Shankar Jayaraman has been my teammate at Spectrum Racing for more than 10 years now. He is someone who does not make too much fuss about being busy and goes about his rides and workouts with the same cool as he does managing a big team with million dollar deliverables at work.

In this episode, Shankar shares his endurance journey and how he is able to balance work, staying fit and having fun riding a bike. We also talk about coming back from serious injuries and carrying on riding. We recorded this episode on the banks of river Badra in Kalasa when we went on a bike trip a couple of weeks ago. Hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

0:00:00  Intro

0:02:30  Sports as a kid

0:03:15  Getting into cycling with commuting and then taking part in BBCH

0:06:10  Taking part in BBCH, Climbing to Kilimanjaro and riding Tour of Nilgiris 2010

0:14:30  Giro Delle Dolomiti in 2014 and 2015, Tour of Friendship 2017

0:17:30  Sikkim trip and tradition of riding to Goa during new years

0:24:10  Managing training and riding while being busy at work

0:29:10  Coming back from serious injury/accident

0:36:20  Tips for working athletes

0:56:30  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Ashwin Govindswami is one of he fastest cyclists and triathletes from Chennai. He has been a regular feature on the podium in almost all the races he took part in across distances ranging from 25km to 643km.

In this episode, Ashwin shares his endurance journey and various learnings from his time in sport so far. He says that he is ever grateful for all that cycling has given him over the years and wishes to contribute to the cycling community through a rider centric bike shop, the 5am bicycle studio.

0:00:00  Intro

0:02:03  Sports as a kid with swimming

0:03:25  Getting into running through a friend

0:08:40  Getting into Triathlon with CTC Half Iron distance event and getting into BRMs

0:12:10  Qualifying for and signing up for PBP; Paris Brest Paris experience

0:24:35  Ironman Barcelona in 2016

0:28:25  Time as a Scott sponsored athlete, taking part in BAR and BBCH races

0:33:45  Deccan Cliffhanger 2018 experience

0:44:35  Grateful for the community support

0:49:25  2020 struggle and sport taking a back seat; starting back in 2021

0:56:10  New journey with 5am Bicycle Studio.

1:00:45  Tips for working athletes

1:04:10  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Rakibul Islam is a two time National Champion who won gold in Individual Time Trial at Bangladesh Cycling National Championships. From picking up an MTB during his degree to just ride around, through sheer determination and hard work he has become the first amateur rider to become a National Champion in Bangladesh. He is also an excellent Duathlete and an age group podium finisher in Decathlon at 2019 Powerman Championships. In August 2021, he left his job as a pharmacist in Dhaka and started training full time and started coaching people.

In this episode, Rakibul shares his endurance journey and how working with the community is helping him grow as an athlete and as a coach. His inspirational story shows how hard work and sticking to process can help achieve what was once thought impossible.

0:00:00  Intro

0:02:03  Sports as a kid

0:03:25  Getting into serious sports in University and starting.

0:08:40  Coming to Delhi for higher studies and becoming part of Delhi cyclists community

0:14:10  Training with Indian National team

0:18:35  Back in Bangladesh and joining Team BDC

0:21:25  Powerman Duathlon 2018, 2019; Starting coaching

0:25:45  Managing training and coaching along with full time job

0:27:35  Deciding to quit the job and doing cycling and coaching full time

0:37:25  Guinness world record for most distance by a 4 man team in 48 hours with teammates at Team BDC

0:44:10  Defending the national ITT title in 2022 and preparing for Powerman championships.

0:53:45  Tips for working athletes

0:56:30  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Vinay Jani is an epilepsy awareness advocate. Vinay was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 21 years old. After the initial shock and depression, he had come to accept his diagnosis, started working with his neurologist to deal his medical condition and tried to lead as much of a normal life as possible. While dealing with the condition, he managed to lose weight, started cycling and running. He went on to complete a super randonneur series 4 times and completed 1000km rides twice. In running he has completed a half marathon and marathon as well.

In this episode, Vinay shares his journey of dealing with epilepsy and pursuing endurance sports. He warns that it might not be safe for everyone with epilepsy to pursue sports but it is possible to become aware of the condition and lead a safe and healthy life while dealing with epilepsy. It was an opening interaction on the condition for me. Hope this spreads some awareness about this condition.

0:00:00  Intro

0:03:03  What is work for him

0:04:10  Weight loss journey from 135kgs to 70kgs

0:07:45  Getting diagnosis of epilepsy at the age of 21;

0:09:52  Different types of seizures, first aid for the condition, myths around the condition.

