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Week 318 update of the Cycling Monks Strava Group. Week ending 5th July 2026.
Club Stats. 3916 members collectively rode 85633 km in 2628 rides, climbing 507654 metres in 3958 hours!
The number of members are up by 2 as compared to last week. The week saw everyone collectively ride less. With total distance, elevation gained, number of rides and time spent on the saddle were all down.
0 riders averaged more than 100 km a day.
1 rode a 400. 25 rode at least a 200.
65 averaged above 30 kmph for the week.
9 climbed more than 4000 metres.
Incredible riding by everyone. Kudos to all the riders who have been working hard on their saddles…
Leaderboard: Overall
0 riders averaged more than 100 km a day!
MSK Sreenivasan from Tamil Nadu was top of the charts. He rode an incredible 567 km.
In second place is Malika Kalra from Chandigarh who rode 540 km in the week.
Third spot is taken by Achyutha Krishnan from Tamil Nadu. He rode 526 km.
Leaderboard: Women
The women’s leaderboard got easier this week. To be in the top 10, you needed to ride 140+ km…
There are 8 women in the top 100 this week, 4 less than last week.Malika Kalra from Chandigarh was top of the charts this week. Riding an incredible 540 km. She is 2nd overall.
Next up is Rekha S from Telangana. Who rode an impressive 365 km. She is 25th overall.Third is Gungeet Kaur from Punjab who rode 321 km. She is 37th overall.Leaderboard: Longest Ride
Rides this week coming in from around India!
Top spot goes to Kishan Go from Maharashtra for the longest ride. He did a 406 km long ride!
Next up is Hariharan Srinivasan from Tamil Nadu having done a 256 km long ride.
Third is Hari Raju from Tamil Nadu, who did a 254 km long ride.
Leaderboard: Fastest
The top 65 have been riding at a seriously impressive pace.Fastest of the lot is Kabir Kalra from Delhi who averaged an incredible 37.8 kmph over the week!Second fastest for the week is Sangam Pattnaik from Chandigarh whose weekly average is a fantastic 37.1 kmph. He was second last week as well.
Third is Tushar Bakaya from Haryana averaging 36.5 kmph over the week.
Leaderboard: Queen/ King of the Mountain
The climbing leaderboard went to the Virtual World!Climber of the week is Bire Ride More Live More from Manipur having climbed 10816 metres.
Second is Rajan Jain from Punjab who climbed 9500 metres.
Third is Joel Sundaram from Tamil Nadu, who climbed 6368 metres during the week.
Join the Strava Club Today!
You can check out Week 1 to Week 200’s Leaderboards here…
The final two results missing, which we have now received and updated!
Men Elite – Cross-country Olympic
There were 3 elite men racing for India in this category. Khushiman Gharti finished the race in a strong 9th place with a time of 1 hour 31 minutes and 25 seconds. Ashish Sherpa finished another ten places further behind in 19th and 3 laps down on the winner. Shiven suffering from an ankle injury finished in 25th and 4 laps down.
The race was won by Riki Kitabayashi from Japan in 1 hour 24 minutes and 16 seconds.
Men Elite – Cross-country Eliminator
There were four Indians racing in the XCE format. With Tsewang Norboo best placed in 10th. Dhananjay S finished in 16th. A further two positions down, Ashish Sherpa finished in 18th; while Khushiman Gharti finished in 21st. The youngsters of Team India did a stellar job in the Eliminator format, which requires explosive power straight out of the gate. They finished in their order of age, with Norboo at 19-years-old, Dhananjay 20 and Sherpa and Gharti both at 25 years old.
The race was won by Phunsiri Sirimongkhon of Thailand.
All the remaining results from the 2026 Asian Mountain Biking Championships have finally been released:
Women Elite – Cross-country Olympic
Star Narzary and Pranita Soman, the two elite women riders were at the start line of the XCO race. Star finished the race in 10th, four laps down from the winner. While Pranita suffered a crash and DNF’d.
The race was won by Zhifan Wu in 1 hour 26 minutes and 12 seconds.
