MS Dhoni announces first edition of Bike Festival in India

Mumbai: India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has launched the first edition of Southeast Asia`s largest bike extravaganza, the Bike Festival of India (BFI), which will be a unique platform for biking enthusiasts to come together to be a part of this first-of-its-kind biking adventure in India.

While adventure is an integral part of BFI, the most unique feature is that it accentuates the importance of safe biking. South East Asia`s leading biking festival, launched yesterday night, will bring together over 120 biking communities from across the country to participate in a series of events as part of the festival. The finale of the event will be held in October this year at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida. Dhoni, who himself is a bike enthusiast, said he was excited to be a part of the initiative. "Biking for me is a passion, which is why I am excited to be part of this initiative that not only is an adventure in its form but also promotes safe biking. BFI will be an annual platform for the biking community to meet, interact and share adventures together," said Dhoni. "Meeting with the presidents of various biking communities from all over India has been enlightening and I look forward to joining them sometime on the track," he added. The Festival will start off with a cross-country bike ride in the first quarter of 2014, mapping each and every state in the country. This will be at least a month long and is expected to put India in the Guinness World Records. This will be followed by a racing championship at BIC in March. Thereafter, the BFI will also host a Dirt Bike Championship and a Rally Championship. The festival will feature a series of competitions such as stunt riding, wheelies, burnouts, stoppies and group rides. In addition, there will also be several off track competitions such as weight lifting, arm wrestling, bench press, push ups and food festivals.