Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine #5

mountain bike magazine

Issue 05 | September 2011 | Free Downloadwww.freeridermag.in

EDITORIAL I‘m looking forward for the next two months in India. While you read this, I will be doing a road trip with Vineet and Kunal, somewhere in Himachal Pradesh. The aim of this road trip is to ride a lot of new trails so that we have tons of information for you. Other big thing - I will also be doing a trip with Hans Rey, Richie Schley and Joscha Forstreuter, all Adidas riders. We will do a photo trip (still and movie). Last but not the least - looking forward for the Hans Rey Tour in India starting in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and then Chennai. Check out our Facebook page for further details.

Editor-In-Chief

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CONTENTSEXCLUSIVE STORY

The Clan.........................3

HOT SHOTS

Professional photos.........................18

TECH MANUAL

TRICKNOLOGY

Wheelie + Manual.........................22

Basic Tools.........................12

WHATS UP

Gravity Assisted - Bangalore.........................25

Sneek Peek

About next issue.........................33

NOTE: We have done our best to make sure that all content in this issue of Freerider mountain bike magazine is accurate, but would emphasise that we at Freerider mountian bike magazine accept no responsibility for any errors in the magazine/content or any errors caused to your computer while reading our magazine.

The Team:Editor-in-chief: Mesum [email protected]

Deputy Editor: Vineet [email protected]

PR Associate: Kunal Singh [email protected]

Contributing Editors and PhotographersAdrianne GilbrideChristophe MargotHansueli Spitznagel Nico PlattnerSantosh RaiBrijesh Nair & Ashwin Sirahatti

Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine#2434-A, Sector: 39-CChandigarh. 160036INDIA.........................................................This magazine is intended forfree distribution and is onlyavailable through our web portalwww.freeridermag.in........................................................Feel free to write or contribute.E-mail us at: [email protected]

THE

A Grassroots DH Development Team born in the Mountain Bike Mecca of the World–

Vancouver’s North Shore - British Columbia, Canada

CLAN

EXCLUSIVE IN

TERVIEW &

PHOTO

S BY ADRIANN

E GILBRIDE


Just a few years ago Jeff Bryson was feeling a bit lonely on the DH racing circuit. He typically had little support and none of the camaraderie that comes with being part of an organized team. Jeff had worked in the industry for over a decade and had a wide range of sponsors supporting him. However, like many other amateur racers, he put in countless hours training while holding down a full-time job, as his sponsors provided gear, entry fees, and other types of “swag”, but unfortunately no self-sustaining income to speak of. Calling on his Scottish heritage, Jeff decided to start his own grassroots DH development team, hence, the Clan was born. As defined by Jeff, “a Clan is a group of people united by kinship and descent, which is defined by actual or perceived descent from a common ancestor (Bikes).


Even if actual lineage patterns are unknown, Clan riders may nonetheless recognize a founding member (Bryson) or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be merely symbolical in nature, whereby the Clan shares a “stipulated” common ancestor (Bikes) which is a symbol of the clan’s unity.”

The spirit of the Clan was simple – a team that went back to the fundamental aspects of mountain biking, fun for everyone with no limitations. Whether you were on the team or not, were sporting a fork from another brand or riding a bike that wasn’t in-line with the Clan sponsors, the Clan would work on your bike simply because you needed a hand to get out on the course and ride, and that’s really what it’s all about. Jeff (or Bryson as he’s known to his Clan) lives and breathes the spirit of Clan.


FREERIDER MAG: Tell us about yourself and the Clan. Where did the concept come from?

Bryson: The Clan is a team I put together to help not only myself, but other riders as well as the dealers, distributors, and retailers in the industry. In 2008 I was at a Canada Cup (Canadian national level race) in Quebec where they speak mainly French. I was having a hard time figuring out the course, finding places to stay, and just about everything else.

I noticed other Western Canadian riders in the same boat as me. I had great sponsors helping me out at the time and I wanted to help them out as well.

I put together the Clan to support other riders going faster, help myself go faster, and help like-minded bike companies with product feedback on the development side.

FREERIDER MAG: British Columbia (BC), Canada is a mountain biking mecca with some of the most diverse super technical terrain around. When was your first exposure to mountain biking and have you always been a downhiller?

