Podcasts about nilgiris

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Mahesh Iyer. Mahesh is a masters rider from Pune Wolfpack who has been at it for a long time with cycling and racing. His consistent work ethic of more than a decade has now made him one of the strongest masters riders in the country. We sat down to chat when we met for the Goan Classic which he won. In this conversation he shares his process, his training, his mental tools as well. It was fascinating to listen to his journey from struggling to stay with groups to winning races. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.           0:00:00  Intro0:06:30  Body building days through college0:08:55  Getting a bike to lose weight and getting into running0:11:45  Lifecycle, Enduro races, Hill climbing challenge, meeting like minded people, Michael Lenig0:13:50  Forming a team, training under Michael, BBCh races, Genesis of Pune Wolfpack0:17:45  Memories from BBCh races back in the day, Criterium and Nandi Race0:26:35  Tour of Nilgiris 2015 memories, Kalahatty stories0:36:20  What kept him going, having a team0:40:36  Importance of staying with the process and having goals0:44:45  His breakthrough year, 2019, working with NJ, starting to believe in himself, mood follows action0:51:50  His training cycle, training volume, strength sessions0:54:40  Indoor vs outdoors training0:57:00  Nutrition on and off the bike, learnings 1:03:20  Shout out to Sudarshan, Pune Wolfpack, 1:06:30  Getting vocal in races, being respectful1:08:30  Learnings/tips for working athletes, don't stop, invest in yourself, get a coach1:13:10  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Prashant Tidke. Prashant is a charted accountant by profession and a masters cyclist by passion. In 2019, he had to undergo an angiogram to deal with a potentially deadly 100% blockage in his heart. He not only recovered from his heart condition but also got back to full athletic activity and worked himself to becoming the fittest he has been all his life. In this episode, he shares the rehab protocol he used to recover from such a critical condition and advises on how to identify potential warning signs and respond in time. His story serves as another example of how fitness and health are two different things and what we need to do in order to take care of our health as we age. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.           0:00:00  Intro0:04:25  Moving to Pune and running cross country races0:06:10  Focus on Charted Accountancy taking precedence over sports0:08:36  Getting back to physical activity to quit smoking 0:12:06  Getting into brevet riding in 2011 and going to PBP the same year 0:15:15  Tour of Nilgiris 2012 taught me what bicycling is0:16:36  Winning races in 2013-2015, masters getting stronger0:19:26  How his heart blockage was uncovered, the signs0:29:36  Health and fitness are two different things0:30:10  Genetics and lifestyle issues0:32:00  Rehab and medications; coming back from depression0:39:00  How zone 2 training during the pandemic helped his road to recovery0:40:20  Weight training in the gym0:43:00  Advice for working athletes, regular health checks, no smoking0:55:10  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Kiran Kumar Raju or KKR as we lovingly call him. KKR was the tour director of Tour of Nilgiris 2024. Both KKR and I have long relationship with Tour of Nilgiris. He started his journey in cycling as a volunteer at TFN 2010 and since then he has played many roles at the tour. From being a route marker to taking part in the tour as a rider after becoming a National champion in MTB, to now taking on the role as a tour director, he has seen the tour from various perspectives. In this episodes, he shares his perspective of how the tour and he himself have evolved over the years in various aspects. It was super fun talking about my favorite bike tour, Tour of Nilgiris with one of my favorite people, KKR. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro0:05:00  Various roles that KKR played at TFN0:06:15  Kiran's first time on Tour of Nilgiris in 2010 as a volunteer, a marker0:11:00  Marking team, most invisible and visible team on the tour0:14:30  Missing 2013 and riding TFN 2014 as a fulltime rider,  0:17:00  Nandi race 2011  0:19:00  His first tour as a rider TFN 20140:23:50  Support stations evolution at TFN0:29:00  Race segments at TFN 0:33:50  Is Tour of Nilgiris only for the pros0:37:00  2016 TFN coming as a rider0:40:30  Coming back in 2023 and 2024 as Tour director for Tour of Nilgiris0:43:20  Sweep vehicle is there to support you0:46:00  Hospitality support at TFN0:48:20  People behind TFN over the years 0:52:00  Origin of TFN in 20080:55:10  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to my team mate at Spectrum Racing Su Yin. Su Yin was an offshore geophysicist turned pastry chef who took up to cycling and triathlon by chance. She ended up winning in her age category in her very first triathlon at Goa Ironman 70.3 in 2019! In this episode she shares how that win followed by the pandemic almost put her out of love for the sport and how she slowly fell back into love with cycling while raising funds for GivingBack and riding Tour of Nilgiris. We also talk extensively about her experience at Tour of Thekkady where she finished second by fraction of a second after 145km of racing. Her journey is inspirational not just to women but all of us and makes us think what we need to prioritise for both our mental and physical well being. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.             0:00:00  Intro0:04:25  Her work, off-shore geophysicist to pastry chef0:10:55  Running and hiking through college0:14:55  Getting into cycling and triathlon, signing up for Goa 70.3 in 20190:18:10  Preparation for Ironman Goa 70.3 in 2019, learnings from her Olympic tri0:22:10  Ironman Goa 70.3 experience in 2019, winning in her AG in her very first Ironman event0:27:10  Training through COVID-19 pandemic, the pressure of training for world championships0:29:40  Infected with COVID 2 weeks before her A-race, Ironman Goa 70.3 2022, external/perceived pressures0:35:10  Falling out of love for the sport and doing other things0:39:10  Falling in love with riding again through Tour of Nilgiris 2024 through GivingBack0:43:40  Memories from TFN 20240:46:10  The reluctant athlete0:56:40  Tour of Thekkady 2025 experience1:19:10  Talking about Shayadhri Classic1:22:40  Recalibrating what she enjoys doing, climbing; triathlon taking a back seat 1:26:10  Tips for fellow working athletes, how badly do you want it1:27:20  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to my team mate at Spectrum Racing and a long time mentor for a lot of us, Rajesh Nair. Rajesh a.k.a BabaVelo has raced all around the world as an amateur over the last 25 years or so. He is very passionate about cycling and is in a privileged position of being able to travel and participate in some of the best cycling events around the world. That meant he took part in 100s of races all around the world over the years. That experience gives him a perspective that not many of us have. He is outspoken. He wears his heart on his sleeve and shares his opinion without any filters. I think, that makes it all the more valuable. To set the context for this episode, a couple of days before we sat down for this chat, he withdrew from a race we travelled to take part in because of safety concerns. He did not want to risk racing in the dark on roads with traffic. We shared constructive feedback to the organizers who were very receptive for the same. But, I thought that this is a topic all of us need to think more about. In that context, we sat down to discuss about road racing in India and safety aspects we need to take care of when it comes to racing here since we don't have closed roads. Please note that the intent is not to knock on any one race or any one organizer but to discuss openly what can be done to make racing in general safer for everyone. I hope it comes across as such and that it helps all of us think more seriously about this topic.            0:00:00  Intro0:10:15  Safety of an event0:12:35  Road closures, BBCh0:17:15  Tour of Thekkady0:19:30  CFI and closed roads0:21:40  What can be done to make events safer within the constraints of India0:25:00  Shayadhri Classic and Tour of Nilgiris formats0:22:00  Circuit Races, Gravel events 0:30:40  Mountain biking as a safer option for kids0:31:40  ITTs don't have to be 40k 0:32:50  Gravel is not bad roads0:33:50  Organizers and safety standards0:35:00  Tour of Thekkady, Safety concerns, racing in the dark, neutral zones0:43:15  Talking of categories 0:46:00  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Peter Roper. Peter is a working athlete from Colorado USA. I first met Peter during Tour of Nilgiris 2018. This year, he was back at TFN 2024 after 6 years. It was great to sit down with him during the rest day on TFN and speak about his early cycling, racing in the USA, his experience of running a bike shop before moving away from it and working. We talked about how he manages to keep his cycling going and what he brings him back to TFN among other things. Peter is a bundle of positive energy and a fun guy to ride with and talk to. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro0:04:30  How he got started in cycling 0:07:05  Collegiate racing in the USA0:09:35  Riding when he started working0:12:30  MTB racing as an amateur and how racing has changed over the years0:13:55  Late start into road cycling0:17:40  The Indian connection, Pune family0:19:55  Hearing about Tour of Nilgiris and signing up for it0:21:25  TFN 2018 experience 0:24:30  Coming back to TFN after 6 years, you 0:26:00  Experience of running a bike shop in the US0:29:00  Riding the Tour of Nilgiris on a gravel bike in 20180:30:35  Kalahatty climb experience0:32:20  TFN 2024 experience, riding his full aero bike0:35:25  Memories he takes away from India and Tour of Nilgiris0:37:20  How does he manage his riding nowadays with a young family and job0:40:05  Tips for fellow working athletes, don't forget to relax and enjoy the process0:43:00  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Delton D'Souza. Delton is a runner turned bike packer and ultra cycling racer. He was at Tour of Nilgiris 2024 and I sat down to chat with him about his cycling journey during the rest day. Before coming to TFN he finished a bike packing trip and an Ultra race in the Himalayas and Deccan Cliffhanger just a few weeks prior. It was interesting to talk to him about his bike packing trips  in India and all around the world along with his experience at TFN. I think he is just getting warmed up in the Ultra racing space and is going to do much more in the coming years. I had super fun chatting with him. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro0:05:15  Delton's relationship with sport growing up 0:06:35  Running injury gets him into cycling0:07:20  Bike packing to Goa0:08:35  Bike packing to Bhutan0:09:25  Trying to lose weight through running, Mumbai Marathon, Trail running0:11:05  Charm of trail running, Solang Ultra, why he prefers ultra cycling over ultra running0:15:15  Norway bike packing , ring road around Iceland0:19:05  Great riding and great food in Leh0:20:05  How does one pack for a bike packing trip?0:22:45  What food does one carry on a bike packing trip0:23:45  How he got into ultra racing in cycling, 400brm, Great Himalayan Ultra 0:29:40  Deccan Cliffhanger experience0:31:45  Tour of Nilgiris 2024 experience0:35:00  Closing      About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to my good friend, Milam Saxena. Milam is one of my regular training partners who joins me for our Nandi hills rides every Saturday. I have known him for about 10 years. I have seen his growth as a cyclist and as an amazing human being. He is one of the most workaholic people I know. I have seen him struggle trying to manage his training with crazy travel and work schedules. I have also seen him find his grove and become one of the strongest cyclists I know, all while managing the same busy work schedule and raising a young family. He achieved a 22 min Nandi time with a very time crunched training approach. In this episode he shares what structure has worked for him and how he overcame the challenging times along the way. His journey is a great case study on how someone with a very limited time to train could also achieve great results with some meticulous planning and execution. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation with this amazing human. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro0:05:15  Sports growing up0:08:35  Buying his first road bike0:12:15  Tour of Nilgiris 2014, quantity vs quality0:17:30  Moving to Bangalore and cycling in BLR0:19:30  Getting a trainer during Covid and riding through Covid0:22:45  Riding in the Alps with Don D'mello in 20180:25:40  Losing an year to an injury and getting out of it0:29:40  Riding 2020-210:32:50  Going from being very strong to being burnt out0:39:30  His typical training cycle, factoring rest, nutrition and polarized training0:49:00  Pacing during his Nandi hills personal best of 22:360:55:00  Managing personal life, systematic arrangements with life partner  0:58:00  Managing work, training and rest1:00:00  Cycling in Goa1:03:20  Tips for fellow working athletes1:05:00  Closing      About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Shiven. Shiven is a multiple time National medalist and National champ at Indian MTB nationals. Shiven first appeared on the podcast 3 years ago in episode #62 where we talked about his journey in cycling so far. I would encourage you to listen to that episode as well after this if you haven't already. This year we met again during tour of Nilgiris and sat down during the rest day to talk about the current and future talent emerging in MTB in India. He also shared his experience of racing in some UCI races outside India and how one can go about gaining experience in races outside India and improving their skills. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.        