Women Under-23 – Cross-country Olympic
India had a sole representative in the Under-23 women’s XCO category. Manali Ratnoji finished in 9th place and 3 laps down to the winner. The race was won by Ting Wang in 1 hour 14 minutes and 29 seconds.
Men Under-23 – Cross-country Olympic
India had a great showing in the Under-23 men XCO category. Tsewang Norboo finished an incredibly strong 5th with a time of 1 hour 18 minutes and 4 seconds. While Dhananjay S finished in 13th and 1 lap down.
The race was won by Sheng Wang in 1 hour 14 minutes and 27 seconds.
Men Junior – Cross-country Olympic
The XCO Men’s Junior race was entered by three Indian lads. Antony Raj finished in a strong 9th position with a time of 1 hour 1 minute and 11 seconds. Pranesh Santhosh finished in 15th, 1 lap down. While Rehaan Roshan was down in 24th and 3 laps down from the winner.
The race was won by Qingyun Guan in 53 minutes and 42 seconds.
Women Junior – Cross-country Olympic
In the Women’s Junior XCO category, India was once again represented by 3 young riders. K Hashini finished in 8th, down 2 laps. Keerthana Therese finished in 10th also down by 2 laps, followed by Sowbarnika S in 11th.
The race was won by Yi Li in 49 minutes and 36 seconds.
Women Elite – Cross-country Eliminator
The Women Elite XCE was represented by two Indians, both from the Junior category fighting in the Elite group. Keerthana Therese finished in 14th and Sowbarnika S finished in 15th in the XCE race won by Zhenglan Liang.
Some more results have trickled in from the 2026 Asian Mountain Bike Championships held in Uzbekistan.
Men Elite – Cross-country Short Circuit Results
The two Indian riders who lined up at the start of this race were Ashish Sherpa and Shiven. Ashish went on to finish in a credible 16th place using his explosive power to finish the course in 25 minutes 20 seconds, around 3 minutes behind the overall winnner. While Shiven finished in 24th, down by 2 laps.
The race was won by Japanese rider Riki Kitabayashi in 22 minutes and 24 seconds.
Men Elite – Downhill
Two Indian Racers were queued up for the Downhill race. Taitus Marak and Virendra Mali finished the course in 2:44.052 and 2:47.491 minutes respectively. They were placed a healthy 7th and 9th overall. The fastest time was set by Thailand’s Methasit Boonsane with a 2:25.099.
Men Under-23 – Cross-country Short CircuitDhananjay S and Tsewang Norboo were the two young Indian lads representing the country in the Under-23s. Norboo did not take to the start line, as he had already raced in the team mixed relay event the same day. Dhananjay finished a respectable 15th with a time of 23 minutes and 7 seconds. This was after a crash during practice and pushing his limits for a good result.
We will update more results from the Championships as and when it is made available.
Week 317 update of the Cycling Monks Strava Group. Week ending 28th June 2026.
Club Stats. 3914 members collectively rode 112224 km in 2981 rides, climbing 651493 metres in 5181 hours!
The number of members are up by 3 as compared to last week. The week saw everyone collectively ride less. With total distance, elevation gained, number of rides and time spent on the saddle were all down.
2 riders averaged more than 100 km a day.
18 rode 600s. 42 rode at least a 200.
59 averaged above 30 kmph for the week.
17 climbed more than 4000 metres.
Incredible riding by everyone. Kudos to all the riders who have been working hard on their saddles…
Leaderboard: Overall
2 riders averaged more than 100 km a day!
Narendra Mishra from Delhi was top of the charts. He rode an incredible 1091 km. He was first last week as well.
In second place is Tameem Ansari B from Karnataka who rode 858 km in the week.
Third spot is taken by Speed Killer from Kerala. He rode 667 km.
Leaderboard: Women
The women’s leaderboard got tougher this week. To be in the top 10, you needed to ride 216+ km…
There are 12 women in the top 100 this week, 5 less than last week.Ekta Bansal from Chandigarh was top of the charts this week. Riding an incredible 478 km. She is 14th overall. She was first last week.
