TrivanrumLife>> Nobody could ever forget the exhilarating moment in childhood memory when one first learns to balance and ride the two wheels of a bicycle. Eventually cycles lost charm due to the hectic schedules and popularity of fast and furious machines. Recently the post lock down period, the city witnessed the revival of cycling interest among city residents.
“One major change witnessed during the Covid era is the renewed interest in cycling. I can see a lot of people getting into cycling these days. In the mornings, we can see a lot of families coming together for cycling on the city roads. With work from home options and more time with families, many have adapted to cycling. We have to convince more and more people to commute at least for a short distance,” said the bicycling mayor of Trivandrum Prakash Gopinath.
For Sumesh George, a city-based architect, lockdown has provided an opportunity to improve his fitness. “My brother and I do cycling daily for 30 kms every morning. It really refreshes and energises me to do my daily work,” he said.
Sixty-five year-old Sainath J also started using cycle to go to nearby shops during post covid lockdown “Cycle was a fad during my college days. But later it lost its charm as its cheapest mode of transportation and not a status symbol in the society. Cycle always provides us the sense of freedom and I really enjoy riding it now”
Due to the shift in interest, the city witnessed huge demand for cycles. “Post Covid lock down, the demand for cycles has been steadily increasing. We don’t have stock to take care of the demands. So currently for each of the purchases we have a waiting period of at least 2 to 3 months. People are more aware of their fitness and so hybrid cycles are in demand. Trek, Giant and merrina are the most sought brands in bicycle. When a customer comes to us we give them proper guidance and also help them to buy the right bicycle,” said Pradeep who has been running Cranky cycles in the city.
Credit to change in mindset goes to the cycle clubs which have been rising in the city for the last few years. Clubs are organizing cycling events and daily rides on a regular basis. “Cycling gives a lot of confidence. Being a member of Trivandrum bikers club, I get guidance from our senior members,” says Archana, a TCS employee, who started cycling recently. “I have completed the 200 km and now I am preparing for the coming for the 300 km ride on January 23 from Alappuzha,” she adds.
Even those who recovered from Covid 19 have found cycling as the best option to regain health. “I was covid positive 2 months back, but I recovered quickly without any post covid syndrome. Only reason I could find is because of cycling. It’s the best medicine to raise immunity and endurance. In TBC we have people from different age groups but none of us have any lifestyle diseases,” says Hari Prasad the president of TBC who pedals everyday with the Team.
“Trivandrum is a city of middle/upper middle-class people with majority preferring to go to office without much strain and sweating. And the fear of parents to send their children to school by bicycle is also a problem. To encourage women in cycling we have started giving a cycle every month to a girl student in schools who can’t afford one. So far the club has given 28 cycles to girl students in Trivandrum. The club also teaches women and 111 the student of the club was a 68-year-old woman” says Praskash Gopinath.
“Many of us will be so lazy to do exercise alone. If you are part of a group, we will be able to move more miles. You will be able to see a steady increase in your stamina. After some time it will turn to an addiction and we can’t get off our feet from the pedals. When we go as a group people will see it as a serious sport and it will help to be safe while cycling. We advise all the new joiners coming in our group and we guide them on how to properly cycle on the road. Many are unaware of the fact that we need to buy a cycle based on our body height,” said Rajesh Madhavan, one of the senior members of TBC.
For Government employee Zoja Ziya, who is also an athlete, restarting the cycling journey gave confidence to go through tough times of Covid. “Being a runner, I used to do cross training in cycling. As we have some free time now, I have created a YouTube channel to encourage ladies. It will be really good to start cycling particularly in the covid time as we need to find ways to raise our immunity”.
In Pic – Zoja Ziya
Nisha Nath is a techie who is an avid writer and traveller.
