Esow Alben’s accident scary, says cycling federation secretary

Maninder Singh, CFI secretary says there are safety protocols for our riders but 'unfortunate incidents' happen.

After the accident, Esow took to social media platform Instagram to highlight what happened. The video showed an argument ensuing between the bikers and Esow. A damaged cycle and the injuries Esow suffered were also visible. (Special Arrangement)

Cycling Federation of India (CFI) secretary Maninder Singh said road safety for professional cyclists was a concern in Delhi, calling the incident where a biker hit 24-year-old Asian Championship bronze medalist Esow Alben as ‘scary’. In 2022, the Federation had shifted the camps for road cyclists to Patiala, Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati because of safety concerns and lack of ‘open’ roads, Singh said.

Esow is one of India’s top track cyclists and trains at the velodrome at the IG Stadium in Delhi. On Wednesday, Esow was riding as part of his weekly road-training session when a bike struck him from behind. Because of bruises at the hip and cuts, he has been advised at least a week’s rest by coaches and doctors. “I was shaken but I am feeling better than yesterday,” Esow said.

CFI secretary Singh said riders do take safety measures. “It is scary to be honest. There are safety protocols for our riders but sometimes unfortunate incidents happen,” Singh said. “The cyclists usually take routes depending on their requirement. For example, if it is a short ride, they just go around the IG stadium which is a peripheral road and generally empty. But if they have a longer session they take other roads depending on the weather and traffic,” Singh said.

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Talking about shifting the road cyclists from the capital, Singh said: “Endurance cyclists need long open roads and in Delhi there is a scarcity of such roads. That is why we moved to places like Patiala, Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati. Also the roads there are safer,” Singh said.

“I posted on Instagram to raise awareness about road safety. It is tough for us to get out on roads in Delhi during the day. We usually start at 5 am. During winters, we use reflectors and lights as safety measures,” Esow said. “When we train in Europe, we can go out anytime, day or night. There it is safe to cycle on the roads but it is not in Delhi. I hope that this incident raises awareness about it,” Esow added.

The cycles used by track cyclists are expensive, Esow’s costs approximately Rs 6 lakhs. “While the cycle was provided to me by the TOPS scheme, the wheel was my own. I spent Rs 70,000 on it,” Esow said.

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For now, Esow has been provided a replacement cycle by CFI. He has also filed an FIR at the Pandav Nagar Police station. “With the help of my coaches, I have filed an FIR, ” the former junior world silver medalist said.

The other riders, Ronaldo Singh, Rojit Singh, and Jemsh Singh were ahead of Esow during the road-training session when he was hit by the bikers. “I was taking the flyover near Mayur Vihar, that’s when the incident happened. The other riders were five minutes ahead of me while I was riding behind the safety car.”