Haven of cycling rides on flat tyres

Smooth roads without potholes, dedicated cycling lanes on roads, top-notch bicycles within reach and good training tracks — those are the stuff every cyclist’s dreams are made of. But TOI finds that India’s biggest talent pool faces the risk of running dry
Sangamesh.Menasinakai@timesgroup.com
Vijayapura/Bagalkot: Renuka Phadtare’s bumpy ride began even before she climbed onto the saddle of a bicycle in 1982.The odds were stacked against her — a family of modest means trying to fend for six children and a conformist society that loathed any shattering of glass barriers. But soon after her supportive family put her on the path to a career in cycling, she realized that her fears paled in comparison with what lay in store for her: Roads pockmarked by potholes groaning under the weight of creaking bicycles. Since 1980, the Old Vijayapura district (erstwhile Bijapur), out of which Bagalkot was carved out in 1997, has churned out 12 cyclists who romped home with international laurels, not to mention the hundreds of nationally-renowned ones. As cyclist after cyclist from the region has been riding high on success, the region is known as the mecca of cycling in India. But this fame is at odds with the ground reality. Little has changed in the three decades since a precocious Phadtare — like others before her — put the region on cycling enthusiasts’ map with her gold medal at the Asian Cycling Championship in Seoul, South Korea, in the 80s. Navigating around potholes is still a budding cyclist’s nightmare, rugged bicycles are for wish lists, and dedicated lanes to practise on a subject to drown oneself in melancholy. The district offers no facility to amateur cyclists hoping to help their families out of poverty through accolades. It is a surprise that it continues to turn out professional cyclists despite lagging behind on scales of infrastructure development.
Trundling on despite apathy Ironically, the success stories owe their beginnings to the poor growth of Old Vijayapura. Sharada Nimbaragi, director of physical education at Government First Grade College, Gadag, who has researched cycling trends in the region, explains that the lack of proper infrastructure and modes of transport forced people to cycle to nearby towns for basic household needs. “As there were no proper roads or vehicles, the bicycle was an effective way to fetch milk, vegetables and grains,” says the former national cyclist.
With the district stuck in a time warp, more and more people started egging youngsters on to ride out of the dreariness of their existence there.
“We take pride in cycling. People of Vijayapura and Bagalkot districts have high endurance levels. They’re obviously fit for this sport,” says Yankappa Yentetta, a national-level cyclist from Kumbarhalla village in Bagalkot district, 56km from Vijayapura. But passion and past glory can only take one so far. For practice runs, cyclists roll out on state highway 34 towards Jamakhandi, 60km away from Vijayapura. Juniors scout for space in the district stadium and city roads in Bagalkot and Gadag. “It’s the absence of cycling tracks that is stopping our cyclists from winning prizes at track competitions,” complains Shaila Matyal, a class 10 student from Bagalkot.
Punching holes in tokenism Government indifference is a big hurdle to tapping the full potential of the region. The state government supplies cycles to sports hostel students once in four to five years. More disheartening is the finding that there are only 48 cycles for 94 students in Bagalkot and Vijayapura — which means not every aspiring cyclist has a bicycle to herself. What keeps the youngsters going is support from the Cycling Training School, set up in 1983. It has trained thousands of cyclists, who have won laurels in national and international competitions. But the hope of a better life hangs by a thread. Two years ago, a national-level cyclist from Jamakhandi, Mahadev Kurani, was reportedly found working as a security guard at an ATM kiosk. Most of the government departments do not offer cyclists jobs under the sports quota. Many of the cyclists have part-time jobs or work as security guards or farmhands. It’s been nearly two years since the government announced a grant of Rs 2 crore to construct a velodrome in Vijayapura, but there is no sign of the arena yet. The government has now increased the funding to Rs 6 crore and has notified 8 acres of land for the project at Bhutanal tanda.
“Two months ago, we recommended the name of a contractor who has constructed velodromes in many cities. I hope the sports and youth affairs department will approve it,” says SM Kurani, secretary of the Karnataka Amateur Cycling Association.Till better facilities are made available, dreams are all that will continue to be pedalled here.
Villages keep up century-old tradition
Cycling is rooted in Old Vijayapura district’s traditions. Almost every festival and fair has a cycling competition. The credit for it goes to Ramachandra Patwardhan, king of the erstwhile princely state of Jamakhandi under the then Bombay presidency in the 19th century.
