Mumbai Pro-Criterium

Earlier this year I excitedly stumbled across an event called the Mumbai Cyclothon. It was claiming to have several top pro teams come out to India to race a crit in Mumbai as well as host the Indian Elite state champs and a 25k amateur race. I immediately signed up for the 25k but was bitterly disappointed to find out that it wasn't a race but a ride with 5,000 (yes, that's 3 zeros) of your favorite friends. I decided to bail on that idea worried that I'd get injured and not be able to ride the world's largest timed cycling race held in Cape Town in early March. Over 41,000 riders have signed up! I cannot wait - leave next Friday.


Anyway, dejectedly, I made my way over to the race area to find the pro race. If anyone is interested here is my "race report" that I posted on an Indian cycling site. Note: Stuart O'Grady, Baden Cook and Eddie Merckx were there...not too shabby.


I spent my time searching for the pro race and eventually found it. I asked several people that looked official but interestingly no one even knew it was happening. However, it was great to see the pro race - thanks for the organizers for getting SaxoBank and others there. I wish more Indian enthusiasts could have see it because it was very inspiring to see these great guys go at it. When I go there (about 20 mins into a 2:15 race) a group of three or four Team India riders went off the front. However, the group did not panic and, at a steady pace, promptly swallowed them up a little later. I must hand it to these guys - they had guts to try and get a break to stick against the caliber of teams like Saxobank. But it was not to happen - obviously. Just about at the same time a six man break away formed with two Saxobank team members Haedo and Baden Cook (both tremendous riders) in the break. Germany's Dirk Mueller, from Team Nutrixxion-Sparkasse and Tobias Erler, from the Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team were in there as well. I was rooting for Tobias as he was riding a Wilier Le Roi, which I am quite partial to, but unlucky for him he flatted and had to have a wheel change right in front of me. I thought his race was done and that he'd never bridge up to the breakaway but he did! Wow! What a tremendous show of power and single-mindedness to do that on his own as the lead group was really hauling the mail. There were many of these drama's happening all around. It seemed like all the breakaways were starting at the bottom end of the course away from where I was positioned - perhaps on a tight bend with the road rising uphill - because with about 3 to go the lead group split into two as Mueller and Haedo smashed the breakaway group and came muscling up the rise to the finish line. They stayed together trading pulls until again, and on the last lap, seemingly out of the Mumbai hazy smog leaped Haedo sprinting up the road towards the finish leaving an evaporated Mueller sucking on his exhaust fumes. It must have been hell out there - smog, heat and humidity but they did it. I hear that Haedo was doing 49 mph as he crossed the line....if that's true it is mighty impressive (and humbling).


One amazing bit of team work was on display to a few people looking for subtle plots: the great Stuart O'Grady was like a Lieutenant at the front of the peleton, calmly controlling its pace and no one seemed to want to mess with him. It looked like he was content in that he had Haedo and Cook in the breakaway group and was simply controlling the pace by leading from the front. To any of us mere mortals the amount of laps he literally pulled the entire group in those conditions would have been hell on two wheels. To O'Grady, the 2007 Paris Roubaix winner, it was just another day at the office as he blew by us lap after lap in the front breathing easily with nary a grimace on his face to show for it. Hat's off to O'Grady not seeking the limelight but allowing his team mates to be in the best position to win.


After the leaders (six men) had crossed the finish line (Tobias took third by the way) it was the turn of the peleton to bunch sprint. But by now the power of those up front had shattered its seemingly perfect formation to fragments of gasping riders. My bets were on O'Grady and he didn't disappoint - he leapt forward, crushing anyone daring to follow; it seemed like he still had lots of gas in the tank and comfortably took seventh.


It was great to see two Team India riders finishing. They managed to hang onto a fast main group but were a bit splintered on the final lap as the group strung them out. Their team mates looked on from the sidelines having been pulled out about half way through by the race officials - perhaps they'd burned their final match by pushing a breakaway so early. They will learn much from the experience.


It's always nice to see the camaraderie between team mates and yesterday saw one struggling rider mid way through the race way off the back of the main group struggling to get back on. Perhaps he flatted. Those of you who understand this position know that you have to push way past the limit to bridge up and more often than not you fail. Seeing that this rider wasn't going to be able to bridge, one of his team mates dropped back to 'fetch' him and it then, with the team mate pulling up front, it took about 1.5 laps for them to both regain the shelter of the main group. Great riding and teamwork.


Eddie Merckx was indeed there and said a few words to the crowd. But, in my opinion, he was overshadowed by wave after wave of dignitary speeches (yawn). All in all a good day in India.