Coimbatore-based GD Vishnu Ram’s solo cycling expedition entered India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records
Coimbatore-based GD Vishnu Ram’s solo cycling expedition entered India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records
GD Vishnu Ram, a marathon-runner and cyclist from Coimbatore, left Coimbatore airport on March 26 at 7.23 pm on his Scott Addict 30 cycle. He rode non-stop and reached Salem in four hours, 28 minutes and 19 seconds. 161 kilometer distance. According to the India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records, he is now the ‘Fastest person to cover 100 miles in road cycling’. “At 41, I am fit, confident and healthy enough to achieve this. What is stopping the youth?, Vishnu says this particular singles cycling campaign was meant to motivate the youth to set fitness goals and achieve them. “Cycling grew exponentially during the lockdown. When gyms and pools closed and health suddenly became a priority, people took up cycling as a fitness activity. Riding is healthy, fun and a low-impact form of exercise for all ages.”
fitness goals
When he began his fitness journey in the 1990s (when he weighed 95 kg during his college days) with athletic trainers who groomed him to run marathons, it was DGP C Silendra Babu’s fitness routine that inspired did. Let him ride a bicycle and go on car expeditions.
On 9 June, he will start his fastest Golden Quadrilateral campaign of 5950 km from Chennai-Kolkata-Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai in a car and attract the attention of women in sports. “The current record is 103 hours. I am planning to complete it within 100 hours. It will be flagged off by KA Bhavani Devi from Chennai, who is the first Indian to qualify for fencing at the Olympics. I have compiled a list of female sports icons including Mary Kom, Mithali Raj and PV Sindhu. I plan to share their success stories among the kids as I stop at various points during the drive.”
kids in play
He suggests that parents introduce children, irrespective of gender, to sports and not just cricket and tennis. “There is cycling, fencing, athletics, racing, martial arts etc. Children should be encouraged to practice sports and adopt a healthy lifestyle from the age of eight. With the right training, they can easily qualify in the junior categories (below 15 years) which gives them a huge opportunity to represent the state and the country,” says Vishnu who is a top 20 national level player in various sports. Advising on ranked students. He runs the 6th Gear Fitness Center in the city and started the 6th Gear Cycling Club (6GCC) to promote weekend bicycle riding among all age groups in various localities.
Vishnu Ram with Award Citation
In February this year, Vishnu became the fastest person to cycle 100 km through the Coimbatore-Palakkad Kuthiran tunnel from Coimbatore to Thrissur. He took pictures on his bicycle and campaigned for the COVID-19 vaccination. His first campaign was a 24-hour car drive from Bengaluru-Hyderabad-Nagpur-Bengaluru to salute the efforts of the frontline staff. He also did the longest cycle ride of 623 kms in 23 hours 53 minutes from Coimbatore to Kanyakumari to create awareness about obesity among children. “The road leading from Madurai to Kanyakumari is surrounded by windmills and lush greenery. It is a beautiful route,” he recalls.
However, such a ride is anything but easy. Expressing concern over safe roads and cycling infrastructure, he said that changes must come from different sectors. “At the policy level, all we have to do is lay a road each time so that other vehicles respect cyclists and the lanes built for them. This makes it safe for women and children to ride anywhere, at any time.”