New record in total cycled distance: 124'166 km (previous best was 117'772 km in 2020).
New best result in male category: Igor Talevski, 7'070 km, cycled TransAm Bike Race.
New second best result in male category: Pushkala Tramosljika, 5'016 km, in Frankfurt, Germany.
New best result in female category: Agnikana Senkyrova, 3'701 km, in Zlin, Czech Republic.
Third best result in female category: Keertivati Senkyrova, 3'015 km, in Zlin, Czech Republic.
June 1 to June 30 (last update: September 10, 2021) - 124'166 km, 277 participants in 31 countries on 6 continents
Results June 2021, updated as they come:
June 1 to June 30 (last update: September 3, 2021) - 123'706 km, 276 participants in 31 countries on 6 continents June 1 to June 30 (last update: July 6, 2021) - 122'060 km, 271 participants in 31 countries on 6 continents June 1 to June 30 (last update: July 4, 2021) - 102'186 km, 228 participants in 27 countries on 6 continents June 1 to June 30 (last update: July 1, 2021) - 76'689 km, 185 participants in 27 countries on 6 continents June 1 to June 25 - 57'010 km, 159 participants in 24 countries on 5 continents June 1 to June 21 - 47'238 km, 136 participants in 22 countries on 4 continents June 1 to June 15 - 29'927 km, 110 participants in 21 countries on 4 continents June 1 to June 10 - 14'188 km, 70 participants in 18 countries on 3 continents June 1 to June 7 - 3'010 km, 30 participants in 12 countries on 2 continents
In the gallery below the participants of this year's Month of Cycling share the photos and inspiration from their rides in June 2021.
Igor from Skopje, Macedonia is participating in TransAm Bike Race (around 6500 km across USA, from West to East Coast, self-supported race). TransAm started on June 6. It was supposed to happen last year, but was postponed to 2021 due to Covid-19.
In a self-supported bike race, participants have no helpers and no organizator's support except on the checkpoints. They must cover the distance between checkpoints on their own, finding their way, buying food, take care of their gear and booking accommodations "on the way" to sleep a few hours. Igor did a few such races in Europe, this is his first in America.
Information about the participant on TransAm Bike Race's site.
Igor on the road, the first day of the race. In the first 6 days Igor cycled an average of 200 miles (322 km) per day. Ten days in the race, after passing the highest peaks on the course, Igor had an average of 194.6 miles (313 km) per day.
Pushkala cycling in Frankfurt, Germany.
Deeptaksha participated in the 100 km race on Vitosha moutain near Sofia, Bulgaria. It was a rainy day and the tracks were muddy ...
Andrey from Chelyabinsk, Russia, on the road. In June 2021 Andrey cycled his personal best - 3'321km and placed 3rd on the Month of Cycling - June 2021.
Austrian cyclists greeting us from a tour in Croatia.
Croatian coast on a perfect cycling day.
Vaibhava practicing hatha yoga in canyon of river Paklenica, Croatia. On the same place where Winetou movie was filmed in 1965.
Agnieszka cycling in Dublin, Ireland.
Tirtha and Tapaswini on a 80km tour through Allgaeu, Germany.
"Hey people, nice to "sea" you" from Shatadal, Dresden, Germany.
Sukinkar and Shatadal made together a tour in beautiful nature along Elbe river valey.
Abhinabha - a first time participant in Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge. He is preparing for his first Ironman Triathlon. Welcome Abhinabha and best wishes for the Ironman!
Anastasia from Winterthur, Switzerland.
Shuna from Budapest, Hungary.
Guzel cycling in Nakhabino, Russia.
Guzel playing with mirrors in Malevich park, Razdori, near Moscow, Russia.
Family Mayer (Lara, Matthias, Manuela and Lena) cycling in Salzburg, Austria.
Rasmivan is very happy with his new road bike. Cycling in Bristol, UK.
Prapti from Canada, cycling ...
... along Ottawa river (537km total in June 2021).
Nikhad cycled in Greece and in Serbia. June is a vacation month, people travel around in spite of viruses.
Cycling together to Baden, Switzerland. Ready to start, just to take a group photo...
Well connected, Pushkar, Switzerland.
Muniya from Prague, Czech Republic, commutes with bicycle to work and back home. Enjoying nature on the way to the office ...
... and an ice-cream on the way home.
Kedar on his first ride in June 2021, cycling in Zurich, Switzerland.
Anastasia shared this selfie after cycling 44 km in Winterthur on June 3.
Krasimir on his first ride along the Zurich lake, Switzerland.
Hutashan from Zurich, Switzerland, somewhere in foggy Swiss mountains.
Vandaniya on a rainy day, cycling in Switzerland.
Propositions June 2021:
Take part in a global 30-day Cycling Challenge that stretches over the month of June. Ride together with friends on all continents! Have fun and stay healthy!
For the past nine years, this event has given cyclists around the world the opportunity to join together in a oneness-project and get joy from following each other's progress. In June last year 301 participants in 34 countries on all 6 continents cycled together 117'772 km.
Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge: Month of Cycling - June 2021. Poster by Hrishikesh, Bulgaria.
Rules are simple - during the month of June you can ride wherever you like, with whomever you like, as much as you like. Ride in a soulful and joyful consciousness, be healthy and happy!
Send your name, place where cycled and the distance crossed to Vandaniya, by email ([email protected]). You can send results daily, weekly or the total distance at the end. Results are posted on this page and updated as they arrive.
Month of Cycling - June 2021: 277 participants in 31 countries on 6 continents cycled together a new record-distance of 124'166 km.
27-Hour Cycling, September 3 / 4, 2021: In honour of Sri Chinmoy's 90th birthday anniversary 77 participants in 17 countries on 5 continents cycled together 4'646 km.
Since I started doing longer rides, about 4 years ago, I have completed the Rapha Festive 500 challenge each year. It is a really simple concept which is to cycle 500 km outside between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. This means 8 days. Rides must be recorded on a gps device and uploaded to Strava, the web-based platform, and made visible for everyone to see.
There are different strategies for completing the challenge, such as doing a few longer rides here and there, squeezing in rides between family and work commitments and adapting to the weather, which in the northern hemisphere, can be quite an important factor. The most important thing though is just to get out and ride.
For the past couple of years, I have thought about trying to do more than the 500 km minimum, but somehow have never quite got around to it. I remember one year was icy so I missed a few days. One of my rules is not to ride in ice (for obvious reasons) or fog as other road users cannot see you clearly.
This year, I had hardly touched the bike for a few months since completing the Paris-Brest-Paris Randonée in August. I’m not sure why I wasn’t riding, but I just didn’t feel like it. Certainly, the weather wasn’t helping. In the UK, this period has been characterized by almost continual rain and damp conditions which does not make riding much fun. Maybe the break was more for my mind than body.
