Participants at the rally
CHENNAI: The fourth edition of the grand Tour de Rotary, a cycle rally, was conducted with great fanfare on Sunday morning. Organised by the Rotary Club of Madras Midtown, to promote green-living principles, the rally flagged off at 5 am from Phoenix Marketcity, Velachery. Over 800 participants cycled in three categories — 100 km, 50 km and 10 km, with the 50 km category garnering over 300 participants.
“We want better mobility solutions to make Chennai a smart capital of India. In the past few years, the number of cyclists has increased tremendously,” said M Ambalavanan, immediate past president of Rotary Club of Madras Midtown. This year’s edition saw participation from men, women, and children in equal measure.
“We all formed small groups of 30-35 people, in order to not affect traffic,” he said. As cyclists streamed back in from 9 am onwards, they were each given a medal or a token of recognition, followed by breakfast. Working professionals, school and college-going students, ex-sportsmen and 150 NCC cadets were part of the group.
“Being part of this rally was a very different experience. It took me about 1 hour 40 minutes to complete it,” says Sivesh, a Class 9 student from PSBB School, who finished first in the 50 km category. As with all the Tour de Rotary events held over the past three years, this year’s proceeds will go toward Paediatric Cancer Care projects.
“The Tour de Rotary has been growing in stature every year, and it’s good that the proceeds are going to a good cause like this,” said Muthupalaniappan, director club service, Rotary District 3232. The event was also attended by Rotarian R Srinivasan, District Governor, Rotary district 3232. In addition to the cycling rally, a special Zumba session was also held, to promote family welfare and fitness. “Family fun and fitness Sunday morning was the aim,” added M Ambalavanan.
