WERC

SAKSHAM CYCLE DAY, 19/1/2020

Saksham Cyclothon is an initiative by Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India, supported by Oil Companies viz. IOCL, BPCL, HPCL, ONGC, GAIL, OIL, MRPL, CPCL, IGL, MGLand NRL to promote citizen-centric initiatives about the need & ways to conserve petroleum products.

The Cyclothon aims to create awareness among the people about the fuel conservation, environment protection and promote the use of cycle for short distances, which will not only save fuel but also help in creating a greener environment and better health conditions.

The SAKSHAM CYCLE DAY 2020 in Mangalore was organised by Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) supported by all cycling clubs around Mangalore.

Team WE R Cycling would like to thank all participants, riders, kids & parents for their pledge towards sustainable future. We are sure, your continued support and little effort will go a long way in creating a greener environment and better health conditions for all.

The *2019 Ed. of WERC Palace on Wheels* saw 3 braveheaets from Mangalore signing up for the ride, to test their limits and challenge their fears to get a glimpse of the Palace, on Wheels!!

This roller coaster ride, set on the backdrop of scenic coasts, the magnanimous Western Ghats, the plain lands of Malenadu is by far, one of the most challenging 600km BRMs in India and the battleground for those who aspire to make it count at Ultra Races across the gloabe.

With abundant suggestions, strategy points, tips & advise by Dr. Tilak, Rajesh Nayak, Shyam Sir, Prof. Narayan Nayak, Deepak Kumar and some lighter moments by Ashok Lobo, the 3 riders, Dr. Srinivas Moolya, Kaushik Boloor and Harivijay Kudva rolled on to their wheels from IMA Bhavan, Udupi, towards the palace at 6.30am. It was first time for the first 2, where as the young Harivijay had pocketed few 600BRMs in the past and he was up for another challenge, the moment the ride & the route were announced!!

Within the first 140km, the riders had to maneuver through AGUMBE & ALDUR climbs lifting them from the sea level to 1,100m of elevation, however not before covering the rolling terrains in-between. The first update came from Kaushik & Hari from the first control point around 2.50pm followed by Dr. Srinivas at 3.45pm.

For those less experienced in endurance rides, this was one of the tough nut to crack. Tired of unending climbs on the way, Dr. Srinivas gave up around 175km mark after reaching Chikkamagaluru. The fitness guru & martial arts expert Kaushik who had completed 300 & 400km rides back to back, had to succumb to numbness of his hands surfaced around 230km mark near Hassan.

Hari was the last rider to hangon and oh boy, this promising young-star has time & again been proving that he is one of the finest Endurance racer in the making to watch out for!! The final count, 622km, 9.500m elevation, at an impressive total timing of 36hrs and an average riding spread of 23.5kmph.

Our sincere gratitude to riders, volunteers, IMA Udupi, Antony Cycles Udupi, Taj Cycles Mangalore, Umeshji from Mysore Randonneures and all the men behind scenes. If you dare to challenge your limits, we promise to roll the wheels again next season, same route same timing but with better support arrangements.

Cheers, Team WERC

WERC Roller Coaster 300BRM

Hearty congratulations to all riders of 300km BRM. Mangalore BRMs, nick named the 'most entertaining & challenging BRMs' in India by the cycling fraternity, this BRM was no different. Passing through the rolling terrains towards the western ghats, it was heat, humidity and scorching sun that caught the rides offgurad, and 1000m elevation spike within 10km at Agumbe Ghat, Cat. 4 climb right before the turning point made even the experienced riders to drag through the climb or walk.

Heavy afternoon shower gave some solace from the heat as riders struggled to keep up the time at the control points. After the descend, the route touched the beautiful Maravathe beach and then ~100km back to Mangalore, coasting along the Arabian sea. But for the tired legs, even this was proving to be a difficult challenge. The gritty riders continued and those not so we'll prepared had to pay the price for not keeping up the pace & time!!

Sir Walter D'Souza, entrepreneur, an eminent industrialist was kind enough to grace his presence for the flagoff. While addressing the gathering he said events like these provide wholesome exercise to the body, mind and makes ones as precious as one can be. He hoped that Mangalore city corporation would come forward to create infrastructure for cycling and that he would champion the cause to pursue the administration for better Infrastructure for cycling in our city.