“He used to organize cycling and wrestling competitions for Dasara and Diwali. Cycling enthusiasts from Kolhapur, Pune and Mumbai participated in them. Slowly, cycling became a part of our tradition,” says Arjun Koratkar, writer and businessman from Jamakhandi. The maharajas offered ample incentives to the winners with gold, silver and bronze medals, besides providing good cycles to enthusiasts. They also helped cyclists by bearing their travelling expenses for competitions in Mumbai, Pune and Kolhapur. Villages have also played a key role in the growth of the sport. Kumbarhalla, a village in Jamakhandi taluk, has gifted over 300 cycles over the past five decades. Now, the village has about 70 cyclists, including 40 national-level medallists. The neighbouring Mudhol taluk stakes its claim to fame through Kolar village, which has over 50 cyclists. Other villages — Bilgi, Tulsigeri, Alagur, Chikkapadasalagi, Chikkalaki Cross, Babaleshwar and Hulloli — have also produced many top-notch cyclists.
Although the region shot to fame in the 1980s, cyclists from here have been participating in national competitions since 1955.
Cycling got a big boost in 1983 when the government set up the Cycling Training School, the first of its kind in the state, in Vijayapura. It attracted women, too, and the government upgraded it to a district sports school in 2006. The Karnataka Amateur Cycling Association has been trying to get better facilities for cyclists for the last 30 years. It also organizes several events every year here.
Tracks and machines
The region may have thrown up many national and international cyclists, but if they want a new bicycle, they still have to head for Bengaluru or other cities. Few cycles are sold in Vijayapura and Bagalkot. The government purchases cycles through tenders from Bengaluru and most high-end cycles with sportspersons are gifted by event organizers or the government. A good track cycle costs Rs 20,000-30,000 and a high-end one costs between Rs 60,000 and Rs 3 lakh. Many senior cyclists like Yankappa Yentetta, 59, says they used to make do with ordinary bicycles till the 1990s. “We were comfortable with A-1, Hero, Hercules and Atlas cycles available in the market. We would modify the handles by turning them downward and adjust the seat height. We used wires and plastic covers to fasten our feet to the pedals,” Yankappa said.
Anita Nimbaragi, a cycling coach in Bagalkot, says the government began providing better bicycles such as Colnago, CSK, Merida and Giant only recently. And those lucky to have such cycles are flummoxed by the big question — where to practise? Roads are a no-go and the Vijayapura district stadium has a 500-metre track that cyclists share with runners. Track cyclists have it worse as there is no velodrome in either district. Since the stadium is open to the public, it’s used by cricket and other sports enthusiasts as well as morning and evening walkers. “Cricket players often come onto the track and that’s quite distracting,” says Raju, who won a gold medal at a national event last year. Though there are two sports hostels for cyclists — for students from classes 5-7 — in Bagalkot and Gadag, neither has a track. So, cyclists have to train on highways, putting their lives at risk. Four promising cyclists died in road accidents over the last decade. But even death hasn’t moved the authorities.
Women race against the wind
Women cyclists from the region are riding neck and neck with men. Renuka Phadtare, the state’s first woman international cyclist, says each time she scaled a wall, she hit another. “To make matters worse, there were no hostel facilities for girls,” she adds. Anita Nimbaragi, a national-level cyclist and district coach with the department of sports and youth affairs, owes it all to her father, Mallikarjun. “I have four sisters. When our father, a volleyball player, wanted us to become athletes, many people ridiculed him. Some of the elders opposed the idea, saying sports are not good for women.” Mallikarjun’s persistence paid off. Two of his children are cyclists and two others athletes, who have won medals at national events. There are about 50 woman cyclists — Neelamma Malligawad, Gangu Biradar, Premalatha Sureban, Anita Nimbargi, Sharada Nimbargi, Kaveri Banakar, and Savita Goudar, to name a few — who have brought laurels to the state. Alka Phadtare, a national cyclist and coach, says cycling helps boost confidence. “People’s mindset needs to be changed. Cycling doesn’t cause any physical or health problem in girls. On the contrary, it helps them stay fit.” Most of the woman cyclists credit their families for their success. Haji Mastan, a wrestler and father of a I PU student, points out that even educated parents hesitate to send their daughters for this sport as they fear it would affect their health. “The government should conduct awareness programmes to dispel such myths and encourage girls to take up sports.” It’s fathers like Haji Mastan who ensure more girls, like his daughter Sairabanu Lodi, are gearing up to burn the tracks.