MARCH 14, DAY 42, THE LUCKNOW MEGA EVENT
Text: Sandeep Goswami
The day was bright and clear and we could hear a peacock calling in the distance. The IIM Campus where we were putting up is some way out of the city’s clutter and the environment is pretty peaceful and cool. The event venue was some 17 odd kms from here and it took us a while to get there. Sunny and Shailay had parked their bikes in town and one of Abhishek’s friends’ (Ranil Haq) house while my R1 was at IIM. They drove in the van while I rode to the venue.
Stopped to ask directions from a small group of cops standing by the roadside and ended up getting interviewed by them about the bike, its capabilities (Yeh itna mehenga motorcycle kahe hai bhaiya??) and our purpose in life…riding around the country like truckers day in and day out. Anyway, some 10 minutes later I was at the venue.
A huge number of bikes were parked outside and I was wonderstruck by the response of Lucknow’s bikers. Anti-climax though. They were of students sitting in for an exam in the college next door. The turnout was still okay anyway and the elimination round 1 began without much ado. The ground was somewhat grassy which made things different if not difficult for the participants. There were quite a few from outside Lucknow, some coming in from as far as Ahmadabad. It was heartening to see the level of enthusiasm and skills among riders here in this relatively small city. Different groups, notable amongst them being the NOW bikers were there in strength and the prevailing camaraderie was a great sight.
Almost all the xBhp members who participated made it to the top 30 for the Slalom round. It had become somewhat hot as the day progressed but the heat seemed to make little difference to the bikers gathered. The slalom round was underway and riders were making good time. A short break for lunch followed and the results declaring the top 11 were announced soon after. The Passion Story round began with the audience surrounding the stage in a wide semi-circle while we judges sat at one end of it. Public speaking is an art and usually is intimidating for most. But here, since it was about something close to every biker’s heart, the ‘stage-fear’ was more or less absent. Each young man (sadly there have been no girls participating except for two in Pune) spoke from his heart and our short interaction with them truly revealed their commitment and seriousness towards safe and fun biking.
The final 4 for the slow slalom round were picked as the top scorers of the Passion Story round and they were ready to battle it out on the field. Great spirit. Of the four chosen here, Asheesh Pandey (xBhp ID c_sbk) seemed to be the most in control of the situation and a very strong contender for the final prize. He did post excellent time during the first round and so stood as the crowd’s favourite for the final. And as the crowd had expected, he won the final round by a wide margin from local rider Kunal Thadani. Wonderful competition there and great sportsman spirit. Kunal was amongst the first to walk over and congratulate Asheesh on his win and lifted him high in a huge bear hug.
It was a momentous moment for Asheesh as he had lost by a whisker in Delhi and had ridden all the way to Lucknow on his little bajaj Discover. A proud winner lifted the winner’s trophy high up for the customary pictures. All the finalists were honoured with gift hampers from Castrol. Ucknow had been a last moment addition as a city for the event but it turned out no less in presence and participation by riders both from there and from outside. The pattern of riders coming from outside and winning in that city, started in Ahmadabad by Baljeet singh, continued in Delhi by Abhishek of Agra and now Asheesh from Delhi who won in Lucknow, shows the passion stirred and the urge towin triggered by this competition across the country.
The day had been long and eventful. We rode back to our temporary abode, happy at another event brought to its successful conclusion and another city finalist ready for the finals in Delhi on the 22nd April.
Photos:
04-06-2009, 01:04 AM
March 14, day 42, the lucknow mega event
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