Bryson: I have always loved going downhill. My passion for bikes came from riding fast. I started out on the prairies of Alberta looking forward to weekends away riding in the mountains. After a couple of trips to North Vancouver to go riding, I decided to move there after high school to pursue more of the DH side of the sport.

FREERIDER MAG: When you heard India had a new magazine highlighting some of their best trails and riders in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and they want-ed to interview YOU, what was your first thought?

Bryson: I loved it. I couldn’t believe there were other people so far away into the same things I’m into, and they wanted to hear about me! I bet the downhills in the Himalayas are really long compared to ours.

FREERIDER MAG: : How many riders make up the Clan and what’s the male to female ratio? Tell us something interesting about each one of you in the posse, or should I say, Clan?

Bryson: I’d imagine it’s the same in India, but in Canada males make up most of the sport. I would love to see more girls into the sport down the road. All the Clan riders first of all have to be into bikes and into helping out the riding community on a higher level than just racing. Adriano Digiacinto is the Clan bouncer, he is tough and really aggressive on the bike but don’t count him out saying “Hi” or helping out on your bike in any way. Kelsey Begg is our team “girl”, she always has a smile on her face and is always looking to improve her time on the course. Nick Grimm is the fastest rider with the most talent – we, as a team, are always trying to find ways for him to harness this power on a “racely” basis. Cody Ratte is from Calgary and carries the Clan out on the Prairies riding in and around the Rocky Moun-tains (Canmore, Bragg Creek, etc) and visiting all the races he can along with the rest of his family who are avid Clan supporters. Cody is a clean and consistent rider who works hard behind the scenes to go fast.

FREERIDER MAG: I`ve heard that no downhill course is created equal. Who on the team shines under different conditions, such as a track with more/less pedaling, a slower more technical track vs. smooth and fast, wet vs. dry, etc

Bryson: Well, all the riders seem to ride well any given day. This year we have all put the work in during the off season so we are all noticing improvements this season. If you put the work in, the results will come.

FREERIDER MAG: How are things going for you and the Clan so far this year? Tell us about some of the highlights and lowlights.

Bryson: First of all there are never any lowlights. You have to take all the negative as a learning experience, leave it on the track and come to the next race with a new outlook and only looking forward. This year the Clan has been on the podium at just about every race. Just a few weeks ago, I won my first ever BC Cup. It was my goal this winter to work hard, focus and win a BC Cup. The course was super muddy and my game day tactics of spinning my cranks and riding mud tires paid off.

FREERIDER MAG: What motivates you personally, what makes you want to ride faster, give it everything you’ve got – is it the glory of winning or is it something else?

Bryson: I love taking a big whiff of my chamois after a good long day of sweaty balls and ass being in them! Seriously though, I love the pressure at the end of the day. I love how going faster on my bike helps me in my everyday life. To go faster I have to eat better, train more, as well as make sure I have some down time with friends. Racing isn’t about the 4 minute race, it’s about the months leading up to it, the days before, all the prep and then laying it down on your race run. If you put the hard work in beforehand you will see the results. It’s actually quite simple, something I wish I figured out a long time ago.


FREERIDER MAG: Tell us about some of your favourite moments with the Clan over the last 3 years since you started the team?

Bryson: Here’s just a few: seeing Grimm come down at a Canada Cup and get the fastest time of the day, even though he was in the Junior category, Adriano installing a little kids cranks so he could get up on the hill riding, and Kelsey trying to smile while being in the gate at the World Champs.


FREERIDER MAG: Where does the Clan get its moral support, do you have your own pit crew that travels with the team?

Bryson: We have had quite the following at races. Last year we had a Team Mechanic “Buckwheat” that followed us around fixing not only our bikes but every-one else’s! Then there’s our Team “Mom” Loyal Ratte (Cody’s Mom) who is always around cheering us on.

FREERIDER MAG: I’d imagine the Clan has some great sponsors, who are they and do you have any favourites you’d recommend to the readers of FREERIDER MTB MAGAZINE?