0:00:00  Intro0:05:40  The current level in MTB scene in India0:09:30  Gap with Asian level competition, what can help bridge it0:12:45  Promising results at junior level at Asian champs0:14:30  Talent pool at junior level0:17:05  National MTB academy and how can one get into it 0:19:30  Shiven's racing experiences outside India and learnings0:21:40  How does one find and take part in Asian level MTB races?0:22:20  Dhananjay's 3rd at junior Asian level race 0:26:40  Equipment disparity no longer an issue0:28:30  Tour of Nilgiris his experiences0:31:00  Develop engine or skills, his tips for athletes to do well at MTB races0:33:00  Importance of community racing0:37:00  Closing       About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode I talk to Renu Singhi. Renu Singhi is an amazing woman who accomplished some crazy feats of endurance in Ultra cycling. A housewife, a mother and a grandmother who started cycling very late has completed 1200km Paris Brest Paris, 1600km London Edenborough London and recently completed the 4200km North Cape challenge. We met during the Tour of Nilgiris and recorded this during the rest day. In this episode she shares her inspiring journey in cycling and her experience of PBP, LEL and North Cape. She was only comfortable talking in Hindi. So, we did the interview in Hindi and I tried to speak whatever broken Hindi I could but asked most of the questions in English. If you are not a Hindi speaker but watching this on Youtube, the subtitles should help. I hope her story inspires you as much as it inspired me. If it does, please share it with your friends to show that nothing is impossible and age is just a number.         0:00:00  Intro0:05:30  How she bought her first cycle0:09:45  First ride and first race where she came second0:11:00  First BRM 200km after 2 months and progression  0:17:30  PBP/ Paris Brest Paris Experience0:22:00  Delhi to Bombay and 5 days Super Randonneur experience 0:25:35  Experience at LEL ( London Edinburgh London)0:29:50  Unstoppable despite multiple crashes0:37:05  North Cape 4000 experience0:44:00  The troubles after completing North Cape0:53:00  Importance of strong mind for Ultra riding0:55:30  Tour of Nilgiris0:57:50  Tips for working athletes0:58:45  Closing      About the PodcastThe working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here:YouTubeOther Places you'll find the podcast on:Anchor |RSS |Apple Podcasts |Spotify |Google podcasts |Pocket Casts |Radio Public |Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website. Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com In this episode I talk to Chris Chua Cheng Hai. Chris Chua is a long time rider from Singapore. He was part of Tour of Nilgiris 2013, 2015 and now back in 2024. I sat down with him on the rest day of Tour of Nilgiris to talk about his cycling journey and his experiences at TFN. Chris comes across as a calm but fun guy at the same time. It was great sitting down for this chat. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Dr. Shekar Rao and Dr Kavitha Rao. Dr Shekar and Dr Kavitha are an inspiring doctor duo who cycle together. Dr. Shekar is a heart surgeon and Dr Kavitha is an eye specialist. Both of them were part of the Tour of Nilgiris this year and I sat down with them on the rest day to not only talk about their cycling journey but also about their specialities of heart health and eye health. I interviewed them one after the other as I had only two microphones. I'm sharing both the interviews together in this episode to keep them together even here. I hope you enjoy the conversations as much as I did.            0:00:00  Intro 0:04:40  How Dr Shekhar got into cycling 0:09:08  How he got to know about Tour of Nilgiris 0:11:15  Memories & changes in Tour of Nilgiris he noticed in the last 10 years   0:17:20  Heart health, what is optimal amount of exercise 0:23:00  How does one take care of heart health, moderation, regularity and graded progress 0:25:00  Screenings/tests for ensuring heart health, general screening, treadmill test, CT angiogram 0:33:10  Biggest rides he has done, SR, west to east, Manali to Leh 0:36:50  Dr Shekar's tips for working athletes, happiness of pursuit 0:41:00  Dr Kavita's intro, how she started cycling 0:44:40  Experience of completing an super randonneur(SR) in 2023 0:46:00  Experience of her first Tour of Nilgiris in 2022, what makes TFN special 0:49:30  Some of her memorable rides 0:50:30  Taking care of our eyes, myopia 0:53:10  Food for eye health, eye care for athletes 0:55:10  What keeps them going, calm 0:56:45  Tips for women on taking care during premenopausal and menopausal times 0:58:00  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Lokesh Narasimhachar. Loki, as he is affectionately referred to as, is a multiple time Karnataka State champion and multiple medal winner at Indian Cycling Nationals. He was one of the key members of erstwhile Specialized KYNKYNY team. He is the winner of the prestigious Ekalavya award from the Karnataka State government in recognition of his contribution to the sport. Loki now runs a bike store in Mysore, Cyclopedia and is actively building the next generation of riders from the Mysore district. It was a pleasure sitting down to chat with him about his journey in the sport and the work he is putting in for nurturing the future generation of cyclists. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.          0:00:00  Intro 0:04:40  His start of cycling 0:08:10  Bijapur cycling hostel experience 0:09:00  Moving away from family business and taking cycling seriously 0:10:30  Getting selected for south zone cycling competitions on BSA Mac1 single speed 0:12:25  First Nationals in 2003, Bronze in U-18;    0:14:25  Asian Championships in Ludhiana, 0:15:50  His National medals as a senior after 2010, focusing on sprinting 0:18:20  Coming to Bangalore, working at Wheelsports, KYNKYNY Wheelsports, KYNKYNY Specialized team 0:21:20  KYNKYNY team, Loki and NJ at Tour of Nilgiris 0:23:00  How KYNKYNY Specialized team impacted cycling in the country 0:24:30  His Last Nationals in 2016 and start of Cyclopedia 0:25:30  Genesis of Cyclopedia 0:28:45  Building the cycling culture in Mysore, District association, MTB racing 0:31:45  Learnings from the years of Cyclopedia    0:33:30  Reason behind his hand sling/fractured wrist, 0:35:00  Upcoming talent in Mysore 0:36:20  Closing               About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to my friend and teammate at Spectrum racing, Ravi Ranjan Kumar. Ravi is also the founder of Ride a Cycle Foundation and one of the founders of our beloved multiday cycling tour, Tour of Nilgiris. He was one of the earliest riders in the Bangalore cycling community and it was great to go down the memory lane to talk about early days of Bangalore cycling, the genesis and initial years of Bangalore bicycling championships, our team Spectrum racing and Tour of Nilgiris among other things. Ravi has moved to Europe on work in 2016 and he also shares how his cycling and running changed ever since and what he enjoys doing now a days. This episode was my way of catching up with an old friend while capturing some of the early years of cycling and running in Bangalore. I had great fun. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:05:55  Growing up with very little sports 0:07:40  Starting running and cycling 0:11:30  Initial years of riding in Bangalore, trail riding 0:16:05  Start of racing in Bangalore, Bangalore Bicycle Championships, BBCH 0:21:30  Genesis of Tour of Nilgiris, TFN 2008, early memories 0:34:25  Venky's first TFN on the fixed gear bike back in 2011 0:38:10  Ravi's solo bike tours, touring stories   0:45:30  Start of Spectrum Racing and initial years 0:48:30  BabaVelo vs Rajesh Nair 0:50:30  Ravi's move to Europe in 2016, riding and running there 0:56:30  Importance of weight training to avoid injuries and overall fitness 1:02:25  Tips for working athletes 1:03:40  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to my friend and a friend to many who come in contact with him, Anand Kapoor. Anand is an high flying exec in IT. He is also a cyclist, a runner and a triathlete. By his own admission, not a very fast one. But, what he lacks in speed is more than made up by the amount of fun he has in doing any of those activities and the amount of joy he spreads among those who he adopts as his friends. In this episode we talk about his and my favorite tour, Tour of Nilgiris, what makes him tick, what keeps him happy and how he manages to do all that he does. It is always a joy to be around him and this conversation was no different. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:06:30  Work for him and his relationship sport growing up 0:09:10  Missing NDA, starting work, starting running and cycling 0:14:35  Chancing upon Tour of Nilgiris, riding Manali to Leh 0:18:40  His first Tour of Nilgiris - TFN Entre 2012 experience 0:21:00  Tour of Nilgiris 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 0:37:10  Getting into triathlon,   0:43:00  memorable experiences at Goa Tri, Barcelona 70.3 0:52:00  What makes him tick, making core memories, having fun 1:02:20  Tips for working athletes 1:03:10  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode I talk to Kurush Wadia. Kurush is an excellent cyclist and triathlete from Mumbai. I have known Kurush from 2015 when he was part of the Tour of Nilgiris that year. Kurush has since focused more on triathlon and has become an exceptional working triathlete. I got a chance to sit down with him before his race in Goa Ironman70.3 and talk about his athletic journey so far and his learnings from it. Two days after recording this episode, he had a tough race in Goa that ended up in a DNF during the run as he had to be hospitalized for dizziness. He was a bit heartbroken at the time because he was at his fittest with months of consistent work. It just goes on to show what we also talked about during the episode as well that what happens on the race day doesn't take away from the work one puts in with months and years of consistent work backed by unbridled passion for the sport and all the benefits we get out of the whole process. I had a great time talking to him about his journey. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:04:40  Talking of TFN and Ridley Cheetah connection 0:07:20  Relationship with sport growing up, life in Sweden, first triathlon in 2015 0:18:15  Losing weight from 95 kilos, getting into cycling for commute in Sweden 0:28:10  First Olympic triathlon in Pune in 2015 0:30:00  Tour of Nilgiris 2015 experience 0:37:10  BRM riding phase, his 400 Brevet experience 0:43:20  Colombo Ironman 70.3 and Turkey 70.3 in 2018   0:47:10  Talking of running and importance of staying injury free 0:58:30  Goa Ironman 70.3 2022, 2023 1:07:10  His nutrition strategy for a 70.3 race 1:11:50  Tips for working athletes 1:17:10  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       In this episode I talk to one of my cycling friends, M Jothi Venkatesh better known as MJV. MJV once weighed a whopping 110kgs. He lost nearly 40kgs over the years and now weighs 71kgs. In this episode he shares his learnings through this weight loss and fitness journey. He shares what helped and what didn't help. He talks about the importance of patience and understanding that nothing happens overnight. He talks about the lifestyle changes that helped him including prioritizing sleep and recovery. He emphasizes the importance of not getting sucked into other peoples pursuits and having our priorities right. It was inspiring to listen to his journey and his learnings along with way. I had so much fun with this conversation. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.         0:00:00  Intro 0:04:20  SAP Roadies club and getting started in running 0:11:45  Going from 110kgs to 90kgs at first 0:15:10  His first running events 0:19:00  Getting into cycling 0:24:00  Running injury putting a stop to running 0:26:45  Losing the last 15 kgs, no shortcuts 0:30:20  Tour of Tamilnadu, Tour of Nilgiris   0:41:10  Wakeup call during pandemic, Vitamin N 0:49:40  Focusing on sleep, recovery, reading, climbing 0:57:40  Sub 30 Nandi climb, racing at BBCH, masters racing 1:06:00  Playing the long game, focusing on strength, not stressing 1:11:20  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode, I talk to Ganesh Kumar. Ganesh is an ultra cyclist and ultra trail runner par excellence. I first met Ganesh in Tour of Nilgiris and have been fascinated by his passion and penchant for endurance ever since. One year, he rode his bicycle from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, then Tour of Nilgiris and Tour of Tamilnadu back to back without any break in between. He has done many month long self supported tours up to 5000kms. He got into running by accident and turned to ultra trail running and started winning many trail Ultra marathons in India. When I was in Ooty/Coonoor recently for a cycling trip with friends, he joined us for a couple of days of riding and I used this opportunity to sit down with him and learn more about his endurance journey. It was inspiring to listen to his journey and all the stories from his many tours. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.       0:00:00  Intro 0:05:15  His relationship with sport growing up 0:08:00  A friend's cycling touring book that sparked a thought 0:10:20  His cycling tour experiences 0:18:30  Health scare and starting his fitness journey 0:24:50  2014 Tour of Nilgiris 0:29:00  Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Tour of Nilgiris and Tour of Tamilnadu back to back 0:36:00  Touring across America, 5000km 0:44:00  A case against Xenophobia 0:49:25  India to Singapore tour 0:53:00  Dislike of running and becoming a runner 1:02:00  Discovering trails around Coimbatore 1:09:10  Taking part in UTMB 2021 1:20:00  Solang Sky Ultra, Hell Race; other ultra trail races in India 1:27:20  Enjoying the time racing than focusing on results 1:34:10  Tips for working athletes, we all have time 1:39:10  Closing             About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com       In this episode, I talk to Joel Sundaram who just came back from winning Asian championships selection trials. Since the last time we spoke on the podcast he won a bronze at the Nationals in cycling and a bunch of other races. In this episode we talk about what transpired over the last year or so with his training and racing and how he has been dealing multiple crashes and various other setbacks to come back stronger. We spoke about the mistakes and the learnings from those mistakes and how they have been helping his journey. As always he brings a refreshing bit of honesty and fun to the conversation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.           0:00:00  Intro 0:07:10  The flurry of crashes including one 2 days before the Nationals 0:16:20  Talking of the joy of riding 0:20:00  Tour of Thekkady 0:30:00  Not being picky with equipment, Bangalore Classic 0:40:00  HCL Cyclothon, Missing the National games 0:46:00  BBCH Nandi Epic win,   0:57:10  Tour of Nilgiris 2023 1:00:30  Cycling Nationals 2023, Overcooking the pacing and ending up with Bronze 1:20:00  Dealing with injuries 1:22:30  Asian Championships Selection trials 1:30:00  Pacing for different conditions, wind, heat, altitude etc 1:40:10  A case of Merckx style TTs 1:45:10  Asian selections road race 1:51:10  Safety at Nationals 1:53:10  Running Banter 1:54:00  Closing        About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