Next up is Megha Jain from Punjab. Who rode an impressive 413 km. She is 28th overall.Third is Kirann from Maharashtra who rode 350 km. She is 51st overall.Leaderboard: Longest Ride
Rides this week coming in from around India!
Top spot goes to Narendra Mishra from Delhi for the longest ride. He did a 390 km long ride!
Next up is Jagrut Patil from Maharashtra having done a 333 km long ride.
Third is Vijay Krishna Shenoy from Karnataka, who did a 325 km long ride.
Leaderboard: Fastest
The top 59 have been riding at a seriously impressive pace.Fastest of the lot is Angad Veer Singh from Delhi who averaged an incredible 37 kmph over the week!Second fastest for the week is Sangam Pattnaik from Chandigarh whose weekly average is a fantastic 37 kmph.
Third is Riyaz C from UAE averaging 36.5 kmph over the week.
Leaderboard: Queen/ King of the Mountain
The climbing leaderboard went to the Western Ghats!Climber of the week is Speed Killer from Kerala having climbed 7822 metres.
Second is Naveen Gaur from Delhi who climbed 7670 metres.
Third is Narendra Mishra from Delhi, who climbed 7084 metres during the week.
Join the Strava Club Today!
You can check out Week 1 to Week 200’s Leaderboards here…
Tsewang Norboo racing through the pack at the Asian Mountain Biking Championships in Uzbekistan 
Ashish Sherpa racing at the Asian Mountain Biking Championships 2026 held in Uzbekistan Photos Courtesy: Uzbekistan Cycling
Extreme European Heatwave Forces Lael Wilcox to Abandon Around-the-World Record Bid
In a stark reminder of the escalating impact of climate change on outdoor sports, ultra-endurance cycling star Lael Wilcox has been forced to abandon her historic attempt to break the outright around-the-world cycling record due to severe heat exhaustion.
The 39-year-old called an end to her epic ride on Sunday in Fontainebleau, just south of Paris, exactly 14 days into her ambitious quest. The decision followed two weeks of punishing conditions, culminating in severe nausea and acute heat exhaustion brought on by Europe’s second major heatwave of the year.
A Record-Breaking Pace Cut Short
Wilcox, who holds the women’s circumnavigation record of 108 days, 12 hours, and 12 minutes set in 2024, was aiming to usurp Mark Beaumont’s 2017 outright record of 79 days. To achieve this, she needed to shave more than 30 days off her own previous time.
Departing from Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain on June 7, Wilcox initially battled heavy rains and head winds across North America, even riding a massive 282 miles on her first day. However, upon arriving in Spain, she rode directly into what she described as a “heat dome.”
Despite pulling out all the stops, including carrying out aerodynamic wind tunnel testing at Specialized’s headquarters, utilizing a full support crew for the first time, and even shaving her head for efficiency, the oppressive European temperatures ultimately compromised her safety. At the time she withdrew, Wilcox had covered 3,075 miles at an incredible average speed of 15.75 mph.
Another Climate Change Lesson
An emotional Wilcox detailed the grueling final days of her ride in a video posted to her Instagram account.
“I’ve been nauseous every day and finally threw up in the first hour of my ride this morning – heat exhaustion got the better of me,” Wilcox stated. “Concerned for my health and safety, my team asked me to stop my ride. I hate to quit, but it’s the right choice this time. I just can’t manage race pace in the heat.”
The ultra-endurance athlete, whose career includes legendary wins and records at the Tour Divide and Trans Am, noted that meteorological forecasts showed the heatwave would continue to track along her exact route trajectory across Europe.
“This one, I feel, is another climate change lesson and every year I’m having more and more of those,” Wilcox added. “With this, my biggest concern was smoke in the west, and we’re two months away from that… We were expecting a big challenge but not health problems.”
For Wilcox, the race pace is over for now. She and her support crew are currently traveling to Switzerland before heading back home to the United States.
