Bangalore Mountain Festival 2018

Downhill events are on the rise in India lately. One of the funnest mountain bike gigs in south-India, Bangalore Mountain Festival stepped into its 3rd year of action with the venue being our beloved, Avathi Hills!  The 2018 event was dedicated to my close friend, protégé and biker brother, Ajay Padval, who passed away in July last year. Ajay’s parents wished to visit all the locations Ajay visited and experienced with his mountain bike. So they joined in for the week-long visit. Sunil Nanjappa, who’s the man behind the BMF event, extended his hospitality and helped us bunk in his beautiful home for the week.

The new downhill course for BMF this year was an assuring pat that Indian DH race tracks are going in the right direction, flying higher! With three weeks of labor, the BMF team members created a short but tech course with ladder bridges and a road gap launching riders over the event’s XC trail! Aptly named “Balls of Steel” Downhill Race, the course required the riders to, in Ajay’s words, “Go Big or Go Home!”

 

A Sunday pie with trail running topped with XC and sprinkled with DH action, made for a healthy celebration of human powered off-road racing. Post the main event, all the DH boys and XC buddies who knew Ajay well, joined into a trail train, DH boys flying over the road as XC champs pedaled-on to celebrate Ajay’s energy packed and inspirational life on two wheels.

Racing, travelling, camping, having a positive time with buddies is what Ajay always shared and we took that note from him for this trip. Hope the riding community keeps his memory alive and shares the joyous energy that he passed on to us. #AJAYSHREDSFOREVER

Shout-out to Sunil Nanjappa and family for all the help, HAUL Apparel for being bros and Ajay’s parents for visiting the BMF and encouraging all the riders to keep following their interests.