Dr. Meera Velankar, a mother of two with a doctorate in life sciences, embarked on a transformative journey over a decade ago. Feeling unfit and discontent, she turned to cycling, becoming a seasoned endurance athlete since.  Her achievements include completing numerous running and cycling events, earning the title of an Ironman 70.3 finisher, and conquering the Super Randonneur norm three times, with a podium finish at the Tour of Nilgiris. In 2022, Meera made history by setting a Guinness World Record for a self-supported cycling journey from Agra to Umlingla, covering a distance of 1,835 km in 19 days, 7 hours, and 18 minutes. This remarkable feat, accomplished with Utkarsh Verma, traversed five passes with an elevation of 19,000 meters, equivalent to climbing Mount Everest twice. During this podcast, Meera shares insights into her journey, emphasising the importance of setting goals and pushing boundaries. Drawing inspiration from fellow cyclists, she advocates for spending more time outdoors and pursuing dreams.  Learn more about Meera's adventures and her passion for motivating other mothers by listening to her story on the Tough Girl Podcast. *** Don't miss out on the latest episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast, released every Tuesday at 7am UK time! Be sure to hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of strong women.  By supporting the Tough Girl Podcast on Patreon, you can make a difference in increasing the representation of female role models in the media, particularly in the world of adventure and physical challenges. Your contribution helps empower and inspire others. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast to be a part of this important movement.  Thank you for your invaluable support! *** Show notes Who is Meera Getting her doctorate in life sciences at 26 Having 2 daughters Realising that she was obese  Starting to walk and to get into running Setting her first cycling challenge Cycling 800km in 8 days with a lot of off roading and climbing in 2011 Receiving support from the male participants Wanting to take her cycling further The importance of working towards goals Taking part in stage events  2012 getting involved in Super Randonneur Getting use to cycling on her own Taking on new challenges every year Wanting to move away from organised events and create her own challenges Deciding on challenges/events and the planning and preparation involved. Using her research skills from her PhD to plan her routes  Being inspired by Cat Dixon and Raz Marsden. The women's tandem around the GWR holders. (You can listen to Cat and Raz on the TGP) Meeting Laura from SteLa Tandem - Around the word - mixed pair GWR holder. You can listen to Laura Massey-Pugh on the TGP - Her Inspiring Journey Around the World - 180 days on the back of a tandem.  Book: The Next Everest by Jim Davidson  Taking on 3 different routes/challenges with different partners, self supported.  Riding Kanyakumari to Kashmir Route (K2K) 3,800km in 18 days, self supported. Riding The Golden Qualdilateral (network of national highways connecting Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai in four directions) 6,000+ km in 41 days Riding East to West - known as the "the other k2k" in cycling circuits.  Having a supportive husband  Social issues of riding a tandem bike with a male partner who is not her husband.  The challenges of tandem cycling  Riding Umling La Pass on a tandem bicycle, which is the highest motorable pass (19,024ft) in the world. The many names of the tandem bike Having support from the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Communication and needing to rely on local people and their local knowledge Fitting in cycling around her life and family  Focusing on high altitude cycling and the lessons she's learned  How to connect with Meera  Final words of advice to encourage you to spend more time in the outdoors and to follow your dreams Take the first steps to pursue your dreams    Social Media Website: www.pedalmummy.com/meera/index.html  Instagram: @meeravelankar  

Delhi excise policy: No relief for Arvind Kejriwal, Supreme Court issues notice to ED, Rahul Gandhi's helicopter searched by EC officials in Nilgiris, Airlines scramble to reroute as Israel-Iran tensions rise, Plan to fire at Salman Khan's house hatched in US by Lawrence Bishnoi's man: Report, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan: Will hit ₹100 crore milestone today

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com   In this episode, I talk to Dr. Dhanajeyan of Spectrum Physio. My association with Dhanajeyan began when I became part of the cycling team, Spectrum Racing, where he was one of the sponsors. Although he is no longer a sponsor on the team, his association with cycling and cycling events continues with he and his team taking care of riders and helping them complete challenging multiday rides like the Tour of Nilgiris among other events. In this conversation, we tried to cover various aspects like how to identify an injury vs normal pain, the importance of posture, how to avoid injuries etc. I hope you find this conversation useful.          0:00 Intro 0:04:30  Spectrum Physio and Spectrum Racing relationship 0:06:30  How do you identify an injury 0:09:10  How can an athlete identify if an injury is severe   0:18:00  Rehab of injuries 0:23:20  Triage management, injury management, 0:26:30  Importance of screening and regular health checkups 0:30:30  Common injuries and how he addresses them 0:43:30  Importance of bike fit 0:46:30  Injury prevention, injury management 0:50:00  Closing     About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website. Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com In this episode, we talk to Murali Ramakrishnan, an endurance cyclist from Hyderabad. A cricketer growing up, he lost touch with sport once he got busy with his career. He got back to sport through running after a health scare and got into cycling due to various running injuries. He shares his weight loss and endurance journeys during a chat we had while we both were riding the Mae Hong Son Challenge by BarnOwl Adventures. It was super fun chat with a few practical take aways for most of us. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 0:00 Intro 0:04:20 A cricketer life growing up 0:07:10 Life in career 0:11:30 Medical tests, a wake up call 0:15:00 Getting into running 0:16:30 Diet changes to lose weight from 86kgs to 68kgs 0:23:00 His training while running half marathon and full marathons 0:25:00 Running injuries and introduction to cycling 0:28:30 Similarities between running and cycling 0:30:10 Tour of Nilgiris and cycle touring 0:31:20 Mae Hong Son and what he loves about it 0:36:25 Comparing Doi Inthanon and Kalahatty 0:40:10 His bucket list 0:41:30 Closing

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website.  Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com     In this episode, we talk to Sathish Marathe Rao. Sathish is a celebrity chef who has hosted the likes of Dr. Abdul Kalam as well as who's who of the Bollywood. He is also the Karnataka State Cycling champion back in the 70s and toured the world on his bicycle before settling down in the US. He was part of Tour of Nilgiris this year along with his close friend Wheelsports Venky and I took this opportunity to sit down with him to talk about his cycling days back in the day. It was so fascinating to hear about Bangalore cycling back in the 70s and the stories from his tour around the world on a bicycle. I had a blast and I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.         0:00 Intro 0:05:05  How he got into cycling out of necessity 0:07:10  The accidental champion of Karnataka State 0:11:01  Freak accident putting an end to his cycling career 0:12:37  Cycling around the world to find himself 0:26:37  Losing the bags and passports in Belgrade 0:30:31  Getting sponsored by PUCH bicycles out of serendipity 0:32:00  Starting a new life in the US starting with washing dishes 0:39:00  Hustling and the opening of Udipi restaurants 0:41:10  Losing bike in NY and restarting cycling after a break 0:45:20  Bangalore cycling back in the 70s and now 0:49:25  His riding nowadays 0:51:10  Tour of Nilgiris 0:54:40  Tips for a Working Athlete 0:55:00  Closing       About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker 

This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.comIf you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website. Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com In this episode, we talk to Dr. Francis Roy. I met Dr. Roy during the recently concluded Tour of Nilgiris that I was part of. He is an Orthopedic surgeon who lost more than 30 kgs and in the process learnt of a whole new world with better nutritional practices to help us live better lives. In this episode he shares his learnings in nutrition that helped him lose the extra weight and lead a healthy life. It was a really interesting discussion with him on various dietary practices and how they could help us. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Welcome to the working athlete podcast. On the occasion of 150th episode on the podcast, I thought I'd share an interview I have done with Bangalore's cycling mayor and urban mobility activist Sathya Sankaran and his cohost Knerav Kodolikar. Sathya was on this podcast talking about cycling activism and policy among other things in episode #52. He recently started a podcast called Oorulabs where he addresses various issues related to urban mobility. In this episode we talk about where we were 10 years ago w.r.t cycling, where we are currently and where we can go in the next 10 years an beyond. We talked about what we can do to improve cycling culture in general in India. It was fun. I hope you enjoy it. ===From OoruLabs=== @bikeyvenky talks to us about how India can produce top class cyclist who can compete in events like the Tour de France or Giro de Italia, which is considered the top events in cycling. What are the attitudes and misconceptions around cycling. What is scale, how do we define scale, how do we create leagues and how all this ties down to culture of cycling. How do we compare against countries in Europe like Netherlands or Belgium. Of course we talk about how all this rubs off on urban cycling and transform cities. Welcome to the OoruLabs podcast (https://podcast.oorulabs.com). Ever complained how bad our cities are? How bad your commute is? You'll get to hear from people who are working to solve these problems. This is your weekly soapbox for Urban Sustainability with Sathya Sankaran and his co-host for this show Knerav Kodolikar Timecodes 00:00 - Intro 04:00 - Decade to TdF 04:50 - The cycling circuit 11:00 - The gateway drug 16:46 - Scaling the culture 21:40 - City celebration with cycling events 26:45 - Cycling league overkill? 32:32 - How to find talent? 42:18 - Racing to commuting 44:48 - The challenges in the city 46:34 - The safer network 47:30 - The attitudes 50:30 - Concluding thoughts ------------ Working Athlete podcast with Bikey Venky - / @bikeyvenky Sathya Sankaran on the Working Athlete Podcast : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIzO8gguhy8 Tour de France - https://www.letour.fr/en/ Bangalore Bicycling Championships - BBCh.in Bangalore Amateur Racing - https://www.facebook.com/BangaloreAmateurRacing/ Tour of Nilgiris - https://www.tourofnilgiris.com/ Tour of Karnataka - https://tourofkarnataka.com/ Great Malnad Challenge - https://www.greatmalnadchallenge.in/ Bangalore Randonneurs - https://www.audaxindia.in/bangalore-randonneurs-bangalore-c-9 SMN Network map - https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1heZETc7zV2KKllSsMWxMShygJIvvMRE&entry=yt&ll=12.971001759254378%2C77.57444622842634&z=12 write to councilforactivemobility@gmail.com if you would like to contribute

