On the occasion of World Cycle Day, the city’s junior cycle mayor will be selected and women cyclists will take part in the ride today.
On the occasion of World Cycle Day, the city’s junior cycle mayor will be selected and women cyclists will take part in the ride today.
The motto of cyclists in Thiruvananthapuram is Wheel, Will Pedal. His reasons for cycling vary from improving fitness levels to a passion for exploring the outdoors and running against the wind.
The cycle mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, Prakash P Gopinath, is leading the way, who has made it his mission to popularize the use of cycles, especially among women and children.
On June 3, celebrated as World Bicycle Day, a new Junior Cycle Mayor will be selected from over 24 candidates.
ICE members on a ride in Thiruvananthapuram | photo credit: special arrangement
In the city, the focus of the Indus Cycling Embassy (ICE), established by Prakash in 2012, is to encourage people to take up horse riding. O Bina, an ICE student-cycle-enthusiast, is a Girls Cadet Instructor from One Kerala, NCC Girls Battalion. At the age of 50, he learned to ride a bicycle from his 63-year-old trainer Vasundhara.
Today, Bina will lead the women’s wing of ICE ‘Sheeros of ICE’ in a 6.6 km rally from Kavadiyar to Kanakkkunnu Palace via Kuravankonam. “We are expecting senior citizens and housewives to participate in our rally, which begins at 6 am,” she says.
The mother of two says that many women, no matter their age, are arriving to learn horse riding. “My daughter Madhur Bi, a former junior cycle mayor of the city, inspired me to learn,” says Bina. Since then, Madhur has encouraged his father, elder sister, aunt and cousins to take up cycling.
Madhur will be accompanied by Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran S, who will inaugurate a cycle club at his school, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattam, on June 6. So far, there are cycle clubs in 14 educational institutions in the city.
students on wheels
Cycling clubs are open to students who cycle to school or have a bicycle. There is no fee or membership fee. Bina says that the cycle club of Carmel Girls Higher Secondary School had more than 50 members.
Several clubs like Trivandrum Bikers Club (TBC), Cyclo Trivian and Nedumangad Bikers (NDD Bikers) organize regular rides and motivate people to carve their own path towards a healthier lifestyle.
Cyclo Trivians based in Kattaka was created by three friends. In August 2021, 25-year-old Nigel RS decided to learn cycling to lose weight. He says: “Thanks to the lockdown, I was quite sedentary and found I couldn’t even bend down to tie my shoelaces. Inspired by my cousin, I bought a cycle and started riding and that’s when I saw Ajay hettan (Ajay CK) also rides horse. We gave each other company until a third rider joined us and that’s how we formed Cyclo Trivians. He says. Now, there are 170 riders in his club.
Cyclo Trivians spotted one of their bike riders, Ajay CK, riding to Ladakh. photo credit: special arrangement
Nigel says that almost every week, they go to different places in the district and love the long rides they take. During the lockdown, they used to ride every day. In September 2021, Ajay CK, a member of Cyclo Triviance and a friend of Palakkad, Arijit Krishna A, traveled to Ladakh and back.
Riders of Nedumangad Bikers | photo credit: special arrangement
In the case of Nedumangad Bikers (NDD Bikers), it was the drive of Murali P that led to the formation of the club. Working from home, during the lockdown, he took up horse riding and was soon joined by many people in and around Nedumangad; Now they have around 150 members.
Accompanied by a core group of bikers, they explore places in and around Thiruvananthapuram on weekends. “Most of us are commuting, so long rides require a lot of planning. But weekends are ideal for 100 to 200 km long rides. We have been to Varkala, Thengapatnam, Thenmala etc. A few weeks back We went to Vellarda and trekked from there to Koonichimala.”
Long distance rides are an adrenaline rush for most of them. “Once you start riding, nothing can stop you. Recently, I went on a ride to Ernakulam and back,” says Bina.
brevet specialist
The city also has many cyclists who have taken up the Brevet or Brevet de Randonneur Mondiaux (BRM), long-distance endurance rides in which cyclists attempt to cover a distance of 200 kilometers or more, thanks to TBC. It is one of two cycling clubs in Kerala – the other being the Cochin Bikers Club – authorized to conduct BRM certified by Audax India Randonneurs (AIR), the national organization of randonneurs (riders who have completed a 200 km event will be awarded the Randonoor). is called).
Members of Trivandrum Bikers Club at the start of Brevet | photo credit: special arrangement
TBC’s membership fee is ₹100 per month and people 18 years of age and above can join. “Members come from all walks of life, including 10 registered women riders,” says Rajesh Madhavan, president of TBC.
TBC has organized 55 Brevets so far and its members include 18 Super Randonneur (SR) or riders who have completed 200-, 300-, 400- and 600-kilometer rides in a season. “There are riders who have become SR five times in a season. They participate in BRMs in other states to achieve the feat. We call them our brevet laborers!” Rajesh says.
While daredevils pedal to conquer new heights, Prakash and Bina said that if police and corporations cooperate to create safer routes, many parents would allow their children to use their bicycles to go to school. willing to give. “Unfortunately, at present, the city roads are not demarcated for riders. If this were the case, many people would have started cycling. It will free the roads from private vehicles, make the city green and revive a clean mode of transport. ICE is taking this up with the authorities and we hope they will make efforts to make the city cycle friendly,” says Prakash.
(with inputs from Athira M)