Extreme sports: Prajwal Pingali’s life as a mountain biker

(March 23, 2024) Prajwal Pingali loves to challenge his lungs and limbs, 24×7. Each time the youngster bounces his way down the rutted trails and rocks on his mountain bike, he’s on cloud nine. He has had his share of nasty falls and close shaves, but that hardly comes in the way of his next big adventure.

“I love the feeling that no matter how hard you prepare for the race, you will always be bested by the mountains. They are brutal to everyone and especially those who set out to win,” smiles ace mountain biker and cyclist Prajwal Pingali, as he settles down for an exclusive with Global Indian.

Racing life

From the US to India and Belgium to Germany, the 22-year-old has been riding non-stop in the last few years, participating in one event after the other, both nationally and internationally. “Mountain biking really requires very little to get in. You need a bike, safety gear, and a positive attitude,” says Prajwal.

The youngster has been cycling since his days in the US, where his family had shifted for four years, since 2001. “But I only started cycling as a sport around 2012 after moving back to Hyderabad when a friend of mine rode 66 km on his cycle with his dad for Independence Day,” he recalls.

That sparked something in Prajwal and he knew he had to give it a try. He joined his friend for a couple of short rides ranging from 2-5 km and decided to train up for the 100km Republic Day Ride. “It took a bit of time to build up the confidence and strength to undertake such a ride. Finally in 2014 I completed my first 100km ride with my friend on Republic Day.”

Long rides

Things developed quickly from there. In 2014, Prajwal rode 500-km from Hyderabad to Sevagram within three days. Thereafter, he kept riding the Ultra-endurance rides with different groups. In 2016, he met riders and the owners of The Bike Affair, a specialty bike store in Hyderabad. “They were extremely friendly and welcoming. I bought my first road bike at the end of the same year for an 800 km ride from Chikmagalur to Gokarna. It was with this same group that I enrolled for my first road race in December 2016,” he says.

But that turned out to be an unpleasant experience for Prajwal as he couldn’t keep up and didn’t finish the race in the end. “That was not going to pass with me. I was determined to race and win,” informs Prajwal, who then stepped up the focus and preparations which led him into full time racing.

First win 

In 2017, he began participating in several cycling championships in Hyderabad and Bangalore. In October that year, Prajwal won his first Stage Race, Tour of Glory (a road race that takes place over multiple days with winners for each stage and an overall winner.

Around this time, two of his school friends who were also cyclists, convinced him to get a mountain bike (MTB) and join them on the trails. Prajwal’s first ever road racing bike was a Merida Scultura 200 2017 and his first ever mountain bike was a Merida big seven 20D. He now owns four bikes, all for different purposes and uses, which includes Specialized Tarmac SL6 2018 (road racing),  Specialized Epic 2019 (Cross Country Racing), Merida Scultura 200 2017 (general purpose) and 4. Commencal Meta 29 AM 2021 (Enduro and Downhill race bike, his current primary bike).

The year of racing

The year 2018 was the year of racing for Prajwal. He would spend one weekend every month travelling to Bangalore to participate in races followed by a summer in Belgium to race there and upon his return, it was right back to travelling from location to location across India to race.

In 2018, he won the Inter-district Mountain Bike meet in U-18 category and set the fastest time of the track in all categories. He stood 2nd in the Inter-district road race (U18) and at the MTB Nationals, he placed 6th in the XCO (cross country olympic) and 9th in the XCT (Cross Country Timed). “To wrap up the year, I raced in the International Race, MTB Kerala, organised by the Cycling Federation of India and the Union Cycliste Internationale,” he informs.

Since then, Prajwal has been racing countless races in Road and MTB in many places across India. “I now race Enduro and Downhill races,” he says.

Competing in Belgium

Belgium is a world apart in terms of difficulty and competition, feels the young mountain biker. “Like many European nations, sports is an extremely important aspect of daily life and the culture around cycling is very supported there,” he says.

Prajwal rode shoulder-to-shoulder in a group of 60-100 at speeds between 30-80 kmph. He participated in nine races but could finish only two. “Racing in Belgium was quite difficult and required a lot of effort,” recalls the youngster.