Chatting with the barista at my local cycling café (Camber CC) I reflected over my dis-inclination to ride but I tempered this with the fact that I was looking forward to the Festive 500, due to start in a few days. I think this was one of the reasons the challenge was started 10 years ago by Graeme Raeburn. It is to re-ignite people’s motivation to ride over the winter break and kick start fitness goals into the new year with a positive spirit. Although I love cycling and never usually have a problem with getting out of the front door, these past few months have certainly been a challenge.
The day before the start, I did a little research and plotted a 250km route around the Somerset Levels, trying to avoid any major (or minor) hills, because these would tax my legs unduly. In addition, I wanted to bypass major urban areas which would also slow my progress. I looked for a balance of interesting roads where I could cycle at a fair pace but not so busy that it would feel like I was on a major A road.
In the event, the route was quite good with one or two exceptions. I did not completely review my route choices so I found myself around Bridgewater bumping along a canal path for around 10 km worrying about my plummeting average speed and the fact that the wet mud would play havoc with my gears, chain and skinny tyres.
I need not have worried as later on, I came across flooded roads where I needed to keep pedalling through deep water up to my hubs or risk falling over sideways. There were compensations though. The golden light of evening against dark, threatening skies gave some truly beautiful views. I also saw huge flocks of starlings, shape-shifting as one through the sky as I witnessed one of the natural wonders of the world: the Murmuration.
Garmings
That evening, after hosing my bike down and oiling everything necessary, I plotted some routes that would keep me closer to home in case of technical difficulties. Hence I chose to ride north from Bristol and use the small area of land bordered by the Severn Estuary to the west, Gloucester to the north and the A38 to the East. This way I could make use of the Services at Hardwicke, and the 24 hour toilets in Berkley. I could also visit a favourite café in Slimbridge if necessary.
Through helping at 24 hour and multiday running races, I know the importance of having facilities close by, and the simple fact that time spent off the track means your mileage total will be stagnant. Hence the importance of facilities on my route. Part of me was also keen to use a circuit as a mental test. Earlier in the year, I took part in the Transatlantic Way cycle event which was a 2,500 km ride mostly down the west coast of Ireland. This year there was a shorter route option which I ended up taking after about half distance when I could not face any more repeated circuits of hilly headlands which I had traversed before. Did I have a problem with laps?
The next day I would find out as I set out early and tried out my new loop to the north. Being Christmas morning, I was anxious to see what services would be available. I knew from past years that there would be a garage open on the A38 near Almondsbury to buy snacks, but I wanted to see if there was better choice somewhere else and so I followed my 75km circuit to Hardwicke. Here I found a small supermarket with a café inside and an excellent toilet. Such simple and basic requirements, but it was my best Christmas present! They had a hot food counter where I found savoury pastries, toasted sandwiches and hot drinks all at reasonable prices. I was so happy as this was the most perfect refuge. Thankfully there were no seats or else I might have struggled to leave.
As I was about to leave that Christmas morning, I thought I should check their opening hours. Would they be open on my next lap? Should I buy some bars or nuts to take with me?
I asked the lad behind the counter :
“Excuse me mate, what time do you close today?”
Without hardly even looking up, he rather glumly replied:
“We never close”
I was almost ecstatic and excited at the prospect of uninterrupted riding.
I rode steadily until 2pm before returning home for a lovely Christmas lunch with my family. After I had cleaned my bike, and thrown dirty kit into the washing machine I had a dilemma. Should I head straight back out of the door? In hindsight, the answer was of course yes. However, I had just done 400km in two days after 3 months of almost nothing and so I felt a little tired and justified to myself the need for an afternoon nap.
Waking at 7pm, my nap felt more like a full-scale hibernation. My dilemma continued, do I head off into the dark or get an early night? Surely I could squeeze in a cheeky 2-3 hours? In the end, I procrastinated over a cup of tea and decided to eat more food, and go back to bed. Tomorrow was due to be a big day and so I had better be ready.
Sunlight
The following morning, as I turned on my gps devices to head out of the door, I noticed one was quite flat. I thought I had charged both my devices overnight, but obviously I had only one ready. I wondered how long it might take to charge the other, but as I was standing in my kit ready to leave, I decided that now was not the time to wait. I put my gps down next to the crib scene in our hallway. It looked rather out of place.
Another early start this Boxing Day meant that distances were being ticked off quite nicely. The rest yesterday meant I was feeling good, even though I was moving quite slowly. Normally 100km would take around 4 hours, but today it was taking 5. In these situations it is easy to become despondent and ask yourself why are you so slow? But thankfully today my mind was behaving itself and only giving me encouraging information. As long as you are moving forward, you are making progress, and that is good. You might be having a break to buy food or use the toilet, that is also good. You are out riding, that is good. Basically, it’s all good.
Sheep on road
After not heading out again last night, I also made a note to myself to be a bit stronger mentally. It seems going home at half time increased my temptation to stay home (obviously) and so I should stay out as long as I planned in one go. After all, I had 24 hour food and toilets, so there was no excuse.
I remember this day was a little tough due to the weather. I checked the forecast and saw that the likelihood of rain was 6%. I thought this was excellent but still wore my heavy waterproof jacket over my softshell. It was so cold that I wasn’t sweating much and did not feel dehydrated. The cold did mean that I kept having to stop for nature breaks though which slightly broke my riding rhythm.
I saw threatening clouds filling the sky and turned to face them,
“Oi!” I shouted at them,
“6% remember! 6%”
I laughed at the absurdity of arguing with mother nature, and I wondered what she thought of the BBC weather app. Nevertheless, before long, the prevailing dampness all around me was joined by fresh stuff from above. I had more imaginary conversations with the people upstairs…
“Hey! What’s going on? 6% remember! 6%...”
“When did I say 6%?”
“Ok, I know you didn’t say it, but the BBC did, and they’re practically God”
“Ha ha, I didn’t know that, I’ll have to tell the old fella”
Returning home that day I had a shock when my 300km ride would not upload to Strava. I tried to be detached and not worry about it. I thought back over the day and regretting not having a back up device. One of my reasons for splitting rides would be to mitigate against this kind of thing. Thankfully after a quick prayer, checking the Wifi settings, turning both gps and phone off and on, my account was updated with the new ride information.
Maybe this day I hadn’t eaten enough because the following morning I was absolutely creeping. Although I started early, progress was very slow. The temperature hovered around zero or one degree centigrade and I couldn’t get warm. The air was damp, the countryside saturated and I felt like all the warmth in my body was being sucked out by a Harry Potter-style death eater.
I made a small detour in Slimbridge to a favourite café, the Black Shed. As I peered through the door, trying to see if they were open, a kindly lady opened up and explained that I would have to wait 15 minutes for service but that I could wait inside if I liked. I accepted her offer, and the delay happily. I hadn’t had a stop this long so far on the ride, but felt it was necessary to try and warm up and keep things together. I had by now seen that I was doing very well on the worldwide leaderboard and so felt the importance of keeping myself healthy for the whole week. In that regard, a ¾ hour ‘delay’ spent getting hot food would be time well spent.
I rode through into the evening as late as I dared, knowing that the following day I had to work and cycling time would be severely restricted.
