Metal chains screech and grunt as gears change with many cyclists, children and grown-ups, pedalling through tree-lined streets of Thiruvananthapuram. Thanks, mostly, to activities of cycling clubs that have cropped up in the city in the last few years, bicycles are becoming a familiar sight on the roads again.
Decades ago, the bicycle was an integral part of day-to-day life as an essential and cheap means of transport. The wheel has come a full circle and cycling has made a comeback as an effective fitness regime, a ‘go green’ initiative and a tool for awareness campaigns. “Bicycles used to dominate the streets during my college days. Then motorbikes zoomed into the scene and bicycles made a sudden exit from our lives. In the last five years or so, many enthusiasts have taken up cycling in a big way,” says Prakash Gopinath, founder of Indus Cycling Embassy (ICE), one of the first of the new cycling clubs in the city. Prakash has taken it upon himself to popularise cycling and makes it a point to teach women and children to cycle.
Many women, including home-makers, have taken up cycling for recreational purposes, for fitness and for doing their shopping and socialising. Forty-year-old Shakeela Noonbava learnt cycling as part of ICE’s bicycle learning programme for women and is now a regular rider. She says, “I use both multi-gear and uni-gear cycles. Pedal pushing has greatly improved my health. Frequent joint and muscle pain have become a thing of the past.” She fondly recalls the ride to Shangumugham beach that she went for with Prakash and other ICE members.
The ICE, which began in 2012 with around 25 enthusiasts, today has 118 members, ranging from school kids to sexagenarians and conducts regular rides within the city. He believes the trend is not restricted to Thiruvananthapuram alone, clubs are coming up in other cities in Kerala too.
Geetha Nair, a beautician, resumed cycling three years ago after joining ICE. She remembers a time when a cycle was the quintessential travel companion. “If people had continued to use their cycles, then we would have had much less diseases nowadays. My husband, Manikandan Nair, and I now use cycles whenever we can. It’s one of the best activities for home-makers to prevent lifestyle illnesses,” she says.
Jayesh Parambath, a committee member of Trivandrum Bikers Club (TBC), took up cycling again two years ago and now rides 25 km every day with his club buddies and clocks at least one 60-100 km ride a week. Regular brevets are being organised by TBC in association with Audax India Randonneurs (AIR). Over the last two years, three 200-km and two 300-km brevets were conducted in which several riders participated.
Some of the enthusiasts like Anoop Ardhur Kutty, an HR executive working at Technopark, cycles to work. He says: “In cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai where vehicles get stranded in jams for hours, cycles are often the fastest means of transport. Also it helps improve the blood circulation which will keep you refreshed during the course of the day,” says Anoop.
While there are more women on bicycles, the feeling that endurance and speed cycling are men’s domain still exists, says endurance cyclist and homemaker Rajani Nair. For her, cycling is not just a means to maintain fitness or reduce the carbon footprint, but a way to rejuvenate her mind, bond with people and gain new friends. “Since I have never worked in an office, I had no experience of being part of a team striving to achieve something. Cycling changed all that and has developed in me a ‘never give-up’ attitude while making me a good team-player,” she says.
Anoop feels that many are romancing their bicycles on account of the fitness factor. Several applications aimed at helping to improve your cycling experience as well as platforms to share your cycling regime with other riders are available as well, he says. “Newcomers can connect easily with experienced and enthusiastic riders. People get to know about the cycling activities of their friends and acquaintances on social media,” says Anoop.
Looks like even vehicles go through cycles of change!