Bryson: Hayes, Specialized, Kali Protective, Manitou, Sun Ringle, Wheelsmith, Gamut, North Shore Billet, and Loaded Precision. All of ‘em are my favorites! We work really close with our sponsors and get great feed-back from the riding scene as well as give feedback to our sponsors. This helps them make better products.

FREERIDER MAG: When you’re not working on bikes or riding bikes, what does Jeff Bryson do for fun?

Bryson: I have worked in the bike industry for over 15 years, from being a mechanic to coordinating the setup of the service department for a large outdoor sports store in Canada (Mountain Equipment Co op, known as ‘the Co-op’ or MEC to most Canadians). Currently I’m managing the service area at a one of the bigger bike shops in North Vancouver called John Henry Bikes. I hope with all my industry knowledge to open a shop of my own one day. I love bikes and always will. On the side, I also like to mechanic on my vintage truck. Getting my hands dirty and tinkering is my thing.


FREERIDER MAG: What does the Clan do in the winter? Are you on a pretty strict training program and what does it generally look like?

Bryson: Myself, I’m not on a strict training plan. I try to make training fun and with people I like so I keep up with it. I ride my bikes a lot, go to the gym and run when I can’t ride. This past winter I got into Yoga and have seen the light. I think I will be a yogi for life. The results are showing.

FREERIDER MAG: What do you say to the myth that downhillers are all out of shape beer drinkers with no cardio endurance?

Bryson: I’ll whoop any XC riders up and down any hill, anytime, anywhere

FREERIDER MAG: What’s the best thing for you personally that has come out of starting the Clan?

Bryson: Easy, the people and friends I have met.

FREERIDER MAG: What do you attribute your successes and failures to, and what have advice would you give to the small but enthusiastic group of young up and coming racers in India, Nepal and Bhutan?

Bryson: Ride your bike and have fun doing it.

FREERIDER MAG: After checking out FREERIDER magazine and some of awesome trails in India, Nepal, and Bhutan, how stoked are you to try them out?

Bryson: Super stoked! I always thought the mountains around here were the real mountains. I bet if I went there I would see what real mountains are.

FREERIDER MAG: Given that you’re having a busy season traveling all over BC, and Canada. We heard you had some great results in Quebec in June with Canada Cup and World Cup races. Congratulations! Around here, it’s Crankworx time up in Whistler, what are the plans for the Clan at Crankworx and beyond for the rest of the summer?

Bryson: Crankworx and our Canadian Nationals are unfortunately the same weekend. Since Nationals are our biggest most important race we decide to go there (Panorama, BC) instead of Crankworx. The weekend after Nationals is a Canada Cup and then after that is the Western Open in Golden at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. The Western Open is a Clan sponsored event which will be the battle between Alberta and BC!

BASIC TOO

LS


Tech Manual PHOTOGRAPHY BY MESUM VERMATEXT: VINEET SHARMA

Buying bike tools is kind of like stocking a kitchen with cooking supplies. There are certain tools you’ll need no matter what. If you’re cooking, one of the tools you need is a spatula. But when you’re buying a spatula, you have lots of options. You can buy a cheap, plastic model, knowing that you’ll save some money — even though it may not be the most comfortable to hold and probably won’t last very long. Or you can invest a little in your purchase and buy a spatula that’s ergonomically designed for your hand and made of material guaranteed to last and covered by a long-term warranty.

The same is true for bike tools. Many options are available, ranging from cheap, all-purpose tools to high-quality tools designed specifically for working on bikes.

Cost is a major factor. Some companies make high quality bike tools which can last forever. If you’re on a budget, however, you can buy many inexpensive tools that can be bought from various hardware stores.

It’s not necessary to grab yourself a fully loaded bike tool kit because some tools are designed for particular jobs that you may perform rarely or never at all. For example, if you plan on doing a yearly overhaul of the bottom bracket, you may need a dedicated BB tool that can’t be used for any other purpose.

Most of the year, it’ll be sitting around in your house gathering dust.We recommend you to start by acquiring a basic set of tools. Later if you become a better bike mechanic and love to fix and maintain the bike on your own, you can always add tools as needed.

There are chances that you may already have some basic set of tools in your house.