12 riders registered for the event, out of which 11 riders started off, including 62-year-old Jossie Mendonca (from USA), 60-year-old Joseph Pereira, Harivijay Kudva, the youngest of all, Gururaju Patil, Rajesh Nayak, Naveen Kotian, Mohibb Hussain, Koushik Boloor, Nithin Mohan, Shyamprasad Nayak, Sarvesha Samaga, 9 riders finished the event well on time and 2 dropped off for not meeting the Midway cutoff points. 2 officials Ashok & Shivananda were with the riders until late evening to oversee support & necessary encouragement, enroute for all.

Team WERC congratulates all riders, for joinfing the event. We are also greatful to Sir Walter D'Souza for spending his valuable time with us, Taj Cycles for their ever support, the press, MANGALOREAN.COM for total coverage, WERC members & officials for behind the scene support.

This wraps up the first BRM of the 2019-20 season and now we would gear up for our signature 600km event, the PALACE ON WHEELS on 7th DECEMBER 2019. Are you all ready to challenge yourself ??

Ashwil, the elder son of our members Mr. Ashok & Ms. Wilita LOBO, took part in the under 10 category cycling race held in Mysore, under the banner of Cyclopedia. With more than 20 kids competing for the top spot, it was indeed an amazing race to watch the kids and their competitive spirits. Giving tough fight to the riders who came from a cycling academy from Coimbatore who have been riding this race from past 4 years, ASHWIL didn't disappoint and ended up having the top honours. His spirited effort saw him standing at #4 out of 23 kids.

For a novice kid who has just taken up the wheels, this is just a beginning and boy, what a start...

Team WERC wishes the young ASHWIL for his tremendous performance and his parents Mr & Mrs. LOBO for this encouragement and support. We are sure, with time and good amount of training he will be successfull in his endeavours. Good luck and 3 cheers..

*IDEAL Ice-cream Cool Night 200km BRM*

The summer heat, strong headwinds, battling the sleep, night conditions challenges were galore and so were the accolades for the 17 die hard adventurists, who all completed one of the most popular 200km night BRM of Mangalore.

Starting from one of the most buzzing locales of Mangalore PABBAS, this ride was officially flagged off by Shri Mukund Kamath owner of IDEAL ICE CREAM, a die-hard cycling enthusiast and an ardent supporter of team WE R Cycling, who was kind enough to join the riders in wishing them a safe ride. The riders were also treated to a super bowl of cool ice cream, MANMOH, a new flavour of the season introduced by IDEAL ICECREAM, named after Mukund's daughter Manya and son Mohit.

Riding on a hot summer night on the highway is always not an easy task as the humidity and headwinds catch the riders unaware. However, with full enthusiasm, every rider was crossing one hurdle at a time to reach the control stations & hydration points. Fresh veg sandwiches, vada-pav, plantains & oranges at the 100km turning point at Trasi helped riders to recuperate for their return journey. In order to keep the riders motivated a team of enthusiastic riders from Udupi Dr. Bhaktha, Dr. Tilak, Prof. Narayan Nayak and the upcoming riders Bharat Nayak & Karthik Lagvankar accompanied the riders for a short distance. Though most of the riders were cruising to the finish point, the dark horse of team WERC Dhiraj Venkat suffered knee pain and had to be administered an injection and tablets. Deepak Hebbar another rider who was attempting a BRM after a gap of 2 years was slowly falling behind the pack. Joseph Pereira another strong rider was slowly getting into the danger zone of dehydration. However, the spirit of randonneuring, the company and never say never again attitude made them complete the ride well within time.

This unique BRM saw many firsts. The mountain goat of team WERC, Harivijay Kudva earned his second SUPER RANDONNEUR title and became the first and youngest rider from Mangalore to achieve this fete.!! The veteran of many BRMs and SRs, Venuvardhan from Goa was on his way to complete his 3rd SR of the season. Five first time riders, Sharat Gowda & Vinay from Mudigere, Anas & Dr Srinivas from Mangalore and Abhishek Bhat from Udupi earned the title of RANDONNEURES, who all graduated from BREVET POPULAIRE to RANDONNEURES.

The rest of the seasoned riders Mohibb Hussain, Ajay Khandare, Brijesh Balakrishnan, Rajesh Nayak, Navin Kotian, Dr Ramraj and Dr Mrinal Shetty all completed the ride pretty comfortably.

Our sincere gratitude to all the riders, all the members & volunteers for their support. Shri Mukund Kamath of IDEAL ICE CREAM, TAJ Cycles, Antony Cycles for your association with team WE R Cycling.

Another wonderful BRM goes down the memory lane for its uniqueness. KUDOS to Team WERC.

Taj Cycle Co. St. Antony's Cycle Works Pabbas Ideal Ice Cream Mangalorean.com Joseph Pereira