"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." These words by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle beautifully express the alluring nature of cycling.
There is no denying that good times begin with good memories and learning to ride a bicycle is an integral part of it. Childhood memories are incomplete without learning how to ride a bicycle, falling down a number of times and of course injuring the knees and walking up to elders and cajoling them to accompany you.
During childhood, learning to ride a bicycle was the biggest challenge. I remember my dad getting me a second-hand tiny bicycle, and my happiness knew no bounds. I immediately started cleaning it and asked my brother to paint it yellow. Every evening, I would wash the mud and sand off the wheels. Caring like a friend because it became a part of family. Nurturing it with machine oil and towel to make it shine now and then.
We grew up with a lot of memories in one baggage, but a bicycle always remain in "brackets". When you are young if you get to ride one, you remember those old days fondly.
In April 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 3 World Bicycle Day. The resolution for it recognises "the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for two centuries, and that it is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transport."
World Bicycle Day is a global event meant to be enjoyed by all people regardless of any characteristic. The bicycle as a symbol of human progress and advancement "promotes tolerance, mutual understanding and respect and facilitates social inclusion and a culture of peace".
The bicycle further is a "symbol of sustainable transport and conveys a positive message to foster sustainable consumption and production, and has a positive impact on climate".