The joy of riding

With global warming looming large, many independent groups and informal communities are taking steps to make the surroundings clean and green. While doing away with the use of plastics and planting more trees are just a few of them, cycling has become an accepted way of life for many.

Apart from the environmental advantages, cycling also has physiological and psychological benefits. ‘Cadence90’, a cycling group of about 100 plus active riders and 10 core members, have been pedalling around the city for the past three-and-a-half-years. Their aim is to spread awareness on cycling and encourage people to commute on cycles to work.

“A couple of my friends and I started off by going for breakfast rides. Slowly, we shifted from cycling 10 to 15 km to 1,500 km. While ‘Cadence90’ is known as a bike store, not many know that it started as a club. We, as a group, started riding much before starting ‘Cadence90’, the cycling group,” says Chethan Ram, the founder. They usually go for weekend rides to the outskirts of Bengaluru and every November organises a ride called ‘Tour of Karnataka.’

Chethan informs that the tour is a four-day affair covering 500 km. Shedding more light on this he says, “Last November, there were 25 people who joined us for the tour. The ride started from Bengaluru and covered Hassan, Kalasa, Thirthahalli and Udupi. This year as well, we are expecting a great experience. Though we haven’t done any rides outside Karnataka so far, we don’t want to limit ourselves. Riding to other states is surely something in our bucketlist.”

The club is open to everyone and for all age groups and there is no selection criteria. Cycling is one of the fastest modes of commuting and it is the club’s priority to break the mental block that cycling takes a lot of time. What people don’t understand is cycling has umpteen number of benefits. If one cycles for at least two hours to work every day, they are already doing two hours of cardio workout without hitting the gym. “We are a close-knit group, perhaps more like a family, and the passion for cycling brought us all together. That is why whoever joins us, becomes a part of us,” says Chethan.

Mahendra, another core member, has been there since the very beginning. At a time when the traffic in the city was growing, Mahendra and a couple of his friends from ‘Cadence’ decided to cycle to work every Friday. “The joy that cycling brings to people is phenomenal. For me, it is more than just riding a cycle, it is like meditation. After a ride when I sit down for a while, I go into a trance and it is relaxing,” he says.

The group takes three main points into consideration — health and fitness of a person, exploring a new place every three to four times a year (out of the city) and encouraging passionate cyclists to excel in what they do the best and take it up more seriously. Supriya, who feels that after she started riding more frequently, cycling has made her more active. “I look forward to interesting weekends in a different and unusual way,” she says.

Chikkamagaluru, Halevoor, Ballur, Hassan, Sakleshpur and Udupi are some of the places that the club members have visit outside Bengaluru. They also often ride on Kanakapura Road and to Jnana Bharathi Campus.

“I started riding to lose weight, but couldn’t continue because of lack of company. This group came as a motivation to me. I feel active and lively throughout the day after cycling. Apart from being a cycling group, this is a great platform to meet young, like-minded people with similar interest,” says Satish, another member.

Bala, another member of the group, says that it has been a wonderful experience for him.  He considers the club a great place for fitness enthusiasts. “This group focusses more on how one can enjoy their weekends and de-stress themselves. Probably that is what makes us different and more accepted. People come here for the joy of riding,” he says.

(The club can be contacted at 9880038450).