You’ll be able to buy other tools with very little cost and from a variety of sources.

WRENCHES: You’ll find yourself grabbing wrenches a lot while working on your bike. You have many options when it comes to wrenches, including open-ended, box, and combination. Many people prefer adjustable wrench because of its flexibility; you can use one on a bike, although you’re better off using non-adjustable wrenches when possible, because they tend to fit more snugly to a nut or bolt. If an adjustable wrench slips while tightening or loosening, it could cause damage to a nut or bolt.

Keep yourself stocked with various sizes of wrenches to give you enough coverage for nuts and bolts on a bike.If you aren’t sure which wrench to choose, select the wrench that fits the most tightly.

SCREWDRIVER: One of the most important thing to include in your kit. Both flathead and Phillips screwdrivers are necessary for working on a bike. You should have a range of sizes for the various screw heads found on a bike.

ALLEN KEYS: Also known has Hex Keys or Allen Wrenches. You can also consider purchasing a mini folding tool —that contains various size Allen wrenches and sometimes screwdrivers, wrenches, and other tools. It’s perfect for taking with you when you bike.

HAMMER: Hammer can be very helpful when loosening a seat post or removing the pin that holds a crank.

A small hammer or plastic mallet will ensure that you can control the blows while avoiding doing damage to your bike.

PLIERS: Pliers come in handy for pulling cables. They shouldn’t be used for cutting cables. If you plan to cut your own cables, use a cable cutter designed for this activity.

You will need to work on the tires very often.

Whether keeping them properly inflated or repairing them when you get a flat.

Here are all the tire tools you need:

PUMP: A very important tool to be included in your kit. You’ll want to buy a bike pump that matches your valves — either Presta or Schrader. These days’ better-quality pumps will handle both types of valves or reversible type. Portable bike pumps are smaller and easy to carry around when you’re on the trail, but they require more pumping to fill a tire, because they’re designed only for emergency repairs on the road and not for routine maintenance inflations. Having a larger pump at home or even an air compressor will make pumping tires a breeze. You can also get yourself a pump with a pressure gauge which helps you to inflate tires to the proper pressure as indicated on the sidewalls.

PATCH KIT: You don’t wanna throw the tube after every flat. You should keep a patch kit available at all times which includes lots of patches of various sizes, an abrasive to rough up the surface of the tube to improve adhesiveness, glue tube and Tire Levers.

SHOCK PUMP: If you use a full suspension mountain bike, you will also need a shock pump to set up the shock air pressure (If your rear shock has air adjustment options). A shock pump is a low volume air pump and cannot be used to inflate tyres. In other words, Shock pumps can pump air at high pressure but low volume to get your suspension set up perfectly.

LUBES, CLEANERS AND DEGREASERS: They are not tools but are very essential to be included in your tool kit. With so many moving parts causing friction, a bike requires proper lubrication — including specially designed oils and greases — to reduce this friction and help prevent rust and corrosion.

Liquid lubricants can be applied from an aerosol can or a plastic squeeze bottle. When you need to loosen a seized part — such as a seat post that won’t budge or a rusted bolt — use a light, penetrating oil like WD-40.

*MAKE SURE THAT WD-40 SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A CHAIN LUBRICANT.

SPECIALIZED BIKE TOOLS: They’re designed for specific tasks that you’ll either perform infrequently or leave to your local bike shop.

BOTTOM BRACKET SPANNER: BB Spanner is used to remove and install HollowTech type bottom brackets that are available on many high end mountain bikes these days. The other end of the BB spanner engages the 8 internal splines of the crank arm adjustment cap.

FREEWHEEL TOOL: A freewheel tool is required for removing the cassette from the rear hub. As always is the case with any specialized tool, be sure to buy one that fits your bike’s particular make of free-wheel or cassette. You will also need a chain whip to release the cassette.

You can also add other multi tools or even a Swiss knife in your tool kit which can be helpful many times. To organ-ize your tools, you’ll want either a toolbox or a peg board to hang your tools on. If you’re really serious about doing your own bike repair and maintenance, and you’ve in-vested in the right tools for the job, you may want to think about buying a bike stand. It’s much easier to work on the bike when it’s suspended off the ground. You can raise, lower, and rotate the bike to get exactly the position you want.