0:13:35  How he dealt with his epileptic condition

0:19:45  Pursuing endurance activities with epileptic condition with the support of friends

0:22:55  Paris Brest Paris experiences

0:24:35  His longest cycling event - 1000km brevet - his experience; effects of sleep depravation on the condition

0:27:40  Getting into running and and spreading awareness about epilepsy

0:35:15  Dealing with the condition during running and cycling; always having company, reading aura which is specific to him; wearing ID band

0:37:55  Finishing a marathon and abandoning one due an epileptic episode mid run

0:39:20  Epileptic incidents during rides and how he dealt with them

0:41:10  Spreading awareness for Epilepsy; endurance activities are not advisable for everyone with the condition without proper precautions

0:44:55  Tips for working athletes

0:45:35  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Ajay Mendes one of the pioneers who is contributing to the growth of the sport of cycling in Goa. He is one of the founding members and owners of the team Equipe Goa, the most promising cycling team currently from Goa.

I sat down with him when he was here along with his team Equipe Goa that was taking part in BBCH Kolar Express race. In this episode he shares a bit about his endurance journey. But, we mainly focus on how cycling in Goa has changed over the years. We also talks about how teams like Equipe Goa are working towards unearthing raw talent and nurturing it for future.

0:00:00  Intro

0:02:14  His early entry into fitness with weight training and weight loss

0:06:10  Cycling as part of a wholistic fitness routine, doing BRMs etc

0:09:40  Cycling in Goa over the years

0:11:05  Equipe Goa formation and Tour of Goa 2020

0:16:20  Equipe Goa races; Equipe Goa Racing Acadamy

0:20:40  Equipe Goa the road ahead

0:22:26  Cycling in Goa growing over the years with Cycling Goa, Xaxti rider and Equipe Goa

0:25:30  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Vinayak Gaonkar is a long time runner, cyclist and triathlete from Goa. He is one of the most inspirational working athletes from Goa who has inspired many youngsters to take up the sports of cycling and triathlon.

I sat down with him when he was here in Bangalore along with his team Equipe Goa to take part in BBCH Kolar Express race. In this episode he shares his endurance journey through, running, cycling and triathlon. We also talk about how the sport in Goa has changed over the years and how teams and clubs like Equipe Goa, Cycling Goa and Xaxti riders are contributing to unearthing raw talent and nurturing it for future.

0:00:00  Intro

0:02:30  What is work for him

0:03:03  Early entry into sports cricket and injury putting a break in sports

0:04:15  Gaining weight through college and early career

0:06:35  Weight-loss journey with gym and introduction to running through company sponsored run

0:10:10  Introduction to cycling and riding weekend rides

0:13:55  First BBCH Race and signing up and training for Tour of Nilgiris

0:19:00  Tour of Nilgiris 2015 experience

0:23:00  Getting introduced to and training for triathlon; his typical training cycle for triathlon

0:31:00  Colombo 70.3 experience

0:34:55  Memories and takeaways from Tour of Nilgiris for him

0:38:35  Managing training for triathlon with hectic work; are you fatigued or you just lazy!

0:43:10  Nationals 2021 experience

0:44:30  Growth of cycling in Goa; Tour of Goa; Community races; Youngsters taking up cycling; Equipe Goa

0:49:02  Tips for working athletes

0:50:00  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Saswat Sahu has been on a weight loss and fitness journey for the last 6 years. From being 99kgs to being 75kgs, he has lost nearly 25kgs and gotten faster on the bike. According to him it was only possible through sticking to the process and doing the work needed consistently over a long period of time.

In this episode, we talked about his endurance and weight loss journeys. We talked about what worked and what did not work for him over the years.  We touched upon various topics related to diet, intermittent fasting etc along the way. Hope you find this useful.

0:00:00  Intro

0:02:34  What is work for him

0:03:15  Early entry into sports, cricket and badminton

0:04:50  Gaining weight through college and early career

0:07:45  Weight-loss journey with cycling commuting- Intro through BOTS corporate event

0:18:40  Upgrading to road bike and riding from Bangalore to Pondicherry

0:26:30  Work travel and managing workouts intermittently

0:38:00  Getting serious about weight loss thorough quantified diet and gym workouts - SQUATS ; Calorie deficit, Measuring macros etc

0:48:40  What his diet and workouts looked like in a day to lose weight

1:01:10  Continuous glucose monitoring; insulin response to foods and how it effects how you feel

1:05:15  Fueling ideally for workouts; when you need carbs and when you can do well without

1:10:00  Moving from 86kgs to 74kgs; moving from the plateau and getting faster on the bike

1:22:15  Sticking to the process and the magic you get to see; life partner getting into sport and aligning interests

