Cycling: Naser and Reyhnane of Iran wins off road biking classic

Iranian riders took the centre stage as Naser Pourhashhemi and Reyhnane Khatooni Daryan went on to win the Men's and Women's categories of the Chalai Challenge Off Road Biking Classic held on April 14 covering a distance of 75 kilometres from Mulaitivu to Point Pedro.  

Pourhashhemi clocked 2 hours 46 minutes and 10 seconds while fellow compatriot Babak Alizadeh finished at second with a time difference of 31 seconds. 

Singapore's Junaidi Bin Hashim finished at third with a timing of 2 hours 47 minutes and 05 seconds. 

The rest of the two slots in the top five were claimed by Indian Kiran Kumar Raju who finished at fourth, ahead of T. Ayaman of Nepal. 

From the start the two riders from Iran, Pourhashhemi and Alizadeh led from the front and at one stage the Navy riders Gayan Sanjeeva with Sarath Kumara were trailing them along with Indian Kiran Kumar Raju, Nepal’s T. 

Ayaman and Singapore’s Junaidi Bin Hashim. 

In a fight between the professionals and minnows, the experienced pro riders won the day against the inexperienced local riders who represented the Navy, Air Force Juniors from Two Wheel CC and a few locals from the East and North of Sri Lanka. 

However they succumbed after a good fight. 

Around the Pearl riders Yasas Hewage and Hussain Shameem were placed 13th and 19th respectively with timings of 3 hours and 16 minutes and 3 hours and 30 minutes.

In the Women's category Reyhnane finished the race first with a timing of 3 hours 29 minutes and 01 seconds while her team mate Parastoo Bastideharghani finished at second closely behind with a timing of 3 hours 30 minutes and 40 seconds. 

Nepal's Bhandari Puspa Kumari clocked 3 hours 30 minutes and 43 seconds to finish at third. 

Ireland's Maureen Enderby finished at fourth while Sri Lanka's Niramaleswaran Vidushana, hailing from Jaffna, became the only contestant to finish among the top five in both categories. 

The Chalai Challenge Off Road Biking Classic was organised by the Wheel for Wheels Foundation in partnership with Mountain Biking Association of Sri Lanka (MBA) to coincide with Around the Pearl, a cycling tour that will touch the hearts of thousands of people for a cause of buying 40,000 wheelchairs for children suffering from cerebral disorder. 

Sri Lanka Navy came in as a co-organiser to help this worthy cause. 

The event was launched with international riders of world class from Iran, Nepal, India and Singapore with 10 men and three women and a host of local riders numbering to 51. 

Altogether 64 riders took off the soils of Mulaitiuv with the dawn of New Year at 6.30am on a jungle path which was once used by Navy for covert operations as the A9 was not accessible.

Stomaching the heat waves under soaring temperature, all riders braved the many obstacles such as 1-kilometre sand dune, crossing the Chalai Lagoon, overcoming undulated land, broken bridges and jungle trails and with bruised bodies 44 riders finished the course in an ultimate battle for the survival of the fittest. 

The MBA, with Wroom CC leader Yasas Hewage, encouraged by his Around the Pearl team did a yeoman service to organise this inaugural exciting event and if not for few mishaps of broken down Com Bikes it was a success story.  

Results

Men's Event: (1) Naser  Pourhashhemi (Iran / 2.46:10), (2) Babak Alizadeh (Iran / 2.46:41), (3) Junaidi Bin Hashim (Singapore / 2.47:05), (4) Kiran Kumar Raju (India / 2.50:31), (5) T. Ayaman (Nepal / 2.51:38). (6) Venkateshwarlu Reddy (India / 2.52:15), (7) Gayan Sanjeeva (Navy / 2.55:26), (8). Sarath Kumara (Navy / 2.58:17). (9). Ivan Ten Chin Sen (Singapore / 3.02:02), (10) Amal Suranga (SLAF / 3.04:17). 

Women's Event: (1) Reyhnane Khatooni Daryan (Iran / 3.29:01), (2) Parastoo Bastideharghani (Iran / 3.30:40), (3) Bhandari Puspa Kumari (Nepal / 3.30:43), (4) Maureen Enderby (Ireland / 3.34:59), (5) Niramaleswaran Vidushana (Jaffna / 4.15:57).