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| Cycling in India | |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Governing body | Cycling Federation of India |
| National team(s) | India |
The history of cycling as a sport in India dates back to 1938. The Cycling Federation of India takes care of the sport. Cycling is unknown as a professional sport in India but popular as a common recreational sport and it is a good way to keep fit.
Mountain biking is becoming a popular sport. For the last 15 years, MTB Himachal now MTb Himalaya has been organized regularly by HASTPA, an NGO. It is attended by a number of national and international participants, including some world champions like Cory Wallace, Andy Seewald, Lui Lio pinto and Indian Army, Indian Air Force, ITBP and a number of young and energetic MTB individual riders from cities like Pune, Bangalore, Delhi and Chandigarh. Last year, the government of Sikkim (Department of Tourism) introduced its own MTB race with South East Asia's biggest prize money. The second edition saw 48 professional participants. Mtb Himalaya is now into its 15th edition and is a globally sought after race for its quality of route, challenges and competition and is now among the top toughest races globally . MTB races are also conducted by #KalyanCyclist at Rayate about 10 km from Kalyan. They have been doing this event since 2018.
The Tour of Nilgiris is a major non-competitive touring event in South Asia that covers 800 TO 1,000 kilometres in 8 days. [1] The Tour of Nilgiris (TfN), India's first Day Touring Cycle Ride, was born in 2008 with the twin objectives of promoting bicycling as an activity and spreading awareness about the bio-diversity, flora and fauna of the Nilgiris.
India has put forth its foot in randonneuring events. These are conducted under the aegis of Audax Club Parisien and are now done across India with 15 clubs doing brevets every month. Brevets begun in India in 2010. 200, 300, 400, 600, 1000 & 1200 kilometers events are conducted regularly as per the global calendar.
The Rotary Club of Madras Midtown conducted a cycle rally called K2K Tour de Rotary, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, for the cause of Swatch Bharat. [2]
In similar manner, Indian Cycling League conducts GPS based Cycling races to keep motivating cyclists of India.
| Tournament |  |  |  | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Games | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Asian Championships | 1 | |||
| Asia Cup | 4 | |||
| Total | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Year | Recipient | Award | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Amar Singh | Arjuna Award | Male |
| 1978–1979 | Minati Mahapatra | Arjuna Award | Female |
| 1983 | Armin R. Arthan | Arjuna Award | Female |
Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common competition formats are mass start events, where riders start simultaneously and race to a set finish point; and time trials, where individual riders or teams race a course alone against the clock. Stage races or "tours" take multiple days, and consist of several mass-start or time-trial stages ridden consecutively.
A cyclosportive, or often simply sportive, is a short to long distance, organised, mass-participation cycling event, typically held annually. The Italian term Gran Fondo is commonly used for these events in the United States, Australia and some other English-speaking countries.
Mountain bike racing is the competitive cycle sport discipline of mountain biking held on off-road terrain. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) recognised the discipline relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Durango, Colorado. The first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series took place in 1988. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North America—and was sponsored by Grundig. Cross-country racing was the only World Cup sport at this time. In 1993, a six-event downhill World Cup was introduced. In 1996, cross-country mountain biking events were added to the Olympic Games. In 2006, cross-country mountain biking events became part of the World Deaf Cycling Championships for the first time in San Francisco, USA.
Randonneuring is a long-distance cycling sport with its origins in audax cycling. In randonneuring, riders attempt courses of 200 km or more, passing through predetermined "controls" (checkpoints) every few tens of kilometres. Riders aim to complete the course within specified time limits, and receive equal recognition regardless of their finishing order. Riders may travel in groups or alone as they wish, and are expected to be self-sufficient between controls. A randonneuring event is called a randonnée or brevet, and a rider who has completed a 200 km event is called a randonneur. The international governing body for randonneuring is Audax Club Parisien (ACP), which works with other randonneuring organisations worldwide through Les Randonneurs Mondiaux (RM). Randonneuring is popular in France, and has a following in the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Ireland, India, Indonesia, Korea, Japan and Malaysia.
