Cycling track at Bandra-Kurla Complex to be inaugurated today

The 12-km track at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) will be inaugurated on Sunday as part of the BSA Hercules India Cyclothon. HT reports.

The 12-km track at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) will be inaugurated on Sunday as part of the BSA Hercules India Cyclothon.

HT Image

The event, which includes a 60-km elite national men's race and shorter non-competitive rides for amateurs and children, comes two months after the Mumbai Cyclothon in February organised by ID Sports. More than 4,000 people have registered for it.

“We are focusing on having only a national-level race for elites because inviting international cyclists is expensive and we want to nurture homegrown cyclists,” said Satish Menon, chief executive officer of Sport18, which has organised the event.

The India Cyclothon was first held in Bangalore in 2011 and will be organised in six cities this year.

"Over the next few years we hope to have one annual cyclothon in every state," said Menon, whose company decided to promote cycling after they researched that more and more Indians were taking up the sport due to reasons of health and environment.

The cycling track, to be inaugurated by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, has been set up in association with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). "People are increasingly choosing to cycle to work, and eventually the government will have to open more tracks to decongest the roads," said Menon.

While a team of four international mountain bikers from Puducherry will participate in the elite race, more than 300 of Mumbai's dabbawalas are expected to cycle in the 20-km amateur ride. Other categories include a 20-km corporate ride, 10-km green ride and 6-km children's ride, all within the limits of BKC.