paul. Just 20 secs separated the top 3 in Elite category.
In Master’s category, Hemendra Upadhyay took another win with a super strong ride. He was joined by his teammate at Team Crankmeister, Rushit at 2nd with a powerful ride. I joined them on the podium for 3rd.
Amateur category saw some strong rides as well with Firoze Ahamed of team Crankmeister taking the win. He was joined in the podium by Suraj Girish(2nd) and Vivek Raj(3rd)!
In U-18 category, Dev Jagadish rode a solid race to take the win. Emil Joseph(2nd) and Pranshu Bhagat (3rd) joined him on the podium.
In non road bike category, Amogh R took the win with Rahul Jojan(2nd) and Philip Dennis(3rd) completing the podium.
Thanks to the awesome folks at The Bangalore Bicycle Championships for another fantastic race flawlessly organised! Thanks to all the volunteers who did a fabulous job of ensuring a safe race. Looking forward to the road races.