Kalyan Singh was an Indian politician and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He served twice as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and as a Member of Parliament. He was the Chief minister of Uttar Pradesh during the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. He is considered an icon of Hindu nationalism, and of the agitation to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Audax is a cycling sport in which participants attempt to cycle long distances within a pre-defined time limit. Audax is a non-competitive sport: success in an event is measured by its completion. Audax has its origins in Italian endurance sports of the late nineteenth century, and the rules were formalised in France in the early twentieth century.
The Audax Club Parisien (ACP) is a French Cyclist Touring Club. It is a non-profit voluntary association formed in Paris in 1904. It organizes long-distance rides in France. The most popular event is the Paris-Brest-Paris Randonneur, held every four years. The Audax Club Parisien is also the international reference for randonneuring and works with other randonneuring organizations worldwide through the international association Les Randonneurs Mondiaux (LRM).
The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, abbreviated as FMSCI, is the governing body for motor sports in India and was founded in 1971. It is a long-standing member of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the world bodies for 2/3 and 4 wheeler motor sport respectively.
The Cycling Federation of India is the national governing body of cycle racing in India. It is a member of the Union Cycliste Internationale and the Asian Cycling Confederation.
The Tour de Donut is an annual bicycle race held in Staunton, Illinois, and Troy, Ohio. In this unique bike event, riders' times are reduced by five minutes for each doughnut they consume during two pit stops in the nearby towns.
India has a history of sports dating back to the Vedic period, with Western sports having been imported during British rule. Cricket is the most popular spectator sport; it generates the highest television viewership, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) being the most-followed league in the country. Football has also gained popularity, with the Indian Super League (ISL) being the highest level of domestic football, and the national team winning multiple gold medals at the Asian and South Asian Games. Additional football accomplishments include India having reached the Groupstage of the 1960 Olympics, qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, and won the SAFF Championship. Other sports include kabaddi, badminton, tennis, and athletics, with kho-kho becoming the fourth-most viewed sport. India has also had success in field hockey, winning the World Cup and multiple medals in the Olympic Games. Sports such as golf, rugby, boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, motorsport, wrestling, and basketball are featured throughout the country.
The Hyderabad Bicycling Club (HBC) is a bicycling club for riders in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Founded by Krishna Vadi in 2007, the club has now emerged as the world’s largest cycling club, overtaking the Denver Front Range Cycling Club, USA. It has grown over the years to reach its present membership strength of over 7,500 members and 2,800 members on Facebook. It has bike stations at Gachibowli and Necklace Road. UN-Habitat agreed to partner with HBC in its unique initiatives to promote cycling in India. HBC is a founding member of the World Cycling Alliance and an associate member of the European Cyclists Federation. HBC tied up with GHMC, Hyderabad Metro Rail, TSIIC and the Traffic Police to promote the "Cycle to Work" initiative in a big way in Cyberabad area to substantially reduce vehicular pollution and traffic congestion there.
Polyandry in India refers to the practice of polyandry, whereby a woman has two or more husbands at the same time, either historically on the Indian subcontinent or currently in the country of India. An early example can be found in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, in which Draupadi, daughter of the king of Panchala, is married to five brothers.
The Tour of Nilgiris is a bicycle tour in India organised by Veloindians.
The HeroMTB Himalaya is an annual mountain bike race held in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, India. Started in 2005, the race covers nearly 650 km (400 mi) 16500 metres of climbing at an average altitude of 2200 meters in a span of 8 days and is one of the toughest MTB stage races in the world. The race is sponsored by Hero Cycles and Himachal tourism.
Ilkley Cycling Club is a community-based club that promotes cycling in the town of Ilkley, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
Udaipur State was one of the princely states of India during the British Raj. The town of Dharamjaigarh was the former state's capital.
Naveen John is an Indian racing cyclist, who currently rides for Indian team Karnataka.
Gravel cycling, gravel biking or gravel grinding is a sport or a leisure activity in which participants ride bicycles, mostly on gravel roads. The marketing man would have you believe that one must own a specially designed gravel bike to participate, when in fact any bicycle capable of covering the terrain can be used.
Bharat Pannu is an Indian cyclist and a Lieutenant colonel of the Indian Army. Pannu is the first Indian to win podium place in any international cycling race. He also holds world records for "fastest time to travel the Golden Quadrilateral by bicycle", "fastest time to cycle trans-India from west to east" and "fastest cycle journey from Manali to Leh".
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