In this episode, The Subverse explores the progression in the use of metals and its impact on the trajectory of human evolution,the role of fire and its symbolism in understanding artefacts, art history, culture, and dance. Susan Mathews speaks with Prof. Sharada Srinivasan, a professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore, India, who studies archaeological artefacts and metallurgy.  Through the study of artefacts, we can better understand the history of technology and the progression of metals in civilization. This also helps inform the conservation of artefacts and get better insights into archaeology and art history. In her own work, she has made landmark contributions such as the analysis of bronzes in South India using lead isotopes to identify its metallurgical characterisations and studies on ancient mining and metallurgy in South India. We looked at the fire element in several ways. First, we explored the trajectory of human evolution and its intrinsic links to the increasing ability to master fire. The progressive use of metals and metallurgy was pivotal, and we find that presently no device or pursuit lacks an element of combustion technology. From the hearth to kilns and fiery furnaces, unknown forms and embellishments were forged for the good and for the bad. We spoke about some of these contradictions in the application of heat to metal and some of the gender divides that followed this fiery progression. Prof. Srinivasan brings up interesting illustrations of the ancient art of lost wax casting in India, the making of carnelian beads and the role of women in ceramics, such as Kota women from the Nilgiris. The conversation covered fire symbolism and cultural references in Vedic literature, Buddhist iconography, Tamil Sangam poetry and the Nataraja bronzes. Professor Sharada Srinivasan was elected as an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Archaeology in 2021. She received the Padmashri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in 2019 and has made pioneering contributions to the study of archaeology and history of art from the perspective of engineering applications.  

This episode is brought to you by Findbetter.ai. Find better is a social networking app for cycling & running enthusiasts to discover and shop together.   For today's guest Chetan Shah, life has thrown many challenges. In 2009 he had a tumor removed from his brain which resulted in hearing loss in one ear and loss of a balancing nerve. In 2011 he had to undergo a knee replacement surgery. In 2013, he had to undergo full bypass surgery for his heart because of 5 blocked arteries. Despite all these challenges, the fighter that he is, Chetan decided to fight for his life and turned his life around. In the following 10 years, till date, he has ridden about 1lakh 30 thousand km. Rain or shine he rides 6 days a week even in the toughest of climatic conditions of Mumbai Monsoons.   In this episode we talk about his inspirational journey. We talk about the lifestyle choices that he made that helped turn his life around. We talk about the many self supported bike tours he has done around the world. And we also talk about Tour of Nilgiris where I first met him. It was an inspiring conversation with an inspiring individual. I hope you'll enjoy as much as I did.   0:00:00 Intro 0:05:10 Sports background, Cricket life 0:10:50 Heart bypass surgery and dealing with it 0:21:00 Initial days of cycling after the bypass surgery 0:30:00 Lifestyle changes that helped him stay consistent 0:34:00 Cycling tours all around the world 0:49:30 Tour of Nilgiris experience 0:53:30 His tips for working athletes 0:55:10 Closing remarks         About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker    A bit about myself: I'm Venkat/Venkateswara Rao in my work avatar, working as a Chief Data Analyst in the IT industry in Bangalore. I'm Venky/Bikeyvenky for my friends in the cycling community.   All through my life I struggled with weight and health issues. After multiple failed attempts through the life to get fit and healthy, in 2008, I managed to lose 16kgs. My motivation was to be able to take care of my unborn son with the thought that "if I'm not able to take care of myself, how am I going to take care of my family?". When my son was 6 months old, having lost 16kgs, I picked up a bike to keep that weight off and stay fit. That became a passion and lost more weight and became better at it. I continue to train myself not just to stay fit but also race competitively in races in and outside the country. I also have been coaching a few riders to get stronger and faster at cycling since 2016.   With 'The Working Athlete Podcast', I have a bit of a selfish motive. That is, it will provide me an opportunity for me to meet and talk to many people from all walks of life across different sports to learn how they manage an active lifestyle while doing well at work. I hope to share those learnings with all of you. That way, it will help both you and me to keep learning and keep growing.  

This episode is brought to you by Findbetter.ai. Find better is a social networking app for cycling & running enthusiasts to discover and shop together. For a cycling enthusiast like me it is a treasure trove to find all sorts of bikes and accessories both used and brand new. I tend to get a lot of DMs asking for where to find a bike on a budget etc. Nowadays I tend to direct them to the Findbetter app. It is completely free to use and is available both on Google Play and the AppStore. Download and you can follow me on the app. I'm there as bikeyvenky on the app. Enjoy the podcast!   Jai Armugam is an Ultra cyclist from Dubai. His passion for cycling was born during the peak of COVID Pandemic back in April 2020 and it kept growing. I first met him during the Tour of Nilgiris in 2022 and was struk by his earnest enthusiasm for cycling. After crashing badly on the last day of TFN with in a few weeks he went on to complete his first Ultra event which was the Race Around Rwanda.   In this episode we talk about his experiences in Tour of Nilgiris as well as his experience riding the 1000km self supported gravel event Race Around Rwanda. It was facinating to listen to his experiences especially from the self supported adventure in Rwanda. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.   0:00:00 Intro 0:04:10 How he got into cycling 0:08:45 Racing in Dubai and Cycling infrastructure in Dubai 0:12:12 Tour of Nilgiris experience 0:41:30 Race Around Rwanda Experience 0:48:00 Nutrition for Race Around Rwanda 1:05:00 His next ultra event 1:10:10 Closing remarks           About the podcast: The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing and hitting the bell icon so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.   Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.   If you like this, please hit the like button and share with friends who could be interested.

Maj. Gen. Dr. AVK Mohan(retd) is a two Star General, a Hospital Administrator in the Army, a Adventure Biker, a Randonneur, a Marathoner, a Mountaineer, and a Motivational Speaker. In this episode he share his endurance journey, pursuing various activities while in service, rides like Golden Quadrilateral self supported ride in 30 days. 0:00:00 Intro 0:01:25 His relationship with sport growing up 0:03:25 Running through Battle Physical Efficiency test(BPET), Physical Proficiency Test(PPT) 0:06:30 Pursuing various activities in service 0:21:00 Mountaineering and motorbiking adventures 0:33:15 Long distance cycling, K2K rides 0:48:25 Passion and Profession 1:01:05 Tour of Nilgiris, sport bringing people together 1:11:04 Taking care of health, regular health checkups 1:16:15 Closing remarks! Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This year we have been celebrating a history of scholarship in and through AIIS - exploring the narratives within the walls of the institute and the conversations that have happened thanks to the support of AIIS. In this episode, we turn from history to current research that highlights collaboration and co-creation, a foundational piece of what makes AIIS the American Institute of Indian Studies.The Nilgiris Field Learning Program (NFLP)  connects “Cornell faculty and students with practitioners and community members in the Nilgiris, the “blue hills” of southern India. Since 2015, the NFLC learning community has explored a range of issues around sustainability, conservation, livelihoods and education in a region recognized for its biodiversity.” Program members Neema Kudva, Andrew Willford, Pratim Roy, and Anita Varghese join us to explore how AIIS has supported this collaborative work, research methods in ethnographic collaboration and co-creation, what it means to work at the intersection of climate change, health, well-being, development, and study abroad. The following interview is taken from a webinar that took place virtually on October 4, 2022 and is part 1 of 2 webinars this fall featuring India-US collaboration and AIIS.*Transcript coming soon*Produced by AIISMusic “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Tea Consumption Globally Increases to an Average 800 Grams Per Person | The International Tea Committee revised its per capita benchmark, noting a 113% increase in tea consumption during the past 20 years. | Parcel Carriers Hike Rates as Delivery Demand Declines | Tea Drinkers Experience Lower Risk of Diabetes This week Tea Biz travels to the North American Tea Conference on the shores of Lake Ontario. The three-day conference drew tea professionals from around the world. This year's conference opened with a status report on global tea presented by Ian Gibbs, head of the International Tea Committee in London. | NEWSMAKER – Ian Gibbs, Chairman of the International Tea Committee, London | GUEST – Indian tea grower Padmanabhan Subramaniam  | FEATURE INTRO – Meet Padmanabhan Subramaniam, a remarkable tea farmer from the Nilgiris whose Facebook series “Knowledge Sharing is Caring” showcases farmers' successes and achievements.  Knowledge Sharing is Caring – At the height of the COVID pandemic, Indian tea grower Padmanabhan Subramaniam, with the Nilgiris Sustainable Farmers Welfare Association, organized online activities for the small growers in Nilgiris with the theme Knowledge Sharing is Caring. Since then, local tea experts and fellow growers have conducted 78 virtual meetings on all topics related to agriculture. "We have had guests from India, one guest from the US. The programs cover different topics," says Subramaniam. "We want these farmers to have an idea on how to go with innovative ways of agriculture and upgrade themselves economically. These things we kept in mind and talked about everything from the soil up to the harvest," he says.

This week, The Musafir Stories speaks to Ayush Kumar, solo traveller and photographer as he takes us to the hill town of Coonoor in Tamil Nadu! Today's destination: Coonoor, Tamil NaduNearest Airport: Coimbatore International Airport - CJBNearest Railway Station: Coonoor Railway Station (ONR)Prerequisites - N/APacking - Pack warm clothes, depending on the time of the yearTime of the year - Summers (March to May) and winters (October to February) are ideal time to visitLength of the itinerary: 3-5 daysItinerary Highlights: Ayush takes us to the quaint little hill town of Coonoor on the podcast today - we begin the journey on the historic UNESCO World Heritage Site, Nilgiri Mountain Railway or popularly known as the toy train. The train runs from Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam or Ooty, making stops at several beautiful stations, including Coonoor. Make sure to book the tickets well in advance as the demand is very high during the tourist season! The toy train runs 3 times a day between Ooty and Mettupalayam, and is one of the steepest lines that is run on a narrow gauge rail line supported on a rack and pinion mechanism. The journey takes about 5 hours, and is one of the few lines that still runs on a steam engine (for a part of the journey). Other stations in the journey include Runnymede, Ketti, Hillgrove, Lovedale and Wellington. The railway line has also been featured in a number of popular movies including the SRK/Mailaika song “Chaiyya Chaiyya” and Kamal Hasan/Sridevi starrer Sadma. The Nilgiri biosphere is also an ecological hotspot that is teeming with wildlife and hundreds of species of flora and fauna. The western ghat formation is believed to be at least 150million years old, making this a significant part of the Indian subcontinent. After enjoying the train ride, Ayush covers off the touristy places in Coonoor including Sim's Park, Lamb's Rock and Dolphin's nose to get a view of the beautiful Catherine Waterfalls. As you are visiting these spots, make sure to visit tea estates in the vicinity like Glen Morgan, Homedale, Glen Mark, Highfield tea estate, Guernsey Tea factory etcOther places Ayush explores include Tiger Hills and the cemetery, Wellington, Kotagiri among some of the other places. From a local cuisine perspective, make sure to check out Ramachandra restaurant (hotel) for some mouthwatering local dishes. Cafes include Cafe Diem, La Belle Vie, Bird house cafe, Crown bakery, Indian Bakery, Ayush shares his experience being stung by a honey bee as well as the trip to the nearby town of Wellington!Wellington is popular as the HQ of the Madras Regiment and its famous alumni include Field Marshall KM Cariappa. The trip also includes a visit to the Defence college, Wellington Lake and the Wellington Station. Other points of interest in the vicinity include Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Bandipur Tiger reserve and Kotagiri. Links:Ayush's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soul.traveller.kumar/Ayush''s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ayush.kumar.737448Ayush's previous episodes:Bhubaneshwar - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3j9rNyQ9FUVrJJoSD4tcDP?si=6528696138dc4a01Puri - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2qlot1VdxOHoUsQhxGYPTc?si=50710e9bb1c44d43BBC Documentary on Indian Railways: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpoQO9ggzC4&list=PLwOyHkOUH9wKRF46cU7Pzxc4U1eE0RPstThe Musafir Stories on Audible: Ooty - The Queen of Hills!https://www.audible.in/pd/Ooty-The-Queen-of-Hills-Podcast/B09F1PLKF7?ref=a_pd_The-Mu_c0_lAsin_0_3&pf_rd_p=fb415642-61ca-48d1-82f5-1e0dcaa1f83f&pf_rd_r=JP0AVEWDCXJYSEJ7B0XKImage Credit - Ayush KumarFollow the Musafir stories on:Twitter : https://twitter.com/musafirstories?lang=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/themusafirstories/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musafirstoriespodcast/?hl=enwebsite: www.themusafirstories.comemail: themusafirstories@gmail.comYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featuredDo follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.https://twitter.com/IVMPodcastshttps://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/?hl=enhttps://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts/Follow the show across platforms:Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Gaana, Amazon MusicDo share the word with you folks!

