| For the love of TFN |
TFN is the result of many wonderful people and their passion for cycling. We’ve spent endless hours talking to them and we’ve had dozens of cups of coffee with them. Each time, it strikes us as remarkable: where would we be without them? Possibly still doing weekend trails in the back of Panvel. Maybe around Talkatora. Up and down Sarjapur. Or taking the ECR to Pondi. Now all those are super, exciting rides. But once in while, you need to step out of your comfort zone and take on the big challenge. The stuff that makes you sweat at the very thought of it. To do this, you need people to hold hands, give their time, energy, expertise and support so that TFN can happen.
We’ve been lucky to find many such people. We’d like to thank them here. We’d like to give them bear hugs and pump their hands. But first, we’d like to tell you how they make a difference to the Tour of Nilgiris. |
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| Sponsors |
| BSA is the Title Sponsor of the BSA Tour of Nilgiris. You know
them. Need we add more? They manufacture bicycles that we would
love to own, ride and remember. They have become part of the
emerging leisure and competitive cycling scene across the
country. And now they have become part of the country’s
defining ride in India: BSA-TFN . This is an inclusive ride,
meant for every category of rider – just like the BSA
products. You can visit their site at www.ticyclesindia.com |
The Widget Factory is an Associate Sponsor of TFN . These guys are an unusual software company. They make the smallest framework-footprints that work hard for the client and stay low of infrastructure. And, of course, they produce widgets -- world-class widgets that do all kinds of things. But we like them even more because their Manager, Systems & Security, Darshan Jadav, has been a supporter of TFN since 2008. You’ll meet him on TFN 09 – he is riding. And if we are lucky, and have the time, the Widget Factory will produce a widget that the cyclist in you will love. Meanwhile, you can visit the Widget factory website at http://www.wijcraft.com |
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| Partners |
Man’s World (MW) is the official Magazine Partner of TFN . They have attitude, style, class and common sense. And they have the most devastatingly beautiful covers that we have ever seen on a magazine. And the secret of this partnership? MW is the only magazine in the country with a regular column on cycling. MW covered TFN 08 after which the editor and publisher of the magazine wrote in to us saying they would like to be a part of TFN 09. This was way back in January 2009. We appreciate that. Visit the MW site at http://mansworldindia.com or better still, go out and buy a copy. |
Radio One 94.3 FM is the official Radio Partner of TFN . It’s the only radio station we know that plays 13 songs every hour. And that’s why we love them so much. Isn’t that why we listen to radio? For the music? But Radio One has people in office who come to work on a bicycle. Yes, you read that right. And that’s why we love them s-o-o-o-o much. Radio One has a special team of riders that will go on TFN . You could be one of them. If you are in Bangalore, just switch on the radio and tune in to 94.3 FM. Keep it locked. And don’t miss checking out http://www.radioone.in |
| DNA is the official Print Partner of TFN . They want to write about TFN and spread the word about cycling. We can’t imagine anyone better than DNA to make that happen. The editor of DNA, Bangalore, has been wanting to go cycling for quite some time now, so don’t be surprised to see him on one of your rides. DNA newspaper is published from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, Jaipur and Bangalore and is owned by the Diligent Media Corporation, a joint venture between media industry majors Dainik Bhaskar and Essel Group. You can visit their website at http://www.dnaindia.com |
| pepper square is the official design partner of TFN . They don’t like capital letters. But that’s not the only thing that is distinctive about them. pepper square has been a part of Bangalore’s development as a destination for all things digital. They manage the online presence of many interesting companies as well as global IT giants. We like that. TFN is bold and growing - and we can do with the experience of a partner like pepper square. Visit the pepper square website at http://www.peppersquare.com. BTW: They serve a killer lemon tea at their office. Ask for it if you visit. |
