RIDE ’N’ SEEKLopes, the winner among the women, wants to return to India to guide and

train the girls and teach them the nuances of competitive riding.

THE ROAD LESS TAKENCycling in India is a tough ride, made tougher for women by a lack of funds and safety concerns. This year’s MTB Himalaya had fi ve women out of 67 participants, but the story of their eff ort and experiences should prove an inspiration for those looking to break freeB Y L E S L I E X AV I E R

Photographs by S A M I R A Z A D / H A S T PA

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2014 MTB HIMALAYADATES: Sept. 27 to Oct. 3STAGES: Six competitive, one non-competitiveTOTAL COMPETITIVE DISTANCE: 541 kilometresELEVATION GAIN: 12,500mMAXIMUM ELEVATION: 3,223m (Jalori Pass)

STAGESDAY 1: 75 kilometres (Shimla to Gada Kuff ar)DAY 2: 118 kilometres (Gada Kuff ar to Shwad)DAY 3: 73 kilometres (Shwad to Gada Gushaini)DAY 4: Rest Day + non-competitive 25-kilometre sprint (Gada Gushaini to Chaplandi)DAY 5: 104 kilometres (Chaplandi to Luhri)DAY 6: 97 kilometres (Luhri to Gada Kuff ar)DAY 7: 74 kilometres (Gada Kuff ar to Shimla)

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mands on both sexes are the same and the added muscle mass helps the men. Those who have done a bit of serious cycling, be it brevets or touring or even club races, know the amount of ego involved in the sport. There is no chivalry when it comes to competition and men dislike the notion of fi nishing behind a woman. The race was on and Lopes competed on equal terms—no favours given, none received.

“This is one of the hardest MTB stage races in the world,” said Lopes. “I don’t re-ally think the demands are different for a woman. Everybody is here to compete be-cause it’s hard and challenging. Reaching the end of the race was mentally challenging, and it was tougher for me to get used to the high altitude as I ride, train and live at sea level. When it comes to racing, nobody gives anything for free, be it men or women. But, when we all cross the fi nish line, or when someone’s life is on the line, we are there. I guess, racing at the top of the world just makes the differences smaller.”

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Thinning mountain air, steep gradients, the loose rubble…While mountain biking up-hill, nature—beautiful and enchanting as always—also takes immense pleasure in

throwing many variables at cyclists, all of which conspire with their straining muscles and lungs to drain the spirit and pull them back. Up against the “wall”, the term they use to describe the point when doubt and fatigue creep in, cyclists have been known to shout, rather cry, “shut up, legs,” remind-ing their muscles who the real boss is. It is a mind over body game after that. Not for all, though.

There are the happy ones like Sónia Lopes, who had the luxury of riding in exclusive company at the 2014 MTB Himalaya—little goat kids trotting alongside to make her smile through the pain of the climb. The smiling, gritty fi gure of Lopes winding up through mountain trails summed up what the event, considered among the toughest stage mountain biking races in the world, stands for. She was the brand ambassador of this year’s edition and her effort, which saw her beat even a few men to the fi nish line, had beauty—of the human will, and the spirit of adventure. But beyond that, her effort once again proved there is no such thing as a male bastion when it comes to mountain biking, or any adventure sport, which demands huge physical and mental exertion.

A notion which Monika from Amritsar has been trying to break for the last six years, having taken up a male-dominated sport in a country which is just waking up to competitive cycling, be it road racing or mountain biking. Monika shared the podium with Lopes, finishing second behind the seasoned Portuguese rider. The 25-year-old, who has just finished her Masters in physical education, went through the trails and mountain passes with as much grit and gumption as Lopes. The course was the same for men and women, and Monika found the means to overcome the challenges thrown at her just like the rest. But that’s where the parallels between Lopes and Monika, the two out of five starters in the women’s section to fi nish the race, end.

When Lopes and Monika opened up to SI INDIA about their experiences, it threw light on the different factors they had to contend with, the totally different variables they had to overcome and just how far behind India is when it comes to women’s cycling. There

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on repeating. “Hard to explain that,” she added. “It is diffi cult to take anyone through a personal life-changing expe-rience that I enjoyed and already miss. The only way I can share it with you is to invite all of you to the next edition. From day one, everything was special. My only sadness was that it was all coming to an end too fast and I had to leave. At the MTB Himalaya, my personality grew too. It is unbelievable the amount of experience you can get by interacting with the locals and the villagers. Respect, admiration and love, all I got from the people in India. If you further ask me what the best part of racing at MTB Himalaya was, well, racing in the Himalaya, racing that much closer to heaven sums it all up, I think.”