On Saturday 28th, I was required to start work as a caretaker at 7am, work a few hours, go home and return to work later for a few hours, closing up at 7pm. Initially, I was due to be off this weekend, and I had pencilled in a 500 km Audax ride in the company of others. As my shifts were changed, I was slightly upset that I could not do it so I was forced to change my plans over the festive 500 period and do shorter rides but with a greater frequency. In hindsight, this was probably a more effective strategy.
After my morning shift, I went shopping for bandages. By now my backside was getting really sore from riding and I could tell the skin was starting to become abraded. The roads I had chosen were quite bumpy and now I was starting to feel every irregularity in the surface below me. I bought a selection of different types and resigned myself to the painful process of application and removal that would follow.
To ride or not to ride.
It is a very simple decision and the choice should nearly always be to ride, especially in a week like this, where I was planning on riding as much as possible. With only a few hours between bandage shopping and being back at work, I decided to return home, eat as much as possible and check my bike and kit were ready for the next ride. The other thing I wanted to do was sleep, I had a couple of hours and that would help. No sooner had I lay down in bed than I realized that I was burning up, my body felt like it was on fire. Could it be burning aspiration or something else? I stripped off and was glad of having nothing touching my skin. Apart from the discomfort to my undercarriage, my face had been blasted by the cold and rain until it was quite tender despite buffs and wraps. My hands too were now pummeled and numb from the road vibrations. I should have fitted tri bars I told myself, to ease the pressure on my hands and backside, but I was using battery lights that took up all the space on my handlebars where the tri bars would normally be attached. I wondered if using tri bars would be against the spirit of the event, that it was certainly not a race, but still, it was a situation where they would be very useful. Ah well, maybe next time.
That evening, returning from work, I briefly called round to a friends house who was celebrating their birthday. I stopped briefly for soup and a chat and we spoke of course, about my ride. An obvious question was how far I intended to ride. The honest answer was that I did not know. Initially, I had thought that 1000km would be a nice target. In the next instance, however, I told myself that it was a very arbitrary choice. Why 1000? It’s just a nice round number. I could choose a number that had more significance and make it a personal statement, such as a birth year or an anniversary. I wondered about 1220 to celebrate 12 years and two months since my spiritual master passed away. In a neat display of symmetry, I had been accepted as a disciple 12 years and 2 months prior to his passing. I wondered if I could really ride that much? I did not know. In the end, I decided not to concentrate on numbers but just to ride, to do my maximum and see where it took me.
That evening, post soup, I headed out again, around 9 pm for my ride of the day. I was not sure how long I would be out for but I wanted to add some distance to my total. It was tempting not to ride and go to bed, telling myself I would be fresher for tomorrow, but I still carried the slightly unpleasant feeling of not going out twice on Christmas day. The feeling that I could have, possibly done more. I also secretly knew that now I was getting tired and building up a bank of deeper fatigue that would not be helped much by skipping a day. I knew my legs would be sore tomorrow anyway, and so to remain in a good position, I needed to ride again. Indeed, every day.
It was sometime in the small hours when I got in, 150 km later, knowing I would have to do it all again tomorrow. Everyone was in bed and the house was quiet. My eyes by now were completely bloodshot, two sunken scarlet pools staring back at me in the mirror, ringed by white discharge from both corners. I promised myself I would look into getting contact lenses and protective eye wear in the new year as the cold weather was whipping round my spectacles and battering my eyes. After a short sleep, the blood and discharge would have gone, but the puffy bags around half-closed eyes would remain until the end.
Sunday came and went. Time became a blur. My sister collected my niece from the train station and I missed her. She was older, in her 20’s now and I hoped she would understand my absence. It was the only family engagement I sacrificed over the period, and I agonized over it. I saw her the next morning at breakfast and we had a nice chat. We had mutually promised to spend some time at a café together and treat ourselves and now I was going back on my word. She said it was ok and I should go and ride but I felt terrible.
With a heavy heart I got ready to ride but realized that my eyes were closing, so having got changed, I went to lie down for 30 minutes. In the meantime, someone else drove my niece to the train station.
The next two days required me to be in work and my plan was to take these two days as one unit and ride as much as possible. So after very little sleep, I woke at 4.50 on Monday to open up my workplace. I knew I could not control what other riders did, but as long as I did my best, I would be happy. By now the end was in sight, which was fortunate because I was starting to struggle. Not so much physically because my legs were ok, and my backside had now gone comfortably numb. It was rather the cumulative effect on my morale of being out in the cold, dark and wet for such long periods.
There were highlights though. Riding around Slimbridge which is a sanctuary for birds and wildlife, I had the companionship of low flying swans, birds of prey, bats and field mice. On my return visits to Hardwicke services, the friendly lady who served me on Christmas day made it a point of breaking off what she was doing to ask me how I was getting on. After being alone for so long, this small human interaction was almost enough to start me crying.
Monday was, therefore, a late start riding after coming home from an early shift work. Things worked out well though, and after a huge breakfast, I rode until about 2 am Tuesday morning before coming home and uploading my ride. By now I was no longer cleaning my bike in the evenings. I was too tired, and as long as the gears and brakes worked, it would have to do. I had already replaced both brake blocks despite the flat nature of my routes due to the mud and grit on the roads. Now I just needed to oil the chain occasionally to keep it moving round, on January 1st the chain would be heading straight for the bin.
My next work requirement was a midday-2pm shift December 31st to close the facility early for New Year’s Eve. In planning my rides, I was a little annoyed that this shift would mess up my day and rob me of precious daylight riding time. As I couldn’t change this external factor, I decided to change my attitude and use it as a waypoint on the ride. I would cycle through Monday night, until Tuesday midday work. Then I would eat, shower and change before going out to finish on Tuesday night, December 31st.
This is pretty much exactly what happened. I rode Monday through to Tuesday around 2am, had some food and set out again. The only thing to add is that by now I was extremely tired, moving slowly and had to contend with freezing fog on that last morning. Although the roads are generally quiet in the small hours, one of my circuits made use of a B road that is shared with lorries servicing the many depots and warehouses in Avonmouth. Even though there is a segregated cycle lane for some of its length, there are exposed sections and so I decided to completely avoid this stretch when visibility was poor. To this end, I rode up and down, back and forth deserted lanes in the fog to get my totals for that morning.
Work was quiet that last day and I can’t pretend that I was very efficient. I took a huge amount of food to take with me and finished off a family-sized trifle quite easily. My colleagues took one look at me and assumed I had been partying hard over the festive period. I tried to explain, but I’m not sure they were convinced.
After a quick change, I was back out Tuesday afternoon with the happy thought that I would not be doing this tomorrow. Even though January 1st is a great time to symbolically start as you mean to go on, my new year’s day would be spent sleeping, visiting the bathroom and raiding the fridge.
In contrast to Tuesday morning, my final session that day went well. I managed to get half way around my 75km loop before the sunset, and I visited my favourite services for the last time. I passed isolated houses in the countryside, some lit up like the gaudiest circuses with their Christmas lights, all for the last time. I thought of family and how my mum would love to see these displays, I must drive her out here I thought, and then I wondered if I really would.
