Bhubaneswar: About 30 cyclists from Odisha, Chandigarh and Jharkhand recently took part in a competitive cycling event under the banner of Ekamra Road Race here.

The event took place on a 51km track from Hanspal to Dhauli Shanti Stupa.

The race was flagged off from Puri-Bypass Road at Hanspal and took two laps till Dhauli and ended at Hanspal.

Rohit Hembram from Rourkela bagged the first prize followed by Dushyant Barle from Chhattisgarh as first runner-up and Parashuram Choudhury from Rourkela as the second runner-up.

Ajay Nanda, from 22 Bikes that hosted the event, said: "We have plans to increase its popularity on the national level. We have decided to organise this race every year."

He said Bhubaneswar had no cycling racing event.

"We envisage bridging this gap while promoting competitive cycling in Bhubaneswar. We have plans to bring different formats of competitive cycling in Bhubaneswar, including off-road races, in the next few months," Nanda said.

Competitive cycling is a new concept which has seen a boost as a healthy and green mode of transport in a number of western countries.

Cyclists feel more people, especially the youngsters, should be encouraged towards adopting cycling with such competitions being hosted in the future.