Pooja Swetha from Coimbatore has been winning medal after medal on the bicycle race track. She represents Tamil Nadu at the National Track Racing Championships, where she has won multiple medals in her age category.
Seeing her success, Youth welfare and sports development minister, Udhayanidhi Stalin, gifted her INR 12,30,000/- for purchasing a new carbon bicycle to race on. This kind of support from the government in grassroots sports is extremely important for bringing laurels to the country in the future.
What is Track Cycling?
Track cycling is a format of cycling, which happens on a closed circuit, called a velodrome. The velodrome length is normally 333 metres and is either indoors made of wood or outdoors made of concrete.
India's track cyclists have been on the upward trend for the last half decade, winning medals on the global stage.
There are multiple formats of racing on a velodrome, and Pooja has won in the Team Sprint category and the Scratch Race category.
But track cycling is an expensive sport, with high cost barriers for youngsters from middle-class families. It is only with outside support, can these young sportspersons do well.
Why is the cycle so expensive?
12 lakhs for a bicycle might seem absurd for many, as we are used to seeing cycles worth 5000 rupees every day on the road.
So what is special about this bike?
The cycle gifted to Pooja Swetha is a Look carbon bicycle. Look is a French manufacturer of bicycles and makes premium bicycles. Just the frame of the bicycle costs more than 7 lakh rupees.
This frame is completely built of carbon fibre and is super light and stiff. Equipment which the best racers in the world use.
This bicycle is specifically made to be used in a velodrome and is therefore a 'fixed gear bicycle. Fixed gear bicycles are a category of bicycles, where there is no freewheel on the bicycle. As such, you cannot coast.
One must pedal constantly, if you stop pedalling, the rear will stop moving and cause you to fall. This type of cycles are made for track use and take many hours of practice to master. These bikes also have no brakes!
Other than the cost of the bicycle frame, the next biggest cost are the wheels. The wheels, like the frame, are also made of carbon fibre.
The front wheel is a FFWD 5-spoke carbon fibre unit, which is built to reduce air drag and helping cut through the wind faster. The rear wheel is a Corima carbon disc wheel. It is completely covered to provide minimal air resistance.
Thanks to the support of the Tamil Nadu government, Pooja Swetha now has the opportunity to train and race on the best equipment that money can buy. We wish this young lady a bright future in the sport of track cycling.
In May 2023, Mr Stalin had also gifted a bicycle to 14-year-old S Thabitha, which costed 13.99 lakhs.
from ஆட்டோமொபைல் https://ift.tt/P0QLOlY
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