Shankar Jayaraman has been my teammate at Spectrum Racing for more than 10 years now. He is someone who does not make too much fuss about being busy and goes about his rides and workouts with the same cool as he does managing a big team with million dollar deliverables at work. In this episode, Shankar shares his endurance journey and how he is able to balance work, staying fit and having fun riding a bike. We also talk about coming back from serious injuries and carrying on riding. We recorded this episode on the banks of river Badra in Kalasa when we went on a bike trip a couple of weeks ago. Hope you enjoy this as much as we did. 0:00:00 Intro 0:02:30 Sports as a kid 0:03:15 Getting into cycling with commuting and then taking part in BBCH 0:06:10 Taking part in BBCH, Climbing to Kilimanjaro and riding Tour of Nilgiris 2010 0:14:30 Giro Delle Dolomiti in 2014 and 2015, Tour of Friendship 2017 0:17:30 Sikkim trip and tradition of riding to Goa during new years 0:24:10 Managing training and riding while being busy at work 0:29:10 Coming back from serious injury/accident 0:36:20 Tips for working athletes 0:56:30 Closing remarks! Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Vinayak Gaonkar is a long time runner, cyclist and triathlete from Goa. He is one of the most inspirational working athletes from Goa who has inspired many youngsters to take up the sports of cycling and triathlon. I sat down with him when he was here in Bangalore along with his team Equipe Goa to take part in BBCH Kolar Express race. In this episode he shares his endurance journey through, running, cycling and triathlon. We also talk about how the sport in Goa has changed over the years and how teams and clubs like Equipe Goa, Cycling Goa and Xaxti riders are contributing to unearthing raw talent and nurturing it for future. 0:00:00 Intro 0:02:30 What is work for him 0:03:03 Early entry into sports cricket and injury putting a break in sports 0:04:15 Gaining weight through college and early career 0:06:35 Weight-loss journey with gym and introduction to running through company sponsored run 0:10:10 Introduction to cycling and riding weekend rides 0:13:55 First BBCH Race and signing up and training for Tour of Nilgiris 0:19:00 Tour of Nilgiris 2015 experience 0:23:00 Getting introduced to and training for triathlon; his typical training cycle for triathlon 0:31:00 Colombo 70.3 experience 0:34:55 Memories and takeaways from Tour of Nilgiris for him 0:38:35 Managing training for triathlon with hectic work; are you fatigued or you just lazy! 0:43:10 Nationals 2021 experience 0:44:30 Growth of cycling in Goa; Tour of Goa; Community races; Youngsters taking up cycling; Equipe Goa 0:49:02 Tips for working athletes 0:50:00 Closing remarks! Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Hari Menon is a dear friend and a long time cycling teammate. He is also been a runner for four decades as well. In this episode, we talked about his running and cycling journeys over the years. As someone who has cycled and raced in various parts of the world and as someone who has been living and racing in Dublin for the last couple of years, he shared pretty interesting insights into the club level riding and racing there. It was interesting to note them and contrasting that with the situation in our part of the world to learn and implement a few things here. I really enjoyed this conversation. I'm sure you will too. 0:00:00 Intro 0:06:30 What is work for him 0:08:41 Running and cycling for more than 40 years, different perspectives at different times 0:13:15 Running in school days, college days and early mentors 0:23:00 Getting away from sport, smoking and trying to get back to running 0:27:00 Chancing upon a cycling tour, Tour of Nilgiris connect in 2008 0:31:20 Meeting him for the first time in 2010 the TFN and Bikeszone connect 0:37:10 Riding with Vicki, being a couple with same interests, riding in various parts of the world 0:46:00 Running and cycling, do they help each other? 0:49:30 Dealing with injuries, importance of strength training 0:54:15 Riding in Dublin and other parts of world; how it compares to Bengaluru 1:03:00 Club structure and club ride groups, events abroad etc 1:25:05 Tips for working athletes 1:26:50 Closing remarks! Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Jobin Varughese is an ecologist with a masters in ecology from Pondicherry University. His initial training as an architect, and later as a landscape architect, now contributes in interesting ways to his work on animal behaviour and movement. With an increasing interest in the natural sciences, and growing experience within the field, Jobin entirely shifted gears towards ecology in 2015, and is now studying the bird communities of the wonderful Shola sky islands for his PhD at IISER Thirupathi with Dr. V V Robin. Instagram, featuring his fabulous illustrations: @varughesejobin | Twitter: @jobinvarughese Articles: 1. Oriental Pied Hornbill preying upon a Black-crested Bulbul nestling 2. Slow conservation in the Nilgiris field learning center: an integrative model of education, research, and practice

Neil D'souza is one of very few adventure sports film makers we have in India. He covers various sports like river rafting, kayaking, climbing, cycling etc. He spent almost 6 months trekking in the Himalayas and made an amazing documentary about the experience. In this episode, we talk about his how he came to covering sports and his journey in the Himalayas. He shared some of those experiences where he almost did not make it out alive to tell the tale. They were mind-blowing and talks a lot about his resilience. It was an amazing conversation that I really enjoyed. 0:00:00 Intro 0:04:00 What is work for him 0:06:15 How did you get into adventure sports film making 0:16:50 Always in sports in school and college 0:21:00 Common threads he finds in various sportsmen/athletes from different sports 0:26:47 What is his process for covering sports and making adventure sports films 0:36:04 Experience of covering Indian Cycling Nationals(Road and MTB) 0:38:50 His favorite sport to cover 0:41:00 The touching story of Manigandan and his Tour of Nilgiris speech and his film around it. 0:49:40 Neil's memories from Tour of Nilgiris 0:58:15 Toughest experience for him, The Himalayan Film 1:18:05 Three near death experiences while running solo for 4 months in the Himalayas! 1:33:45 Any advice for aspiring adventure and sports film makers 1:37:25 Closing remarks! Indian MTB Nationals coverage by Neil: 2021 Nats 2020 Nats Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

While attending a wedding with a friend, Ajoy Joshi (Nilgiri's) became mesmerized by the knife skills of the chefs providing the feast. It gave him the inspiration to begin a career as a chef and led to chancing his arm on a career downunder. A few decades later and he's become one of the most influential chefs exploring the depth and breadth of Indian cuisine in Australia.https://nilgiris.com.auFollow Deep In The Weeds on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=enFollow Huckhttps://www.instagram.com/huckstergram/Follow Rob Locke (Executive Producer)https://www.instagram.com/foodwinedine/LISTEN TO OUR OTHER FOOD PODCASTShttps://linktr.ee/DeepintheWeedsNetwork

Apurv Verma is one of the riders I first met during Tour of Nilgiris in 2013. Since then I have seen him evolve as a strong rider and humble human being. He has taken part in races both short and long including ultra races and has done well in all of them. He won the 6 hour World time trial championships twice and continues to do well in cycling while balancing his family and work lives in the US. In this episode, we talk about how he first got introduced to cycling due to personal tragedy and how cycling helped him in his life. We talk about how the local club level races and ultra events are helping the community. We also talk about how being part of a team like Pune Wolfpack has helped shape his riding. 0:00:00 Intro 0:03:46 What is work for him currently 0:04:55 Connecting to cycling inspired by Lance due to a personal tragedy 0:09:30 Bombay Pune Race and getting hooked to racing by forming a team 0:13:25 Team LifeCycle and taking part in community races 0:16:30 Tour of Nilgiris 2013 and Kalahatty experience 0:25:45 Team PuneWolfPack formation and taking part in Bangalore Bicycling Championships 0:34:30 Finding KKR in a magazine. 0:37:05 Paris Brest Paris experience 0:42:40 Finishing on podium in Deccan Cliffhanger in 2015 and 2016 0:44:40 How he managed work while racing both short and ultra races 0:49:30 Moving to the US and meeting Lance Armstrong 0:53:10 Racing in the US, Crit races and 24 hour time trials podiuming in 12 hour race 0:59:10 winning 6 hour world time trial championships(30-40 age group) in 2019 and winning 6 hour virtual time trial championships 1:04:05 His fueling, hydrating and pacing strategies for long endurance events 1:11:20 What is his favorite memories in sport 1:14:20 Training indoors with ISRT on Zwift 1:17:10 Tips to aspiring athletes 1:18:50 Closing remarks! Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Shiven is one of the fastest and most technically adept riders on a mountain bike. Having started in the junior ranks, he grew from strength to strength and became Indian National champion in MTB in 2020 and 2021. He wants to go beyond and perform well at Asian level and world UCI MTB events. In this episode, we talk about his cycling journey from being a scrawny kid to becoming a National champion. We talked about his learnings along this journey and how the MTB landscape has changed over the years, mostly for the better. We talked about his experience at the recently concluded Road Cycling Nationals. We also talk about what his future goals look like! It was a fascinating conversation with the young champ. Let us get into it. 0:00:00 Intro 0:03:01 Early start in cycling 0:05:05 Taking part in MTB Shimla as a 14 year old 0:10:10 Winning two medals the first MTB Nationals in 2014 in U-18 category 0:15:10 Bike TransAlp race experience in 2016 as part of Hero Action Team 0:21:45 2017 National Championships experience as an elite 0:23:55 Disappointment of 2018 Nationals 0:30:00 Changing the approach to training in 2019 and signing up with a coach 0:34:05 Representing India in 2019 MTB Asian Championships in Lebanon 0:38:20 Podium at MTB Kerala 2019, India's first UCI level MTB event 0:42:45 Winning trials for South Asian Championships after a serious crash and finishing 4th at SAC. 0:45:45 2020 Asian Championships in Thailand 0:48:45 Taking two medals in 2019 National Championships 0:50:45 2020 Nationals experience and winning two Gold medals and one silver medal 0:54:45 Race craft for MTB mass start races, strategies to do well in time trials 1:01:45 2021 Nationals experience. Defending his National title 1:13:50 National Academy for MTB for scouting and nurturing MTB talent in India 1:16:55 How does one get into the National Academy for MTB 1:18:52 Experience at Road Nationals 1:30:20 Tour of Nilgiris 2017 and 2018 experience, Climbing Kalahatty 1:36:20 Future goals and aspirations. 1:37:10 Tips to aspiring athletes 1:38:10 Closing remarks! Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

The spontaneous outpouring of 'Veera Vanakkam' by the Nilgiris people (Salute to the brave) towards Gen. Bipin Rawat and the other soldiers who died along with him, is the actual depth of Bharat's civilisational ethos towards the balidani warriors. As Bhagwan Krishna said - in this battlefield, if you are killed you attain svarga, if you live on you will get to enjoy this world, therefore, rise o Arjuna and become firm to do battle.

