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When Akil Khan organised the first ‘Cyclothon’ in 2010, he had no idea he would be unleashing the desi version of the much revered ‘Tour De France’ in India two years later.
Banking on a high octane combination of celebrity support, corporate sponsorship and broadcast revenue to pedal his way through, Khan has set his sights high.
“We never thought that we will launch Tour De India in the third year. Our plan was to launch it in the sixth year. What was a one-day event in 2010 has spread to three cities now,” said Khan, who is gearing up for the new avatar of Cyclothon.
The event will be kickstarted on December 2 from Mumbai before moving on to the cooler climes of Srinagar and concluding at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida.
But cycling enthusiasts in other cities need not be disappointed. Khan plans to take the event to two new cities every year.
Tier-II cities
“In the coming years, we will include Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Goa, Kerala and Kolkata. We are also planning to introduce zones like Goa-Mumbai-Kerala which will be a combination of newer regions and serious markets in terms of corporate sponsorships,” he said.
‘Tour De India’ will see 120 cyclists from 54 Asian and European countries cycling across the circuits in India. Adding international flavour to the event, Astana and Lotto, cycling teams from Europe and Kazakhstan, will also be taking part. Khan plans to rope in the star power to popularise the event in India. But fans looking to catch a glimpse of their favourite cycling icons such as Lance Armstrong will be a tad disappointed.
“Personally I wanted Lance to be here and we tried to get him. But because of the recent controversies, it fell through,” Khan added.
Sporting stars
Among the other known personalities who will be turning up for the event, there will be sporting champion Mary Kom, cricket stars Yuvraj Singh and Kapil Dev, Bollywood personalities Sanjay Dutt and Sushmita Sen. Singer Shaan will also be performing a specially composed theme song for the event.
> nivedita.ganguly@thehindu.co.in
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