Pune cyclist Bheem Bahadur who works with cycles, pedals to the national championship

Bheem Bahadur from Nepal, who works as a technical staff at the ‘Giant cycles service centre’ at Sangam bridge, will be participating in the ‘Elite’ men’s category

The 14th Giant Starkenn Mountain Biking (MTB) National Championship will see a cyclist who works at a cycle workshop. It is only his passion that has made him one of the four who will represent the state from Pune at the national championship.

Bheem tasted his first success in the Sinhagad Bike Championship, in which he finished third.(HT photo)

Meet the 24-year-old, Bheem Bahadur from Nepal, who works as a technical staff at the ‘Giant cycles service centre’ at Sangam bridge. He will be participating in the ‘Elite’ men’s category. Bheem shifted to Pune in 2014 with his brother-in-law ‘s help, who was working at ‘Giants cycles’ during that time.

Working with cycles all day made Bheem develop a passion for riding and he started participating in various rides along with other members from Giant. However, he wasn’t much into racing and cycling was more of a recreational activity for him. He tasted his first success during the Sinhagad Bike Championship, in which he finished third.

“I was using a rental bike since I couldn’t afford a premium bike. That bike was a basic model, yet I managed a podium finish which boosted my confidence. I decided to practise more and started participating in more events,” said Bheem.

Bheem participated in the State Cycling Association’s Pune-Baramati race, but couldn’t finish due to a technical failure.

The second time, he had cramps yet he managed to finish in the top 10. Then in the selection trials held at Aurangabad, he was placed third and got a ticket to participate in the 2016 MTB Nationals held in Pune.

“It was more of a learning experience for me, as I was participating in the nationals for the first time. I even didn’t have a quality bike, so the result was not satisfactory. But this time, Giant has given us top-end premium bikes and we have been undergoing rigorous training since the last few weeks. So this time I am hopeful of a podium finish,” he said.

The event will be held at the Oxford Golf Resort from September 21. Maharashtra has high hopes from this talented cyclist.

Its all work and play for Bheem

Bheem’s day starts very early as he cycles from 7 am to 10 am. Then, after some breakfast and rest, he joins the Giants showroom, where he works till 8.30 pm. 

However, he is happy with his job and feels that working with cycles the entire time helps him understand the technicalities more than the other riders. 

“I can sense the smallest cracking sound and can identify the problem. I don’t have to rely on anyone to fix my bike. It happened recently during the selection trials in Nashik. On a climb, my bike had issues with the chain. I quickly managed to fix it and grabbed the first place,” added Bheem.