Gokul Krishna is a runner, a cyclist, a coach and a partner at one of the best bike shops in Hyderabad, The Bike Affair. He is also a podcasting host at The Indian Cycling Podcast. Please make sure you subscribe to that podcast as well. He also hosts a weekly talk show on Leher App by the name, "Its all about the bike" that currently runs at 8pm every Tuesday. You can check it out as well. In this episode with Gokul, we talk about his weight loss and endurance journey as a runner and a cyclist. We also talk about the challenges and the joys of being an entrepreneur, an athlete and a coach and what helped him keep a balance between all these. 0:00:00 Intro 0:03:05 What is work for him currently 0:05:20 What motivated him to move away from corporate life and get into cycling industry 0:08:16 Being a fat kid and an arm chair sports enthusiast 0:11:05 Journey of fitness and weight loss 0:19:10 Initial running days, exploring new places through running and commuting on cycle 0:21:40 Initial riding days and tour of Nilgiris memories 0:31:30 Getting into training self and others, transition into coaching 0:40:15 What is most satisfying and challenging about coaching for him? 0:48:15 Beyond the Everesting challenge experience and becoming the first to complete 10,000m. 0:57:20 Tips for working athletes 1:00:30 Closing remarks! Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working full-time/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Today's guest is one of the most positive persons I have the privilege of knowing and interacting. She moved to India in 2012 to pursue her Phd in neuroscience at National Center for Biological Sciences and has got into cycle racing at BBCH. Although she has been cycling all her life mostly for commute, she has quickly grown to love racing and has excelled at the sport. She won many races and inspired many along the way. Her name is Dr. Lena Robra. In this episode we talked about her cycling journey, how she managed to find time to train and race while completing a demanding phd program. How she plans to get back to racing after having two kids and demands of time from job and life in general. 0:00:00 Intro 0:02:50 What is work for her currently? 0:03:56 Cycling most of her life mostly for commute 0:07:20 Coming to India for Phd and starting on a doodhwala bike! 0:11:20 Visiting Crankmeister and meeting Nikhil 0:13:40 Early racing at BBCH 0:16:48 Early riding and Touring in the Alps with Nikhil 0:20:15 Memorable races and riding with Vicki Nicholson and Samira Abraham 0:24:10 Women participation at BBCH and the role that BBCH played in producing champions 0:29:00 Her training during racing days 0:31:54 Tour of Nilgiris memories 0:37:10 Hassan highway BBCH 100k race and more BBCH races 0:40:10 Managing training and work 0:44:45 Challenges of getting back to training and racing with kids and work 0:48:30 Tips for working athletes 0:50:00 Closing remarks! Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working full-time/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

A break from schools due to Covid-19 serves as a blessing in disguise for Irula tribal children who get to learn traditional ways of life from their elders through village elder programmes. For this episode of The Suno India Show, Independent Journalist, Arathi Menon, travelled to the Nilgiris to see how in the absence of schools for long periods of time during Covid-19, tribal elders are imparting traditional knowledge to the children. The elders take the children to the forest and teach them about medicinal plants, traditional games and much more.  See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Meera Velankar is a doctorate in life sciences and a mother of two. She calls herself an accidental cyclist. She loves long distance cycling and says that if she can not be fast she wants to be first in doing something. So, she chooses some unique events to participate in and has 4 Limca book of records on her name. She recently completed the Golden Quadrilateral challenge on a tandem bike covering a staggering 6000km in 41 days. In this episode she shares her journey in sport and her recent Golden Quadrilateral challenge experience! This episode covers: 0:00:00 Intro 0:03:10 Start of cycling to lose post pregnancy weight 0:05:58 Life back in India and cycling here! 0:10:00 Tour of Nilgiris 2011 0:14:30 Bangalore Bicycle Championships and Brevets 0:20:10 Triathlon - More family friendly? 0:23:20 Limca Records 0:25:25 What draws her to Tandem riding 0:27:30 Challenges of riding a tandem bike 0:29:00 K2K ride with Richard Kingsley 0:35:10 Golden Quadrilateral Challenge 0:56:50 Overcoming the Jinxes - Completing despite all the challenges 1:02:40 What next? 1:07:10 Inspiration both ways - Daughters in sport 1:09:10 Tips for working athletes Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working full-time/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker A bit about myself: I'm Venkat/Venkateswara Rao in my work avatar, working as a Chief Data Analyst in the IT industry in Bangalore. I'm Venky/Bikeyvenky for my friends in the cycling community.

#10 Kaaya Tech: Founded by husband-wife duo Harshavardhan Kikkeri and Shwetha Harsha in 2016 from Mysuru, Kaaya Tech is working on wireless motion tracking and capturing suit called HoloSuit that makes virtual reality experiences more immersive and productive. Their suits come with haptic feedback and dozens of sensors. #9 Kidvento: Mysuru-based edtech startup Kidvento was founded by Nikhil Bhaskar and Sumanth Prabhu in 2017. They partner with schools to offer what is essentially a curriculum in a box – things like textbooks, workbooks, tests, teacher manuals and lesson planners. Apart from that they also provide their partner schools with a robust online platform, where teachers can host live classes and post videos, collect assignments, interact with parents and students. #8 MicroDegree: Founded by Gaurav Kamath, Manikanta Nair and Rakesh Kothari in 2019, Mangaluru-based MicroDegree is an edtech startup that is teaching kids how to code through online courses but in their native language – Kannada. #7 UDMA Technologies: Udupi-based fintech startup UDMA Technologies began its journey in 2016 with a digital wallet called the Use Anytime Anywhere wallet. UDMA Technologies' UAA Wallet compresses authentication data into a single encrypted SMS message, thereby circumnavigating the internet entirely. #6 Nirnal: Founded by Niranjan Karagi in 2016, Belgavi-based Nirnal is a water filtration startup that offers products like portable bottle filter that can fit into a standard water bottle at just Rs 30 – providing access to affordable clean drinking water. So far, they have sold over 2 lakh units in more than 15 countries. #5 SenseGiz: Founded by Abhishek Latthe and Apurva Shetty in 2013, SenseGiz is a Belagavi-based IoT startup that is known for its wearable armbands called SAFR. It is a sleep and fitness tracker and can also be used as a safety device which notifies family members in the event of an emergency or accident. #4 AI-Bharata: Founded by Vinayaka and Vivek Jyothi and Sahana Mallappanahally Shivaswamy in 2019, Sanduru-based AI-Bharata is an AI startup that has built a system called MYAIRA, which uses AI and ML to detect and differentiate between 15 different lung and chest disorders including pneumonia and COVID-19. #3 Freshboxx: Founded by Archana Saxena, Pavan Patil, Praveen Narappanavar and Rohankumar Kulkarni in 2015, Hubballi-based Freshboxx delivers fresh fruits & vegetables directly from farms to their customers. They have also onboarded 150 retail partners including Big Bazaar, More, Nilgiris, and Reliance. #2 Skykrafts Aerospace: Founded in 2015 by Srinivasulu Reddy G, Hubballi-based Skykrafts Aerospace is a drone startup that has created drones for a number of different use cases. They've built an agriculture spraying drone, an award-winning cardboard drone intended for DIY tinkering, a more generic drone for enterprise and government use-cases, and an open-source blockchain-based UAV Traffic Management system called SKYWARE. #1 PublicNext: Founded by Manjunath Rao and Vishal Sheth in 2017, Hubballi-based PublicNext is a hyper-local social media news app that empowers its users to take on the role of news creators by reporting on the things that are happening in their neighbourhood or district, posting job opportunities, and sharing their opinions on social issues, in Kannada. Sankalp Semiconductor: Founded by Vivek Pawar in 2005, Hubballi-based Sankalp Semiconductor is currently one of the largest independent analog and mixed-signal semiconductor design service companies in India. They were acquired by HCL in 2019.

Alexander Sukhochev aka Sashanti is a disc jockey and music producer, who's the creative force behind premier nightlife brands such as Shanti Goa and Soma Project, in Goa. Visit his website Follow him on Instagram Like his Facebook page Listen to his music sets on Soundcloud Listen to his journey from growing up in a suburban town in Russia, and stepping into the nightlife scene in Moscow as a teenager, to writing a fiction based on his experiences in Goa, and hosting sought after parties in Goa for over fifteen years. Sashanti has played a several legendary nightlife venues across the world, including Tresor (Berlin), Sisyphos (Berlin), Paradiso (Amsterdam), Chapeau Rouge (Prague), After his first book, The Goa Syndrome (2007), which went on to be a bestseller in Russia, he is now involved in writing scripts and screenplays for movies both in India and Russia. His follow up book will be out soon. Sashanti studied journalism and has covered stories for the Russian government. Also a photography enthusiast, he has showcased his work ranging from Full Moon scenery and his time with the Toda Tribe in the Nilgiris, India. Dance to some of his productions, including these recent releases. Rain - Andrey Semenets, Sashanti (dOP Remix) Arabia EP - Sashanti/Andrey Semenets SHANTI GOA Shanti Goa was the winter residence of the club Shanti in Moscow. This chic bar, lounge, and art space sat on the scenic Ashvem Beach, overlooking the Arabian Sea. It was the spot to watch sunsets from while hanging out with cool people and listening to superb artists. Art at Shanti Goa When dOP played live at Shanti Goa SOMA Project SOMA Project is a nightlife brand in Goa, created by Sashanti. It had its residence at Teso Waterfront for a few years where it has hosted several parties on Sunday evenings for the 'it' crowd. This resurfaced as SOMA Life in Morjim, before retiring. Riktam & Bansi party Stefano Richetta party Timestamps for reference 06:59 Sashanti inspired my move to Goa 12:55 How Sashanti set up Shanti Goa 17:33 Music scene in Goa in the 2000s 18:31 Understanding underground music? 28:05 Sashanti's journey in music 33:28 Shanti Goa to Soma Project, evolution 41:32 Beachside sunset sessions in Goa currently 45:24 Artists and artworks of Soma Project 54:51 Sashanti's book The Goa Syndrome 55:50 Sashanti's initial experiences in Goa 01:02:30 Influences of destinations on your own music 01:06:06 Sashanti's writing projects 01:16:01 Sashanti likes to capture moments 01:18:09 Sashanti's travels across India Also mentioned in this episode Abelton - Ajmer Sharif Dargah - Amnesia - Awakenings - Belarus protests (2020-2021) - Boom - Buddha Bar - Burning Man - Cafe Mambo - Caucasus Mountains - Charlotte de Witte - Chennakeshava Temple, Somanathapura - Club Cubana - Dancing Shiva (Nataraja) - David Guetta - Deborah de Luca - Denis Chernenko - Djuma Soundsystem - Downtempo - Dub Tempo - Electric Zoo India - Fall of the Berlin Wall - Fruityloop - Georgian protests (2019-2020) - Hacienda, Manchester - Hilltop - House music - Hoysala architecture - Ibiza - Ignatius Camilo - International Film Festival of India - Jean-Michel André Jarre - Lord Shiva - Klartraum - Kraftwerk - Leon Pereira - Manchester underground - Mathew Jonson - Nadja Lind - Nadja Lind and Klartraum at Shanti Goa - Nilgiris - Nina Kraviz - Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram - Pablo Hasél - Pawas Gupta - Pinaki & Alistair - Raimund Imo - Ritesh Gonsalves - Romeo & Juliet - Sergei - Shanti Moscow - Single malt whiskies - Latin America protests - Stefano Richetta - SulaFest - Sven Väth - Tbilisi - Techno music - Tito's - Todas - Tresor - Undergoa - Wolf + Lamb - Woomoon - Yapacc ******* Show cover jingle courtesy of Icons8 Music by Nordgroove from Fugue Episode background tunes courtesy of YouTube Audio LibraryDrifting at 432Hz by Unicorn Heads The Stoic and the Sailor by Unicorn Heads Vishnu by Patrick Ptrikios All photographs by Sashanti, Shanti Goa, & SOMA Project, unless otherwise stated.