Some more tips that you should keep in your mind while working on your bike.• Take safety precautions when you work.• When you take something apart, note the order in which you dissembled it. This tip will save you all kinds of time when you try to reassemble it.• Before reassembling a component, thoroughly clean its parts. Also clean the part of the bike you removed it from.• Wipe off any excess lubrication• Be careful when tightening parts. Too much force and you could strip the threads.• Never force any part that is not compatible with your bike components or frame


IN

mountain bike magazineFirst and only dedicated MTB magazine ofIndia, Nepal and Bhutan

from the people who love to rideand keeps you up to date with

the latest news, events, reviews ofthe latest products and gear for mountain bikersin India, Nepal, Bhutan and around the world.

Our readers want to know about your products and [email protected]

Epic shots by professional photographers from around the worldHot Shots

Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 18Photo: Christophe Margot | Rider: René Wildhaber | Location: Urge Kenya


Photo: Hansueli Spitznagel | Rider: Thomas Tödtli | Location: Chatel, France

Photo: Adrianne Gilbride| Location: Krankworx, Whistler. Canada

ALWAYSWEAR A HELMET

when mountain biking,

practicing on soft gra

ss.even if you're

and other safety gear

mountain bike magazine

WH

EELIE

MAN+UAL

TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY VINEET SHARMA

RIDER: JEEWAN “URBAN TURBAN” DHILLON


WHEELIE

Wheelie on a Mountain Bike can be most time-consuming and difficult moves out

there. Many riders including experienced bikers can’t wheelie after practicing for years

because of less time devoted to perfect them. If you lack the passion to learn and you

become discouraged easily, then you may not get hang of it too!

Learning how to do a wheelie is all about balance, focus and concentration.

With the right skill and technique, you can learn how to do a wheelie on your

mountain bike.

ADJUST YOUR BIKE: You might have to play around with the height of the seat

till you feel more comfortable on your seat. Some people prefer low seat height,

while others like the seat higher because they find it easier to ride. Just make sure

it’s helping you with your balance and to maintain your center of gravity.

Start practicing with platform pedals.

Some dirt jumper mountain bikes have single speed. If you have a multi speed

mountain bike, then shift into a medium or low gear and begin at rolling speed and

crouch your upper body so your weight is over the handlebars. You pedal position

should be horizontal or at 11 O’ clock position.

This is the time when you have to pedal real hard and pull up on the handlebars

simultaneously. Lean back at the same time and continue pedaling as long as you

can.You can also practice to slowly lift up the wheel while standing up to get a feel

for a wheelie.

Keep one finger on the rear brake at all times while holding the other fingers

tightly on the grip. This helps to control speed and can prevent you from

falling.You will notice that your bike goes sideways most of the time. You can control

the sideways balance by sticking out a knee or foot, or by turning the handle-

bars in the opposite direction. Make sure the handlebars are straight before you

come down.

Remember: The more you practice the wheelie, the more comfortable

you will be and the easier the trick will become.


Once you have mastered wheelie, you can practice “manuals”. A manual is a stand up coaster wheelie and are much harder to perform. When first attempting a manual you should start of on a gentle slope, it helps when you are learning to manual to start of on a wheelie and then stop pedaling, stay seated, and when you feel the front wheel starting to come down start standing up and lean over the back of the bike more so that the front wheel comes up, remember to keep a firm grip on your rear brake lever in case you are about to fall on your butt.

When you are confident to lift up the front wheel you should try just pulling up and not starting on a wheelie when pulling up you should always be in a standing position, make sure to neutralize both the force from side to side and the force from back to front.

MANUAL

1

2

3Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 24

This was a big moment fo

r everyone, the first

Downhill (DH) ra

ce in India. There was a huge turnout on Race

day. Riders, p

rofessional photographers a

nd spectators came down to Turahalli: a

short and sw

eet DH trail

on the outskirts of Bangalore.

bangAl

ORE

Turahalli is also well known amongst climbers and the huge boulders everywhere added to the fun element. The organisers: BBCh (Bangalore Biking Championship Club) with a special mention to Nelly, Iggy & Rohan did a marvelous job of making the event a real success. From meticulously planning the multiple weekend training sessions prior to the race, to the spectacular finale.

