CHENNAI: Every ‘rags to riches’ storyline has a definitive point of inflection. A trope — or a moment — auguring the fact that Lady Luck is finally going to smile upon the protagonist. In Jagan Kumar’s case, it’s the bicycle he mounted as a 14-year-old for racing around Triplicane’s labyrinthine streets to win his twenty-rupee stake back from his friends.
“We eventually shifted our venue to a cycle track near my place. It was around five kms in length, and most of the time, I used to win my money back. Too bad that we didn’t have trophies back then,” is the bike racer’s reply after winning the Group B (Open Class) national title — his fifth so far — at the Indian National Racing Championship.
Cycles were what took him and five of his other chums to watch Sudhakar, a bike-racer friend of his, at the Madras Motor Race Track in 2006. “That’s what piqued my interest in bikes. I started learning how to ride one with the help of Sudhakar,” explains the now 27-year-old. “My friend’s brother’s Yamaha RX 135 was my first bike.”
After a blurry period of six months that saw Jagan burn rubber on streets and makeshift tracks, the Chennai native got busy accumulating podium finishes on debut at the TVS One Make Championship in 2007.
“I was on a Victor, and there were Apaches on the track for the second race. When I crossed the flag behind just one Apache, I thought I had finished second,” Jagan reminisces. “But, my friends came running and told me that the Apaches were competing in a different-yet-simultaneous event. They told me that I was first.”
Jagan had, in the process, left behind a passel of racers who had a 40.9cc displacement-wise upper hand over him. That notwithstanding, he also went on to finish among the top-two in all the races.
Jagan’s tryst with pedal power, though, didn’t run it’s course just after the beginning of his love affair with throttle-flicking and brake-pumping. “Our family’s finances were weak. To fund myself during my college days, I used to work both as a newspaper-delivery boy and courier boy. My cycle was my best friend.”
After a gruelling day that began from five in the morning, progressed through delivering newspapers and couriers till one in the afternoon, and then segued to college lectures till five in the evening, Jagan finally got the opportunity to get back to what he loves most apart from riding bikes — tinkering with them. “I really used to look forward to that. Plus, cycling for that long did help me out as far as getting in shape is concerned,” explains Jagan, whose diminutive-yet-sinewy frame attests to that remark.
The years after saw him accumulate laurels at a good clip, which in turn ensured a contract-based employment with TVS in 2008, and alleviated his family’s monetary concerns. He still couldn’t let go of his cycle, though. “I finally stopped delivering papers and couriers in 2012. I’d so gotten used to it. I still cycle every now and then.”
Results: National Championship (Race 2): Group B (Open): 1. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) 11:57.799s, 2. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) 12:00.172s, 3. Kannan Subramani (TVS Racing) 12:03.529s; Title Winner: Jagan Kumar. Group C (165cc Open): 1. Mathana Kumar (Ten10 Racing) 12:48.359s, 2. Rajiv Sethu (Ten10 Racing) 12:54.644s; 3. Shyam Shankar 12:54.799s; Title Winner: Mathana Kumar. Group D (165cc, Novice): 1. Kannan Karnan (Moto-Rev Yamaha) 13:26.074s, 2. Vishwadev Muralidharan (Sparks Racing) 13:27.073s, 3. Aravind Balakrishnan 13:28.516s; Title Winner: Kannan Karnan.