Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2018

Events:

International Month of Cycling - June 2018: 264 cyclists participated in 25 countries around the world and cycled together 95,000 kilometers.
27-Hour Cycling Relay, August 10/11, 2018: In honour of Sri Chinmoy's 87th birthday anniversary.

For information on events, contact Vandaniya at [email protected]

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge page

Race stories - more articles

Propositions:

The cycling takes place non-stop

from 18:00 on Friday, 09 August 2019
to 21:00 on Saturday, 10 August 2019

If you have enough cyclist-friends, you can organize relay-cycling covering all 27 hours.

Please measure (or estimate) the distance you crossed and send your full name, place where you cycled and distance you crossed to Vandaniya, Zurich per email: [email protected].

Results:

Results - 27-Hour Cycling Relay, 9/10 August 2019 (pdf) - 116 participants in 20 countries on four continents cycled together 6,118 kilometers.

Two teams were organized in Europe and each team relay-cycled all 27 hours. Cyclists accepted responsibility to cycle during one hour of the day, then cycled more outside that hour if they found it enjoyable.

Team BLUE:

Team RED:

Photo gallery:

Adriano cycled 300km in 11 hours 17 minutes (personal best) around his city Sao Jose dos Campos in Brasil.

Adriano's bicycle and watch at the end of his cycling adventure.

Sao Jose dos Campos (Brasil) as the evening-peace sets in.

Prasannateyu cycled 180 km as part of an Ironman-distance triathlon in Nagyatad, Hungary.

Prasannateyu preparing for the start of eXtremeMan, Nagyatad, Hungary.

While competing in eXtremeMan, Prasannateyu was also covering the hour 12:00-13:00 for Team RED.

Varsneya (113 km) and Deeptaksha (346 km, longest distance cycled in this year's 27-Hour Cycling), cycled around Zurich, Switzerland.

Igor cycled 244 km in Chisinau, Moldova and sent this photo of cloud-play in the sky.

Nikhad cycled in Edipsos, Greece.

Amur, Team RED, 01:00-02:00, cycled in Banjaluka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Stefan, Team BLUE, 12:00-13:00, Dietikon, Switzerland.

Ilvaka, Team BLUE, 06:00-07:00, Munich, Germany.

Group photo of Swiss cyclists after the end of 27-Hour event in Schlieren.

Marta, Team RED, 18:00-19:00, cycled in Gyor, Hungary.

Andrej, Nikita and Mahasatya, Team BLUE, cycling in Schlieren, Switzerland.

Shuna, Team RED, 18:00-19:00, cycled in Budapest, Hungary.

Marija cycled for Team RED (19:00-20:00) in Nis, Serbia.

Toyesa, Team RED (20:00-21:00), Zagreb, Croatia.

Nastya and Shashvatee, Team RED, 21:00-22:00, cycled in Oslo, Norway.

Biljana, Team RED, 22:00-23:00, cycled in Zrenjanin, Serbia.

Vera, Team RED, 23:00-24:00, Zrenjanin, Serbia.

Baridhi, Team BLUE, 09:00-10:00, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Hrishikesh, Team BLUE, 13:00-14:00, Sofia, Bulgaria. Hrishikesh cycled 189 km.

Parliament building in Sofia, Bulgaria. Photo by Hrishikesh.

Fountain in the night, Sofia, Bulgaria, photo by Hrishikesh.

Kedar from Zurich, Switzerland cycled 165 km.

Oksana, Ratuja and Kushali cycled in Moscow, Russia.

Moscow was rainy and windy almost the whole day. Oksana and Ratuja having fun in spite of weather.

Devarupi, Team RED, 05:00-06:00, Curonian Lagoon, Lithuania. At sunrise.

Devarupi on her sunrise-ride.

Eshana, Team RED, 07:00-08:00, Geneva, Switzerland.

Eshana and Celana cyled together in the pouring rain.

Vasanti, Team BLUE, 08:00-09:00, from Heidelberg, cycled along Neckar river.

Birds on Neckar, photo by Vasanti.

Bridge over Neckar and Heidelberg Castle, photo by Vasanti.

Jovana, Team RED, 09:00-10:00, cycled outside Nis, Serbia. Met a turtle on the way.

Kallol, Team RED, 10:00-11:00, cycled in forests near Heidelberg, Germany.

Dany, Team BLUE, 11:00-12:00, Nancy, France.

Taponidhi, Team RED, 11:00-12:00, cycled in Gyor, Hungary.

Namitabha, Team RED, 13:00-14:00, made a long route from Nis to Vlasina lake (Serbia) and back. Namitabha cycled 214 km.

Aleksandra, Team RED, 15:00-16:00, cycled in Banjaluka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Martina, Team BLUE, 18:00-19:00, just outside Belgrade, Serbia.

Krzysztof, Team RED, 19:00-20:00, near Warsaw, Poland.

Ashcharjya, Team BLUE, 10:00-11:00, Paris, France.

Dina, Team BLUE, 05:00-06:00, Montpellier, France.

Jayasalini and Alakananda, Team RED, 20:00-21:00, Paris, France.

Keyarie, Team BLUE, 10:00-11:00, Montpellier, France.

Luisa, Team RED, 15:00-16:00, Nancy, France.

Mena, Team Blue, 07:00-08:00, cycled near Nancy, France.

Ratna, Team RED, 14:00-15:00, cycled in Paris, France.

Uchita from Novi Sad, Serbia, sent this photo from her 55 km ride.

Vandaniya, Team BLUE, 212 km total, cycled in Schlieren, Switzerland.

Last hour has started. Sunset over a sunflower field, photo by Vandaniya. See you next year ...

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2019 page

View full article »

About the author:

Nirbhasa is from Ireland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.

In 2013, after many years of trying and some very near podium misses, Tejvan Pettinger from the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team won the national cycling hill-climb title, one of the top races on the UK national cycling calendar. Tejvan began cycling in earnest in 2005, but despite being a promising rider the prospect of a national title seemed very much like a faraway dream.

In the year before his passing in 2007, Tejvan's Guru (or spiritual teacher), Sri Chinmoy, made quite a few references to Tejvan being 'our cycling champion'. Sri Chinmoy preferred to teach his students through silent meditation, and was not one for frivolous comment; often these seemingly offhand remarks had a way of awakening his students to new possibilities. (For example, also in 2006-7, Sri Chinmoy repeatedly and seemingly offhandely asked another student, Grahak Cunningham, whether he had done our longest race, meaning the 3100 Mile race. Even though up until then he had very little ultrarunning experience, Grahak was inspired to start that race and see what happens - he went on to finish the race on his first attempt, and later won the race in 2012).

As the years went past, Tejvan realised that the goal of a national title was indeed possible and put more and more focus on it, both physically in terms of being in the best shape and having the right equipment and approach, but also inwardly in terms of being receptive to divine Grace - a journey which culminated in everything coming together in 2013 for the ultimate prize.

View full article »

About the author:

Tejvan organises short-distance running and cycling races for the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in his home city of Oxford. He is also a very good cyclist, having won the National hill climb championships in 2013 and finished 3rd in the National 100 Mile Time Trials in 2014.

Vilas Silverton of the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team recently completed a 5,474km cycle ride across Australia - as part of the Indian Pacific Wheel Race.

Vilas from Bristol, England started in Perth on 17 March and finished in Sydney nearly four weeks later. The route crossed the wide uninhabited plains of Western Australia before passing through the cities of Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. During the race, Vilas rode mostly unsupported, often sleeping in make-shift shelters and buying his food on the way. For over 3,000 miles Vilas had to contend with heat, traffic, fatigue, long straight sections of headwind, the weight of his equipment, and the occasional temperamental kangaroo.

Vilas got inspired to do the ride after following the race in previous years and seeking a new personal target for self-transcendence in cycling.

In preparing for the race, Vilas attempted a few long audax rides through Great Britain, including a ride from Bristol to Glasgow and back. Over the cold English winter, Vilas completed several weeks of high mileage. However, his preparation was hampered by a knee injury from January to March, which meant little training in the final months. But, after an eventful few weeks, Vilas was able to complete the full distance finishing in Sydney.

Interview with Tejvan Pettinger

Q. What inspired you to do the race?

I followed the race closely last year, and I felt great joy in the heart at the prospect of entering the race.

Q. How did you prepare?

I rode the bike a lot! I built up over the year and completed some periods of high mileage. Though in Jan I injured my knee - so from Jan to Feb - I didn't ride much. And I needed to calm fears about not being able to train and even whether I would even be able to enter. But, after the good training in Dec, I felt I would be OK.