Make no mistake, Lopes was here to race, not to tour. The Portuguese rider has been a pro for a few years now and has taken part in off-road endurance events across the world. She knows what it takes to get herself ready for the rigours of an event like MTB Hima-laya. The limited fi eld in the women’s section made her that much more determined to give some men a run for their money. She was racing against herself to keep the motivation level up, so that she could win the mental game when the muscles failed.

Lopes, with an overall timing of 40:34:24, fi nished 35th, a considerable achievement, considering she was faster than almost half the men. The men’s title, as well as the over-all victory, went to Canadian Cory Wallace (19:47:51), a seasoned campaigner who has won the prestigious Mongolia Bike Challenge three times. Wallace edged out Manuel Wes-senbcher of Austria, who had a total time of 20:48:28, while Andreas Hartman (20:53:01) of Germany fi nished third.

For the record, John Funk of Canada (29:27:18) beat Michael McLean from the UK (30:16:16) and Canadian Gerry McCuiag (33:35:19) to the fi nish line in the masters’ solo category. The team event was won by Ay-mann Tamang and Budhibahadhur Tamang of Nepal, who saw off the strong challenge from two Indian Army pairs—Naresh Bar-man and Purna Bahadur fi nished second, ahead of Manjit and Shishir Man Karki.

Going by the timing, it is clear where Lopes stands when compared with Wal-lace. That is expected, as the physical de-

NOVEMBER 2014 | S P O R T S I L L U S T R AT E D | 85

are reasons why only fi ve women rode in a fi eld of 67 this year at the MTB Himalaya—safety, social pressures, sponsors and fi nan-cial support. The list of variables are endless for Monika and the other three Indians in the fi eld, while Lopes, coming from a world apart, had to just worry about the race, being more or less free to enjoy the “enchanting” experience in the mountains on her fi rst visit to this part of the world.

Lopes’s journey, in her words, has touched her in more ways than she could articulate through her limited English vocabulary. “I have never been to India before, but have heard a lot about the country and so I was very excited,” she said. “I’ve always dreamed of visiting the country, specially the Himalaya region. To be the official brand ambassador for MTB Himalaya was the icing on the cake. Being a part of the event was a life-changing experience for me. My expectations, from what I knew about the country and the people, were defi nitely exceeded. India is an intense and blessed land.”

Monika, on the other hand, was in her fourth MTB Himalaya race. She was happy to be part of the great experience—the only

MTB race she could compete in in India as there are only a couple of races organised in the country. “Even for that, it is hard to fi nd funding or get permission from my family to compete,” she said. “I want to race more. I started cycling in road races for my univer-sity team and once I discovered mountain biking, in 2009, I shifted focus to the trails. It is more fun. But it is not safe for a woman either as it involves riding in remote loca-tions. I have to ride in a group or with the help of friends or family just to even train.”

G etting smitten by the Himalayas is a given. For Lopes it was love at fi rst sight. And, being the brand am-

bassador, her duties involved connecting with the locals, which further enhanced her already “great” experience. Her best memory of the trip happens to be from one such interaction.

“Meeting the school kids on day three (near Gada Gushaini) was for sure the best moment for me,” said Lopes. “It was as though I were family. I’ll treasure it for life. I wanted to stay there forever; it was a truly magical fraction of time.”

A life-changing experience, Lopes kept

A TIME TO CELEBRATEFor Lopes, the race was an enchanting experience,

made more memorable by her interaction with school kids, while for Monika (above), being able to compete

was a high, after overcoming social pressures.

“MY FAMILY RELENTED AFTER I COMPETED IN SOME RACES, BUT MY FRIENDS WEREN’T THAT LUCKY.”

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86 | S P O R T S I L L U S T R AT E D | NOVEMBER 2014

W hen L opes t a lk s about t he differences becoming small-er, she may be right on many

counts. But it’s far from reality when it comes to the differences between her and the four Indian women who took part in the MTB Himalaya. The gulf remains as wide as it has ever been, and is exemplifi ed by Monika, who was at the event to test and push her physical and mental limits.

“That can only happen in an event like MTB Himalaya,” said Monika. “You will reach a point when it’s your mind that takes you over the fi nish line. And the feeling of elation that follows after such a test is what drives me. However, this year’s race did push me to the edge. It was the toughest I have raced so far, more so since in the previous editions the day was divided into smaller stages, while this time it was a straight start-to-fi nish affair each day. That meant long hours on the saddle and, at times, I was riding alone through lonely mountain trails, trying to fi nish a stage as darkness caught up. It was scary as you know the dangers involved for a woman in India.”

It’s a similar situation Monika faces while training, just like every other woman rider in the country. “If I have to go out training, be it on the road or on trails, I need to ride in a group as it is unsafe otherwise,” said Monika. “Training with the team is good but they generally do road racing, and, for MTB training, I don’t get any partners to ride with in Amritsar. So my preparation gets affected.”