If there is ever going to be an Mountain biking hall of fame for India, Kiran Kumar Raju is sure to figure prominently in that. He is a multiple time National champion in cross country mountain biking. But, his journey to the top of the sport is anything but a straight line and is amazingly inspirational. With his hard work and success, he has inspired many youngsters to take up mountain biking as a sport and look to do well competitively. In this episode he shares his journey in MTB landscape in India ! This episode covers: Intro Late start in sport through running in College! Sport positively effecting studies and life! Starting work and starting to commute by cycle 2011 BBCH Nandi Hills Race Part of Specialized KYNKYNY Development team in 2012 Drama before joining SKCT MTB program Winning MTB Shimla in dramatic fashion Nandi Race progression to top of podium 2014 -Deciding to give up the job and taking up cycling fulltime Coaching with Naveen John and winning the first Gold at MTB ITT Nats Gold and Bronze at Nats and then having doubts. Finding support of the cycling community and TREK Getting married in 2017 and becoming a dad in 2018 Staying the course and performing at the Nats - 9 medals in total Future plans in the sport- Mentoring the youth! Tour of Nilgiris as a volunteer and as a rider! Tips for working athletes Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working full-time/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker A bit about myself: I'm Venkat/Venkateswara Rao in my work avatar, working as a Chief Data Analyst in the IT industry in Bangalore. I'm Venky/Bikeyvenky for my friends in the cycling community.

Today's guest, Chenthil Mohan had a great impact on the sport of cycling in India. Years ago, he left a plush corporate job to pursue his passion for photography. Wedding photography, product photography, sports photography, you name it and he has done it. It is through his sports photography that he had most impact on the cycling landscape in India. Over the years we have been fortunate to follow various events like Indian Cycling Nationals through his amazing pictures. Following in his footsteps we see many more taking up sports photography which is great for the sport. Through his pictures he has been inspiring many around the country towards cycling including himself. He now cycles and runs to keep fit for life and for his photography gigs. In this episode he shares his journey in endurance and as a photographer! This episode covers: 0:00:00 Intro 0:03:30 Che's Print Sale 0:05:45 Photography roots- how it started! 0:08:02 Moving away from Corporate job and taking up photography profession 0:13:18 Getting into sports photography 0:19:45 Tour of Nilgiris 2011 - first sports event 0:22:20 TFN as a rider 0:33:40 Covering Indian Cycling Nationals 0:51:40 Covering international events-World Championships, Belgium, PBP etc 1:04:28 Building endurance for staying fit for work 1:07:45 Importance of working on Mental health 1:12:35 Tips for working athletes Chenthil's Instagram handle for following his work and for print sale: @chenthilmohan Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working full-time/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Today's guest, Rajendra Bhaskar is a cyclist who represented his state at the Nationals. He is a strong triathlete who has a sub 5hr half ironman to his name. He is an engineer from IIT Bombay and an MBA graduate in Banking and Finance from Bangor Unviersity in the UK. He is an investment banker living in London and the cofounder of the Indian e-Sports Racing Team(ISRT). In this episode he shares his journey in endurance running and cycling and what keeps him going despite a busy schedule. This episode covers: 0:00:00 Intro 0:02:15 Indian e-Sports Racing Team(ISRT) 0:07:45 Getting started early in sports 0:10:10 Weight loss journey while in IIT Bombay 0:12:10 Cycling Nationals experience 0:14:10 Sun-Pedal Ride and Tour of Nilgiris experience 0:20:45 Getting into Triathlon and 70.3 experience 0:29:10 Indoor riding vs Outdoor riding and racing! 0:41:05 Staving off boredom while riding indoors! 0:44:20 Favorite places to ride in! 0:49:10 Managing time with Indoor training! 0:52:10 Tips for working athletes Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages Nutrition and strength program Akshay mentioned in the episode Kenzai. Book recommendation: Endure by Alex Hutchinson About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working full-time/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker A bit about myself: I'm Venkat/Venkateswara Rao in my work avatar, working as a Chief Data Analyst in the IT industry in Bangalore. I'm Venky/Bikeyvenky for my friends in the cycling community.

The Indian Railways are the backbone of the country, connecting the various remote parts of our country. It is the largest network in the world by size. Beyond the immense utility of the railways, there is also a rich cultural and historical significance to it. In this episode, we delve deeper into the history and culture of the Indian Railways. An officer with the Indian Railways, Vinita Srivastava is presently the Executive Director, Railway Heritage heading the Heritage Directorate of the Railway Board in Rail Bhavan, New Delhi. Ms Srivastava qualified as a Mechanical Engineer (IMechE) in 1996, and studied for an Executive Masters in Management from IIM Ahmedabad in 2011. More recently, in 2017 she became a Chevening Science and Innovation Fellow from St Cross College, Oxford University. Her work experience spans two decades in rail transportation and her previous posting was in the Ministry of Culture where she developed her knowledge of cultural studies, museology and conservation architecture. She took up her present post in April 2019 after three years administrating the National Mission on Cultural Mapping and the IGNCA. In 2018 she was instrumental in developing a bilateral MoU for cultural and conservation information for the UNESCO WHS temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Her remit includes the UNESCO protected Railway Industrial Heritage sites like the CSMT building and the Mountain Railways of Darjeeling, Shimla & the Nilgiris.

The Indian Railways are the backbone of the country, connecting the various remote parts of our country. It is the largest network in the world by size. Beyond the immense utility of the railways, there is also a rich cultural and historical significance to it. In this episode, we delve deeper into the history and culture of the Indian Railways. An officer with the Indian Railways, Vinita Srivastava is presently the Executive Director, Railway Heritage heading the Heritage Directorate of the Railway Board in Rail Bhavan, New Delhi. Ms Srivastava qualified as a Mechanical Engineer (IMechE) in 1996, and studied for an Executive Masters in Management from IIM Ahmedabad in 2011. More recently, in 2017 she became a Chevening Science and Innovation Fellow from St Cross College, Oxford University. Her work experience spans two decades in rail transportation and her previous posting was in the Ministry of Culture where she developed her knowledge of cultural studies, museology and conservation architecture. She took up her present post in April 2019 after three years administrating the National Mission on Cultural Mapping and the IGNCA. In 2018 she was instrumental in developing a bilateral MoU for cultural and conservation information for the UNESCO WHS temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Her remit includes the UNESCO protected Railway Industrial Heritage sites like the CSMT building and the Mountain Railways of Darjeeling, Shimla & the Nilgiris.

In this episode, we talk with Ketaki Agtey Sathe from Mumbai/Bangalore! Ketaki is a long time runner, a mom of two, a communication specialist making the corporate world a better place, and more recently a triathlete who qualified to take part in the Ironman 70.3 World championships based on her performance in her first 70.3 Ironman Triathlon! In this episode she shares her journey in fitness, how running and now triathlon help her navigate life and enjoy it to the fullest. This episode covers: 0:00:00 Intro 0:03:20 A Mumbai girl or a Bengaluru Hudugi? 0:04:30 Hungry runner? Hungry for? 0:05:30 Start of running on threadmill 0:07:35 Moving to Mumbai and dealing with change with running 0:10:10 Striders - Finding her own tribe 0:15:50 First major HM- Amsterdam 0:20:15 Adjustments/Sacrifices needed for keeping everything going 0:27:40 Injuries and how they helped become more mindful 0:34:50 Picking up a cycle while dealing with a running injury 0:37:35 Getting started in Triathlon - Swimming with the buffalos and getting used to open water swim! 0:44:00 Goa 70.3 Experience 0:56:25 70.3 World Championship-2021 or 2022? 1:00:13 Tour of Nilgiris 2018 experience 1:04:02 Sahayadri Classic 2021 Experience 1:08:05 The secret to logivity in endurance journey 1:11:40 Tips for working athletes Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working full-time/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker A bit about myself: I'm Venkat/Venkateswara Rao in my work avatar, working as a Chief Data Analyst in the IT industry in Bangalore. I'm Venky/Bikeyvenky for my friends in the cycling community.

Two decades ago, a survey found that only about one in four Adivasis in Tamil Nadu's Gudalur town were literate and the rate among women was even lower. Adivasi student enrollment in specialised public schools was extremely low and the conditions of the schools were far from adequate. “Non-Adivasi teachers and staff showed little empathy or concern for the Adivasi children,” write the three guests for today's episode. This grim picture has transformed significantly in much deeper ways than the brush-stroke statistics shared above. We'll learn about the story of this transformation. A scholar and two educationists join us on Research Radio today. Amman Madan studied anthropology and currently teaches at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. Dr Madan works on promoting dialogue and justice through education. Rama Sastry has been a passionate teacher who has taught marginalised children for four decades. B Ramdas has also been in the education space for four decades, and along with Rama, is a trustee of the Viswa Bharati Vidyodaya Trust, Gudalur, Nilgiris. Before we hear from them, a little more context: Rama and Ramdas, along with their colleagues, have worked to actualise the transformative potential of education for Adivasi students in the town of Gudalur, located in the Nilgiris. The town is home to five Adivasi communities: the Paniyas, the Bettukurumbas, the Mullukurumbas, the Kattunayakas, and the Irulas. They constitute about 10% of the population of Gudalur. And we'll learn more about their educational journey based on their article: "Social Movements and Educational Change: A Case Study of the Adivasi Munnetra Sangam." Audio courtesy: The last ones by Jahzzar [CC BY-SA 3.0].

In this episode, we talk with Hemendra Upadyay! Hemendra is your typical Working Athlete. A shy and humble guy working for an IT consultancy. During 2015 he used to weigh 93kgs. Over the years, he not only lost over 30kilos but also became one of the strongest master's athletes in Bangalore! From struggling to finish in top 10 of a field of 11, he is now consistently on the podium giving the best in the category a run for their money. He recently started seeing results for his consistent hard work of years. He won the master's category ITT by a huge margin in Jan this year. He finished second in master's category in the BBCH Nandi Epic, a prestigious race for us folks in Bangalore. In this episode he shares his weight loss journey, how he trained to become one of the strongest masters athletes in the region, his struggles with failures and celebrating successes etc. This episode covers: 0:00:00 Intro 0:06:10 Weight loss journey and the longest 8km 0:30:37 Diet talk, protein, Dal, steak et al 0:37:06 Goa Tri, Crankmeister, first BBCH and intro to TFN 0:50:01 Tour of Nilgiris 2017 0:56:10 A different person in 2018 - From struggling to finish to winning! 1:16:34 Why Structured Training 1:23:32 Strength work 1:28:18 Rewarding oneself for successes and dealing with failures - The Goa Tri experience 1:40:02 Training through hectic travel schedule 1:44:17 Nandi Epic experiences and learnings 1:52:18 Some tips for working athletes Some Links Below: Working Athlete Community on FB. Link to Anchor Voice messages About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