I no longer raged against the clouds and rain because the weather had lifted slightly and the threat of rain receded. The cold was drier now, and the wind a little more noticeable. As the time moved closer to midnight, I headed towards home and onto one of my smaller circuits. There was no need for any more food stops now. I had a bag of salted cashews and a fruit bar. I still had two bidons of water, although one had a small can of red bull diluted into the water.
Although the challenge finished at midnight, I did not know how things might be calculated if a ride went over into the next day. I did not want to take any chances by finishing at 00.01. Yet I knew that I could cover more distance on my faster, bigger circuit. By now I was flying along with a preposterous freshness in the closing stages of an 8 day challenge. Desperate to squeeze out the last few km’s, desperate to finish the circuit in time, desperate to get back home, desperate not to get overtaken on the leaderboard, desperate not to run over time. You might say I was desperate, but there was an exhilaration that ran through me that far outweighed any negativity that desperation implies. I knew I had done my best and had far exceeded what I thought I was capable of. I knew I was unlikely to top the leaderboard, and yet I could still be knocked down a few places if others were riding more strongly than me. I thought about the others in my position, in other parts of the world and I saluted them. If they did more than me, I was fine with that as I had done my maximum.
As I was riding well, I got home a little before I planned to, maybe 10 minutes or so and so I did loops around my house, small circuits of a couple of blocks. I could sense people in their homes getting ready to come out and fill the streets with shouts of Happy New Year. There was a rising tension in the air and I felt as though I was riding on a wave of that energy.
How late could I dare to ride until? What if the ride did not upload first time? I wanted to have the ride signed off before midnight but I also wondered how I would feel if I lost a place by one kilometre through lack of trying. In the event, I stopped at 11.50, giving myself ten minutes to upload the ride and all went well. I would not have advanced a place this night by one kilometre and I had not lost any places either.
Unless riders in other time zones uploaded rides to take me down a few places, it looked like I now had a good position. Whatever happened, I was very happy with my ride and surrendered to the outcome. All I had to do now was offer my gratitude for a great ride, wish my family and friends a Happy New Year and fall into bed.
Cycle Ride across Australia - Vilas Silverton
By Tejvan Pettingerauthor bio »
20 April
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.
Tejvan Pettinger of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team, won the Bristol South CC hill climb on Burrington Combe in a time of 7.17. It was his seventh win at this event from nine attempts. He first rode Burrington Combe in 2004, and is now a regular at an event which suits his him well.
Burrington Combe 2016
Length: 2.0 miles
Average grade: 6%
Time: 7.17
Av. speed: 16.2 mph
In recent months, Tejvan has been hampered by an injury and this was his first hill climb win of the season. Speaking after the event Tejvan said:
"I was pleased with the ride, I haven't done much training in past few months, so I wasn't sure how I would do. After missing quite a few events with injury, it was nice to win one hill climb before the end of the season."
Tejvan Pettinger's results at Burrington Combe Hill climb
2004 – 7.12 – 2nd / 43
2005 – 7.06 – 2nd / 61
2008 – 7.21 – 1st / 50
2009 – 7.20 – 1st / 55
2010 – 7.10 – 1st / 51
2011 – 6.51 – 1st / 48 – new Course Record
2014 – 6.57 – 1st / 118
2015 – 6.58 – 1st / 110
2016 – 7.17 – 1st / 113
Vilas, Dave and Tejvan from Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team in cafe after race.
Next week is the National Hill Climb Championship on Bank Road at Matlock
In honour of Sri Chinmoy's 85th birthday anniversary
On Friday August 12 and Saturday August 13, 2016, a 27-Hour Cycling Relay took place. Some of the participants were cycling alone, others were cycling together - the largest group events took place in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, in Vienna, Austria and in Schlieren, Switzerland. Fifty participants altogether crossed total of 2484 kilometers. Click here to see thelist of all participants and their distances.
Photos:
Propositions:
The cycling relay takes place non-stop...
from 18:00 on Friday, 12 August 2016 to 21:00 on Saturday, 13 August 2016
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 arelay, 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 SMS (+41 77 444 5565) or email ([email protected]).
On Saturday 25th June I took part in another Audax event, this time a 330km (200 mile) ride from Upton Magna near Shrewsbury in England to Chepstow (Wales) and back.
As the start was at 6am, I had a rather early start (2.07am) to get there on time.
As usual, everyone started the ride together. As well as my 330km event, a 600km ride was being held at the same time, with riders following the same course for most of the day. As on previous rides, the countryside was very beautiful, and I enjoyed seeing the farm animals and birds (such as the red kite) on what was a beautiful day.
When cycling in Wales, however, it does not pay to be too complacent and although I checked the weather repeatedly and there was not supposed to be much rain, it started coming down with increasing force as I reached the summit of the Gospel pass (the highest road in Wales I am told).
Equipped with my invaluable Gore Tex jacket and trusty, battered overshoes, the descent from the pass was fun, even in the rain. Reaching the bottom, I came across a group of faster riders who were being delayed by a farmer shepherding a large flock of sheep along the road ahead of us. It seemed a good time to eat some energy bars and re-fuel. I also cycled alongside the farmer on his quad-bike and had a nice chat about this and that.
In time, I reached Chepstow at 167km, the turn around point in my ride and found some other riders in the town centre. We were all doing the same thing, looking for food! We found a shop selling pastries and sandwiches which was just perfect. I had been struggling a bit at this point and so tried to eat as much as I could, and even taped a spare sandwich onto my bike for later.
Unfortunately I didn’t feel particularly good for the next 100km, but kept moving at whatever pace I could manage and tried not to look too much at my cycle computer that showed the kilometres ticking by (quite slowly!). Since around 150km both of my knees had started feeling very sore which was a bit distracting. I consoled myself with the thought that they were hurting equally and in the same places, so that was a good sign and surely only temporary.
I also took great solace from the fact that, although I wasn’t riding as fast as others, I was climbing hills better than 2 weeks ago. Admittedly the gradients were not so cruelly steep as before, and I still needed the lowest gear on my bike, but I did not have to get off at any time which felt good.
With a sit down and some hot food at 250km, I started to feel a bit better, and the last 80km went fairly well. I was passed by some riders who had been behind me, but I didn’t really care, I was just happy to be moving well and riding at a pace I could sustain.
On my last long ride (600km) I felt quite euphoric at the end and really pushed on towards the finish. This may be why I could not walk for days after, and felt like a jet-lagged, drunken zombie for a week. This time I wanted to preserve my knees and so carried on riding normally through the darkness.
It was also getting quite cold by now and I was very grateful to finish around 12.20am, well inside the cut off time.
I had brought my tent with me to sleep overnight, but was too tired to put it up at that time of night, so I left my trusty, dirty bike outside the car and climbed into the back seat for my night’s ‘sleep’.
Surfacing around 6am, I headed back down south towards Raglan (this time by car!) to meet Tejvan who was taking part in the National 12 hour Time Trial Championships.