Q. How did you find ride itself?

Riding on the narrow roads was quite challenging. With cars passing close by, I found I was frequently inspired to pray for protection while cycling!

There were many challenges which made the ride more testing. On the first day, I was sick and this continued for much of the first week; as a result, I had to recalibrate my timescale. I just tried to ride as much or little as I could without worrying about time. The main objective was to finish. The fact I was sick meant I didn't physically push too much - it was an effort just to complete what seemed like the minimum.

During the ride, I learnt to be more tolerant and understanding of myself and other people. The various tests highlighted the importance of patience and resilience.

During the ride, I tried to be grateful for the moment and enjoy. When cycling I turned my phone off to avoid being distracted and gain an excuse to stop and break my rhythm.

Q. What did you enjoy about the event?

Meeting people by the side of the road who were following the ride on GPS tracking. For example, when I reached Adelaide, I found people were there to support and offer encouragement - I was grateful to meet people who were handing out food, and on some occasions putting me up for the night. Special thanks to friends in the Sri Chinmoy Centres in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.

Q. How did you feel about finishing?

I felt relieved, somewhat elated while also being quite tired. When I finished, I discovered a group of riders who had finished earlier were waiting at the steps of the Sydney Opera House. Very unexpected and beautiful. I was also happy not to be riding anymore!

Q. How do feel a week after the race has finished?

It's a really long way! But it is nice to hear people were inspired by the event.

Related

Preparation for the Indian Pacific Wheel Race 2018
My first Audax Ride - by Vilas

View full article »

Propositions:

The cycling relay takes place non-stop

from 18:00 on Friday, 10 August 2018
to 21:00 on Saturday, 11 August 2018

During these 27 hours (use local time in your country) you can ride bicycle wherever you want, as much as you want, individually or with friends, even on your stationary bicycle at home if you have no time to go out. You need not ride all 27 hours – it is a relay, everybody rides as long as he can, when he stops somebody else will continue. Cyclists in Zurich will take care that all 27 hours somebody is cycling. In this way you can join any time and cycle as long as you feel inspired.

Please measure (or estimate) the distance you crossed and send your full name, place where you cycled and distance you crossed to Vandaniya, Zurich per email: [email protected].

Results:

Results - 27-Hour Cycling Relay, 10/11 August 2018 (pdf) - 82 participants cycled together 4234 km

Photo gallery:

Daniel, Andrej, Nikita and Kedar in Schlieren, Switzerland.

Jayasalini organized 27-Hour Cycling in France on 10/11 August 2018. Fourteen people cycled in different cities to cover all 27 hours.

Mena had perfect weather conditions during her ride in Saint-Malo, France.

Edwige cycled in Saint-Jacut, France.

Unnatishil cycled during the day in Paris with a rented bike.

Jayasalini had some trouble with her bike during the night but remained happy in spite of that.

Aschcharjya cycled in Lyon, Paris.

Natashira in Cherbourg, France.

Bati and Nikhad, night ride on August 10 in Leskovac, Serbia.

Bijoy, Schlieren, Switzerland.

Vandaniya, Schlieren, Switzerland.

Nikita, Daniel and Andrej, Schlieren, Switzerland.

Radu, Schlieren, Switzerland.

Andrea, Schlieren, Switzerland.

Satyagraha, Nikita and Andrej, Schlieren, Switzerland.

After finish...

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2018 page

View full article »

Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge

This June we cycled in 25 countries on 5 continents and achieved the following:

New record in number of participants: this year 264 cyclists took part in the Month of Cycling (50 more than last year).
New record in total distance: more than 94,000 km (compared to previous best 79,000 km in 2017).
Best-ever result in male category: Pushkala Tramosljika from Frankfurt, Germany cycled 3,352 km (111.7 km/day)!
Two best-ever results in female category: Sananda Fitzgerald from Vienna, Austria cycled 1,565 km (all-time best); Mirela Malovic Vassung from Zagreb, Croatia cycled 1,535 km (all-time second).

Congratulations and big THANK YOU to all participants!

See below the results and the photo-gallery.

Results:

Final result June 2018:

Final results, June 1 to June 30 (last updated: July 31) - 94,718 km, 264 participants in 25 countries on 5 continents

Results June 1 to June 30 (last updated: July 20) - 94,364 km, 264 participants in 25 countries on 5 continents
Results June 1 to June 30 (last updated: July 17) - 94,116 km, 262 participants in 25 countries on 5 continents
Results June 1 to June 30 (last updated: July 10) - 93,580 km, 259 participants in 24 countries on 5 continents
Results June 1 to June 30 - 67,671 km, 187 participants
Results June 1 to June 27 - 51,141 km, 156 participants
Results June 1 to June 25 - 46,491 km (more than once around Earth's equator), 147 participants
Results June 1 to June 22 - 39,746 km, 133 participants
Results June 1 to June 19 - 32,452 km, 125 participants
Results June 1 to June 17 - 30,110 km, 122 participants
Results June 1 to June 15 - 24,471 km, 107 participants
Results June 1 to June 12 - 20,616 km, 97 participants
Results June 1 to June 10 - 16,581 km, 89 participants
Results June 1 to June 6 - 8,383 km, 66 participants
Results June 1 to June 4 - 4,568 km, 35 participants

Take part in a global Cycling Challenge that stretches over the month of June! Cycle together with friends on all continents! For the past six years, this event has given our members around the world opportunity to join together in a oneness-project and get joy from following each other's progress. In June 2017 214 members of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team and their friends have cycled almost 80,000 km.

Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge: International Month of Cycling 2018. Poster by Hrishikesh, Bulgaria.

The rules are very simple - during the month of June, you can ride wherever you like, with whomever you like. Ride in a soulful and joyful consciousness and be happy!

Send your name, place where you cycled and the distance crossed to Vandaniya, Zurich, by email ([email protected]) or skype (dejan_maksimovic). You can send results daily, weekly or the total distance at the end. Results are posted on this page and updated as they arrive.

Photo gallery 2018:

Participants of this year's Month of Cycling share the photos and inspiration from their rides.

Pushkala is the overall winner this year - he is the first participant of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge to ever cycle more than 3000 km in the Month of Cycling. In June 2018 Pushkala cycled the new ever-best result in male category: 3352.2km (111.7 km/day)! This is his second time to win the Month of Cycling. He was also the first in June 2017 when he cycled total of 2,772 km in 30 days.

prabhata_and_pushkala_frankfurt_180613.w1.jpg
Two best placed this year, Prabhata (l., second place) and Pushkala (r., first place), met in Frankfurt on June 13. Prabhata cycled 2822 km (94.1 km/day) in June 2018.

Kailash and Daniel on the "refreshment station" near Baden, Switzerland, June 21, 2018.

Aklanta and Santosh cycling in forests near Neustadt Pfalz, Germany, June 17, 2018.

Aklanta enjoys cycling in harsh environments.

Aklanta, down the forest-stairs, Neustadt Pfalz, June 17, 2018.

Sananda from Vienna, cycling along Danube. In June 2018 Sananda set the new best result ever for women - 1565 km (52.2 km/day).

Sananda and Smiley on the street. Little happy things we discover around us sometimes give us a lot of joy!

Pranlobha and Stota cycling in Seattle.

Kedar in a corn-field near Zurich, Switzerland.

Gopal, Kallol, Vandaniya, Christian, Ekagra, Aharan and Mananyu at the start of Parenzana mountain-bike trail in Istria, Croatia.

The route of health and friendship, Parenzana trail, leads through beautiful forests of Istria.

Thousands of bikers ride the trail every day. We were never alone!

On Parenzana trail, resting for a moment...

Projjwal and Aruna cycled in Augsburg.

Igor from Skopje spent the first weekend of June cycling through his country Macedonia. Green is Macedonian border. Red is Igor's ride on June 1, blue on June 2. Total 643 km in two days.

Igor's Bianchi and a Macedonian field.