The practice session was a precursor to the race and saw many people test out the grippy track after overnight rains. Popular rider Iggy and Pune grommet Ajay entertained the crowds with their mini jumps through the trail. Practice sessions also took out Krishna kumar who crashed early on.

This brings us to the race: a real swell session of DH racing which saw raw speeds and huge crashes. The lineup consisted of the best Indian riders to novices for whom this was the first ever race experience. Early riders set the pace with average times below 2 Minutes, which was great considering it was the first ever race experience. Later on as the competition started building up, spectators started getting a feel of what DH is all about. Amateur riders like Karan Buta and Jagran Mathew were wickedly fast and recovered well after both had crashes at the same spot.

After that was time for the Pune Grommets to shine. Young Guns I; Ajay Padval “the trickster” and BMX rider managed to keep both his wheels on the trail in his first ever DH race.

Whats up

TEXT BY KUNAL SINGH UDAWATPHOTOGRAPHS BY BRIJESH NAIR & ASHWIN SIRAHATTI

Gautam Taode

Nilesh Dhumal

Ajay raised the bar with an adrenalin filled ride to finish at 1:27. Young Guns II: Piyush Chavan followed him with an awesome lap. He might have lost a bit of time by not pedaling in the uphill sections. ack to front.

He seemed to be having lots of fun and was seen actually blasting through the bushes to record a personal best time of 1:22 to finish 5th. As soon as the buzz around the 2 young guns was going down there was another huge roar for the surprise package of the day Kiran kumar , who had qualified 5th. Kiran rode surprisingly good lines and he was negotiating the bends like a seasoned pro. He went on to finish a very well deserved 6th overall.

As the finale heated up, crowd darling Iggy also kept his DH bike Giant Glory to the ground and unlike his practice run, didn’t go for any jumps. Iggy rode very clean lines, pedaled furiously, braked at the right spots and looked set to raise the bar with his efficient ride. ..And he did, by recording a smashing lap time of 1:20, beating his personal best on the trail. He would have gone faster had he not lost a bit of time on a turn. After Iggy it was the turn of the last three, after the practice session it was difficult to predict who would win amongst them. Vinay came in like a freight train and was enjoying the run more than anyone else. Vinay was clearly one of the most stylish riders of the day and he used every possible jump in the trail to add to his riding style. He recorded a superb 1:16 and as the records were tumbling it did look as if Vinay would take the crown. Now it was just the 2 top riders left.


Vinay Menon

Sachin Venkateshiah

There was however still time for some more surprises. Young Guns III: Gautam Taode thundered through the trail and the crowd really was awed to see his on-the-edge riding style. One of the most impressive riders of the day, Gautam is among the best riders in the country currently. He surprised the crowd with his ground breaking 1:11:4, as that was officially the fastest anyone had gone on the Turahalli trail. That caused an obvious tension in the air as well. As next up was Nelly, the Bangalore boy and favorite.

The spotlight was on Nelly. In such situations sometimes pressure builds up and does strange things. Nelly’s riding style however seemed to indicate that he was enjoying the ride more than competing. He rode an exceptionally flawless race and his actions seemed to be effortless. He was taking precise lines, but to beat the time set by Gautam seemed to be too fast to beat. But as he crossed the line, the clock read 1:11:00 which was just 4 milliseconds faster than Gautam. This obviously broke the crowd into frenzy and the after-party started with jumps/bloopers.

It was a good finale to witness, especially for the very enthusiastic crowd which turned up. There was a high level of enthusiasm shown by amateur riders as well who egged on each other through the race. Kudos to the organisers/volunteers who are all self-funded. Big thanks to the spectators who came and appreciated the sport. We obviously look more than forward to be part of such an event again.

