Amid chaos, biker Dhoni sizzles
Greater Noida: Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday took time out for his passion for biking by careening around the Buddh International Circuit here, a day after guiding Chennai Super Kings to their second ClT20 crown. Cricketers' presence is known to cause chaos and the scenes were no different at the Formula1 track. All attention turned towards the Indian captain the moment he arrived in the presence of a sparse crowd. After spending substantial time looking at vintage and sports bikes, he joined riders for one lap of the track in a Yamaha R1. One of the garages was dedicated to Dhoni's prized possessions ranging from the mighty Hellcat to the obsolete Yamaha RD350, a bike he could not afford to buy once upon a time. Now he has got 30 of those outdated machines. “It’s great to be here. I could not take my eyes off some of the machines on display. I wanted people to see how my bike is different from theirs. You can't try these powerful bikes on the road so to be able to see them and know about them is fantastic," Dhoni, who spent the maximum time in the heritage garage which had bikes as old as 100 years, said. A source who was with Dhoni throughout his time at BIC, said he promised to drop in quietly sometime soon. “He played the ClT20 Final last night so was tired. That's why he chose to ride a lighter bike than Hellcat. Since he had got the feel of the track earlier, he was comfortable at turns and liked the parabolic part. He also expressed to come here again when not many people are around,” the source said.
Preeja bids adieu to athletics
Kochi: long distance runner Preeja Sreedharan is all set to bid adieu to athletics after the National Games to be held in Kerala next year. The Olympian, who participated in the just-concluded Incheon Asian Games, told some Malayalam television channels today that she has decided to quit athletics after the National Games to be held in Kerala next year and would like to focus on her family life. Hailing from a sleepy village Mullakanam in Idukki district, Preeja rose to become one of the finest long distance runners India has ever produced.