Have wheels, will pedal is the motto of bicycle riders in Thiruvananthapuram. Their reasons for taking up cycling vary from improving fitness levels to a passion for exploring the outdoors and racing against the wind.
Leading from the front is Prakash P Gopinath, Bicycle Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, who has made it his mission to popularise the use of bicycles, especially among women and children.
On June 3, observed as World Bicycle Day, a new Junior Bicycle Mayor will be selected from among more than 24 candidates.
In the city, the focus of the Indus Cycling Embassy (ICE), founded in 2012 by Prakash, is to encourage people to take up riding. An ICE student-turned-cycling- enthusiast is O Beena, Girls Cadet Instructor of One Kerala, NCC Girls Battalion. She learnt bicycling when she was 50 from Vasundhara, her 63-year-old instructor.
Today, Beena will lead ‘Sheroes of ICE’, the women’s wing of ICE, on a 6.6-km rally from Kawdiar via Kuravankonam to Kanakakkunnu Palace. “We are expecting a good turnout with senior citizens and homemakers joining our rally that begins at 6 am,” she says.
The mother of two says that many women, age no bar, are reaching out to learn to ride. “My daughter Madhur B, who was the former Junior Bicycle Mayor of the city, is the one who motivated me to learn,” says Beena. Since then, Madhur has encouraged her father, elder sister, aunts and cousins to take up cycling.
On June 6, Madhur will be accompanying Arya Rajendran S, Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, who will inaugurate a bicycle club at her school, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom. As of now, 14 educational institutions in the city have bicycle clubs.
Students on wheels
The bicycling clubs are open to students who cycle to school or own a bicycle. There is no fee or membership charge. Beena says that there were more than 50 members in the bicycle club at Carmel Girls Higher Secondary School.
Many clubs like Trivandrum Bikers Club (TBC), Cyclo Trivians and Nedumangad Bikers (NDD Bikers) organise regular rides and motivate people to pedal their way to a healthier lifestyle.
Kattakada-based Cyclo Trivians was formed by three friends. In August 2021, 25-year-old Nigel RS decided to learn cycling to reduce his weight. He says: “Thanks to the lockdown, I was quite sedentary and I found I could not even bend down to tie my shoelaces. Inspired by my cousin, I bought a bicycle and began to ride and that is when I noticed Ajai c hettan (Ajai CK) also riding. We gave each other company till a third rider joined us and that is how we formed the Cyclo Trivians.” he says. Now, their club has 170 riders.
Nigel says that almost every week, they ride to different places in the district and he loves the long rides they go on. During the lockdown, they used to ride every day. In September 2021, a Cyclo Trivians member Ajai CK and a friend, Arijith Krishna A from Palakkad, travelled to Ladakh and back.
In the case of Nedumangad Bikers (NDD Bikers), it was Murali P’s drive that led to the formation of the club. During the lockdown, while working from home, he began riding and was soon joined by many based in and around Nedumangad; now they have approximately 150 members.
Along with a core group of bikers, they explore places in and around Thiruvananthapuram on weekends. “Most of us are working, so long rides need a lot of planning. But weekends are ideal for 100 to 200 kilometre-long rides. We have been to Varkala, Thengapattanam, Thenmala and so on. A couple of weeks ago we rode to Vellarada and from there trekked to Koonichimala. “
A long-distance ride is an adrenaline rush for most of them. “Once, you begin riding, there is no stopping you. Recently, I went on a ride to Ernakulam and back,” says Beena.
Brevet specialists
The city also has several cyclists who have done brevets or Brevet de Randonneur Mondiaux (BRM), long-distance endurance ride in which cyclists attempt to cover 200 kilometres or more, thanks to the TBC. It is one of the two cycling clubs in Kerala – the other being Cochin Bikers Club – authorised to organise BRMs certified by Audax India Randonneurs (AIR), the national organisation of randonneurs (rider who has completed a 200 km event is called a randonneur).
TBC has a membership fee of ₹ 100 per month and those aged 18 and above can join. “Members come from all walks of life, including 10 registered women riders as well ,” says Rajesh Madhavan, president, TBC.
TBC has conducted 55 brevets so far and among its members are 18 Super Randonneurs (SR) or riders who have completed 200-, 300-, 400- and 600-kilometre rides in one season. “There are riders who have become SRs five times in one season. They take part in BRMs in other states to achieve the feat. We call them our brevet labourers!” says Rajesh.
While the adventurers pedal to conquer new heights, Prakash and Beena aver that if the police and Corporation cooperate to create safe routes, many parents are willing to permit their children to use their bicycles to go to school. “Unfortunately, at present, the city’s roads are not demarcated for riders. If that’s done, many people would have begun cycling. It will free roads from private vehicles, make the city greener 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 bicycle-friendly,” says Prakash.
(with inputs from Athira M)
