Brown Arran wins Cyclothon, Moniton Singh fastest Indian (Roundup)

NEW DELHI - South African cyclist Brown Arran won the BSA Cyclothon 100km International Race here Sunday while Moniton Singh of Manipur was the fastest Indian on the track, finishing 21st.

The second largest cycling event in India after the Mumbai Cyclothon 2010 with races in six categories saw participation of teams from Belgium, the Netherlands and South Africa in the international race category.

The event, however, added to the woes of Delhiites, throwing traffic out of gear in the heart of the capital as major roads were closed for the public from early morning till afternoon.

Commuters were left stranded as roads in and around central Delhi, including Rafi Marg, Rajpath, Janpath, Ashoka Road and Parliament Street, as also the inner and outer circles of Connaught Place, remained closed from 5 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. for the event.

The organisers, however, were not complaining.

“It is a mass movement. I thank the sponsors and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for their support. If more races of this nature are organised, we will soon see Indian cyclists doing well abroad,” said S.S Dhindsa, president, Cycle Federation of India (CFI).

It was a fiercely contested race with Brown emerging the fastest with a timing of 2h 5m 15secs. Another South African Lang Malcolm (2 h 5 min 15 sec)and Dutch (2 h 5 min 16 sec) Maint Berkenbosch finished second and third respectively.

India tried all the 24 core probables for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games.

Moniton completed the race in the 21st place, clocking 2h 8m 2secs. Satbir Singh, Sandeep Kumar and Paramjit Singh finished 22nd, 23rd and 25th respectively.

The 10-lap race began from Parliament Street and culminated at the same place. It covered the inner circle of Connaught Place, Barakhamba Road, Jantar Mantar, and Vijay Chowk.

The event, aimed at promoting cycling in the city, had categories comprising amateurs and corporate groups riding 25 km and a 5 km ride for children aged between eight and 13 years.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was supposed to cycle with the participants to spread awareness about how the sport helps to stay fit and counter heart ailments, but the actor did not show up, leaving his admirers disappointed.

A cycling fanatic, Salman, who is often seen peddaling with his bodyguards on the busy roads of Mumbai, was scheduled to participate in the event in the capital along with his brothers Arbaaz, Sohail, sister Alvira and sister-in-law Malaika Arora Khan. Salman’s absence, to some extent was made up by Bollywood actress Chitrangada Singh.

“They (Salman and family) are not coming now. All we know is that it is because of some security issue,” said an official, after the celebrities didn’t turn up after a considerable wait by the media and fans.