Tough race 

Prajwal’s personal pick for his toughest race is Monduro, a race held in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, organised by the Tawang Cycling Association in 2023.

The two-day Enduro race takes place at an altitude of 4000m above sea level, the highest enduro race in the world.  “As this race takes place on herding trails, the trails have a raw feel to them, very chattery and bumpy and they stretch on for what feels like eternity,” says Prajwal.

The rock gardens are massive and technical and above all, the competition has strong riders from across the world. “Monduro has my heart. Apart from the race, it is the location and the kind and friendly people there that make me want to return to the place,” says the champ.

Hyderabad to US

Born in Hyderabad in September 2001, his family shifted to Philadelphia, US for about 4 years. Prajwal was just nine months old then.

In his growing up years, Prajwal was interested in many sports, physics, history, acting and theatre productions. His father, Pratap Pingali works as a Mentor for startups and businesses in T-Hub (Telangana Hub) while his mother runs the HUFT (Heads Up For Tails, Hyderabad) store chain.

Prajwal studied in no less than four different schools — Sloka (primary), Parkwood School International (primary), Glendale International School (middle), and Sancta Maria International School (high).

Work outs

Racing requires a lot of practice and working out, on and off the bike. Prajwal’s normal routine would include between 5-6 days of working out, ranging from on-bike high intensity interval training, on-bike endurance, skills sessions, fun trail rides, as well as off-bike strength training, Off-bike high intensity interval training, and muscle activation/engagement exercises.

Prajwal is not a strong advocate for strict diets unless there is a specific reason and it is monitored by a medical expert. The rule for him is simple — “everything in moderation. If you eat it, you have to burn it.”

Destination Dirt

In Hyderabad, Prajwal is part of a Mountain Biking group called Destination Dirt where the members build trails, organise meetups and rides, as well as host beginners to MTB workshops and teach people to safely ride trails and enjoy themselves. “We have riders of different levels and backgrounds.”

The dangers of the sport

Unfortunately, says Prajwal, cycling in any form is very dangerous in India. “MTB is in my opinion safer than commuting or road racing since the chance of a two-ton vehicle slamming into you is basically non-existent,” feels the MTB champion adding that all the risk in MTB is in the hands of the rider and not someone else.

In 2019, Prajwal had a major accident when a car crashed into him as he was cycling around Araku Valley with his team.  “I suffered injuries to my head and leg. The impact was such that I was briefly sent flying and landed close to the edge of the hill, luckily there were barriers,” he recalls.

The mountain biker has had crashes before but none this serious. “I was hospitalised and had to get a skin graft. I was wheel-chair bound for one month,” says Prajwal, adding almost  98% of his falls have been injury-free or barely anything serious.

This experience shaped his life. “The way we build our cities and roads must change to prevent needless deaths due to a split second mistake or a distracted driver. Our safety should not be entrusted in others’ hands,” he says.

What does mountain biking take?

“You will fall from time to time, you will not be racing at the pro level immediately, you will make mistakes and sometimes parts will break, but if you don’t fuss and whine about every issue and actually believe in yourself, then you can easily become a mountain biker,” says Prajwal.

Life outside of cycling

Prajwal says he deals with ADHD and is neuro-divergent. “I tend to have a vast multitude of passions and hobbies that I take up and add to my skill set, like tools in a box,” he says.The youngster has a keen interest in History and Physics, likes playing the bass guitar, drumming, action photography and videography. He loves camping and hiking, blogging, theatre and acting, dance and even typewriting.

Prajwal always wanted to become a pilot. “Covid-19 badly affected the plan. Although the dream is alive and burning strong, it must sit on the backburner till the moment is right,” says the cyclist, who is currently helping his family run their franchisee, HUFT in Hyderabad.

Currently, he is applying to many colleges in Germany for a BSc in Geography with a focus on Urban Planning.  “I chose Germany as I have lived there and like the access to mountain biking trails and resources that I have. It is also beneficial that I can speak in German.”

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