Part 2 - 2016 National 12 hour Time Trial Championship
Although his start time was 7.05am, we decided it would be ok to meet up around 9am (to allow me a bit more recovery time).
Tejvan had arranged to deposit his kit and food on the course for me to collect, and so after retrieving his kit bag and spare wheels from a hedge beside the Hardwicke roundabout on the A40, I was very happy to find him along the course around 9am for our first exchange where I could hand up new drinks and energy gels.
The course for Tejvan’s event used a number of different circuits, and one stretch took riders up a long, undulating road towards Hereford, and then straight back. This section gave me good opportunities to park the car and take action shots of him and others. Unfortunately as I was coming to overtake him at one point, I noticed traffic lights on the course and they were turning red! I had to watch helplessly from behind as Tejvan dutifully slowed, unclipped and waited for the lights to change back to green. I heard from him later that he was held up on the return leg too, how cruel!
Our plan was to meet around every hour for a fresh drinks and gels, and so I found a slight uphill drag where he could throw down his empty bottle and I could hand up a full one.
As riders like Tejvan go so fast on the flat, it is rather impossible to hand things to them at normal speed. The ideal is to find a slight uphill slope where their speed will be lower and there will be space for the helper to run along side, to try and match their speed (!) and deliver a full water bottle.
All seemed to go well at this feed, with a fresh bottle safely delivered and collected, except I could not find his empty bottle. It had been jettisoned into the long grass that was mixed with stinging nettles that were doing an excellent job of covering up the bottle. As time ticked by, I wondered if I should just give up and go on, especially as the bottle was pretty old and well used. I decided to persevere as the event was still only in its early stages and to be a bottle down could cause problems later on.
As I continued searching I remembered one of Sri Chinmoy’s stories about some partridges giving their eggs to the sea to look after while they went away. I had no hesitation then in humbly asking the grass to reveal where Tejvan’s bottle was concealed so I could carry on and do my job. A few seconds later, my foot parted the grass and nettles to reveal an old, battered and scratched High 5 water bottle which I gratefully retrieved and carried on my way.
After this episode, I decided to visit a nearby supermarket which would be my best chance of getting food for the rest of the day. After a delicious vegetarian cooked breakfast I headed back onto the course to meet Tejvan.
Riders were now on a different circuit and I basically got lost. I was on the correct road but it didn’t look right to me and I took a wrong turning and headed off somewhere quite different before being able to turn back and re-trace my steps.
I was frustrated and desperate to catch my rider. Yet I could not find him and the clock kept on ticking. Eventually I found a spot on the new circuit and just waited. It had been two hours since our last meeting and I was sad that I may have messed up his ride.
When he eventually came into view I was so relieved and was able to hand up an energy bar, drink and gel that I hoped would see his nutrition back on track. As Tejvan is quite well known in cycling circles, I was accosted by one of his admirers who was asking me all about meditation, society and our place in it. It was quite a challenge to remain composed enough to answer such questions after the roller-coaster morning I was having.
After 3.30pm, riders were diverted onto a smaller finishing circuit that would allow timekeepers to accurately record finishing times and distances. This time, although I had an idea where to go, I followed other helpers and found a good position to hand up bottles. It was now raining quite heavily and riders were soaked in their thin, skin tight clothing. Tejvan stopped to get a winter jacket at one point as the cold got to him, but throughout the 12 hours, he can’t have stopped for much more than 10 minutes.
On the smaller finishing circuit, (15.6 miles) I would see Tejvan about every 40 minutes or so and could visualize the finish in terms of how many bottles I would need and how well he was riding. Sometimes other helpers would ask me how he was doing and whether he had a chance of winning the race. I had to confess that I had no idea where he was in terms of race position and I did not want to know either. As far as I was concerned, my job was to hand up food and drink, offer encouragement and support as needed. The results, as such were not my department.
At the end of 12 hours, I collected a soaking wet, skinny, tired and hungry cyclist from a random layby on the A40 in Wales. Tejvan had just cycled 283 miles in 12 hours at an average speed of almost 24 mph. It was a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of it.
On Friday June 24 and Saturday June 25, 2016, a 27-Hour Cycling Relay took place in Nis, Serbia.
Nine participants rode on a 7 km road lap from 18h on Friday until 21h on Saturday. Together they crossed 1255km with the following individual distances:
1. Nikhad Pavlovic - 272.9 km
2. Dragan Pavlovic - 204 km
3. Angikar Djordjevic - 180 km
4. Ayojan Stojanovic - 152 km
5. Purusadya Durbaba - 117.6 km
6. Momir Milicevic - 90.6 km
7. Gambhirata Zivadinovic - 86 km
8. Milan Vranjes - 77.7 km
9. Vladislav Novakovic - 74 km
Momir Milicevic (7), 90.6km total.
After the finish, from left: Milan, Gambhirata, Purusadya, Momir, Dragan and Nikhad.
In the UK national 12 hour time trial championship, Tejvan Pettinger from the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team finished in second place with a total of 284 miles. It was Tejvan's first attempt at the distance and it makes a rare double to win both the national Hill climb championship (2013) and gain a medal in the 12 hour championship.
The championship was held on a course in South Wales. It featured an opening leg of 90 miles, before moving onto a 26 mile circuit and finally a finishing lap of 19 miles. The riders had to contend with persistent rain for the last half of the race, which made conditions tough.
Tejvan waiting at traffic lights on the course
Speaking of his debut at the 12 hour challenge, Tejvan said:
"The furthest I have ridden this year was 103 miles, so a 12 hour was a step into the unknown. Although it was a national championship, I didn't think too much about the distance or result, but just concentrated on being able to finish the 12 hours and seeing how far I could go. In an event of this duration, you inevitably have good periods, but also difficult times. After two hours, I was already wondering how I would make it, but after these difficult early morning hours I got into a good rhythm and was going really well in the middle of the event. I think I started to enjoy it, despite the pain in the shoulders.
In the last two hours, the persistent rain seeped through and I suffered from the cold quite a lot, but I just about managed to hang on. Although it was tough, I can see the attraction of these long-distance events and am planning how to try and go further next year. Vilas Silverton, a fellow member of Sri Chinmoy CT, did a great job in helping out passing many bottles and energy gels - even though he did a 300km bike ride the day before.
Vilas in action on cyclo cross bike
It was also good to do a 12 hour time trial because every April, the Sri Chinmoy Centre put on a 12 hour walk to mark the anniversary of Sri Chinmoy's arrival in the West, but I never do it because I don't want to interfere with my cycle training, so this is a kind of compensation. In the future I'd like to do a 24 hour time trial, because Sri Chinmoy, with many other members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre, entered a 24 hour cycle challenge in the late 1970s."
Tejvan Pettinger, of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team, set a new personal best at 100 miles, completing the distance in a time of 3.34.02 - an average speed of 28 mph. The event was the ECCA 100 mile TT, south of Cambridge. It is an event he has previously won in 2014 and 2015, but this year had to settle for 7th place after some of countries top long-distance riders were on great form. The new 'pb' follows on from the previous week's pb at 25 miles. This coming weekend, Tejvan will be entering the national 12 hour time trial championship - a new distance for the rider who is better known as a 'hill climb specialist.