Week 316 update of the Cycling Monks Strava Group. Week ending 21st June 2026.
Club Stats. 3911 members collectively rode 110961 km in 3026 rides, climbing 660599 metres in 5089 hours!
The number of members are up by 4 as compared to last week. The week saw everyone collectively ride less. With total distance, elevation gained, number of rides and time spent on the saddle were all down.
3 riders averaged more than 100 km a day.
8 rode 600s. 43 rode at least a 200.
67 averaged above 30 kmph for the week.
28 climbed more than 4000 metres.
Incredible riding by everyone. Kudos to all the riders who have been working hard on their saddles…
Leaderboard: Overall
3 riders averaged more than 100 km a day!
Narendra Mishra from Delhi was top of the charts. He rode an incredible 957 km.
In second place is Achyutha Krishnan from Tamil Nadu who rode 858 km in the week. He was second last week as well.
Third spot is taken by Yaddi Bantawa from West Bengal. He rode 798 km.
Leaderboard: Women
The women’s leaderboard got easier this week. To be in the top 10, you needed to ride 204+ km…
There are 17 women in the top 100 this week, 8 more than last week.Ekta Bansal from Chandigarh was top of the charts this week. Riding an incredible 535 km. She is 16th overall. She was second last week.
Next up is Malika Kalra from Chandigarh. Who rode an impressive 533 km. She is 17th overall.Third is Sachida Yadav from Maharashtra who rode 269 km.Leaderboard: Longest Ride
Rides this week coming in from around Karnataka and Tamil Nadu!
Top spot goes to Sagar Belgaonkar from Karnataka for the longest ride. He did a 606 km long ride!
Next up is Subhas Hangaraki from Karnataka having done a 603 km long ride.
Third is Gopikrishanan Kesavan from Tamil Nadu, who did a 602 km long ride.
Leaderboard: Fastest
The top 67 have been riding at a seriously impressive pace.Fastest of the lot is Tushar Bakaya from Haryana who averaged an incredible 36.7 kmph over the week!Second fastest for the week is Sanjay Chaudhary from Uttar Pradesh whose weekly average is a fantastic 36 kmph.
Third is KPS Oberoi from Delhi averaging 35.6 kmph over the week.
Leaderboard: Queen/ King of the Mountain
The climbing leaderboard went to the Virtual World!Climber of the week is Bike Ride More Live from Manipur having climbed 12651 metres. He was first last week as well.
Second is Achyutha Krishnan from Tamil Nadu who climbed 10191 metres.
Third is Gopikrishnan Kesavan from Tamil Nadu, who climbed 9156 metres during the week.
Join the Strava Club Today!
You can check out Week 1 to Week 200’s Leaderboards here…
Week 315 update of the Cycling Monks Strava Group. Week ending 14th June 2026.
Club Stats. 3907 members collectively rode 121268 km in 3161 rides, climbing 705972 metres in 5525 hours!
The number of members are up by 4 as compared to last week. The week saw everyone collectively ride more. With total distance, elevation gained, number of rides and time spent on the saddle were all up.
5 riders averaged more than 100 km a day.
1 rode a 1200. 49 rode at least a 200.
70 averaged above 30 kmph for the week.
22 climbed more than 4000 metres.
Incredible riding by everyone. Kudos to all the riders who have been working hard on their saddles…
Leaderboard: Overall
5 riders averaged more than 100 km a day!
Karan Gadhave from Maharashtra was top of the charts. He rode an incredible 1211 km.
In second place is Achyutha Krishnan from Tamil Nadu who rode 761 km in the week. He was first last week.
Third spot is taken by Speed Killer from Kerala. He rode 749 km.
Leaderboard: Women
The women’s leaderboard got tougher this week. To be in the top 10, you needed to ride 225+ km…
There are 9 women in the top 100 this week, 2 less than last week.Lavanya Reddy Kesari from Telangana was top of the charts this week. Riding an incredible 532 km. She is 19th overall.
