Life turns a full cycle: Humble ride is 'in' thing again

NAGPUR: Some are still enamoured by revving engines of mean machines and power horns meant to whizz past traffic. However, many more are now turning away from such high-stress pursuits to take quiet and serene rides on their bicycles.
This humble mode of transport, which is not even that humble anymore, is attracting the more adventurous types, as reported in a TOI feature last week.But, there are also many in the city who are rediscovering the quaint charm of bicycling, albeit with state-of-the-art cycles that can cost a fortune.
Gently propelling many into this cardio vascular exercise is Aniruddha Raich, who has formed a cycling club Saddle Up Guys. “I think there is a socio economic message that goes through this activity,” says Raich, a journalist who quit his job to pursue his passion for cycling.
“I was a member of a 5,000 strong cycling group named Cycle Sutra in Delhi. When I returned to Nagpur, which is my hometown, four years back, I realized very few were interested in this activity,” he says. Today, his club has nearly a hundred members.
“I am promoting it as a way of life, which does away with the need for exercising,” says Raich, who, of course, pedals to work. “High end geared cycles have made it possible to reach our destinations in a short time, and also travel larger distances when one feels like it,” he says.
Though his club members cycle usually on weekends, a breakaway group that goes by the name of Morning Bikers, does it every morning. With fixed routes that involve peddling for nearly 25km, it is a vigorous form of exercise for the 13 members of this club. “We cycle for 1.5 hours every day and end up at a food stall where we enjoy a hearty breakfast,” says Mahesh Gorle, a businessman. “Riding a cycle has become a pleasure now with so many good user friendly models available. Bystanders now look on with interest and want to join in the activity,” says Gorle.
There are those too who have carried their childhood passion for pedal pushing to a new high. “As a child I loved to cycle and would modify my cycle to make it more attractive,” says Ajay Bansod, a professional photographer who has formed a cycling club by the name of Hawk Riders. “I would often go for nature trails on the city outskirts to capture images of nature and birds. Later, I would upload the pictures on my Facebook page, which created a flurry among my friends.”
People would express a desire to join in and gradually the tribe grew. “We would invite people to come in their vehicles and then try out cycling for some distance,” he says about his club, which is 400 members strong now. Saying that the modern cycle has revolutionized this activity, Bansod now organizes events on Sundays that involve up to 50km of cycling for cyclists from 8 to 74-year-old. “We have an upcoming event at Pench where a cycling camp will be organized,” he said.
Bicycling for friendship, fitness and fun are the 68 members of the club Orangers. Most consider cycling as not just an exercise but a form of meditation too. “The languid pace and the feeling of freshness that it generates make it very invigorating,” says Sarang Chitale, a stock broker who founded this group. “I used to cycle alone in the evenings and gradually friends joined in,” he says, adding that there are three cops too in the group. “They would watch us cycling and became interested,” he says describing cycling as a weight loss activity. “This is what adds to the excitement of new converts. I too lost a lot of weight with this form of exercising,” says the 34-year-old Chitale.
It was a compulsion that made software engineer Anuroop Sirothia take to riding a bicycle. “I was in Bangalore and commuting to my office 10km away would take more than an hour. I decided to ride a bicycle to provide me exercise and also cut on my commuting time,” says 31-year-old Sirothia who continued with the activity once he came to Nagpur. “I continued with the habit as it saves petrol, reduces pollution and keeps me fit,” says Anuroop, who recovered the cost of his high end cycle, Rs60,000, in less than four years.