Tour de Pakistan kicks off from Karachi with full zest
More than 50 cyclists are vying for the prize money of $10,000.
KARACHI:
The Tour de Pakistan commenced yesterday in Karachi with more than 50 cyclists clad in colourful gear, peddling off in the hope of winning the prize money of $10,000.
The 58 participants are required to cover 1,620 kilometres in 13 days, traversing three provinces of the country, and completing 11 stages during the race. Wapda’s Sabir led the trail on the first day of the tour, covering the 155-kilometre distance between Karachi and Hyderabad in four hours 26 minutes and 14 seconds while Pakistan Army’s Mohammad Rafiq finished second with a difference of just 10 seconds. Wapda’s Mohammad Ibrahim secured the third position, reaching Hyderabad in four hours 26 minutes and 34 seconds.
The race is not only an individual challenge for each of the cyclists, it is also being given a lot of importance by the sports departments of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Railways, Fata, Wapda, Sui Southern Gas Corporation along with four provincial teams, as well as the team from Afghanistan, which is the only foreign entity participating in the event.
A race for passion
“We do it for passion,” 24-year-old Sabir told The Express Tribune.
“It is tough. It is not as rewarding as other sports but for me it is all about facing challenges and overcoming them. I have never won this race before and this is the fourth time I am participating in it. So getting an early lead feels good. In fact, three months ago, I bought a bicycle of an American brand for Rs400,000 to make sure that I do well in the race this time.”
According to Sabir, during his four-year long cycling career, he had seen most cyclists participate in the Tour de Pakistan purely because they liked to navigate to the different parts of the country and had passion for the sport. He said that on a national level cycling is not considered an important sport and cyclists are not taken very seriously by the public.
But he said that he feels that if more cycling events like the Tour de Pakistan are held, the sport might get more recognition.
Cutthroat competition
Meanwhile, Sabir’s teammate and fellow racer, Abdul Wahab believes that racing is like chess, in which each racer tries to outsmart the other cyclists on the track.
“There is cutthroat competition on the track,” said Wahab. “You cannot stop even if you see a truck coming in front of you.
“In that moment you have to be creative and find a way to stay on the road. If you stop, you need to catch up as quickly as possible. Other players may try to break your run so you need to be prepared for dirty tricks during the race.”
While Wapda plans to hang on to its dominant position in the race, courtesy their clinching the first and third spots in the Karachi-Hyderabad stage of the event, Army cyclists will try to take the lead in the second stage that begins today and covers 163 kilometres from Hyderabad to Moro.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 9th, 2011.
The Tour de Pakistan commenced yesterday in Karachi with more than 50 cyclists clad in colourful gear, peddling off in the hope of winning the prize money of $10,000.
The 58 participants are required to cover 1,620 kilometres in 13 days, traversing three provinces of the country, and completing 11 stages during the race. Wapda’s Sabir led the trail on the first day of the tour, covering the 155-kilometre distance between Karachi and Hyderabad in four hours 26 minutes and 14 seconds while Pakistan Army’s Mohammad Rafiq finished second with a difference of just 10 seconds. Wapda’s Mohammad Ibrahim secured the third position, reaching Hyderabad in four hours 26 minutes and 34 seconds.
The race is not only an individual challenge for each of the cyclists, it is also being given a lot of importance by the sports departments of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Railways, Fata, Wapda, Sui Southern Gas Corporation along with four provincial teams, as well as the team from Afghanistan, which is the only foreign entity participating in the event.
A race for passion
“We do it for passion,” 24-year-old Sabir told The Express Tribune.
“It is tough. It is not as rewarding as other sports but for me it is all about facing challenges and overcoming them. I have never won this race before and this is the fourth time I am participating in it. So getting an early lead feels good. In fact, three months ago, I bought a bicycle of an American brand for Rs400,000 to make sure that I do well in the race this time.”
According to Sabir, during his four-year long cycling career, he had seen most cyclists participate in the Tour de Pakistan purely because they liked to navigate to the different parts of the country and had passion for the sport. He said that on a national level cycling is not considered an important sport and cyclists are not taken very seriously by the public.
But he said that he feels that if more cycling events like the Tour de Pakistan are held, the sport might get more recognition.
Cutthroat competition
Meanwhile, Sabir’s teammate and fellow racer, Abdul Wahab believes that racing is like chess, in which each racer tries to outsmart the other cyclists on the track.
“There is cutthroat competition on the track,” said Wahab. “You cannot stop even if you see a truck coming in front of you.
“In that moment you have to be creative and find a way to stay on the road. If you stop, you need to catch up as quickly as possible. Other players may try to break your run so you need to be prepared for dirty tricks during the race.”
While Wapda plans to hang on to its dominant position in the race, courtesy their clinching the first and third spots in the Karachi-Hyderabad stage of the event, Army cyclists will try to take the lead in the second stage that begins today and covers 163 kilometres from Hyderabad to Moro.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 9th, 2011.