The
month of May is the hottest and most uncomfortable month in Goa and yet, it has not deterred
101 cyclists from enrolling for Cycling Goa’s ‘May Mayhem Cycling Challenge’
(MMCC) competition.
The challenge involves cycling for a
minimum of 20 kms every day for a total of at least 15 days between May 1 and
27, 2018, to reach an individual total of 400 kms.
Of course, there is no upper limit on the
distances an individual cyclist can cycle every day. A special yellow jersey
will be presented to the cyclist aggregating the maximum number of kilometres
of cycling in this period.
This being an inter-club competition, the
club aggregating the maximum number of kilometres will be adjudged the champion
club and be presented a rolling trophy. Individual cyclists completing 400 kms
will receive a certificate and a medal.
The competition has truly caught the fancy
of cyclists across the state.
Cyclists ranging from the age of 20 to 75
have been cycling anything between 25kms to sometimes over 200 kms each day to
keep themselves and their clubs in the reckoning for the top prize.
The organisers have opened a group called
‘Cycling Goa’ on the fitness app, Strava. Every participant has to register
himself/herself on this group on Strava, enabling every kilometre being cycled
to be logged, collated and a leader board prepared every few days.
As per the latest statistics, the 101 cyclists from the four
participating clubs had totalled a mind-boggling 32,589 kms of cycling as on
the morning of May 14.
Presently, the Margao based Xaxti Riders club is leading the
table with an impressive 16,665 kms, followed by the Panjim Cycling Club at
10,192, Slopes N Bends club of Ponda and Vasco Cyclists from Vasco jointly
total 5,732 kms. On the individual front, Levin Da Costa, a young Xaxti Riders
cyclist is leading the individual tally with 1,907 kms of cycling completed in
just 14 days. He is followed by two of his own club buddies, Sanat Keni with
1,525 kms and Francis Rodrigues at 1,442 kms respectively. Of course, these are
still early days and the competition for the yellow jersey will only hot up as
the end date of May 27 draws closer.
Explaining the rationale of the challenge, Dr Pankaj Mhatre,
secretary, Cycling Goa, says, “The main aim was to get more people to take up
to cycling for a fitter and healthier lifestyle. We titled the event May Mayhem
(chaos) as one could see cyclists on every road of Goa beating all odds. We
kept the targets low so that even a novice could take part in the event.”
While the organisers have made it a novice-friendly contest, the
enthusiasm on the ground is something else altogether. Cyclists across Goa have
been riding mornings and evenings to increase both, their individual and club
totals.
The
MMCC will conclude with Cycling Goa’s annual World Environment Day cycle
race-cum-rally scheduled this time for the morning of Sunday, June 3 at
Sancoale. According to Cycling Goa’s Mhatre, there will be a 20 km time-trial
race, followed by a rally and the MMCC prize distribution function.