1:30:40  It is not all smooth sailing; managing the ups and downs; complacency that comes from knowing the process; Importance of setting control limits

1:35:50  When can Intermittent Fasting(IF) be used along with endurance work

1:40:02   Tips for working athletes

1:41:30  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Rushit started cycling in 2013 with a 10km ride around Ulsoor lake. Within 24 months of starting cycling he finished 1230km ride at the prestigious Paris-Brest-Paris event in 2015. He participated in races across the globe in places like Thailand, Italy, and Dubai apart from being a regular at our local club races at BBCh. Last year he was hit by a motor vehicle on his morning ride which resulted in multiple fractures including clavicle and a few of ribs. He had to undergo multiple surgeries to put the bones together. From being bedridden, he picked himself up and worked his way to the podium in BBCH ITT in just a few months. His is an inspirational story of 'getting up just one more time' no matter how many times he fell.

In this episode, we talked about his amazing cycling journey and how he manages to 'Get Back in the Game' time and again from debilitating crashes and setbacks.

0:00:00  Intro

0:02:30  Inspiration at home; his 77 year old dad representing Maharastra in running

0:08:02  Entry into cycling and early progress

0:15:40  Training for Manali-Leh ride on Nandi with Unventured

0:22:45  Getting a road bike, getting into brevets and PBP(Paris-Brest-Paris)

0:35:45  His PBP experience

0:47:10  Triathlon aspirations

0:54:10  Upgrading road bike and training for Tour of Friendship with BVCoaching

1:12:00  Dubai Spinneys90, UCI race experience

1:21:30  Giro Delle Dolomitti in Italy

1:55:00  BBCH ITT Podium in Masters

2:07:40  Getting hit by a tempo and path of recovery

2:23:30  First race after the crash and getting on podium

2:35:10  50x50km challenge in solidarity of a friend

2:44:20  Tips for working athletes

2:48:25  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Bhagyashree Sawant is a phycologist who is working in the field of sports with Decathlon. She represented her state in school nationals for cycling and is trained in self defense with Karate. She attempted to scale Mount Everest at the age of 18 years and got to within 800m of the summit. But failures never stopped her from pursuing anything. When a serious injury resulted in a knee surgery she celebrated that by cutting a cake with her surgeons and followed it up by riding into Guinness book of records by riding 20,000km across India once she recovered from the injury.

In this episode, we talked about how she looks at failures and how she came back from not one but two knee surgeries to stay active and achieve what some would consider impossible. We talk about her goals and triathlon aspirations as well as some tips for building mental resilience.

0:00:00  Intro

0:04:45  What is work for her

0:07:26  Sports in early school life etc

0:10:10  Mount Everest expedition as an 18 old

0:18:10  Rugby injury, Cutting a cake to celebrating surgery

0:21:20  Cycling across the country to spread awareness about polio; Memories from cycling across India

0:32:25  Logistics for the ride across India

0:36:00  The second ACL surgery and getting back from it to become super Randonnée

0:41:05  Getting back to running, taking up Duathlon and winning, Triathlon aspirations

0:48:25  Tips for working athletes; plan for sport first, self talk, and doing it for self;

0:51:20  Tips for improving mental resilience; visualization, self talk and positive affirmations help

0:56:40  Closing remarks!

Givingback donation page: https://www.givingback.co.in/giving-back/

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

This is a special episode about charitable cause called GivingBack that Dr. Arvind Bhateja runs. Through GivingBack, Dr. Arvind raises funds to provide free or subsidized spine surgeries for those who cannot afford the cost. Over the years, the GivingBack program has supported over 400 people. Givingback's motto is to help people 'Get Back In The Game' and lead a normal life.

In this episode we talk to Dr. Arvind Bhateja about the GivingBack program and it's work over the years. We also talk to a spine surgeon, Dr. Raghavendra who has been working with Dr. Arvind for over 10 years about how spine surgery evolved over the years with emerging technology.

We also talk to one of the patients who has undergone a spine surgery and is now able to go about his life without any issues. Mr. Bishen who is an avid sportsman who loves playing cricket, badminton and loves to run needed a spine surgery after he got injured while playing cricket. He shares about his experience of how after the surgery he was able to "Get Back in the game" and is now able to play all the sports and started to run again.

0:00:00  Intro

0:04:35  Dr. Arvind on Givingback's journey

0:18:40  A patient's perspective - Mr. Bishen Jaswant

0:30:50  Spine surgeon's perspective, Dr. Ragavendra

0:41:15  Closing remarks!

Givingback donation page: https://www.givingback.co.in/giving-back/

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker