India’s Best Cycle Races for Competitive Cyclists
You’ve decided to ride your bicycle and are wondering which cycle races in India are the best? No need to look any further; we’ve compiled a list of some of the top cycling races currently available in the country!
India’s Cycle Races
One of the most effective methods to improve your fitness level on a bike is to begin racing. While getting out every morning and riding your heart out is admirable, more often than not, you will reach a plateau and become dissatisfied with your lack of progress.
Racing provides you with a purpose and a mission. To improve on your prior performance, outperform your nearest competition, and push yourself beyond your comfort zone. The great thing is that you are not alone in your insanity. You will discover that every participant is as passionate about cycling as you are; otherwise, they would not be out there!
Cycle racing is gaining popularity in India. Races are being organized around the country by the cycling community. These are some of the top races presently taking place in the United States. Take a look at these!
India’s Cycle Races: Exceptional Endurance
Extremely Spicy Race
The Ultra Spice race takes place in and around Goa. There are three categories: 600 kilometers, 1000 kilometers, and 1750 kilometers. These races count for the qualifying total for Race Across America. This race can be completed individually or in a relay team format. This race takes place in January. This event took place for the third time in 2019.
The Magnificent Himalayan Ultraviolet
The Great Himalayan Ultra begins and ends in Leh, then circles Dras. The 600-kilometer event serves as qualifying for the Race Across America. This is one of the world’s highest ultramarathons, with a total elevation gain of more than 10,000 meters. Acclimatization is required before participating in this race.
Cliffhanger in Deccan
This 600+ km ultramarathon begins in Pune and ends in Goa, following the Sahyadri mountain. For this event, you can compete single or as part of a team relay. Solo racers are eligible to compete in RAAM. Each year, this event takes place in November.
Signature of Shivalik
The Shivalik Signature race begins in Chandigarh and travels 615 kilometers across Punjab. The race features numerous categories, but solo racing is the most sought since finishers qualify for RAAM. The race has been held once, and a second edition will take place shortly. The inaugural event took place in April 2018.
BOB ULTRA
The Ultra BOB competition was India’s first ultramarathon. The event begins in Bangalore and concludes in Bangalore, covering a distance of 610 kilometers. Additionally, this event serves as a RAAM qualification. The race takes place in February and is accessible to participants in various categories, including solo and team.
Cycle Races in India: Road
Nilgiris Tour
Possibly India’s best cyclosportive. Since 2008, TfN has organized a ride. Each year in December, the route passes through three wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. For a week, you will ride across the stunning Nilgiri Mountains in the company of some of the country’s best riders.
Alternatively, as race organizer Deepak Majipatil puts it, “very few races and a lot of touring.”
Cycle Races Between Mumbai and Pune
A race against time. The Mumbai-Pune race dates back to 1946, when it was 200 kilometers long. While the course is now shorter, it is not any less competitive. The race was not organized for several years and went out of favor. However, it has resurrected and now draws some of the top athletes in the country, including representatives from the government’s sports department.
The Epic of Nandi
The Nandi Epic is the crown jewel of the annual Bangalore Bicycle Championships (BBCh). It’s around a 100-kilometer journey, with the last ascent up the 7-kilometer, 5% Nandi Hill on the outskirts of Bangalore. This race draws some of the world’s top climbers, and if you believe yourself to be one, it’s a must-do to evaluate how you stack up against the competition.
BBCh hosts MTB and road races on a monthly basis throughout the year.
Criterium at the MVS Cycling Carnival
A race was staged at the Kari racing circuit in Coimbatore. This is criterium racing on a specially constructed track. This circuit is often used for vehicle racing, and, incredibly, the people of Coimbatore chose to add bicycle racing to the mix.
Glory Tour
Another multi-stage event held in and around Bangalore, the Tour of Glory, is a relative newcomer to the racing circuit, having only held a few events. This is a four-day race held in October that begins in Bangalore and ends in the Western Ghats.
Cyclothon of Ahmedabad
This is one of the rare events held in this region of India. Since 2013, the Ahmedabad Cyclothon has been taking place. It is a two-day event that includes both racing and leisure rides for bicycles. There are three races: 100 km, 50 km, and an ITT.
Sportive Champions
The Champions Sportive is a series of races that have been hosted in nine various locations around the country over the previous few years. Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kochi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai are included. The season finale takes place in Goa and pits the finest from several cities against one another!
Championship of Masters
The Master’s Championship was created to pique the interest of middle-aged cyclists in competition. Age divisions begin at 35 and continue up to, well, whatever age somebody wants to race! As with many other races, Bangalore has taken the initiative to be trailblazers, and the race will return in 2019 for its second edition.
The Incredibly Difficult Race
This event is conducted in Gujarat at Polo, a deserted and historic city located around 160 kilometers north of the state capital of Ahmedabad. The event is a 115-kilometer circuit along woodland roads.
MTB MTB Cycle Races in India Himalaya
MTB Himalaya is the country’s finest XC MTB race. It is by far the most challenging race in the country, attracting skilled riders worldwide. Since 2005, the event has been held annually in Himachal Pradesh, usually in October. It is a nine-day event that covers around 650 kilometers.
Shimla MTB
TB Shimla is run by the same Hastpa team that organizes the MTB Himalaya. This is a smaller, more manageable race. It’s an excellent introduction to mountain biking for the enthusiastic amateur racer. It takes place in April and serves as a warm-up for the main event!
MTB Arunachal Pradesh
They held in Arunachal Pradesh, India’s most northeastern state. This race takes place in November and has already seen two successful editions. Riders traverse more than 700 kilometers over seven days, passing through breathtaking scenery.
Kerala MTB
The MTB Kerala event has already seen five editions. Typically, the event takes place in December. The two-day festival will take place in the Western Ghats. The sport’s elite riders contest it.
Sikkim MTB
MTB Sikkim was a two-day race in 2017 that drew largely local riders. In its second version, the race was a four-day affair. Riders from Nepal and Bhutan also took part. The race concludes in Gurudongmar Lake, which is located at an elevation of 17000 feet! Claimed to be the world’s ‘highest’ race, it would be quite the experience to attend.
Uttarakhand MTB
MTB Uttarakhand is a mountain bike stage competition staged in the state in April for the last five years. It is a week-long race organized by the Uttarakhand Tourism Department and sponsored by CFI. It attracts racers from a variety of countries.
Enduro at the MVS Cycling Carnival
This is a component of the MVS Cycling Carnival. This is the mountain bike portion of the race. The event is held in the Enduro format, with competitors racing just the timed parts. The remainder is a free trip.
The winner is determined by eight timed stages. This is an annual race that takes place in Coimbatore.
Ladakh NorthQuest Challenge
A 60-kilometer race over 3500 meters in and around Leh. The CFI organizes this race, which is as much a test of altitude acclimatization as endurance. There have been two previous editions of the event.
Mountain Bike Festival in the Himalayas
An actual MTB event involves a race for riders of all abilities. This tournament has been held four times previously and has included some of the country’s best riders. The festival takes place in October in and around Manali, a Himalayan town. They host three consecutive days of XC, Enduro, and Downhill racing.
MTB Challenge Himalayan Trails n Dust
Since 2011, the XC event has been held. According to the organizers, this is the most technical XC event presently held in India.
Himalayan Enduro Cup
The Enduro race will take place in Gulaba, near Manali, and will be the area’s first of its sort.
Trophy for Downhill Mountain Biking in the Himalayas
On a ski slope, a downhill race! Skiing This world-class competition is held at Himalayas Mountain Bike Park.
Mountain Festival in Bangalore
The Bangalore Mountain Festival is a trail experience for mountain bikers and trail runners alike. It is conducted in January and comprises a 35-kilometer cross-country race.
MTB Mysuru Mysuru MTB Mysuru is a mountain bike competition that has been organized in this Karnataka historic city for a previous couple of years. This competition occurs in January and is an eight-lap cross-country race, with each lap being around three kilometers long.
International Mountain Bike Race in Goa
Every October, Goa hosts the GIMBC race, which lasts three days. This is a cross-country race. For the race, a challenging course is constructed. This is an attempt to bring international-level mountain bike racing to the country.
Meghalaya MTB
TB Meghalaya is organize by the same group that is responsible for MTB Nainital. This three-day event made its debut in October 2018. The race begins and concludes in Shillong and winds its way through the picturesque Khasi Hills.
Mountain Bike Festival in Mokokchung
Mokokchung Mountain Bike Festival had its third edition in December 2018. It is held in Nagaland’s Mokokchung district. Additionally, the event is organized by the local Trail Hounds Cycling Club. It is a downhill race that attracts cyclists from the northeast and some good riders from other regions of the nation.
Downhill Race at Kohima
The Kohima Downhill event is held as part of Nagaland’s Hornbill Mountain Festival. Native Station organizes the event in Viswema village. This race will take place in December.
Mechukha Downhill Mountain Bike Championship
The Mechukha Bike Downhill Championship is held in the Arunachal Pradesh town of Mechukha. This two-day event takes place every November. This downhill competition made its second appearance in 2018. The organizers vow that the tracks will be larger, longer, and more challenging in the following years!
Trail Hunters in the Aravalli Mountains
Aravalli Trailhunters is a community mountain bike racing group located in Delhi. They hold races every month. However, their season finale in December is the race to watch. The finals feature some of the country’s best mountain biking talent.
This two-day race is organized by MTB Nainital Walk to the Himalayas. Uttarakhand is the race’s host state. The race takes place in April.
MTB Polo is a three-day stage competition covering 150 kilometers through Polo, a deserted and historical city in north Gujarat.