Tejvan said of the ECCA 100 mile TT.
"It is a fast course, and nice to set a new pb. but I found it quite tough and didn't do quite as well as I hoped. But, then the previous week I exceeded expectations, so that's the nature of the sport. I also nearly missed my start, turning up 5 seconds before I was due and a last minute panic race to the start line. It was a bit lucky I didn't miss the race completley. 100 mile time trials are really hard because you start to hurt in back and shoulders holding low position for so long. The best thing about the race was being able to go back to hotel for a short kip before then going to an Ananda concert in Cambridge that afternoon. It was a busy day - 100 miles cycle, concert of Sri Chinmoy's music, pizza and drive home from Cambridge. The concert was great and helped take away the little dissappointment of not finishing higher. It was also another 100 miles for the June - Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge. And if things go well at the weekend (12 hour TT) I may be able to add a few more miles to the monthly total."
My first Audax ride: 35 hours and 600km through the Welsh countryside
By Vilas Silverton
16 June
Vilas Silverton from the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team took part for the first time in a 600km Audax ride, a long-distance cycling challenge also known as a Brevet or Randonee. Although they are not races, they do have time limits (in this case 40 hours) and require riders to pass through certain checkpoints en route to prove passage. Below is Vilas' entertaining account of what transpired:
The ride started from a small village hall near Tewksbury in England at 5.00am and headed into South Wales before crossing over to the west coast, heading northwards towards the top of Wales before returning back to the start in England. The ride contained 10,000 metres of climbing which, I discovered, is rather a lot!
Before the event I was excited and a little nervous, my longest ride to date had been 220km with Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team colleague Garga Chamberlain, which was made very difficult by poor weather conditions (ie non stop rain, and winds strong enough to blow you off your bike). However, since that ride in February, I had done other long rides that felt much better. After struggling to follow paper maps on my first Audax ride, I quickly bought a garmin which massively cut down the time I lost at road junctions etc where I was not always sure which way to go (directions are not my strong point!). This device had my route loaded onto it, so I could follow a little arrow on the screen which told me what roads to take.
After checking all my equipment the week before, studying the route, and carbo loading for 3 days, I felt really thrilled to be able to start at dawn with about 40 other riders on the day itself. To begin with, we rode easily as a pack to the first checkpoint at Monmouth, which was 50 km away and got receipts from an ATM to prove we had got there. I was happy to ride with others at this point, as I couldn’t get my garmin to work at the start.
After the easy first section, we started heading into the hills of Wales where the group broke into pieces and people rode in small groups of 3-4 or just solo. By this time I had figured out my garmin and so was perfectly happy to ride at my own pace. Quite often, this did mean I enjoyed riding in the company of others, but I was also not worried about riding alone.
It rained gently most of the first day but it was warm also, so I rode in shorts, short sleeved jersey, gilet and arm warmers. It was a bit too warm for a rain jacket - for now. My plan was to err on the side of being too warm rather than too cold, as I didn’t want to use up energy by getting cold/keeping warm. In a long ride such as this, I kept the pace very easy on the hills and rode steadily on the flatter sections. This was to keep my heart rate low and stay as far as possible in the ‘fat burning zone’.
In training, I had some difficulty with digestion, and was a bit worried about getting through the event if nothing would stay down. I need not have worried however, and ate well at cafes and supermarkets en route. I also took a number of energy bars etc with me as some sections of the route (up to 100kms) passed through isolated and exposed countryside where there was nothing to eat (unless you are a sheep).
Around 12.30am I arrived at a control point that had beds and here many riders stopped to sleep. I felt quite good however, and decided to keep going. I did stop long enough for some pasta and a change of clothes (I had sent a bag on ahead). This meant I could change out of my wet shorts and socks - luxury! It also meant I could swap my leg warmers for full length tights for the night although the night time temperature probably didn’t get below 10 degrees centigrade.
I was really looking forward to riding in the night. The roads were very quiet, just a few cars now and then, but as I rode through the darkness, I had owls, bats and sheep for company. I couldn’t see the beautiful countryside at this point but I was happy to keep moving. Having helped at some multi-day running races in the past, I am acutely aware that night time is a special time for doing things. Most people can run or cycle in the day, but if you can forego sleep for a while to achieve an important task, it feels magical to me.
The consequences of riding for 24 hours with no sleep were starting to catch up with me however, as I started hallucinating at around 4.30 am. I saw people walking around in the road and cars coming towards me that did not really exist. I was also having a bit of trouble keeping my bike going where I wanted it to. I promised myself a sleep at the next control.
I was enjoying the night section though, particularly as the weather was dry. However, that changed after a few hours, and all my lovely dry clothes got soaked again, so I sat down on a deserted road, struggled to put on my waterproof jacket, shoe covers and neoprene gloves. About 6.5 hours after setting out from the previous checkpoint, I arrived cold, wet and uncontrollably shivering at the next one, a community centre/village hall in mid-Wales. A nice lady made me the classic dish of baked beans in tomato sauce on toast (she may have been an angel?) however, as my stomach was a bit sensitive, I couldn’t finish it, unfortunately.
Another rider was there too, and a few helpers asked me about Tejvan (Pettinger, Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team hill-climb champion) and his exploits. I was happy to have my mind distracted by other things at this point and very grateful to be wearing Sri Chinmoy’s name on my kit for all to see.
Spotting a blanket in a corner of the hall, I asked to borrow it and wrapped myself up and went to lie down, still wet and shivering. I awoke about an hour later, feeling warmer and better, so I put my wet shoes and socks back on and headed out of the door.
As the last section had been so hard, I foolishly thought the next one might be a bit easier. It was a bit shorter, certainly but the hills were very steep and relentless. They were very small lanes that went straight up hill sides rather than gently curving around. Since 150km however, I had pain in my right knee which meant I couldn’t really put much force through the pedals. As the pain was on the outer edge of my knee, I figured it was just the ITB that was tight and pulling on the joint, so I massaged it at every stop in order to keep moving. I was praying hard that this inconvenience would not stop me riding. I was very grateful that my knee pain would allow me to remember Guru too (Sri Chinmoy also was affected by knee pain during his considerable sporting career). The direct consequence of this situation is that I had to walk up the steeper slopes even though I had low gears on my bike. For a sporting cyclist, this is quite an ignominious position to be in, but here I was, limping up hill after hill in my slippery cycling shoes while pushing my bike. My focus at this time was to keep moving. If I couldn’t ride fast, I would ride slowly, if I couldn’t ride, I would walk, if I couldn’t walk, I would hobble and limp, and that was where I was right now.
At least I didn’t feel tired, the hour nap had done the trick, and I wasn’t cold. These were two big positives. In time, the rain eased, and the kilometres ticked away. Due to the steep, wet and gritty lanes however, I had a new problem, my brake blocks had worn down to such a degree that I no longer had a rear brake and my front was on borrowed time. Thankfully, the last stage of around 70 kms was on bigger, flatter roads that didn’t require me to use the brakes very much.