Next up is Ekta Bansal from Chandigarh. Who rode an impressive 489 km. She is 28th overall. She was first last week.Third is Swati Sablok from Punjab who rode 426 km. She is 46th overall.Leaderboard: Longest Ride
Rides this week coming in from around Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu!
Top spot goes to Karan Gadhave from Maharashtra for the longest ride. He did a 12211 km long ride!
Next up is Kaiwalya Samudra from Maharashtra having done a 662 km long ride.
Third is Lavanya Reddy Kesari from Telangana, who did a 532 km long ride.
Leaderboard: Fastest
The top 70 have been riding at a seriously impressive pace.Fastest of the lot is Riyaz C from UAE who averaged an incredible 37.6 kmph over the week!Second fastest for the week is Anirudh Chadha from Delhi whose weekly average is a fantastic 37.3 kmph.
Third is Yogesh Saini from Haryana averaging 37.1 kmph over the week.
Leaderboard: Queen/ King of the Mountain
The climbing leaderboard went to the Virtual World!Climber of the week is Bike Ride More Live from Manipur having climbed 12196 metres. He was second last week.
Second is Harry Singh from Himachal Pradesh who climbed 12171 metres.
Third is Karan Gadhave from Maharashtra, who climbed 9626 metres during the week.
Join the Strava Club Today!
You can check out Week 1 to Week 200’s Leaderboards here…
Week 314 update of the Cycling Monks Strava Group. Week ending 7th June 2026.
Club Stats. 3903 members collectively rode 111879 km in 3215 rides, climbing 614525 metres in 5170 hours!
The number of members are up by 4 as compared to last week. The week saw everyone collectively ride more. With total distance, elevation gained, number of rides and time spent on the saddle were all up.
3 riders averaged more than 100 km a day.
4 rode a 600. 15 rode at least a 200.
63 averaged above 30 kmph for the week.
10 climbed more than 4000 metres.
Incredible riding by everyone. Kudos to all the riders who have been working hard on their saddles…
Leaderboard: Overall
3 riders averaged more than 100 km a day!
Achyutha Krishnan from Tamil Nadu was top of the charts. He rode an incredible 994 km. He was first last week as well.
In second place is Narendra Mishra from Delhi who rode 779 km in the week.
Third spot is taken by Srinivasan Rangasamy from Tamil Nadu. He rode 712 km.
Leaderboard: Women
The women’s leaderboard got easier this week. To be in the top 10, you needed to ride 201+ km…
There are 11 women in the top 100 this week, 4 less than last week.Ekta Bansal from Chandigarh was top of the charts this week. Riding an incredible 645 km. She is 6th overall.
Next up is Vandana Dhavate from Telangana. Who rode an impressive 582 km. She is 13th overall. She was first last week.Third is Snehal Neel from Maharashtra who rode 391 km. She is 43rd overall.Leaderboard: Longest Ride
Rides this week coming in from around India and beyond!
Top spot goes to Sudharshan Jain from Tamil Nadu for the longest ride. He did a 649 km long ride!
Next up is Achyutha Krishnan from Tamil Nadu having done a 622 km long ride.
Third is Tanay Naik from Karnataka, who did a 620 km long ride.
Leaderboard: Fastest
The top 63 have been riding at a seriously impressive pace.Fastest of the lot is Madhur Sharma from Haryana who averaged an incredible 37.5 kmph over the week!Second fastest for the week is Tushar Bakaya from Haryana whose weekly average is a fantastic 37 kmph.
Third is KPS Oberoi from Delhi averaging 37 kmph over the week.
Leaderboard: Queen/ King of the Mountain
The climbing leaderboard went to the Western Ghats!Climber of the week is Achyutha Krishnan from Tamil Nadu having climbed 10267 metres. He was KOM last two weeks as well.
Second is Bike Ride More Live from Manipur who climbed 9324 metres.
Third is Tanay Naik from Karnataka, who climbed 8652 metres during the week.
Join the Strava Club Today!
You can check out Week 1 to Week 200’s Leaderboards here…