| Galvanise is the official PR Partner of TFN . Shalini Singh is the person behind Galvanise. She has 16 years of experience in the communications industry and has worked with leading public relations agencies like Hill & Knowlton (US), Grant Butler Coomber (UK), Genesis PR (India) and 20:20 Media (India) as well as with large multinational corporations. But ‘nuf: Shalini is a woman after our hearts – she cycles. She is very busy (who doesn’t need PR in this Desperate Time of Downturn?). But maybe she will do some kilometers on TFN if she has the time. Visit the Galvanise website at http://www.galvanisepr.com/. |
| Adventure Worx is the official Contest Partner of TFN . Adventure Worx wants to make the outdoors safe, enjoyable, exhilarating. They want to ensure you have the time and opportunity to be a part of nature, inhale the excitement it presents and never come back disappointed. We think Adventure Worx RoX. BTW: They also made the TFN Rider IDs – they designed it for us, tested it and then added features like the renewable label and the breathable mesh. You can visit their website at http://adventureworx.in/ |
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Printo is the official Collateral Print Partner of TFN . They are going to print our posters, certificates, stickers, route signage, rider dockets, media material and just about everything that needs to be printed. Besides, they are doing a souvenir for every single rider on TFN 09. Their CEO, Manish Sharma is an avid runner and a coach at Runners High (http://www.runnershigh.in/). He cycles, as do many of his colleagues. He says cycling is one of the common things between him and many of the Printo employees, and he can connect to them with them. You can visit their website at http://www.printo.in |
| The Sita Bhateja Speciality Hospital is the Medical Partner of TFN 09. They are going to ensure that an ambulance is on the tour, available 24X7 with a nurse and a medical kit specifically meant to attend to injuries typical to cycling. Dr Arvind Bhateja, who runs the hospital, is an accomplished cyclist and will be on TFN 09. Don’t we love that! Dr Bhateja is a recognised surgeon with a formidable stack of awards behind him – and riding with him will be an awesome experience. You can visit his website at http://www.neuro-spine.com (The Sita Bhateja Speciality Hospital website is under construction). |
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| Friends of TFN |
| Prem Sagar helped do the write ups on the accommodation and location details for TFN 09. Being a biker himself and deeply into nature, he is able to help others appreciate the richness of the Nilgiri biosphere and speak about the history and culture of the area with ease. We love him because he takes TFN 09 beyond cycling. And he speaks with authority because he grew up in Ooty. You can visit his blog at http://www.premsagar.net/ |
| Dr. Renu Arora is our doctor on the tour. She is a Lifestyle Physician and Fitness Consultant. Renu rides horses and a road bike. Last year, she also proved to us what great company she is – although others may have found it difficult to keep pace with her. She will be riding on TFN 09 as well. You can catch up with a video of her at http://www.vimeo.com/3289890 |
| Aashish is the creator of the fabulous Tour of Nilgiris logo & branding. He is an interaction designer, entrepreneur, an active BarCamper and, in his own words, “a lotus eater at times.” Aashish arrived on his bicycle at 5 am to witness the kick off for the first ever TFN . We love his enthusiasm. He is into dramatics, trekking, brand management, visual communications and everything else we ourselves dream of doing. Our eternal gratitude to Aashish. You can visit his company, NetBramha at http://www.netbramha.com/ |
| Jishnu Dasgupta started the historical record of TFN at Wikipedia. He is a musician and plays bass for a band called Swarathma. If you’ve heard them, you are perhaps humming one of their songs as your read this. If not, go out and buy their CDs (Swarathma and Sound Pad). Jishnu goes cycling when he wants to think about his work. You can visit his band’s website at http://www.swarathma.com/ |
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Vijay Sharma is the designer of the eco-friendly TFN bamboo bicycle.No one in the country has done this kind of stuff. And you should see the other bicycles, trikes and things that litter his workshop. We love his playfulness and the fact that he also plays a mean guitar. Vijay is Bangalore’s most innovative contribution to the cycling scene in the country. We have tremendous admiration for Vijay and may his tribe increase.
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