Well it all began at 2009 with a few ‘weekend warriors’ mashing pedals as they raced
their way to Nandi every Sunday. In a span of just five years, its grown by leaps
and bounds. Today, we have more then 8 teams, with an average of 10 to 12 competitors
each, training all the year-round. Each race day we have an average of about 80
competitors, semi-pros flying in from Delhi, Pune, Chennai and Mumbai to compete,
tons of volunteers and spectators. In short, the Bangalore Bicycle Championships (BBCh) are a bicycle
racing championship for amateurs, organised by professionals modeled on an international
format.
Over the last six years, BBCh has consistently set the standards by conducting
great races in Bangalore. Along with the quality of the racing, the competition
and the participation kept growing. But, with BBCh growing in popularity and more
teams with state and national level riders coming up.
In 2015, BBCh have increased the race count and ensured that there is a race every
month for roadies till July. There are 6 tarmac and 4 dirt races this year as
total 10 races from February to November. Race day is always on the third Sunday
of each month. We love all forms of biking and our championships reflect this with
not just road races but also the first downhill, criterium, cyclocross and team
time trial races in the country.
But what do people get out of it you ask?
No, we don’t have prize money or even great prizes. We aren’t evangelical activists
who are making a statement about changing the world through cycling (though we wouldn’t
object to decent biking infrastructure in this country). We’re about regular people
with regular jobs pushing their own own limits to the very maximum. We have people
grimly sweating it out as they train for each race. Its about cartloads of fun,
exhilaration, the wind in your hair, pain in your quads, the primal urge to compete
and pure adrenalin. In short, its about feeling ALIVE. And its about a little bit
of street cred too.
Our race updates can be accessed on
Facebook BBCh page. You’ll also find it a nice chronicle of our past races
with timings, race points, podium finishes and images.
© 2009-2023 Bangalore Bicycle Championships. All Right Reserved.