The monsoon season is gone and the rides are slowly getting longer. For Pedal Bunnies, one of cycling groups in Juhu, they are becoming speedier too -- as hinted by the not-so-subtle 'Bunnies' nomenclature. "We named the group so because of speed. There are times we touch 22 kms per hour when we cycle long distances," said Krishnan, the 62-year-old who runs his own business and organises the rides.
On Sunday, Krishnan, known as 'Captain' reached Juhu circle at 5.30am sharp to meet more cycling enthusiasts. They cycled around 70kms to Nerul and back. A growing number of cycling groups mushrooming up in city derived their names from emotions or the passion riders share -- Mumbai Cycling Enthusiasts, Everyday Short Night Riders, and Foodie Rider among others. "There was a time when the only cyclist you would see would be the milkman. Now, as the trend is catching up, we see a number of impromptu groups with people of common interest," said Chetan Shah, a 47-year-old who is part of the Mumbai Cycling Enthusiast, which is considered to be one of the most active groups.
"While there are amateurs, there are those who have been around for four to five years," said Harish Wahi, a 50-year-old who recalls his passion for cycling before it became a fab. "There are fancy gears, shoes and other things now which never existed in the 1980s. That was the time when I would cycle to work at times," he said. Such old timers who have been cycling all along have come up with newer ways to make the experience livelier.
One such group was for those who wanted to do a short ride before going to bed or just catch up and meet friends at night. These, in turn also lead to some interesting ways in which cycling ended up being more than just a way to stay healthy. "While being healthy was always a parameter, what we started doing is visiting eateries that would pop up during our discussions. We would cycle to the place just to try out a delicacy," said Zubai Lodhi, who started the Foodie Riders group. From a groupie talk about a certain eating joint to others sharing their opinion on Facebook or Whatsapp. "That is how a place was selected," said Lodhi.
"There have been times when we have cycled all the way to Thane just to have misal. The idea has always been to make the ride fun," said Krishnan. Recently, the group went cycle and also did some rock climbing to add to their adventure list.
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