Between June 18 and June 22 Igor took part in HardCro Cycling Ultramarathon - an endurance race connecting four corners of Croatia. The challenge consists of completing approximately 1,400 km long route in less than 5 days, cycling through the most attractive locations in Croatia and reaching all four corners of the country: east, north, west and south (see the map below). This year the Race started in Ilok at north-east of Croatia and finished in Molunat in south-east corner. Participants were equiped with GPS trackers and had maximum of 27 hours to arrive at the first check-point (CP1) in Terme Sveti Martin in north-west corner, some 300 km away from the start. They then had maximum of 60 hours to arrive at the second check-point (CP2) in Savudrija, the west corner of the country. The finish was at farthest south-east point in Molunat and participants had to reach it in less than 120 hours total (5 days) in order to successfully complete the Challenge. This race assumes solo riding in self-supported style. Participants have to remain completely autonomous, with no support whatsoever along the route and have to take care themselves of their food, equipment, bicycle and accommodation. Each contenstant has to choose his own route and plan the ride individually. Out of 40 starters this year, only 23 reached the finish line in given time-limit of 5 days.

HardCro 2018, start on June 18 in Ilok, finish in Molunat must be reached in less than 120 hours. CP1 is in Terme Sveti Martin (must be reached in less than 27 hours), CP2 in Savudrija (to be reached in less than 60 hours).

Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team is proud to announce that its member Igor Talevski from Skopje has successfully completed HardCro 2018 in 3 days 16 hours and 20 minutes.

Igor's HardCro 2018 statistics: he started on June 18 at 9:14, reached CP1 (~300 km) on the same day at 23:20 (14h 6min later), reached CP2 on the next day at 23:38 and crossed the finish-line on June 22 at 1:34 (after midnight). Igor cycled total distance of 1,420 km averaging 385.8 km per day. Congratulations Igor!

Kallol at sunset near Novigrad, Croatia.

Aharan, cycling from Marincici, near Novigrad, Croatia...

... together with Ekagra.

Shantikara was running Peace Run in Japan in May. On June 1 he rented a bike and circled the Shoji Lake. This is officially the first Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge ride in Japan ever.

Shantikara made this photo of Fuji mountain while cycling in Japan.

Kedar's favourite cycling route is around the Zurich Lake.

Livia is cycling in Kosice, Slovakia.

Mountain view in Slovakia, photo by Livia from Kosice.

Said and Martina are cycling near Belgrade, Serbia.

Martina, 20 km outside Belgrade, Serbia.

Martina, 17 June 2018. Outside Belgrade, Serbia.

Krzysztof sent this beautiful photo of his new bike. He is cycling in Warsaw, Poland

Swan on Attersee, Austria. Photo by Prabhata.

Attersee panorama. Photo by Prabhata.

Attersee. Photo by Prabhata on June 5, 2018.

Attersee. Photo by Prabhata.

Prabhata on Mondsee, Austria, on June 5, 2018.

Christoph and Lucas cycled 974 km from Zurich to Berlin. Photo at the end of the tour, in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

A group of cyclists started from Skopje on June 10...

... climbed up to Mavrovo national park, then continued southward towards Kicevo ...

... and finished in Bitola. On the next day they continued to Ohrid lake.

Rade, Vlatko and Ekalabhya dinning on Ohrid lake.Total for two days: 300km, 3400m ascent.

Radko from Sofia, Bulgaria, made a friend on his ride outside city.

Hrishikesh from Sofia, Bulgaria, refreshing himself half-way through a long ride.

Top of the hill reached! Radko from Sofia (photo by Hrishikesh).

Towards the finish of their 140 km ride, Hrishikesh and Radko from Sofia made this night-photo of the singing/dancing fountain in Panagyurishte.

Garga cycled a 960 km trail starting on June 4 from his home city Bristol, UK and finishing on June 8 in Heidelberg, Germany.

He cycled five days (160km, 180km, 220km, 220km and 180km) experiencing heavy rain, scorching sun, head-winds, two punctured tires and a lot of joy!

Garga reaching his goal in the evening of June 8, after cycling 960 km through UK, France and Germany.

ilvaka_24hcycling_377.7km_20180616_photo1_w1.jpg
Ilvaka, cycling in Munich, Germany.

ilvaka_24hcycling_377.7km_20180616_photo2_w2.jpg
Ilvaka chose her own Challenge on June 16 and achieved a personal-best: 377.7 km cycled in 24 hours.

Bijoy was cycling on a sunny weekend and stopped at a farm with a restaurant and free cherries.

Vandaniya and Bijoy in front of Pfaeffikersee in Switzerland.

Vandaniya and Bijoy, short rest in the hay.

Vladimir from Skopje, Macedonia, took this photo of his bike and the road ahead on his trip from Skopje to Tetovo on Sunday, 17 June 2018.

Shatadal cycling in Dresden, Germany.

Sukinkar from Dresden, Germany. Sukinkar completed a Half-Ironman race in June 2018. Here on a casual joy-ride.

Hutashan from Zurich, Switzerland, took this photo 10km on the road from Chur to Flims.

Ekalabhya competed in a 300 km race in Sweden on June 16, 2018. Finished in time of 8h 30' (34.5 km/h) and had a great time!

Rade from Skopje took this sweet photo on the road.

Macedonians cycling together.

Rade from Skopje - a selfie.

Group cycling in Macedonia - a 200 km tours are common for these amazing people!

Anete was cycling near Riga, Latvia and made this and ...

.. this beach photo at sunset.

Pranlobha and Stota at Lake Washington in Seattle, USA.

Ravipriya at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, USA.

Daulot in Seattle, USA.

Radko Popinski afer finishing the 100 km Race on Vitosa mountain near Sofia.

Pavel Machyniak breaking away from the pack in a training-race near Bratislava, Slovakia.

Nadegda Shabanova cycling in Cheboksary, Russia.

Paramanyu from Kaliningrad, Russia, made this photo at the shore of Baltic Sea.

Prabhata on the moutain-peak on a perfectly clear sunny day.

Prabhata made this photo on Grosser Feldberg in Taunus, near Frankfurt, 880 m above sea.

Prague cyclists celebrated the end of their Month of Cycling 2018 with a cake.

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2018 page

View full article »

About the author:

Nirbhasa is from Ireland. He is an enthusiastic multi-day runner, having completed four times the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the longest race in the world.

Tejvan Pettinger has been racing for the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team for many years, winning many time trials and hill climb races around Britain. After many years of trying, Tejvan won the UK National Hill-Climb championship in 2013. In the video, he relates how he trained really hard to reclaim the title in 2014. He ended up finishing fourth, but the important thing was the experience of detachment and being 'in the moment' that he felt during the race itself.

Related article: Reflections on 4th place by Tejvan

View full article »

There and Back Again
Or Bristol-Glasgow-Bristol May – June 2017

I’d had it in mind to ride up the west coast of the UK to Glasgow and back ever since I was unable to gain a place in the London-Edinburgh-London this year. So when I saw this route proposed by a local rider, I fairly jumped at it.

I was excited and a little nervous at the same time. To prepare, I had done some long rides earlier in the year, but nothing close to this. In the week before the ride, I rested as much as possible, ate plenty and slept lots. I knew that there would probably never be an ideal time to embark on such an adventure in terms of fitness and preparation, so I decided to just go anyway.

I had 136 hours and 15 minutes to complete the ride of 1635km which worked out at just under six days. My plan was to do around 300km a day so that I had a safety buffer to finish within the time limit. After the first day however, I realized that I was slightly out of touch with reality when it came to covering that distance with so many hills.

It seems that the organizer likes hills. I mean, really likes hills. For the first 1000+ km there were hardly any flat bits. The road was either going up or down constantly. It felt like I was on a roller coaster bobbing and weaving my way up the country. The novelty of climbing through high and bleak desolate moorlands soon wore off. My guess is that it took about half a day.

My first day took me through Wales which usually means two things: hills and rain. I certainly had many hills to climb, but the rain was only light.

I had a few sketchy moments. The first two involved me going down steep hills too quickly and skidding around wet corners. If I’m honest the third ‘moment’ was much the same but rather more dramatic. A sweeping left hand bend saw me scrub off a little speed but in hindsight, not enough. As the road was wet and liberally sprinkled with gravel, I was reluctant to lean into the corner as much as I should have.

The final straw came as I continued round the bend to find a rather large sheep standing in the road, just where I was hoping to point my bike.

Before I knew it, I was no longer following a graceful line around a smooth bend in the road. I was leaving the asphalt and taking a perfectly straight line across the heathland, tussock grass and a soft mossy carpet filled with bumps and holes big enough to swallow feet and front wheels.

It was indeed quite a ride, and I can only compare it to a kind of fair ground bucking bronco as I felt sure that at any second I would be pitched forward over the handlebars of my skinny carbon fibre road bike.