In this episode, we talk with Jamie Anderson Jamie is a world class Working Athlete. An Australian living in Belgium, he is a management guru who graduated from London Business School and is an adjunct professor at Antwerp Management School. He's a TEDx Speaker, a stand-up strategist, a husband, a father, a super strong cyclist, a winner of some of the top amateur UCI -granfondo races around the world and an all-round amazing guy. He recently started a cycling channel on YouTube called This Cycling Life, where he interviews some of the top cyclists from around the world, discussing all things cycling. In this episode he shares his journey, how he got back to his childhood passion of cycling after years of submerged neck deep in the management world. He provides some tips on how to balance professional and sporting aspirations along with family life as well as share some training tips. This episode covers: 0:00:00 Intro 0:03:35 This Cycling Life Channel 0:05:58 An inspiring origin Story 0:09:24 Moving away from full-time Management career 0:21:35 What it took to get back to cycling 0:27:17 What it took to compete at UCI grandfondo level 0:35:23 Juggling the three balls of work, family and sport 0:47:14 Tour of Nilgiris connection 0:48:48 Crazy experiences on Indian Roads 0:56:00 Planning and selecting races 1:03:27 Training - Strength training and Polarized training 1:25:06 Reverse periodization and race specificity 1:40:50 Some tips for working athletes Some Links Below: Jamie's channel 'This Cycling Life' Jamie on LinkedIn Working Athlete Community on FB. About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

ShownotesHe is a pioneer championing the honey hunters from the Kurumba and other tribes in the Nilgiri Biosphere in the Western ghats for the last decade. Mathew John, Managing Director of Last Forest Enterprise is helping protect indigenous communities who have been sustainably harvesting honey for thousands of years from honey cliffs and bee nesting trees. As a social enterprise its success is embedded in its ability to bring together the triad of good development: conservation, livelihoods and enterprise. When I read about the honey hunters and Last Forest in @30Stades I was fascinated with their thousand year living traditions and practices. So when Mathew agreed to be a guest on The Elephant in the Room podcast, I was beyond thrilled. In this episode Mathew talks about backpacking for a year in his quest towards finding the perfect honey

Mayank Tripathi is one of the new breed of Ultra cyclists, that India is seeing who aims at not just finishing mind-numbingly long ultra events but actually do well in them. He believes that Ultra cycling in India can benefit a lot from more people focusing on getting faster and not stopping at taking pride in just surviving for the distance. Many would consider him too young to be focusing on Ultra endurance. But, to his credit he has raced and continues to race of all types races and distances along with the Ultra cycling races. Unlike many of us who hate riding indoors, he loves riding indoors. He did Virtual Everesting on Zwift in 10h 15m. He recently won a 24hour virtual time trial championships riding non-stop for 24hours on Zwift. A working athlete to the core, after years of working and cycling in India, he recently moved to Toronto Canada in pursuit of better work opportunities. In this episode he shares his cycling journey which started back when he was in college. He recounts experiences from his first Kalahatty climb, his first Tour of Nilgiris and her experiences in ultra races. We also talk about his experience crewing for RAAM. Topics covered in this episode: ISRT Indian E-sports Racing Team(Zwift Team) How his cycling started His experience in cycling Nationals His first 400km and 1000km rides His cycling crash and coming back 2015 Tour of Nilgiris experience Desert 500 race experience London Edinborough London(LEL) 2017 experience Coming back from injuries Tour of Glory experience Crewing experience for Race Across America Training and winning the 24 hour Indoor time trial Thoughts on balancing work and training About the Podcast The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker A bit about myself: I'm Venkat/Venkateswara Rao in my work avatar, working as a Chief Data Analyst in the IT industry in Bangalore. I'm Venky/Bikeyvenky for my friends in the cycling community.

In this episode, we talk with Richard McDowell. Richard ran cross-country at school and university then moved more into mountain biking for a few years. Then sport took a back seat for a few years while travelling overseas with work, until getting more into cycling in India. He got into triathlon and participated in a couple of half and full Ironman races. He discovered that while swimming was certainly not a strength, running seemed to be his strength. He ran his first marathon in Hyderabad in 2012 and finished on podium with a sub 3hr finish. After nearly 5 years traveling on work, he returned to the UK in 2015 and started running with more focus and joining an athletics club called Hercules Wimbledon. He raced over a kinds of distances and terrain, from 800m to 126km, track, road and cross-country, with marathon being the most successful distance. PB has dropped over 13 marathons to 2:23:08 finishing 10th amateur at the London Marathon in 2019. He recently started venturing into the ultra-marathon distance. He's married and has 2 children, aged 4 and 1. He juggles training with family duties and work within the engineering sector. In this episode he shares his journey, his progression, his views on nutrition among other things. This episode covers: 0:00 Intro 0:05:32 Early years in sport 0:10:48 Early years on work and life around the globe 0:13:03 Time in Hyderabad, India 0:16:59 MTB Himalaya experience 0:19:47 Tour of Nilgiris 2012 experience 0:24:25 Restarting running in Hyderabad 0:27:51 First Marathon experience 0:32:05 Winning a Duathlon with a broken hand! 0:37:40 Triathlon, first 70.3 experience 0:43:42 70.3 World Championships in Vegas 2013 0:45:58 Transition from 70.3 to Full Ironman distance 0:56:09 Moving back to UK in 2015 and focusing on running 0:58:34 Running with kid in buggy- 5k in 16-10 1:02:09 Commute runs for saving time! 1:05:35 Progression of volume on the way to 2-23 marathon time( Advanced Marathoning) 1:17:39 Polarized training! 1:22:18 Nutrition and hydration for training and races 1:30:47 Why Ultra distance races? 1:32:21 FKT Jubilee Greenway(57km race) Richard's Jubilee Greenway Youtube video 1:35:19 FKT Capital ring record (126km) Richard's Capital ring Youtube video 1:39:27 Jack Daniel's VDOT Formula calculator 1:41:57 What goes in you mind during the long runs 1:46:10 Balancing training and personal life 1:52:13 Some tips for working athletes, priorities, sacrifices, being efficient with time 1:55:31 Closing For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts

In this episode, we talk with Anubhav Karmakar. Anubhav Karmakar started out as a cyclist, picked up running, then he participated in triathlons. He is extremely good at all of these, but at least for now, it is in running that he seems to have found a footing and grown from strength to strength as an athlete. He quit his well paying IT consultancy job and started an organization that aligned with his passion for multiple sports and calls it Athloft Multisport. A coaching firm providing coaching services in running, cycling and triathlon. In this episode he shares his journey, his philosophy of coaching, his progression, his views on nutrition, weight training among other things. Topics covered Intro Athloft philosophy Start in sport/cycling MTB Himalaya experience Tour of Nilgiris 2014 - The missing bike! Start of the running journey First Marathon experience First triathlon experience 70.3 distance triathlon Challenges faced as a working athlete Taking better decisions-avoiding decision fatigue Biggest vacuum in my journey 2018 Berlin Marathon- A turning point Mumbai 2019 - First Marathon Podium 1:07:10 Boston Marathon 2019 - A 42km stadium cheering you! NewYork Marathon 2019 - Another PB! Mumbai Marathon 2020 - Sprained ankle to 4th overall! Nutrition and hydration for training and races Thoughts on importance of weight training and skills development Tips for a working athletes Closing About the Podcast With 'The Working Athlete Podcast', my mission is to reach as many working professions as possible to help them get started and keep going on their fitness and healthy lifestyle journey. The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. We aim to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker A bit about myself: I'm Venkat/Venkateswara Rao in my work avatar, working as a Chief Data Analyst in the IT industry in Bangalore. I'm Venky/Bikeyvenky for my friends in the cycling community.

In this episode, we talk with Vicki Nicholson. Vicki helps organizations, teams and individuals make transformational change to meet their goals. She designs and implements interventions to build leadership capabilities, coaches leaders and teams and participates in organization change projects. Her unique ability is to create extraordinary learning experiences that stretch leaders to find their edge and truly explore their potential. Vicki is passionate about finding a work/life rhythm and health and wellness. In this episode she shares her cycling journey which started back in 2011 till now. She recounts experiences from her first Kalahatty climb, her first Tour of Nilgiris and her experiences in races and events outside of India including participating in UCI Gran Fondo finals twice. We also talk about the importance of group riding what it teaches. She shares her thoughts on being self-compassionate to not stress yourself with unrealistic goals. Topics covered Initial days, intro to cycling Horse riding days Riding horses, riding cycles & cycling community in India First bike, the next and initial years in cycling TFN 2011 experience Rás na mBan, Broken bones, TFN 2013-14 First group ride, learning and getting stronger Spectrum Racing and Veloscope First race in 2011 - BBCH over the years Women's participation in races Motivation dips and choosing the right goals for the right times in life UCI Gran Fondo Finals experience Giro Delle Dolomitte experience Profession and sport complementing each other Managing schedule for work and sport Being self compassionate, realistic and sustainable Taking a longer term view, being active into the 90s About the Podcast: The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future. Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job. If you like this, share with friends who could be interested. For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube Other Places you'll find the podcast on: Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker About the host: I'm Venkat/Venkateswara Rao in my work avatar, working as a Chief Data Analyst in the IT industry in Bangalore. I'm Venky/Bikeyvenky for my friends in the cycling community.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Arvind Bhateja. Dr. Arvind Bhateja is a neurosurgeon based out of Bangalore, India. He is a gold medalist with an MS in general surgery and MCH in neurosurgery! He is an accomplished spine and neurosurgeon with nearly 25 year of experience and has taken part in over 5000 surgeries. Through 'Giving Back' program he has helped nearly 250 breadwinners of underprivileged families, that needed surgeries but were unable to afford them, get back on their feet and get back to work to take care of their families. He is a passionate master's cyclist and trains regularly. He uses cycling to stay fit to function well in his profession and life in general. He not only rides and races in Bangalore and across the country but also participates in events in various parts of the world. In this episode he shares his cycling journey which started back in 2009 till now. He recounts experiences from his first Nandi climb, his first Tour of Nilgiris and his favorite races and events outside of India. We also talk about the origins of Spectrum Racing team and why it lasted 10 years and still going strong. He also shares his experiences of coming back from major injuries including two spine surgeries. He finally shares a few tips on how to manage doing well in sport while doing well professionally and taking care of family. This is a long one. But, I think it is worth the time. For visually inclined, you can find the episode on youtube at: https://youtu.be/Ae0BpjB5ckU https://youtube.com/user/bikeyvenky Topics covered: The origin story. How cycling started. A new goal, first TFN First time up Nandi climb First Tour of Nilgiris(TFN) in 2009 TFN 2011 experience 70.3 Ironman experience Spectrum Racing Origin and Longevity TFN 2016 experience Overseas races Injuries - Spine surgeries How he come back from injuries 50 Nandi climbs before turning 50 Giving Back program How does cycling help your profession Planning the day - Managing time for sport Tips for a Working Athlete Keep in touch: Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/bikeyvenky Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/withbikeyvenky Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bikeyvenky/

This podcast is part of a series titled, "Special SHOUT!s" on The SHOUT! Radio, on the efforts of organizations and individuals to enrich our community. It is the story of The Keystone Foundation, situated in the Nilgiris, from the founder himself! Follow ‘The Jungle Gypsy' character-gory on our written network for more observations made over his ramblings in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. (https://theshoutnetwork.com/category/the-jungle-gypsy/)  Support the show (http://theshoutnetwork.com/shop)

Tour of Nilgiris (TFN) is the premier and most awaited multi-day cycle touring event in India. We talk to Deepak Majipatil about his experience organising TFN, it's conception and the future. The registrations for this year's event in December are open. Tour of Nilgiris: http://tourofnilgiris.com/ Tour of Glory: https://www.facebook.com/TourofGlory/ In other topics, we preview the Hyderabad Racing Circuit's Mass Start Road Race taking place on June 2 at Movie Towers in Hyderabad. HRC Mass Start: https://www.facebook.com/events/580959752399077/ We also announce the beginning of a new segment, "Too Embarrassed To Ask". Send us the questions you've always been too embarrassed to ask and we will answer them on the podcast. Of course, we will keep your question anonymous. The most embarrassing question will win a special gift from The Bike Affair. So send us your questions to podcast@thebikeaffair.com.