A 15-year-old girl raised by her elder brother without parental support has emerged as the best female participant in the Tour De Bengal, a 450km cycle race inspired by the Tour de France, the world’s most renowned cycling event.

Manju Shah, one of the youngest riders in the competition, was part of the team from Future Hope, an NGO that runs a school for street children on Rowland Row in Ballygunge and promotes sports as a tool for empowerment. Most participants were over 25, making Manju’s performance even more remarkable. Her team finished third overall.

The second edition of the three-day race began on October 10 from Salap in Howrah and covered several districts of Bengal. Stage 1 took riders from Howrah to Bishnupur in Bankura, a distance of 167.5km. The next leg on October 11 spanned 111.4km from Bishnupur to Jhargram. On the final day, October 12, participants cycled 172km from Jhargram to Dankuni, Howrah, where the race concluded at a hotel. Riders navigated with GPS-enabled route maps.

Sagar Ram leads the Future Hope team

The race drew 18 teams, each with three members. Participants rode along national highways, rural roads, forest stretches, and elephant corridors — terrain that tested both stamina and skill. Most teams had a trailing support car. “Participants would start at 5am each day,” said Arnab Patra, one of the organisers. “While professionals finished in five to six hours, amateurs took up to 12.”

Manju, a student at Future Hope School, lives in Picnic Garden with her elder brother Sunny, a long-distance cyclist who runs a small cycle-repair shop. It was Sunny who introduced her to the sport. “Manju has had a tough life,” said Paul Walsh, director of sports at Future Hope. “She’s been brought up by her brother, who looks after her. She is very strong and has already competed in national-level races.”

Manju’s team included Sagar Ram, 18, and Vicky Ram, 16, both from Kidderpore and part of Future Hope’s cycling workshop. “Both are very promising cyclists,” said Walsh.

During the final leg, about 120km from the finish line, Manju missed a turn and took a 5km detour. “I had almost given up,” she told Metro. “But Paul sir and others kept encouraging me. I owe my success to them.” Walsh was trailing the team in a support car throughout the race.

“This is a unique sporting spectacle,” Walsh said. “Most of the participants are professional long-distance cyclists. To compete with them and excel is a significant achievement.”

Sujata Sen, CEO of Future Hope, said: “I am just so proud of Manju and the team. They’ve shown tremendous promise, not just in cycling, but in life.”

In the final standings, Dquests Tunga Regiment secured first place, followed by the Old Bones in second.