Somehow though, I remained upright and still clipped in to the pedals until I came to a graceful stop some distance from the road. I think the word is miraculous. Shaken slightly and disbelieving that I had got away with it, I walked back to the road and gingerly clipped back into my pedals and continued on my way. I think somewhere a sheep bleated with respect. After this, I took the descents a bit more carefully.

My plan was to ride the length of the Wales and stop for the night before pressing on (following the route on my gps was a requirement of my ride, I was not allowed any short cuts!).

By the time dusk descended on that first night, I found I hadn’t gone quite as far as I needed to, and so after raiding a small store for food, continued onwards until around 10 pm.

I across a small, deserted church around this time and tried to get some sleep. In my quest for a light weight set up, I had brought a bivvy bag and sleeping mat only, thinking that would be enough to keep me warm. After a couple of hours tossing and turning and generally not sleeping at all, I realised my set up was woefully inadequate and so decided the only thing to do was to ride through the night to warm up.

By riding at night, I was able to get through some built up areas that were wonderfully quiet and so I could breeze through without hardly stopping. There is always a pay off however to riding at night, and around 6am I was feeling very tired, wet and my stomach was starting to shut down.

I knew from previous rides that if I stopped to rest things would sort themselves out, and so I booked a hotel room for a short sleep. Luckily there was a restaurant attached and so I ate as much as (in)humanly possible before continuing a 4 hours later.

After my first fairly disastrous attempt at Bivvying, I decided not to sleep outdoors again and so used hotels and guest houses in places where I had nothing arranged.

One night in Scotland however, I came across a Visitors Centre located in the middle of a forest park. I had planned to be at this place in the day time and visit their café, but at this point I was well behind schedule, and it was late, dark and very, very closed.

Something prompted me to try the handle of their toilets and to my amazement, I found it to be unlocked. As it was clean, spacious and warmer than being outdoors, I locked myself inside and unpacked my sleeping gear. After tossing and turning for a few hours, I convinced myself I was fully rested and continued north to Glasgow.

In hindsight, I was grateful for the break as the next section was quite long and over desolate roads that I did not fancy riding in the dead of night in my tired state.

In Glasgow I had arranged to stay with a friend. All the way there I had tried to tell him when I would be arriving, but I had to keep putting the time back further and further as I was quite down on my daily distance. By the time I finally arrived (9am), he had gone to work but kindly left the keys out.

I managed a couple of hours sleep on an air mattress, and after a shower and food, I set off to negotiate the city and finally head southwards.

Making the turn, like in an old fashioned time trial, I now encountered the wind in my face and tried not to think about the possibility of a 3 day headwind but to only deal with the moment in hand.

The subsequent day was very tough, as the headwind continued, the rain persisted and the very bumpy roads meant that my garmin gps device kept turning off. By now I realised that it wasn't recording my ride. This was worrying as I feared my effort might be called into question and would not be validated. Would the whole ride count for nothing? I decided to continue anyway and told myself that even if no one else believed I had done the ride, my body, heart and soul would certainly know.

After letting the organiser know of my predicament, I decided to keep taking more photos on the way to prove my passage as well as keeping hold of shop receipts.

On this day of doom, I needed a few ‘cry breaks’ en route.
(crying is optional, but an all-consuming tiredness and hopelessness compels you to stop for a moment, if nothing else to satisfy the mind and indulge the body).

I remember at one point crawling off the bike and lying down at the roadside between some small bushes where I could get out of the wind for a moment. I checked my bags for food and my phone for messages. I found both, and so got back on and continued riding.

I had planned to get to Gretna Green (just before the border between Scotland and England) that day but I was so wet and shattered by the time I reached Annan that I decided to look for a room there.

I got a pizza at 'Marios' which was lovely, and as I was explaining my situation to the girl at the counter, she seemed to take pity on me and left the pizzeria to try various pubs/hotels in the town to see if any had a room for the night. Such kindness was really touching and I am so grateful for such experiences.

To my huge relief, she found me a room just across the street for £42 and I checked in dripping wet, with half a pizza in my hand. Again I asked about an early check out (2am) as I realised I now had just 2 full days to do the 600km home. I felt this was achievable, but there would be no time for more setbacks or for falling behind schedule.

My brother was staying in Derbyshire 330km away, and so I planned to sleep there before completing the final 270km to Bristol on the final day. If I thought that the ride into Annan was hard, the next day nearly broke me.

My lasting memory of this day is of climbing a 5km hill at around 12.45 am and seeing car headlights ahead, high up in the night time blackness and tiny as dots moving in and out of view as they rounded the bends. It dawned on me, slowly, that there was only one road, and I would have to follow it and go where the dots were, way up high, and a long way away if I was to reach my bed that night.

All I could think about was sleep. The longer I rode, the later it got and the less sleep I would have that night. Three or more times, I stopped mid-climb at the side of the road, unclipped my feet from the pedals and just stood astride my bike, too tired to get off and too numb to go forwards. I remember resting my head on my handlebars as I was bent double, and with my eyes closed drifting into some kind of sleep-daze. The feeling was so overwhelming, of being so tired and wanting it all to end.

Somehow, after pulling out of this sleep-embrace you realise you are still on the side of a hill in the middle of nowhere. It is dark, and you still have a long way to go. It is not a happy place, but crying (again) won’t make it better. You need to clip in to your pedals and continue.

Around 1.30am I finally reached my bed for that night, peeled off my wet layers and slipped into bed. It took me longer than it should to get ready for bed in my tired state. Maybe it was an hour but I no longer cared. At any rate I needed to be awake and of the door within 3 hours if I was to have any chance of finishing the ride within the time limit.

The previous night I had fantasized about sleeping in, and how I would feel if I overslept on the last day. In the event however, I managed to rouse myself after 2 hours sleep and was out the door in good time.

Setting off for the last day, something was different, I felt great and could not account for it. Progress was fantastic to start with, I had a tailwind and flat roads meant I was flying along at high speed and was very confident of an early finish. However things changed later in the day when I ran out of flat roads and reached hills to the north of Bristol. I felt as if I was in the middle of a maze. No sooner would I crest one hill than I would look around to see myself surrounded on all sides by more and with no prospect of an easy escape.

Although the scenery was beautiful and the weather benign, I also realised that the wind had turned against me and I was no longer sure of finishing in time. Only as I approached the final 50 km with time in hand could I relax a little and anticipate my arrival at the organiser’s house.

At the finish, I arrived with just a little time in hand. My ‘prize’ was a glass of special whiskey that came from Scotland, but as I don’t drink, I settled for a cup of tea. After a pleasant chat and exchanging tales of my adventure with the organiser (the first and currently only other person to complete the route), I gingerly set off for the short ride back to my house, nursing everything that was sore (left achilles, both knees, raw rear end, swollen hands with inflamed nerves and a neck that could no longer support my head). My thoughts turned to gratitude for being able to complete the ride at all and then I looked forward to a good lie down, shower and food, in what ever order these things should present themselves, as I was past caring.

View full article »

Propositions:

The cycling relay takes place non-stop

from 18:00 on Friday, 21 July 2017
to 21:00 on Saturday, 22 July 2017

Please measure (or estimate) the distance you crossed and send your full name, place where you cycled and distance you crossed to Vandaniya, Zurich per SMS (+41 77 444 5565) or email ([email protected]).

Final results:

List of participants and their distances - 27-Hour Cycling Relay, 21/22 July 2017 (pdf) - 100 participants together cycled 6927 km

Photo gallery:

Part of the team that cycled 27 hours in Skopje, Macedonia.

Dima, the youngest participant, cycled 5 km with her dad in Skopje.

Robert and Puroga cycled around Balaton lake in Hungary.

Puroga made this photo of a rainbow over Balaton.

Ayojan and Namitabha cycled to Vlasina lake and back. In a few weeks, on August 6, Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team organizes Vlasina Self-Transcendence Triathlon there.

Some of Zurich cyclists at the end of 27 hours.

Ana Marija just before midnight in Oslo, Norway.

eshana_enjoyed_in_thebeutiful_sunrise_at_4am_in_zrenjanin.jpg
Eshana was cycling during the night in Zrenjanin, Serbia and made this photo of the sunrise around 4 a. m.

Ekalabhya outside Skopje, Macedonia.

Suparna visited Botanical Garden in Vienna, Austria and made this photo.

Sarvakamya leaving for home after cycling the whole night.

Andrej had two flat-tires, but kept his positive attitude ...

... and happines until the end!

Varsneya testing the weight of the bicycle.

Mladen resting for a moment ...

... before continuing the night shift with Vandaniya.

Dimitar enjoys a break in Zurich, Switzerland.

Joanna made this photo of a sunflower field near Augsburg, Germany.

Shuna and Puroga greeting from Balaton, Hungary.

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2017 page

View full article »

Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge

Together we did it again: we made a new record in total cycled distance. Previous best was 69,084km from 2016. This year we did around 10,000 km more. Congratulations to all participants!

We also made a new record in total number of participants. Previous best was 200 participants in 2016. This year we have 14 participants more. We were cycling in Europe, North and South America, Australia, Asia and Africa!

Take a look into the photos further below.

Results:

Results June 1 to June 30 (last updated: July 31) - 78,939 km (50,723 miles), 214 participants in 26 countries on 6 continents
Results June 1 to June 30 (last updated: July 28) - 78,839 km, 213 participants in 26 countries on 6 continents
Results June 1 to June 30 (last updated: July 20) - 78,383 km, 212 participants in 26 countries on 6 continents
Results June 1 to June 30 (last updated: July 6) - 75,680 km, 207 participants in 25 countries on 6 continents
Results June 1 to June 30 (last updated: July 3) - 71,648 km, 186 participants in 25 countries on 6 continents
Results June 1 to June 29 - 50,970 km, 144 participants in 23 countries on 4 continents
Results June 1 to June 26 - 43,456 km, 138 participants in 23 countries on 4 continents
Results June 1 to June 25 - 41,931 km, 136 participants in 23 countries on 4 continents
Results June 1 to June 22 - 35,981 km, 121 participants in 23 countries on 4 continents
Results June 1 to June 20 - 32,027 km, 111 participants in 23 countries on 4 continents
Results June 1 to June 18 - 26,652 km, 96 participants in 21 countries on 3 continents
Results June 1 to June 17 - 19,992 km, 79 participants in 19 countries on 3 continents
Results June 1 to June 16 - 18,780 km, 78 participants in 18 countries on 3 continents
Results June 1 to June 15 - 14,139 km, 69 participants in 17 countries on 3 continents
Results June 1 to June 14 - 10,204 km, 56 participants in 15 countries on 3 continents
Results June 1 to June 11 - 6947 km, 45 participants in 12 countries on 3 continents
Results June 1 to June 8 - 3722 km, 31 participants in 10 countries
Results June 1 to June 6 - 1471 km, 21 participants

June 2017 - Month of Cycling

Take part in a global Cycling Challenge that stretches over the whole month of June. For the past five years, this event has given our members around the world opportunity to join together in a fun project and to get joy from following each other's progress. In June 2016, 200 members of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team and their friends have cycled almost 70,000 km as part of the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge.

The rules are very simple - during the month of June, you can ride wherever you like, with whomever you like. Ride in a soulful and joyful consciousness and be happy!

Send your name, place where you cycled and the distance crossed to Vandaniya, Zurich, by SMS (+41 77 444 55 65), email ([email protected]) or skype (dejan_maksimovic). You can send results daily, weekly or the total distance at the end. Results are posted on this page and updated regularly as they arrive.

Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge: International Month of Cycling 2017. Poster by Hrishikesh, Bulgaria.

Photos:

See below photos that participants in this year's Month of Cycling have made during their rides and shared with us.

Cycling Joy Day on island Krk, Croatia.

Seattle girls went all-enthustiastic about the Cycling Challenge.

They had a few rides together ...

... and often visited the statue of Sri Chinmoy in the harbour.

Rupasi (l.), Ravipriya, Jagadambika, Stota, Vigra and Madina (r.) had a lot of fun cycling in Seattle, WA, USA.

Anastasia Klink cycled between Winterthur and Rapperswil (Switzerland) and made this soulful photo on the Zurich lake-shore.

From May 29 to June 3, 2017 Vilas Silverton from Bristol, UK challenged himself by undertaking a 1650km cycling-tour where he averaged almost 300km/day. This photo shows him at the start.

Vilas in front of Joseph Wright monument in Iron Gate, Derby, England.

Vilas and "Scotland welcomes you".

Vilas making friends on the way.

Kedar Misani made this selfie after cycling 27km in Zurich, Switzerland, on the first day of the Cycling Challenge 2017.

Krzysztof and Jan cycling in Warsaw, Poland.

Vandaniya and Milan in Baska, Croatia.

Muniya Haskova cycled 105km on the streets of Bratislava, Slovakia.

Prabhata Schrader was cycling around Salzburg, Austria and shared many beautiful photos from his rides.

One of them shows the rainbow over Attersee.

The same Attersee on a beautiful day.

An Austrian castle.

Hanging over the flowing water.

Fountain and the lake.

Sunset-beauty.

Salzburger-Land, evening on Untersberg mountain.

Prabhata refreshing himself with saint-blessed water.

prabhata_waterfountain_marktschallenbergde_20170625_3_w.jpg
The same waterfountain in Marktschallenberg (Germany) Prabhata visited again during his 107km night ride on June 25.

prabhata_waterfountain_marktschallenbergde_20170625_1_w.jpg
Prabhata Schrader around 3 a. m. at the fountain.

An Austrian mountain village.

Stormy hils.

No comment needed to this photo made by Prabhata Schrader.

Infinite road.

Heavenly fields.

And the day ends...

aklanta_badwildbach_33kmmtbrace_may212017_700hmeter_1h50min_w.jpg
Aklanta Raabe from Mannheim, Germany in a MTB race in Black Forest. In June 2017 Aklanta mountain-cycled total of 340km climbing over 10,000 hight-meters.

Andrey Vinogradov cycled total of 2567km in Chelyabinsk, South Ural, Russia. He sent this photo of a double rainbow he encountered on the way.

Double rainbow left ... and right. Progress-promise.

On his night-ride home...

.. Andrey made this selfie while waiting on the train to pass.

Andrey prefers cycling on country roads and making long rides...

... outside the city. South Ural can be harsh. You have to carry your water and your equipment for all conditions.

andreyvinogradov_chelyabinskrus_wintercyclingshoes_w.jpg
For example, this is how it looks like in winter.

Andrey cycling in winter.

In Macedonia cycling is much easier. Weather is mild and there are a lot of ripe fruits around the roads. Rade and Vlatko plucking plums near Skopje, Macedonia.

Swan family, photo by Joana Ferreira, cycling in the forest area around Augsburg.

Swans resting by the water.

Angikar cycling on Kopaonik mountain, Serbia, July 25.

Angikar making selfies with the mountain.

Goran Vidovic cycled with friends near Chicago, USA, ...

... and took this beautiful photo.

View forward from my bicycle, by Goran Vidovic.

Kedar Misani in Zurich, after crossing the 1000km milestone.

Vilas in a flax field.

Nadegda Shabanova (64) from Cheboksary, Russia, cycled 100 km on the Assault Air bike.

Igor Rotari cycled 752km in Chisinau, Moldova.

Kedar at the end of the last day of June 2017. The goal is won!

Tatiana Bogdanova cycled 166km in Stavropol, Russia.

Hillola sends greetings to all participants of Cycling Challenge from Irkutsk, Russia.

Nikita was also cycling in Irkutsk, Russia. Photo was made on a bad-weather day.

Natalia was cycling in Angarsk, Russia...

... and had to solve certain mechanical problems.

Hutashan was cycling on the last day of June and saw this rainbow.

He caried the rainbow in his heart all the way back home, where he arrived at 23:10 in pitch dark night. His bike can now o to rest - the Month of Cycling is over. Hutashan did 1500km in June 2017.

Prague cyclists did together more than 3100 km in June 2017 (goal obviously inspired by the 3100-Mile Race). And they celebrated the end of this year's Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge with a cake (photo by Viharin).

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2017 page

View full article »

After completing Audax rides this year at 200, 300 and 600 km, I was only a 400km ride away from being able to call myself a ‘Super Randonneur’, in having finished all the major distances in a season.

As the year rolled on, I ran out of calendar events to ride at this distance, and so chose to ride by myself, using a pre arranged route and receipts from shops, cafes and ATMs to prove my passage.

I chose a route that passed through my home town for convenience and so headed out of my front door one early one Saturday morning in late September just before first light (6.40am) as the birds were singing their hellos.

Heading across the Severn Bridge into Wales always seems a great way to start an adventure, and so it turned out to be. By the time I had reached Chepstow, a very kind tailwind blew me northwards through Devauden and helped me deal with the hills up and beyond Abergavenny.

Just before Builth Wells, I passed a good café that I have used on previous rides, and even though I had only done 70km I turned around in the road and stopped for a full meal of eggs chips and beans washed down with a cup of tea. The stop was rather lengthy which gave me some time to readjust my saddle which was (unusually) causing me some discomfort. With the saddle lowered a few millimetres, the discomfort disappeared, thankfully not to return.

My route followed a roughly triangular shape and as I headed north, I cycled through Llandrindod Wells before turning east and heading back into England. The wind that had helped me thus far now blew at me with such force that I was forced to a crawl. Passing through one exposed valley, I was forced to have a little ‘cry break’ behind a stone wall as I had slowed to almost a standstill. After giving myself a stern talking to, and digging out some Haribos, I set off again and focused on the task at hand, taking each moment as it came without thinking of the large distance that remained.

In time, and with continued movement, I found myself heading back southwards through Cheltenham, Tetbury and the Georgian City of Bath at just after midnight. By this time I was running low on water and realized I was quite dehydrated. While sitting on a garage forecourt munching some salted crisps, I was puzzled to find they tasted just like cardboard! Finding clean water became a priority now and I was a little anxious that I would not find anywhere open at such a late hour.

My route took me through many small, sleepy villages however, and around 12.30am I found a small public house that was open and still serving drinks, so I enjoyed water and a mango juice dressed in my cycling gear while all the locals were knocking back the beers.

Although rain was forecast for 10pm, it held off until around 1am as I was leaving Bath. I was once again thankful for my Gore-Tex jacket as I was now riding through a thunder storm with rain stinging my face. To try and take my mind off the rain and lightning, I watched the raindrops bouncing off the flooded roads ahead of me. Shining under my bright front light, the drops seemed like little nature sprites dancing in the night. Maybe my imagination was running away with me, because around this time I was feeling very tired indeed.

I thought it funny that the hallucinations that had affected me during my 600km ride earlier in the year did not appear this time but my overall physical tiredness was much more severe. This showed itself by my not being able to hold my bike in a straight line when riding down the narrow country lanes, and also not being able to cope with the sudden changes of gradient on the small roads. For this reason, I decided to avoid the small lanes which were hard to navigate in the wet and dark. I had also drifted into a grass bank earlier while not paying attention which was not a good sign.

When doing these rides I am very conscious of the need to stay safe, and although I try to push my body, mind and heart beyond my preconceived limits I do not want to jepordise my life through reckless behavior. In this case, the roads were almost deserted and I felt safe enough was to follow the white dotted line in the centre of the road so that when I wavered, I did not end up in a ditch or up a bank (again).

Continuing southwards to Wells however, with my tiredness deepening, I struggled to maintain my enthusiasm for cycling up hills. One particular road kept rising and falling with such regularity that my heart was really sinking with each new elevation. I kept telling myself that I just had to get to Wells, and obtain my final receipt before I could rest. This was my manrtra, “Get to Wells, just get to Wells” However, at one point, just as a further uphill section revealed itself, I came upon a bus shelter at the side of the road and I calmly got off my bike and walked inside, unable to take any more.

The shelter itself was tiny. A clear plastic structure on a concrete base. It had no seats but at this point I did not care. I looked around to see if there was any dry ground where I could lie down, but due to the heavy rain, it was completely wet. One part was muddy, another had weeds and brambles growing and the middle was just wet concrete.

At this point I was so tired that I just did not care and so I tried my best to move the thorny brambles aside and lay down. For a couple of seconds, the relief of lying down was truly blissful. This was short lived however as the wet floor soaked through my thin cycling shorts and made me even colder than before. I also realized that the walls of the shelter didn’t reach quite to the ground, so that a cold wind blew in from time to time, further chilling me to the bone.

A realization was dawning on me that sleeping in this place was really not a good idea, and as if to confirm this, a little voice inside me was very forcefully telling me, “You need to get up, NOW and continue”. Staggering to my feet on stiff legs, I wondered what it might feel like to die of cold and hypothermia, but I also realized that now was not the time to find out.

By the time I reached Wells it was 3.10am and I was relieved to find an all-night garage where I could buy something in order to obtain a receipt. As my stomach couldn’t really handle any food at this point, I decided on a coke (full sugar) and did my best to hand over my money to the cashier, though I was shaking and shivering so much, it was quite a struggle.

After putting on all my available clothes, I looked forward to the homeward leg, 60km from Wells to Bristol (or as I more fondly thought of it, my bed). This thought kept me going well enough not to consider lying down again. For once I was glad of the long hills to climb as they allowed me to keep warm. I was grateful too that the thunderstorm had passed and only gentle rain remained to see me home.

At around 5.15am I made it back and very happily peeled of my soaking wet clothes before enjoying the luxury of a warm shower, clean teeth and bed where I spent most of the following day.

View full article »

Date: June 18, 2016

Place: Otrokovice, Czech Republic

Race: Moraviaman, full "ironman" distance triathlon (3.8 km swimming, 180 km cycling, 42.2 km running)

Story by Himadri:

It was a very nice Saturday when nine members of Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team: Ekalabhya, Purnendu, Namitabha, Pragadata, Prasannateyu, Smarana, Shilanyas, Udayachal and Himadri decided to complete Moraviaman - a full distance triathlon in Otrokovice, Czech Republic, located only 10km from Zlin.

From left to right: Pragadata, Himadri, Udayachal (down), Prasannateyu, Smarana, Ekalabhya (down), Purnendu and Namitabha.

Altogether 275 men and 19 women came to the starting line of the race on that morning. It was a sunny day and the lake in Otrokovice was already warm and pleasant. But almost everybody took on a wetsuit to take advantage of its added swimming speed.

The swimming was two laps, 3.8km total, in a beautiful lake and I had a great swim with a time of 59 minutes, which is my best swimming time ever on an ironman.

Just minutes before the start.

Then the cycling started: 180 km with 1400 m elevation gain on the course. We had to complete four laps in a beautiful local countryside and in each lap we had to climb two fairly hard hills. I have to admit that I greatly admired Czech cyclists for their amazing speed. In Hungary I have participated in many, many triathlon races, and I believed that I have quite fair cycling speed. But on Moraviaman 2016 I realized that Czech cyclists are much faster!

So in spite of having a great swim, quite a few cyclists passed me. Because of that I pushed myself too much during the cycling. As a consequence already on the 120th kilometer I started running low on energy, which was definitely a great mistake. I should have preserved my energy and not give out everything on the bike.

Anyway, I was very happy when I got off the bike and started running. It was so great relief to change the movements! We were running in the same charming countryside surrounded by forests and fields.

The beginning of the running went pretty well, but the second half of the marathon became as difficult as usually. It was already quite hot by that time. At the last lap of the marathon I had to walk a lot because of the stomach pain. But this is already a "normal" experience for me on every ironman.

I finaly crossed the finish line with my new personal record of 11 hours 21 minutes, five minutes better than last year on ExtremeMan in Nagyatad!

This was my 3rd completed long distance triathlon. I feel I am better on shorter distances as my best time on half distance is 4:50. But it was a very inspiring race, with perfect organization, gorgeous landscapes and good weather. It felt good to compete together with so many triathletes from Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team! We had great time together and in spite of the "usual" difficulties during the race I really enjoyed the experence!

Thank you Moraviaman!

Official results of Moraviaman 2016:

Finisher list

Results per category

Overview of SCMT members' results on Moraviaman 2016 (absolute place and place in age category in brackets):

105 (32) Shilanyas Andrej Bielik, Trencin, Slovakia, 11:08:58.9

119 (36) Himadri Czaba Kavai, Budapest, Hungary, 11:21:03.8

185 (23) Ekalabhya Zoran Bozhinov, Skopje, Macedonia, 12:15:16.1

194 (7) Namitabha Aleksandar Arsic, Nis, Serbia, 12:24:29.5

231 (33) Purnendu Dusan Knezevic, Podgorica, Montenegro, 13:31:42.8

245 (36) Prasannateyu Dejan Kakonji, Subotica, Serbia, 14:01:49.5

254 (7) Pragadata Grgo Skenderovic, Subotica, Serbia, 14:52:46.8

Ekalabhya Zoran Bozhinov from Skopje, Macedonia finishes Moraviaman 2016 with the new personal best (1h 6 minutes better than the previous PB).

Namitabha finishing with his new personal best of 12:24:29.

Right: Pragadata after finishing with his new personal best of 14:52:47.

Below: Pragadata having goot time during the marathon run.

Himadri during the marathon run.

Run was the easiest discipline for Namitabha.

Cycling not so much, he says he suffered a lot during the ride.

Namitabha and Prasannateyu at the start.

Udayachal finishing his swim.

Smarana cycling on Moraviaman 2016.

Purnendu finishing swim on Moraviaman 2016.

And last but not least, Purnendu having his birthday cake !

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2016 page

View full article »

On June 25, 2016 Garga Chamberlain of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team took part in Alan Furley's 202km Up the Downs race on Beech Hills.

Garga's impressions: "It was a very hilly course, amazing views from the hilltops, big thunderstorms so I got very wet, and I had a puncture on my back wheel to fix. But it was total cycling bliss! And I was happy to complete the course in 9:48."

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2016 page

View full article »

Date: June 4, 2016

Place: Námestovo – Oravská Polhora – Slaná Voda (Slovakia)

Race: Goralman, first time organized as part of the Slovak Extreme Triathlon trio (Goralman, Oravaman, Janosik)

Distances: 2 km swimming, 83 km mountain cycling, 21 km mountain running/climbing

Shilanyas took part in this first time edition of Goralman and had a lot of fun. The experience in his own words: "I had a really bad swim and even worse run due to getting lost on the wrong trail. But it was fun anyway. This was the 0. year of this new triathlon that is supposed to become a part of future extreme tour trilogy".

Here you can see the official results of Goralman 2016.

See the photos below to get a visual feeling of this extraordinary race.

Slovakian Extreme Triathlon Trio in the forming.

Goralman logo 2016.

View back on Slovakian low-lands from the finish.

Shilanyas cycling 83km in Goralman 2016.

Last part of Goralman triathlon: "running" 21 km uphill. Shilanyas is smiling joyfully.

Shilanya's result.

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2016 page

View full article »

Events (chronologically):

Belgrade Triathlon (half-ironman distance), May 29, 2016: seven members of Sri Chinmoy CT take part in the race, two medals won.
Goralman, Slovakia (2km-83km-21km), June 4, 2016: Shilanyas Bielik took part in the extreme mountain triathlon.
International Month of Cycling - June 2016: 200 participants in 23 countries on four continents cycled together 69,084 km (42,936 miles), which is a new record in number of participants and distance.
Redmon CC 25 mile time trial, June 11, 2016: Tejvan Pettinger wins the TT in Hempshire, UK with a new personal best of 49:11.
600km Audax Ride - June 11, 2016: Vilas Silverton participates in 600km scenic ride.
Moraviaman, June 18, 2016, Otrokovice, CZ: members of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team participate in the race, report coming soon.
27-hour cycling relay, June 24/25, 2016, Nis, Serbia: nine participants, 1255km total, a lot of fun!
330km (200 miles) Audax Ride, June 25, 2016, UK: Vilas Silverton participates in another weekend event.
202km Up the Downs, June 25, 2016, UK: Garga Chamberlain takes part in the hill race and finishes in 9:48.
12-hour cycling time trial, by Welsh Cycling Association, national championship, UK: In his first trial on a 12-hour race, Tejvan places second with 284 miles.
Vlasina Triathlon (sprint and olympic distances), August 7, 2016: Serbian national championship, organized by Sri Chinmoy CT and Serbian thriatlon association. Official results and photo gallery.
27-hour cycling relay, August 12/13, 2016:, global cycling relay dedicated to Sri Chinmoy's 85th birthday anniversary, 50 participants, 2484km total.

Final results for 2016

Final results of the Cycling Month, June 1 to June 30 - 69,084 km, 200 participants (final update July 20, 2016)
Separately: Men | Women

Photos from 2016

For information on events, contact Vandaniya, Zurich, at +41 77 444 55 65 or [email protected].

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge page

View full article »

This video was taken at the British Time Trial Championship, June 2015. The footage was shown on British Cycling Live streaming and also British Eurosport. The event was held at Cadwell Motor Park and the Lincolnshire countryside.

There was a big startlist with other 300 riders, from different categories and many top British professional entering the race.

Tejvan Pettinger of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team finished 7th, in a time of 1.06. The winner was Alex Dowsett Movistar, who earlier in the year had broken the world hour record.

Top 10 Men

1 Alex Dowsett Movistar Team 01:00:11.13
2 Edmund Bradbury NFTO 01:03:42.25
3 Ryan Perry SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team 01:04:02.28
4 Matthew Bottrill www.drag2zero.com 01:04:31.50
5 Lloyd Chapman Richardsons – Trek RT 01:05:43.02
6 Ashley Cox CC Luton 01:05:52.70
7 Tejvan Pettinger Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team 01:06:07.64
8 Jason Bouttell Velopro 01:06:15.57
9 Josh Williams Revolutions Racing 01:06:23.50
10 Gruffudd Lewis Pedal Heaven RT 01:06:31.07

View full article »

Five members of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team entered the Bristol South CC hill climb on Burrington Come, just outside Bristol. Many were riding their first open hill climb, though hill climb regular Tejvan Pettinger was riding the Bristol South hill climb for the eighth time.

Aryavan, Vilas, Garga, Tejvan

Aryavan, Dave, Garga and Tejvan

Aryavan from Australia, via Iceland was in Bristol from a few weeks.

Garga Chamberlain - an Audax regular and triathlon organiser tries his hand at hill climbing.

Vilas Silverton.

Dave Johnson.

The 2.2 mile hill climb averages six percent and is set in the beautiful Mendips.

Former National hill climb champion, Tejvan won the event in a time of 6.58 - seven seconds off his own course record, set in 2011.

Next week is the national hill climb championship at Jackson Bridge in Yorkshire.

Result 2015

1 Tejvan Pettinger Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team S 06:58.4 1st
2 Tony Kiss Performance Cycles CC S 07:25.1 2nd
3 Liam Bromiley University of Bath Cycling Club S 07:28.1 3rd + Team
4 Joe Norledge Procycling Magazine RT S 07:28.6 4th
5 Tavis Walker Velo Club Walcot S 07:38.2 5th
6 James Whateley University of Bath Cycling Club S 07:47.0 Team
7 Josh Gray Team Tor 2000/Kalas Sportswear Ltd S 07:51.7
8 Alastair Barnard University of Bath Cycling Club S 07:54.4 Team
9 James Coleman Velo Club Walcot S 07:56.2
10 Adrian Lawson Ride 24/7 V4 07:56.8 1st Vet 40-46
11 Charles Coleman Velo Club Walcot S 07:59.5
12 Gordon Markus Severn RC S 08:00.0
13 Frazier Carr University of Bath Cycling Club S 08:00.0
14 Glyndwr Griffiths Arctic Tacx RT S 08:01.6
15 Stefan Barnett Velo Club Walcot Jun 08:04.0 1st Jun u18
16 Oliver Darbyshire Severn RC S 08:09.3
17 Andrew Warby RST Sport/Aero-Coach S 08:12.0
18 Robert Borek Bristol South CC S 08:12.1
19 Daniel Pink Bigfoot CC S 08:12.9
20 Tom Ilett Dream Cycling S 08:15.1
21 George Jones Clevedon & District RC Jun 08:20.7
22 Daniel Burbridge Bristol South CC S 08:23.7
23 Stewart House Arctic Tacx RT V4 08:31.2
24 Jon Heath Climb on Bikes RT S 08:32.6
25 Oliver George Team Tor 2000/Kalas Sportswear Ltd Jun 08:39.6
26 Russell Peace Dursley RC S 08:40.6
27 Leigh Pinchen Northover VT / Rudy Project V4 08:44.2
28 John Grenfell Westbury Whs S 08:46.6
29 Adam Sheppard Salt and Sham Cycle Club S 08:47.2
30 Justin Gage Velo Club Walcot V4 08:49.6
31 Iain Hounsell Mendip Cycling Club V4 08:54.5
32 Marc Allen Swindon RC V5 08:58.0 1st Vet 47-54
33 Andrew Turner Bristol South CC S 08:59.0
34 Adam Whittaker Salt and Sham Cycle Club S 08:59.1
35 Richard Shortridge VC Bristol S 09:00.2
36 Dave Cullen Bristol South CC S 09:01.7
37 Mark Hudson Bristol South CC S 09:02.6
38 Charlie Shields Bath CC Juv 09:04.0 1st Juv u16
39 Barnaby Speller Velo Club Walcot S 09:11.3
40 Christopher Stroud Minehead CC V5 09:12.2
41 David Bolton Bristol South CC V4 09:12.4
42 Andy Stuart Velo Club St Raphael V4 09:14.4
43 Rob Nash Bristol South CC V6 09:17.9 1st Vet 55+
44 Chris Adams Bristol South CC V6 09:21.3
45 Jon James Mendip Cycling Club V5 09:21.9
46 Joanne Jago Performance Cycles CC L 09:24.3 1st Lady
47 Tom Bertenshaw Severn RC S 09:25.5
48 Lee Musto Minehead CC V4 09:32.7
49 Thomas Stimpson Salt and Sham Cycle Club S 09:34.2
50 Thomas Perry Evesham & Dist Whs Juv 09:43.9
51 John Bailey Bristol South CC V5 09:45.8
52 Garga Chamberlain Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team V4 09:49.3
53 Elle Twentyman University of Bath Cycling Club L 09:52.6 2nd Lady
54 Gary Smart Bath CC V5 09:55.0
55 Wiebke Rietz 1st Chard Whs LV5 10:00.8 1st Lady Vet
56 Adam Watkins Severn RC S 10:03.7
57 Claire Greenfield Bristol South CC LV4 10:04.5
58 Dave Hurley Somer Valley CC V4 10:04.6
59 David Sprigg Bristol South CC V5 10:05.9
60 Luke Smith Bristol South CC V4 10:06.6
61 Stephen Clarke Bristol South CC V5 10:07.4
62 Andrew Diffey Somer Valley CC V5 10:09.2 inc. late start 15s
63 David Wilton Bath CC V5 10:11.3
65 Nigel Vuagniaux Bath CC V6 10:15.0
66 Colin Payne Chippenham & Dist. Whs V5 10:17.7
67 James Kempe Bristol South CC Jun 10:18.0
68 Thomas Farrugia University of Bristol CC S 10:18.2
69 Julie Marazzi Somer Valley CC LV4 10:19.5
70 Daniel Kempe Bristol South CC V5 10:27.4
71 Richard Turpin VC Walcot V6 10:31.9
72 Victoria Ratcliffe Somer Valley CC LV4 10:38.1
64 Jonathan York Somer Valley CC V4 10:40.2
73 Josh Griffiths Bristol South CC Jun 10:42.4
74 Tim Spencer Bristol South CC V4 10:48.8
75 Vilas Silverton Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team V4 10:53.3
76 David Johnson Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team S 10:58.0
77 Yan Keene Bristol South CC V6 11:06.7
78 Michael Roberts Bristol South CC S 11:27.0
79 Mark Galley Bristol South CC V6 11:28.4
80 Karen Balmforth Sodbury Cycle-Sport LV4 11:49.7
81 Ben Parker BCDS Juv 11:52.8
82 David Braidley Bristol South CC V5 11:53.9
83 Joanna Knight Bristol South CC LV6 11:54.0
84 Dave Francis Alltrax V6 11:54.3
85 Alison Vuagniaux Bath CC LV6 12:52.2
86 Aryavan Lanham Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team V6 13:01.1
87 Theresa Jacobs Bath CC LV5 15:34.7 Lanterne Rouge