Mountain biking is relatively new in India and is considered a rough sport: one reason why Monika couldn’t convince her university cycling teammates to take it up. If that had happened, she could have trained in a group. “My family was also initially against me cycling despite having a sports background (I used to play volleyball in school),” she added. “After I competed in a couple of races, they relented. But my friends from college are not that lucky with their families.”

S afety concerns are the biggest deter-rent for women taking up cycling, confining and constricting them.

Kamakshi Sriram, a recreational cyclist from Gurgaon, recalled an occasion when her friend had to pull out of a 400-kilome-tre brevet at sunset. “The route was from New Delhi to Agra,” said Sriram. “And after sundown, she found herself riding alone on the highway in UP. You know how it is there.

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Women get abducted and molested in such situations. She was worried about her safety and took a call to end her ride.”

Alka Lad, who took part in the MTB Himalaya this year alongside her hus-band, wouldn’t have participated if her husband hadn’t. In Delhi, the 40-year-old rides and trains with him. “It is not safe otherwise,” she added. “The work timings are such that group rides are not possible for me. So I train with my husband. I started cycling to keep myself active and fi t. At my age, I am not going into serious competition. The MTB Himalaya event was more an adventure for me and it was really tough. I plan to do it again next year after better preparation.”

HASTPA, the organisers of MTB Himalaya, are also keen on increasing women’s participation and are hopeful that the likes of Lopes and Monika will inspire others. Sponsor interest—this year Hero Cycles joined the event as

the main sponsor—and multimedia and social media activation have enhanced its reach. “But cycling and mountain biking, even for men, is at a pretty infant stage in India,” said Ashish Sood of HASTPA. “There is no structure for the sport and the competitions are few. MTB Himalaya is a great event, but beyond that there are only a couple of other events where our riders can race. Competing abroad is too expensive and out of the question for the cyclists in India. Things are getting better, though, as cycling is catching up in city centres now. Women are also cycling more these days but they still stay away from events like MTB Himalaya as they think it is tough, and preparing for it is diffi cult because of various reasons.”

Girls do compete in road and track cycling events at the school and college level in India. There is a national cycling federation and also championships for various age groups. But somehow the talent gets wasted, for there is no structure to nurture it through sys-tematic exposure in competitions abroad. The state of mountain biking is even worse though there is a lucrative professional tour at the world level, which young girls could aspire for. Lopes could be an inspiration here.

“I feel the potential is there among In-dian girls,” said Lopes. “They are mentally

very tough. I can assure you they have what it takes to be competitive anywhere in the world. They need guidance and time to gain experience. I would gladly come back to work on a biking-related project. I would love to help the women riders here, inspire them and teach them the nuances of com-petitive racing.”

It will require more than a Lopes to help Indian women cyclists as the issue is not technique or attitude. It has more to do with the social set-up that women fi nd themselves in which makes it unsafe for them to be alone on the streets even in a city, forget riding on highways and deserted trails.

Things have to start changing at home fi rst, believes Divya Tate, an ultra cyclist, who has done two solo tours across India, besides countless other endurance rides in her 20 years in the sport. Tate, based in Pune, also organises ultra cycling and randonneur-ing events in the country. Her experience has given her a different perspective on why women stay off the streets.

“It is not just cycling,” said Tate. “Recently, I read a statistic that women form just 4% of the total drivers in India. Now, that’s jaw-dropping, right? And in cycling, across the world, the percentage of women taking part is very low compared to men. Take, for instance, the Tour de France. It has been held for more than 100 years, but they still haven’t thought about adding a category for women. That shows where things stand in the world of cycling.”

According to Tate, more than the dangers lurking on the road, it’s the domestic and social responsibilities imposed upon women that create the hurdles. “A man returns from a 100-kilometre weekend ride and can afford to put his feet up because it’s the woman who has to handle the household chores,” she said. “For a woman, life is a constant juggling act—home, work, children etc. This is not the case only in India, just that here it’s more severe. If a man says he wants the roads to be safer for women, then he should change things at home fi rst, free her up so that she can get out there. I believe that if more women come out, the safety issues will take care of themselves.”

By that logic, things are looking up, as rid-ers like Monika or Lad or the countless oth-ers take up cycling for recreation or fi tness or competition, making a loud statement.

As the green warriors say, the future indeed lies in pedal power. But in India, it is relevant for more than one important cause—environmental as well as social. ±

BEAUTY AND THE BEASTOrganisers ensured that campsites were set up at beautiful locations as the cyclists—like

winner Wallace (left), busy with the race—were missing out on Himalayan splendour.

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