Before the event, I was concerned that I might not make the 40 hour cut off, but as it turned out, I rode the final stage feeling really good and riding strongly. With most of the ride behind me, I felt able to raise the pace, and gratefully, I finished in 35.5 hours.
International Month of Cycling - June 2016
By Vandaniya Maksimovic
13 June
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. For the past few years, this challenge 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.
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. Partial results are posted on this page and updated regularly as they arrive. See the final results for this year below. And plan joining next year (June 2017 - International Month of Cycling)... This year's poster was designed by Hrishikesh, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge
June 2016 - Month of Cycling
Results:
This year we were cycling in 23 countries on four continents (Europe, N. America, S. America and Australia). Total number of participants was 200 - which is higher than any previous year (last year 176). Total cycled distance is 69,084 km, also higher than any previous year (last year 60,005km).
CONGRATULATIONS and a big THANK YOU to all participants around the world! Until the next year - June 2017, enjoy your cycling!
This event is part of the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge in which our members around the world encourage each other in cycling pursuits . You can see some of the other events from 2016 here Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2016 page.
Photos received from participants of the 2016's Month of Cycling:
Ilvaka Nemcova (right) on her third Bayern cycling tour with Tirtha Voelckner (below). The two friends cycled 368 km along the Iller, Donau and Lech rivers in Bavaria, Germany.
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Right: Ekalabhya and Vlatko cycling in Macedonia. They visited Lesockiot Monastery on June 6, 2016.
Below: Anete, Esmeralda, Gunthita, Hutashan and Ulugbek, cycling in Winterthur, Switzerland, June 5, 2016.
Right: Gunthita Corda, Winterthur, June 5, 2016.
Below: Hutashan Heer and Ulugbek Berdimurotov, Winterthur, June 05, 2016.
Right: Sri Chinmoy's song about cycling - on Hutashan's back.
Below: Kedar Misani, cycling in Zurich, Switzerland, June 7... and on the ferry from Horgen to Meilen (crossing Zurich lake), June 10, 2016.
Left: Todorka, Tanja and Kulesvari from Skopje, Macedonia.
Right: Anete Klavina, Winterthur, June 5, 2016. Just started training for her first triathlon.
Below: Anastasia Klink in front of the vegan restaurant ;the Sacred' in Zurich.
Right: Krasimir Yonkov leaving the restoran SACRED for a cycling tour, June 10, 2016.
Below: Pavel Machyniak, cycling in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Right: Anete and Anastasia in front of their home, going out for a ride, June 14, 2016.
Below: Vilas (r.), Dave (m.) and Garga (l.) on their 200km ride around Bristol, UK.
Right: Kedar Misani, Zurich, enjoying the last few hours of this year's Month of Cycling.
Right: Vilas took part in 330km (200 mile) Audax cycling event on June 25, 2016. Read the story here.
Left: Garga Chamberlain took part in a 202km Up the Downs hill race. Read the story here.
Below: Natalia Tikhonova from Angarsk, Russia.
Below: Marlen (l.), Helene and Magdalena (r.) cycled from Hamburg to Timmendorfer Beach and back to Luebeck in north Germany.
Right: They had a lot of fun and made some funny photos. Helene, Marlen and Magdalena (from left to right) at Timmendorfer Beach.
Below: And they were standing in the middle of the see, as you can clearly see on the map! Helene (l.) and Magdalena (r.).
Right: Aklanta Raabe in Bad Wildbad mountainbike race.
Below: Sandhani was cycling every night while guarding the 3100-Mile Race's track in Jamaica, New York. The 2016 edition of the world's longest certified race started on July 19 and finishes on August 9. You can see the photo-galleries here and here.
Tejvan Pettinger of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team, continued his good run of form to win the Redmon CC 25 mile time trial in a new personal best of 49.11. With good weather conditions helping times, Tejvan posted a second consecutive 30mph + ride, averaging 30.5mph over the lumpy Bentley course in Hampshire.
Tejvan with Pat Wright Memorial Trophy, presented by Redmon CC after the race.
Tejvan said of the race.
"It was a very good day for time trials, with low air pressure and low wind, but it was still a little bit of a surprise to set a new personal best because this is not the quickest course. My previous best time on this course was 50.49 in 2011, so it is quite a big improvement. I have been training quite hard for long distances, but it seems to help these shorter races too. Setting a personal best is always a big goal in time trials, and my 25 pb was set five years ago."
History of Tejvan's personal best for 25 mile time trial
Time - course - date
1.00:52 – A41 – 13/06/2004
57:09 – H25/1 – 14/08/2004
55.37 – H25/17 – 24/04/2005
55:19 – H25/17 – 16/05/2005
54.00 – R25/3 – 05/06/2005
53.58 – H25/1 – 8/07/2005
53.41 – H25/1 – 13/07/2005
52.57 – H25/1 – 24/09/2005
52:49 – H25/8 – 19/09/2010
50.46 – H25/8 – 30/07/2011
49.33 – R25/3 – 13/08/2011
49.11 – H25/8 – 12/06/2016
New course personal best in 10 mile time trial
By Vilas Silverton
8 June
After a three week break from racing, Tejvan Pettinger (Sri Chinmoy CT) came back from illness to set a course personal best on the North Hampshire 10 mile time trial on the Bentley bypass. His time for the 10 miles was 19.26 - 30.8 mph (49.7 km/h) This was 23 seconds quicker than his previous best on this course from last year. His time was second fastest on the day, with Rob Sharland Paceline RT taking the win in 19.08.
Tejvan Pettinger said of the race
"The great thing about time trials is that you can always challenge yourself to beat your previous best-times; it is a practical form of self-transcendence. When I started racing in 2005, I did 21.20 on this course. Over the years, I got closer and closer to the magic 20 minute barrier (30mph average). Then last year (after 10 years of trying), I finally did a 19.49. This year, it was good conditions, and great to go 23 seconds quicker because when you have a good time already, it can get harder and harder to keep reducing times.
The personal best was also helped by a visit to a velodrome the previous day to work on aerodynamics. A little change in position can make a big difference to your time. But, as soon as you set a new personal best, you always start thinking of how you can go even faster next time!"
Tejvan's previous results for 10 mile time trial on Bentley (H10/8) course
Open Serbian Chanpionship in half-ironman distance: 1.9 km swimming, 90 km cycling, 21 km running.
Seven members of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team took part as training for Moraviaman (ironman distance) in June 2016. Ekalabhya Bozinov and Namitabha Arsic took the second place in their age categories.
After coming close on a number of occassions, Tejvan Pettinger of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team won his first race of the season, during the recent Newbury R.C. 25 mile time trial. He completed the 25 mile course in a time of 51:54 (29mph / 46.5 km/h) narrowly finishing ahead of Nick English (Aerocoach) who finished in 2nd place.
