A soaring ride that saw spirits soaring too
View(s):It was 4 a.m. on July 31 at the Cafe Spinner in Battaramulla; the city was still asleep on holiday mode, but at Spinner, there was excitement in the air. The thrilling climb over the three scenic mountains – Ginigathena, Hatton, and Radella was officially scheduled to begin from Kitulgala later in the day, but the enthusiastic WrooM riders had decided to push the game a notch higher by beginning their ride from Madiwela which would require them to ride an extra 80 km as a warm up, before the gruelling climb began.
The Three Peaks champ: Buddhika Warnakulasuriya (left) receiving his prize
At 4.30 a.m. the WrooMies were on their way to the starting point. Yasas Hewage, founder of the WrooM group said that this is probably one of the most challenging and exciting climbs in the world, and the fact that the route spanned such picturesque landscapes was a treat to the riders.
Officially, the challenge commenced from Kitulgala at 8.30 a.m.; 30 riders, 35 support crew members as back up, and three peaks to ascend! From the starting point, Ginigathena, Hatton and Radella are respectively 15 km, 40 km, and 55 km away. The 3063m climb up to Radella falls into a HC (Hors catégorie) climb in the Tour de France ranking. Translated, this literally means ‘beyond categorization’, or an incredibly difficult climb. But the riders took it in their stride. The name of the game was ‘endurance’, and not only was the ride soaring, but their spirits did too.
The riders had the option of either completing the challenge at their own pace, or competing for a podium position. Veteran participants were Lesley Rupasinghe, J.L Dullawa, S.M.D Chithrasena, A.F Jayalath and Pradeep Chandana Silva. Elite riders from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, and Ports Authority included Gihan Pushpakumara, Thushan Rajapaksha, Janaka Hematha Kumara, Nihal Silva, Suranga Ranaweera, Buddhika Warnakulasuriya, Nidush Nirantha, Sudeera Nilanga, Upul Lokuge and Wiran Ramesh. Yasas Hewage, Ajith Fernando, Jehan Bastians, Lilantha Wijayapala, Suren Abeysuriya, Milanka Induruwage, Dushmantha Jayasinghe, Shehan C, Gihan Hemachandra, Aneesha Iddawala and Shehan were the WrooM cyclists who participated.
The challenge ended with Buddhika Warnakulasuriya of the Air Force Elite Riders’ crew, winning the ascend and securing the Championship for the Three Peaks Challenge in a record time of 2hrs and 39mins. He clocked an average of 26kmph! Subsequently, the first ten riders completed the Challenge within a minute since the champion’s arrival at the checkered flag. Yasas Hewage clocked a competitive 3 hrs and 40 minutes behind the elite riders underlining the potential of amateur athletes.
The Three Peak Challenge was sponsored by Land Rover, Dell and Spinner, and was partnered by Hemas Hospital. While sponsors bore the cost of the National riders, the proceeds were contributed towards the support of ‘Blinking Bikes’ Road Safety Programme for school children in the Central province.
The Three Peaks Climbing Challenge is planned to be held as an annual event with a dream of building a Sri Lankan cyclist capable of competing at a global level. For more information contact yasas@strategy.lk.