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Jamshedpur, Feb. 5 (Source - The Telegraph): Five cyclists of Jharkhand are looking forward to race down the Marine Drive in Mumbai this month.
Lakhan Hansda, Dalip Mahto, Lakhiram Hansda, Ram Kumar Bhatt and Somu Hansda will participate at the inaugural Mumbai Cyclothon on February 21. Apart from acting as a warm-up exercise for the Asian Cycling Championship scheduled at Doha in April, the meet offers an added incentive — prize money of Rs 3.5 lakh.
“The event being organised by Maharashtra Cycling Association will provide an opportunity to the cyclists to earn some money. They will compete in the 50km Criterium race,” Satbir Singh, the secretary of Jharkhand Cycling Association (JCA), said.
He added there was cash awards for the top three slots in each of the 10 laps of 50km. While the cyclist coming first will walk home with Rs 10,000, the one coming second will pocket Rs 5,000. The third prize is of Rs 3,000. The amount will double after the first five laps. There will be other prizes too.
Tata Steel rural development society will sponsor the travel expenses of the five cyclists as JCA is cash-strapped.
Singh admitted that money was an important factor considering that the cyclists had not been able to find a job. “They are unemployed. So it is natural for them to look for every possible opportunity to earn money. Medals will be up for grabs in Mumbai, but cash is what the cyclists are also looking at,” he explained.
Somu, a resident of Narwapahar near Jadugoda in East Singhbhum, is ecstatic. “The cyclothon has come as a boon for us. We will try and earn some money. Medals are there too, but it’s the cash we want to win.”
Dalip, who hails from Chakradharpur, agreed. “Money is all that matters. We are thankful to the state body for sending us,” he said.
Lakhan, Somu’s elder brother and the lone international in the state squad, is currently heading a training camp for a group of cyclists in neighbouring Patamda. The 22-year-old, who had to mortgage his ancestral land for buying an imported racing cycle, donned India colours in the Asian Championship held at Ludhiana in 2005.
Ram Kumar of Dhanbad won the 70km Criterium bronze at the senior nationals at Erode in Tamil Nadu in 2008, while the rest of the cyclists in the squad have so far drawn a blank at the national level.