RACE RESULTS:

1. Nilesh Dhumal (Nelly) 00:01:11.52. Gautam Taode 00:01:11.93. Vinay Menon 00:01:16.74. Ignatius Chen Chin Fa (Iggy) 00:01:20.55. Piyush Chavan 00:01:22.06. K. Kiran Kumar Raju 00:01:25.07. Ajay Padval 00:01:27.08. Karan Bhuta 00:01:33.39. Pramod Kumar 00:01:34.0

10. Amanpreet Kalkat 00:01:35.6

Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine | 27Kiran Kumar Raju

Ajay Pandit Chhetri might be a little guy but he’s got a big heart and big dreams. He is the current National Nepal Mountain Bike Champion, two time winner of Yak Attack, one of the toughest mountain bike stage races in the world, 2010 representative of Nepal in the Asian Games and Asian Mountain Bike Championships and winner of the 2010 6th MTB Himachal Stage Race in India. The 23 year old is a talented athlete and mountain biker with a dream to one day win the Asian Mountain Bike Championships.

In July Ajay set out to the UK thanks to his sponsors Extreme World Challenges UK who are responsible for Yak Attack. Phil Evens and Kate Hobson put Ajay up in the UK and helped him with logistics and acclimatization to his new surroundings. John McGillivray who competed with Ajay in Yak Attack this year paid for Ajay’s entry into the Trans Wales and also financed quite a lot of gear.

With thanks to Torq Fitness UK Ajay received a team race bike (a Kona in Torq team colors), riding kit and Nutrition Supplements. With six weeks of intense training with the Torq Team Ajay was ready for the TransWales - an annual mountain bike event held over some of the best trails in Wales. The seven day mountain bike challenge comprises of a variety of stages from climbing, sprinting, night riding and downhill joined together by linking stages of 40 to 80 km which must be complete within a set time frame.

Ajay competed in the Men’s Solo category against 40 other riders.

His overall result of finishing second was a brilliant achievement and included three stage wins and three second places as well as a course record along the way.

For Ajay, the main challenge during the TransWales race was the rain, not something he normally has to deal with in Nepal as normal racing conditions are dry. Competing day after day in wet conditions proved something of a challenge, as did the terrain, Ajay is well known in Nepal for his long climbing power which made him so successful in Yak Attack, but the TransWales terrain had lots of short steep climbs and descents which was also something different for the Nepalese cyclist. Ajay also had to compete in a night stage, which was the first time ever he had ridden under race conditions in the night time. Considering all the disadvantages he faced, his results where outstanding.

What’s next for Ajay? He will return to Nepal on the 27th of August and pre-pare for the 7th MTB Himachal, Nepal National Championships, La Ruta De los Conquistadors in Costa Rica in November 2011 and the 2012 Yak Attack, Cape Epic in South Africa and Asian Mountain Championships.

Ajay is not only a great mountain biker, but he is also, a fantastic role model for future Nepali athletes as he carries himself so well and makes his country, sponsors, friends and supports so proud!

Riding Shining

&


TEXT BY SANTOSH RAIPHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES DAVIES

DOWNHILLPARADISE

in

The holiday region Lenzerheide is essentially designed for winter tourism. In winter there are fantastic snow covered mountains which have hundreds of Km of splendid Piste. A few years back Red Bull Bike Attack came to Lenzerheide during summertime and naturally the younger generation’s interest in Downhill and freeride arose through this event.


BY Nico Plattner | LOCATION: Lenzerheide, Switzerland

This sport requires full body movement, as each body part needs to move in the twisting and winding trails. For company there is obviously the beautiful nature and one enjoys the fresh mountain air more due to constantly riding through different trails.

This led to the realisation that the area promised a lot for mountain bikers in summertime. With time, the trails were always further developed and renewed.The operators of cable car and the tourism agency have built a Professional downhill trail and a skill park. They put a lot of effort in this project and even more at this year.


This year would also see the opening of the Gondola train, which has opened yet another avenue for the bike scene. One can reach the mountain top of 2750M within a few minutes and enjoy the great landscape as well.

The downhill trail goes over rocks, stones, smooth meadows, forest tracks and natural soil. It is good for beginners as well as experienced riders. It has something good for everyone and everyone will surely be sporting a wide grin by evening time. Since this year there is a new Bike park, with North shore and a drop zone.There are absolutely no borders that cannot be crossed in these trails all through the highly diverse terrain.

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Freerider Mountain Bike Magazine #5