Some would call the BIKE Transalp the toughest mountain biking race in the world. Beginning in 1998, this multi-stage amateur event puts two-member teams through well over five hundred kilometres of rough terrain in the Alps to produce a winner.
Riders from all over the world participate, but Transalp 2016 is significant for India will also be represented for the first time.
The young riders flying the India flag are Devender Thakur and Shiven, who have won their spurs racing in MTB Shimla and MTB Himalaya over the past few years. With the help of Hero Cycles and Himalayan Adventure Sports and Tourism Promotion Association (HASTPA; an organisation that propagates adventure sports and tourism in the state of Himachal Pradesh), the Hero Action team was formed.
Hero Action is partly responsible for aiding the spread of mountain biking across India. It sources the best young riders in the country and provides them the equipment and support needed to succeed in this sport. Thakur and Shiven are two such beneficiaries, and will be competing alongside each other at Transalp. They will be joined by Hinrich Fuchs and Ashish Sood, also of Hero Action.
THE TRAINING
Mountain bikers from around the world will take part in Transalp 2016
Thakur has been training intensely for the biggest race of his life. “There are multiple stages over six days in a week”, he told Sport360 of his training plan. “Things like how many hours to ride for, when to rest and when to take breaks are planned out.”
Racing with a partner can be tricky, as both partners must be on the same wavelength at all times on perilous tracks high up in the mountains. In preparation, Thakur and Shiven have been training closely together and are already noticing a chemistry forming.
“A type of connection has formed between us, regarding how the other is riding and how you have to ride,” he explains.
“We have been riding together for the past two months, so things like who has to ride at what speeds, and when, have been worked out. All those things have been worked out and an understanding has been reached.”
There is no doubting the scale of the race the duo are set to participate in, especially compared to their previous excursions.
“We are going out of India for the first time, and that too in such a big race – there are 1200 riders in it”, adds Thakur, who is quick to put his opponents’ ability into perspective.
“The level of the riders will be quite high – world champions come for it.”
The Transalp race, and mountain biking in general, is no stranger to the age-old debate of nature versus nurture. As you would expect, a blend of both is necessary to win a race but the role of preparation cannot be underplayed.
“The kind of training plan you follow, your nutrition should be good, your strength must be good – everything. You have to remain focused on your training,” said Thakur.
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
Three of the ‘Hero Action’ team members
Thakur and Shiven crossed paths at the 2013 MTB Shimla, a truncated version of the larger MTB Himalaya that covers 120 kilometres. Thakur finished runner-up, in behind Shiven, who won the student’s category.
Shiven has won the category twice, while Thakur has claimed the MTB Shimla crown three times.
All this success has not led Thakur to forget who helped bring him this far.
“My parents and my team. They have been the ones who have supported me a lot in the 3-4 years that I have grown.”
The strength his ‘pit crew’ gives him manifested most starkly in 2015, whenThakur suffered a knee injury just one month before the MTB Himalaya.
“For treatment, they took me to good doctors, and the team’s support was great for all the time I had the injury.”
FUTURE OF THE SPORT IN INDIA
A photograph of Devender during MTB Himalaya 2015
Shiven is a tender 18 years of age, Thakur himself just 22. Yet, they are practically elder statesmen of the sport in India.
There is a hint of pride and also one of earnest in Thakur’s voice as he discusses the growth of the sport, the obstacles it faces and how they can be overcome.
“A lot of people participate in events, a lot of people come to Shimla for cycling, some go to Manali, some to Rohtang. In a few years’ time, say 4-5 years later, in India the local picture will be something different. I want some riders to appear in the Olympics, and that can happen when the Indian government, and the Federation, provides some support,” he says.
State and Federation sponsorship and support is essential for riders. Make no mistake about it, mountain biking is expensive, and cost is a very real stumbling block to its uptake.
“Some equipment is very expensive, and in India inflation is high. And for some things, the tax comes in to play, and they become quite costly. The good mountain bikes, for example, won’t cost you less than 3-4 lakh,” Thakur explains.
Despite the hurdles bikers face, Thakur remains idealistic, and a great believer in the power of hard work reaping huge rewards for young athletes. Regarding the issue of cost, he said: “You still have to work hard, then there is a possibility that someone will support you. The main thing is that if the Federation supports you, a lot of things will get easier.”
Thakur reveals himself to be a young man concerned not only with his pursuit of success, but also with the wider health of the sport in general.
An athlete with a commitment not merely to himself but to the sport that has catapulted him into the limelight.
“There are some riders here in Shimla who I give advice to – like how to do things, what direction to take for your growth in the sport.
“If someone is training, I would tell them to focus only on training, and the rest will happen by itself.”
It is a heartening quality to see in a sportsperson and a highly encouraging one if mountain biking in India is to take off.
