Steadfast Athlete Prateek Thakur, who was one of the front runners to win the Hero Sprint MTB Shimla 2021 event, did not let his supporters down. The athlete performed exceptionally well during the race and secured the second position in his category. This victory came as a follow-up to his podium finish in the MTB Shimla Gurugram chapter, where he secured the 3rd position. It has only been a week since he made his cycling comeback, and the kind of performances he has been giving is commendable. MTB Shimla is an event for champions and is every cyclist’s dream. Every year, cyclists from all over the country compete in qualifying rounds, but very few make it to the final race in Himachal Pradesh, MTB Shimla. This year, the event was sponsored by Hero with Steadfast Nutrition as its nutrition partner. There were more than 100 cyclists from over 22 cities who featured in the race. The list included several other great Steadfast Athletes along with Prateek Thakur.
Prateek participated in the Team of Two category, teaming up with a local rider, Gandhary. Eight teams participated in this category. The duo strategised well. During the first phase of the ride, they were deliberately slow.. They were trying to conserve energy, but as the race went on, the duo maintained their position in the top 5. The terrain was not ride-friendly at all. It had tarmac, meadows, a jeep track, and loose gravel. The rain also played spoilsport. At one point, when the cyclists were coming down from Janedghat Climb, the roads were so slippery that it became almost impossible to cycle. Prateek even crashed into a rock and hurt himself, but he didn’t stop. It was his passion to win which drove him. Clearly, the difficult terrain made it less about cycling skills and more about adjusting to the challenging situation.
As the Steadfast Athlete had hurt himself, other riders were expecting him to be a no show for the second phase, but Prateek Thakur surprised them all. The medical team from Steadfast Nutrition ensured that Prateek was fit enough to continue the race on the second day. Contrary to expectations, Prateek and his teammate stepped on the track with different energy for stage two. They didn’t just maintain their spot in the top 5 but also led the from the front for a long time until Bechan and Dhiman surpassed them. Prateek and Gandhary finished second.
Though the Steadfast Athlete could not come first, his passion for cycling truly made him a winner. The character Mr Prateek displayed by not giving up won him every one’s respect. The entire Steadfast team was ecstatic about his win. Prateek and Gandhary were presented with their prizes by the General Secretary of the Himachal Olympic Committee, Mr Rajesh Bhandari. The athlete disclosed that Steadfast’s premium nutrition products had made an immense contribution to his sports journey. He was full of praise for the Steadfast energy drink, Snergy, stating that taking it right before the race on both days helped him stay energetic, eliminating all the fatigue.
Team Steadfast is proud of its athletes and their performance.
