Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao congratulated the State cycling team which won a silver in the prestigious London-Edinburgh-London bicycle ride traversing a distance of 1,441 km, featuring 1,500 riders from 59 countries.
The Chief Minister was all praise for the cycling team which called on him in the city on Thursday and wished it many more successes in future.
Interestingly, of the 59 Indians in the fray, seven are from the city who braved the challenges of many a kind, including an elevated stage of one km.
It is said to be one of the toughest cycling challenges completed within five days or 117 hours and the novelty being that it’s not actually a race unlike other endurance rides, but all the finishers get equal recognition.
The Telangana team comprised K. Rajesh, P. Pradyumna, Gautam Narne, V. Sadananda Reddy, Sayi Ramakrishna, K. Krishna and Jeetender Dadvai.
The cycling team was well-prepared for the London challenge having trained at Anantagiri Hills, on the multiple climbs of Movie Tower area (Gachibowli-Shankarpally Road), Whisper Valley climbs and also the Nilgiri Hills.
“It is indeed a matter of great pride to the whole of Hyderabad cycling community that our riders could complete one of the most challenging cycling events in the world. That it inspires the seasonal riders to aim high is a foregone conclusion; more importantly, it is hoped that more and more people in the city pick up cycling in a serious manner,” said Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS) Chairman A. Venkateshwar Reddy, who accompanied the delegation which called on the Chief Minister.