2,400 cyclists take part in RxLife Rally

More than 2,400 cycle enthusiasts aged 10 to 85 years pedalled 21 km at the ninth annual Hercules RxLife Cycle Rally conducted by Svasti Rxlife Trust on Sunday.

The rally was inaugurated by Canara PU College retired lecturer Gopinath P A and flagged off at 6.30 am from Ladyhill by City Police Commissioner S Murugan. The participants traversed Bejai, Malemar, Kuloor,Panambur, Kottara, Urva Store, Ashok Nagar, Hoigebail and Sulthan Battery till Amrita Vidyalayam School grounds, Bolooru, at 10.30 am.

Eight cycles were handed over to lucky riders as the rally ended: the most elderly rider Walter D’Mello, of Matadakhani, ‘Lady Rider’ Anusha from Ladyhill School; Prasad Hande, an IT Professional; Dhanush of Canara High School, Dhanaraj of Sarojini Madhusudhan Kushe School, Chinthan Shetty of Sharada Vidyalaya and Narendra Kudva of SLMP School, Panemangaluru.

Three postmen of Mangaluru, Ganesh from Urwa Post Office, Ganesh Bhat from Kodialbail Post office and Ravindra from Maroli Post Office, were presented cycles. Prashal, a student of SDM Mangalajyothi Integrated School, was also given a cycle. He is deaf and mute and has been participating in the rally for the past couple of years.

A practical hands-on basic lifesaving skills (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) was demonstrated by the doctors of Indian Society of Anesthesiology (ISA) and Indian Medical Association (IMA) in association with KSHEMA and Tech2people Healthcare.

The idea behind holding the event was to evoke interest in cycling, which apart from being a common man's mode of transport, is also a widely acclaimed fitness routine, said Coordinator Narendra Nayak. The event was also organised to inculcate basic riding reflexes, road sense, spirit of adventure and thrill of balancing on wheels among children.

The focus of this year’s event was road safety with the punch line 'Safe Road, Safer Rides'.  
About 200 volunteers, under the guidance of chief coordinator Giridhar Kamath, had taken all steps to make the event more about the spirit of cycling. With a pilot jeep leading the rally, an ambulance with a team of doctors from KSHEMA, followed them and ensured that no cyclists met with an injury.

Cycle rescue vans ensured that breakdowns are attended on the spot and the cyclists complete the rally. Water points, orange points and dry fruits points were arranged at various locations along the route.