G D Vishnu Raam, a marathon-runner and cyclist from Coimbatore, set off on his Scott Addict 30 bicycle from Coimbatore Airport at 7.23pm on March 26. He rode non-stop and reached Salem in four hours, 28 minutes, and 19 seconds covering a distance of 161 kilometres. He is now ‘The fastest individual to cover 100 miles in road bicycling’, according to India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records. “At 41, I am fit, confident and healthy to achieve this. What is stopping the youth?,” asks Vishnu adding that this particular solo cycling expedition was to motivate youngsters to set fitness goals and achieve them. “Bicycling boomed during the lockdown. When gyms and pools shut and health suddenly became a priority, people turned to cycling as a fitness activity. Riding is healthy, fun and a low-impact form of exercise for all ages.”
Fitness goals
While he kick-started his fitness journey in the 1990s (when he weighed 95 kilograms during his college days) with athletic trainers who groomed him to run marathons, it was the fitness routine of C Sylendra Babu, the Director General of Police, that inspired him to go on cycling and car expeditions.
On June 9, he will begin his fastest golden quadrilateral expedition of 5950 kilometres from Chennai-Kolkata-Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai in car and draw attention to women in sports. “The existing record is 103 hours. I plan to complete it under 100 hours. This will be flagged off by Chennai-based K A Bhavani Devi, the first Indian to qualify for fencing in Olympics. I have drawn out a list of women sport icons, including Mary Kom, Mithali Raj, and P V Sindhu. I plan to share their success stories among children as I stop at various points along the drive.”
Children in sports
He suggests parents expose children, irrespective of gender, to sports, and not just to cricket and tennis. “There is cycling, fencing, athletics, racing, martial arts and so on. Children should be encouraged to practice a sport right from the age of eight, and to adopt a healthy lifestyle. With right training, they can easily qualify in the junior categories (under 15 years) which gives them a great opportunity to represent the State and country,” adds Vishnu who is mentoring students ranked among the top 20 nationally in various sports. He runs 6th gear fitness centre in the city and started the 6th Gear Cycling Club (6GCC) to promote weekend cycle rides among all age groups on different terrains.
In February this year, Vishnu also became the fastest individual to bicycle 100 kilometres from Coimbatore to Thrissur via Coimbatore-Palakkad Kuthiran Tunnel. He carried pictures on his bicycle and campaigned for COVID-19 vaccination. His first expedition was a 24-hour car drive from Bengaluru-Hyderabad- Nagpur-Bengaluru to salute the efforts of frontline staff. He also undertook the longest bicycle ride of 623 kilometres in 23 hours and 53 minutes from Coimbatore to Kanyakumari to create awareness on obesity in children. “The road leading from Madurai to Kanyakumari is flanked by windmills and lush greenery. It’s a scenic route,” he recalls.
However, such rides are anything but easy. Expressing his concern over safe roads and cycling infrastructure, he says changes have to come from various quarters. “At the policy level, all we need to do is add a cycle lane each time a road is laid so that other vehicles respect cyclists and the lanes built for them. It also makes it safe for women and children to ride any place, any time.”
