Close to a decade ago, mountain biking was yet to establish itself within India’s sporting landscape, despite having an apt terrain for the sport to thrive. The introduction of a marquee event known as Hero MTB Himalaya in 2005, saw the first major influx of foreign riders in the country.
The event’s popularity soared in Himachal Pradesh with several locals getting exposed to it for the very first time. In fact, the introduction of a mountain bike also made people’s lives in the region a lot easier. Soon the bike became an essential tool for transportation, subsistence and recreation.
Youth across the state slowly began using the sport as a yardstick to maintain fitness and compete against each other. The tribal belt of Chamba in Northern Himachal Pradesh was relatively cut-off from the latest introduction.
Despite surviving and thriving in the state for five years, the first ever mountain bike arrived in Pangi village only in 2010. One local Devendar Thakur was amused by the prospect of testing his physical ability on it.
From running errands to India’s best
He said, “One of the rich guys in our village bought a mountain bike, and we were shocked, we had normal cycles, but the roads he was riding on, those normal cycles would break into two pieces. We couldn’t pay Rs 20,000 for a bike, but since he was a good friend I started riding it.”
Such was his craze, that the 21-year old starting running errands for his friend’s family. He added, “Whenever his family asked him to do something, I used to volunteer and tell him that I want his bike, if he didn’t give it I didn’t do it. He was also lazy and I took full advantage of that.”
Now into its 12th edition, Hero MTB have successfully established themselves as the only major international tournament on India’s mountain biking calendar. Apart from these above events, subsidiary tournaments such as Hero MTB Kerala, Hero MTB Shimla have been introduced to help young Indian riders earn some much needed exposure.
Devender added, “I didn’t even actually know Mountain Biking was a sport, I just knew that I love riding bikes. One day me and my friend were sitting by the river, and I told ‘Would be great if I could just work as a cyclist,’ my friend cracked up and couldn’t stop laughing. By this point I was riding seven to eight hours a day. More than a passion, it had become my obsession.”
It was at this point, that he decided to visit Shimla to look for a job as his parents were completely livid with him wasting time on Mountain Biking. Upon reaching Shimla, he found about the existence about the competitive side of the sport.
He added, “When I reached Shimla and spoke to people over there, they said that this was a normal thing there, and it had been going on for a long time. I met the HASTPA guys, and they guided me on how I could work on it. It was completely knew to me on how the sport functioned and all that. The riding was very similar to what I did back home.”
On returning to Chamba, he took the crucial decision of taking up mountain biking professionally. This particular dream was unheard of, not only by the people from his village, but also in India. The decision came with a lot of resistance from his parents. They wanted Devendar to continue with studies, but he had other ideas.
He said, “My parents are from a very humble background, they weren’t very positive about it and wanted me to get into farming and complete my studies, to which I said no.”
In 2012, Devender sacrificed his last school fee instalment in order to move to Shimla. Within a month of his stay, he sold his phone in order to survive with the financial demands of the sport. After one year of self training, he decided to race the 2013 Hero MTB Shimla event.
Sold my phone, valuable items and used the last installment of my school fees to survive in the sport: Thakur
Despite all the training, Devender only managed to finish the race, not registering any notable position. He said, “I was still very happy, my yearly cost then for basic survival was Rs 20,000. I didn’t finish my schooling properly, so getting another job would be difficult. As I always say If I didn’t fall I wouldn’t learn.”
That year, Devender also decided to complete his schooling and join a college in Shimla. It was here that his talent was first revered. A couple of the students identified this passion and asked University of Information and Technology (UIT) professors to help him. With a little bit of a financial push, the results showed a massive change in trajectory.
The year 2014 will be etched onto Indian Mountain biking history as the year of Devender Thakur. A victorious MTB Shimla event in 2013, would act as a catalyst to 365 days of utter dominance. He said, “After I won that Hero MTB event I was so happy, then I got the confidence to show the world that I was one of the best in India. So I started practicing even more.”
And as they say, practice makes perfect, he would go onto win every MTB calendar race that year, including Kerala and Shimla (twice). He also registered a national championship bronze medal, a moment that he cherishes higher than most. He added, “Winning the National medal was a stamp of authority for me. I showed my entire village, parents and others that I could make a living and be successful in the sport.”
Riding for the Hero action team, but this point he was completely supported financially as his underlying talent was identified. This particular financial injection completely changed Devender’s career trajectory. A proper diet, fitness regime only accentuated the pre-existing potential that he had.
By the time Hero MTB Himalaya came around, Devender was at the peak of his fitness. He said, “I won everything that year, and most of my fellow competitors were awestruck, where did I come from. A young kid beating everyone, but winning the Hero MTB Himalaya would be a different ball game as it had representatives from 24 countries, who were among the best in the world.”
However, the challenge wasn’t daunting enough for him as Devender would go onto finish a respectable ninth, the highest among all Indian participants. A disappointing 2015 saw him stay away from the sport due to a knee injury. But, he is now back with a bang, after registering a second placed finish at the National Championship in Gujarat.
Regardless of the sport’s popularity, Devender’s story proves that mountain biking has become as essential component of rural Himachal Pradesh. More stable infrastructure and a regular professional circuit, could see India being represented at the World Championship in the distant future.