View full article »

August 9, 2015, Lake Vlasina, south-east Serbia

Official results (pdf)

There were 64 participants from Serbia, Croatia, Poland, Austria, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Montenegro.

In Olympic Thriatlon the first place went to Danilo Jovanovic (19) from Pancevo, Serbia with the result 2:06:14. The first woman was Aneta Arifi from Bor, Serbia with the result 2h 32min 47sec.

In Sprint Triathlon the winner was Vladimir Danko from Novi Sad, Serbia with the finish time 1:07:57. The first woman was Ana Stojanovic from Nis, Serbia with the result 1:26:29.

About the race:

Self-Transcendence Triathlon Vlasina 2015 took place at Vlasina lake in south-east Serbia on August 9, 2015. There were two races:

Olympic Triathlon: 1500 m swim, 40 km cycle, 10 km run (Serbian national Championship)

Sprint Triathlon: 750 m swim, 20 km cycle, 5 km run (part of Serbian Triathlon League)

Both races started at the same time: at 10 a.m.

Vlasina region is one of most beautiful parts of Serbia with its untouched nature and crystal-clear mountain lake. Vlasina lake is at 1200 m altitude and the water temperature is 21-23 ⁰C during sunny days in July and August.

Cycling and running route goes along the lake. Running route is flat and biking route is mostly flat, with a few gentle hills. Loop lenghts: swimming 750m, cycling 5km, running 2,5km.

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2015 page

View full article »

ExtremeMan, Nagyatad, Hungary, July 26, 2015

This year seven members of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team took part in ExtremeMan (ironman-distance triathlon) in Nagyatad:

Himadri C. Kavai from Budapest, Hungary,
Namitabha A. Arsic from Nis, Serbia,
Purnendu D. Knezevic from Belgrade, Serbia,
Ekalabhya Z. Bozinov from Skopje, Macedonia,
Deeptaksha P. Mihaylov from Sofia, Bulgaria,
Pragadata G. Skenderovic from Subotica, Serbia and
Prasannateyu D. Kakonji from Subotica, Serbia.

They all successfully finished the race with following results:

In his second ExtremeMan Himadri made a personal best. He cut down his last year's result here in Nagyatad by more than one hour!

Purnendu also absolved his second ExtremeMan. This year he improved compared to his last year's time by one and a half hour!

For Namitabha, Ekalabhya, Deeptaksha and Pragadata this was the first ironman-distance triathlon.

Although starting under fever, Prasannateyu succeeded to finish for the third time here in Nagyatad. After the race he felt tired, but his sickness was gone.

From left: Purnendu D. Knezevic, Prasannateyu D. Kakonji, Ekalabhya Z. Bozinov, Pragadata G. Skenderovic, Namitabha A. Arsic and Deeptaksha P. Mihaylov.

Around 700 athletes at the start of the race, 619 of them made it to the finish line.

Bicycle park (after all, this is a cycling site :)).

Himadri Kavai at the finish line.

Deeptaksha Mihaylov needed much longer time to finish (14:34:09), but he enjoyed every moment of it.

Pragadata Skenderovic (r.) with his friend Said. He was in very cheerful mood before the race ...

|
... and also during the race. His final result was 14:56:28.

Purnendu Knezevic had very good race and finished in 12:43:46.

Prasannateyu Kakonji started sick, took it slowly and finished in 15:02:30.

Ekalabhya Bozinov was very happy with his first ExtremeMan experience. He finished in 13:22:32.

Namitabha Arsic also had his first ExtremeMan and achieved excellent result of 12:12:51.

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2015 page

View full article »

27-Hour Cycling Relay

26/27 June 2015, Nis, Serbia

The 27-Hour Relay was held from 18:00 on Friday to 21:00 on Saturday.
Twelve participants cycled the following distances:

Nikhad Pavlovic                 279 km
Namitabha Arsic                187 km
Milan Vranjes                    134 km
Ayojan Stojanovic             131 km
Gambhirata Zivadinovic    115 km
Dragan Pavlovic                 99 km
Purusadya Durbaba           91 km
Ekanansa Stevanovic        37 km
Mirjana Ristic                     27 km
Angikar Djordjevic             27 km
Dragana Petrovic              27 km
Vladislav Novakovic         10 km

Total: 1164 km

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2015 page

View full article »

In honor of Sri Chinmoy's 84th birthday anniversary

14/15 August 2015

Results (pdf)

We cycled in 13 countries of Europe and North America. With 55 participants together we crossed 3646.7 kilometers. See below photos from event in Zurich.

Cyclists in Zurich after the finish at 9 pm.

Sandro

Devabala

Kedar and Pushkar

Airavata

Madhuja

Preyanshi

Andrea and Felix

Layamut

And Layamut again...

David

Bahadur

Nikhad

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Propositions:

from 18:00 on Friday, 14 August 2015
to 21:00 on Saturday, 15 August 2015

During these 27 hours (use local time in your country) you can cycle wherever you want, as much as you want, individually or with friends, even on your stationary bicycle at home if you want so.
You need not ride all 27 hours - it is a relay. Everybody rides as long as he can, when he stops somebody else will continue.
Cyclists in Zurich will take care that all 27 hours somebody is cycling. In this way others around the world can join any time and cycle as long as they are inspired.

Please measure (or estimate) the distance you crossed and send your name, where you cycled and the distance you crossed to Vandaniya, Zurich, per SMS (+41 77 444 5565), email ([email protected]) or skype (dejan_maksimovic).

Enjoy your cycling!

Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2015 page

View full article »

Race stories

Latest News

Sri Chinmoy

Worldwide:

Worldwide results