Other recent races by Tejvan include 3rd at the Charlotteville CC 50 mile time trial (1.46.31) in May earlier this month.
Tejvan's race report
"It was a good day for racing, though a cold headwind made a little more tricky. Often in time trials you get tired and lose power towards the end, but this race, I felt suprisingly good and covered the last 10 miles in 20 minutes - quicker speed than first 10 miles. It was the first 25 mile time trial of the season, and I quite like this course on the A4. It is very flat, but I did my first time trial on here back in 2004. 57.05 for a 25 mile time trial on the same course - so there has been some progress! "
Distance: 25.00 miles
Time: 51.54
Av. Cadence: 96
Av. power: 323 watts
position: 1st
Video RTTC Time Trial Series 2
A Youtube video from the National Time trial series event in Buxton, where Tejvan finished 2nd early in the year. See: Buxton Mountain time trial
Skip to: 4.45. Start of Tejvan Pettinger
2nd place at RTTC Classic TT series rd 2
By Vilas Silverton
26 March
On 25th March, Tejvan Pettinger of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team, finished in 2nd place in the Buxton Mountain Time Trial - a long standing event which is the 2nd round of the national RTTC classic time trial series. There was a high quality field with over 180 entrants. The course is quite hilly - climbing 1,100m over 33 miles. Pettinger has a good record in this event; on the four occassions of entering - he won in 2013 and finished 2nd on the other three occassions.
Top of climb
"I always enjoy this race because it is a good course. I've had a stop start winter with a few injuries and colds but I felt in quite good form and only a minute slower than last year. I did suffer on the last climb of the final lap though. It was a great day for cycling so afterwards I went and did some more training. I'm looking forward to next round after April break in New York."
- Tejvan Pettinger
Photo: Tony WoodThe Climb is run near Longnor, Buxton. With great views of the Peak District.
Top 3 Women (2 laps - 22 miles):
1 Claire Rose (Podium Ambition-Club La Santa) 1:01.06
2 Elizabeth Stedman (Fusion RT) 1:03.42
3 Sarah Storey (Podium Ambition-Club La Santa) 1:04.39
Previous races 2016
In previous races this year, Tejvan finished 4th in the North Road Hardriders event in Feb. In March he finished 2nd in the Maidenhead and District 31 mile TT - just one second behind winner Danny Axford.
Highlights from British Time Trial Championships 2015
By Vilas Silverton
5 January
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
A Corinthian Endeavour - Story of the National Hill Climb Championship
By Vilas Silverton
2 November
A Corinthian Endeavour by Paul Jones tells the story of the UK National hill climb Championship from 1944 to 2014. The championship holds a unique place in the UK cycling calendar, always being held in the last weekend in October, marking the end of the domestic time trial season. It is a race that has, over the years, attracted some of the top professionals, such as Tour de France riders like Chris Boardman, Brian Robinson, and Malcolm Elliot - but also a breed of specialist hill climbers, such as Granville Sydney and Jim Henderson - riders who are ideally built for racing up steep hills.
In this book, the author Paul Jones, takes us on a humorous and informed journey through the diverse and sometimes quirky nature of the British hill climb season. As the title suggests, Jones is also interested in the amateur ethos and the fact that the race embodies some of the finest qualities of cycle racing.
For the uninitiated, Jones explains some of the fascinating aspects which go into a successful hill climber - a high power to weigh ratio, an ability to do repetitive, lung bursting hill climb intervals, meticulous attention to stripping weight from his bike, and the ability to ride at the very limit of physical and mental endurance.
The Stang
Within the book, Jones devotes a chapter to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team rider, Tejvan Pettinger. Pettinger won the event in 2013 - after ten years of trying and near misses. Jones examines those 10 years of near misses that characterised Tejvan’s previous attempts to win the title, but also has a look at the spiritual aspect of Tejvan’s cycling.
Writing in the book:
“And yet, there is another layer of spirituality to Pettinger. He doesn't hide it, it's emblazoned across the jersey of the 'club' he rides for, Sri Chinmoy CC (sic):” “p253
Quoting Pettinger in the book, he says:
“The spiritual life has to come first, but fortunately, cycling is very complimentary. (though) I never race on wednesday evenings because of meditation. I could never be a professional.”
“I’m not the kind of person who needs to win for my self-esteem. I just enjoy cycling and I enjoy cycling hard. The motivation to try to win the championship - it's more than an ego thing, it's an opportunity to achieve something; there is an inner element to it. Sri Chinmoy's philosophy is that a big thing is self-transcendence, trying to go beyond your limits, spiritually, mentally, physically. Trying to go faster is part of spirituality, of meditation. If you can be happy, in a good consciousness, you can bring a lot of energy to the fore. When you're abut to race it can be easy to be nervous or think about your competitors. That's an important challenge: to be in a better consciousness." p.254
Talking about the mental aspect of racing:
"Often when I'm doing a race," he says, "I'm trying to keep my mind quiet and not think. To help that I repeat a mantra, like 'Supreme'. It's just a mantra I use in meditation. I don't want any thoughts going through my mind, only the mantra, inwardly. The best experience is when you're in the zone, you've not got that 'did I go off too hard, too early, that spectator's looking at me funny.' You're absorbed in the effort. That's the real buzz of hill climbs; you can get into this state which you very rarely get into; you're so beyond the limit, you're way beyond your ordinary experience and it has some parallels to meditation, because in meditation you're trying to get away from your mind and the thought, everyday world, and here you're doing it in a very real way because you're pushing yourself so much. And it's torture physically, but you get some kind of joy from it, and you look back and you think, 'Wow, that was a real three minutes. I really lived in that three minutes. I don't quite know what went on but I was on the edge and experiencing something different.'
Tejvan Pettinger of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team finished in 6th placed in the UK national hill climb championship. The former national champion (2013) finished in 6th place out of a field of 240. His time of 4.25 was just 3 seconds off a podium place.
The championship was held at Jackson Bridge, West Yorkshire on a steep 0.9 mile course, which averages 11% and reached 20% in some places. This year the level of competition was very high with seven men within seven seconds of third place.
Photo James Allen
Results top 10 Men
Pos Rider Club Split Time
1 Richard Bussell RST Sport/Aero-Coach 1:54 4:15.6
2 Dan Evans Team Elite/Paul Bethall Electrical 1:51 4:20.5
3 Joseph Clark Team Envelopemaster 1:56 4:21.9
4 James Lowden Neon Velo 2:02 4:23.3
5 Tom Bell Fluid Fin Race Team 2:02 4:23.9
6 Tejvan Pettinger Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team 2:06 4:25.1
7 Matt Clinton Mike Vaughan Cycles 1:58 4:27.3
8 Adam Kenway SportGrub Kuota Cycling Team 1:51 4:27.8
9 Edmund Bradbury NFTO Pro Cycling 1:53 4:28.5
10 Kieran Savage Yorkshire Road Club 2:05 4:28.8
Photo Bob Askwith
It caps a successful 2015 for the Sri Chinmoy CT rider, who placed 7th in the British Time Trial Championship and won over 12 races during the year.