"after a ride with friends we discussed that there was a lack of road cycling racing culture in Delhi and we decided to do something about it..."
Madover biking is a platform that caters to the community by organising cycling events for cycling enthusiasts in Delhi India and surrounds.
They looked out and saw and spoke to their community about the need to have some active competition in their sport and pulled together with founder Rahul Garg to make a competitive platform.
Click the Images or see the Interview HERE
Madover Biking organises these events in the form of Time Trial (TT) Endurance and community rides which have 50 ~ 60 participants and have also started a Zwift indoor cycling movement.
The races are usually organised early morning on the outskirts of town when and where there is less traffic, however, it can still be daunting to the uninitiated. While the starts and the races share the road procedures are put in place such as
- Informing the police of the event
- 2 x ambulances are on standby
- They form barriers with cars behind, and on the side to help segregate the traffic from the riders.
Organising these events in India is a huge task and to consider the safety of riders during the event is paramount in their organisation. While there is a risk, to date there has been no major accidents or injuries regarding vehicles, so an impressive record under the circumstances. Each event carries a basic message in education to the public and the community about cycling safety so that all road users can understand the vulnerability of cyclists in this city and help petition for dedicated bike lanes to encourage this sport and recreation.
None of this can be done without community support and so Madover biking enlists in the order of 15~20 volunteers from the cycling community to help organise, run stalls, form the car barrier, station at navigation checkpoints and so forth to make a successful event. They also gain sponsor partners to provide meals at the end of the events to get all the participants together and promote that camaraderie that is the cycling network.
Great that you can join us again for Part 3 of our journey into the Indian cycling scene with Madover Biking. Click the image or HERE for the Video
In this part 3 of the interview, we discuss the end to end planning that Madover Biking as a community cycling platform provides for its events.
We have been discussing with Rahul Garg the founder of Madover Biking, that this platform has been borne out of necessity by the growing market of competitive cycling to provide an avenue for riders to be pit themselves against each other with racing and cycling events.
The events include Time trial event and masters events, which are longer endurance type races where all the participants start together and have the opportunity to form a peloton, make breakaways and use strategies to gain positions in the event.
While there is a competitive nature in their events, the skill level varies, and everyone who is serious gets the opportunity to race and improve with this social sport. Registration for Madover Biking events is necessary and the participants are scrutinised. This is no Sunday cruise around the park!
The events which have between 50 to 60 participants are planned end to end with notification to the Police and other relevant authorities for the routes used and of course, it is important to ensure the riders have what they need. Pre-event there is hydration and gels available, during the event, volunteers mark the routes and post-event there is a prize-giving ceremony and food to put back what your effort took out.
This part of the interview discusses cycling as a sport in India that has significantly increased and connection through the various groups. Cycling can be enjoyed all year round in India with only a few places with adverse weather at different seasons. Madover Biking hold events where the participants earn points to gain prizes during the year.
Marco, who spends his time between Tuscany and the UK, has been passionate about cycling since he was a child and now he has turned this into his business. Marco has been involved with travelling and tourism all his life working for all types of companies and recently made the change to offer something himself to a recreation that was quality and different.
The tours cater for any fitness level and are catered for you; however, he says that they are based on 25~50km per day so you can take in the scenery and absorb the culture in a recreational way but are designed so you have some challenge and earn a great meal. The tours are run on secondary roads and while there is a little traffic, you are riding in the countryside and the motorists are quite used to bicycle traffic as it is one of the main means of transport for the local people. Of course, if you want to go further, that is fine, and Marco can certainly detail a route that can cater to your level. The focus of the tours is to enjoy the rich atmosphere.
He supplies a range of bikes including Carbon fibre road bikes, Hybrid Utility bikes and of course E-bikes which can allow nearly anyone to enjoy the tours. As for bike fit, during the booking process, he takes your measurements and a bike is selected for you that has been serviced and basically altered to suit. You may need to adjust the seat for the final comfort setting.
Marco has two main tour areas in which he focuses. In the north of Tuscany, the distances are shorter, the terrain is hilly but not mountainous, and it is more the industrial area of the region. We are not talking about workshops here, but you come across more medieval villages in which each one is different and specialises in a different cuisine. Part of the tour actually goes to Vinci – the birthplace of Leonardo de Vinci and as such the village is steeped in nostalgia and museums.
To the South, it is a more rural outlook and the villages are spaced more. The distances you need to cover are a bit longer and it is undulating terrain. It is spotted with vineyards and you take in some agricultural tourism where your accommodation is a working farm and 70% or more of the produce you consume is made on the premises. September is the season for the Porcini Mushroom which is only harvested within 4 weeks of a year. The gatherers go out to their secret locations to get this produce and it used extensively in the local cuisines while in season.
