Bicycle is back!

Sarika Sharma

It’s hard to pedal a cycle, so we shift to a bike... Then we shift to more comfort, we buy a car... Because of that, we develop a paunch and join the gym. In the gym, they again give you a cycle ...this is called a “Life Cycle”. This funny little Facebook post by industrialist Ranjodh Singh spills life’s beans, which is why many identify with it. Thankfully some, including the man, have taken control of both the bicycle and their lives once again. The bicycle is back on Punjab roads and how!

From Ludhiana to Patiala and Amritsar, there is a cycling club in every other city, and not just the major ones, Sangrur too got one recently.

Ludhiana probably leads the bandwagon for change with its Peddlers Club formed five years ago. Money drives the city, but this time the wheel spun not just for flaunting the moolah. It made a lot of sense and in many ways. A host of fancy sports and hybrid bikes began to take off into the less seen side of the largely industrial city and people were witness to nature at its best, all this while counting personal gains, good health being one of them. What began with 10 persons has now swelled to 260.

Ranjodh, one of the founding members of the club, says biking was always a passion among club members, but good bikes were not available. “Today one can buy high-end bikes easily. These are comfortable and travelling long distances is not tough.” Bikers are doing up to 70 km per hour in several cases and activities are being planned in both hilly terrains and plains.

However, the key to cycling lies elsewhere, says Vikram Singh from Patiala cycling club. “You need practice, and you need patience,” he points. His son Kunwar Aftab Singh tells that both of them are avid cyclists, but a few kilometres in and around the city is all they would do. A Manali trip some years ago changed the way they looked at travel. “My dad and I are fond of hills and go there every summer. This one time, we saw these foreigners riding on their bicycles. My father told me, ‘I am riding one next time’. And I told him, ‘Hello, not without me!’” That was the beginning of a wonderful and challenging journey. A peddlers group in Patiala followed and Vikram and Aftab are now doing longer trips around the city and to other cities and states along with friends.

While all groups go out early morning every day, the weekend soirees are what they look forward to most. Village roads take them through natural beauty and uncharted roads, for, as Ranjodh says, “cycles can go anywhere”. Anywhere between 50 km and 80 km is normal for Sundays. Together, businessmen, teachers, students, doctors, lawyers and other professionals explore a new world. Ludhianvis mostly find themselves riding along the Sidhwan canal or on a trip to Rara Sahib or Chakar, a place that has been in news of late for its girl boxers. In case they choose a far off place, they arrange for a tractor to carry back their bikes and a bus for themselves.

Members of Amritsar Bicycling Club, too, have been riding on a daily basis. Their last trip was to Dinanagar, more than 90 km away. They have also pedaled to Wagah, Pul Kanjri and Sarai Amanat Khan, tells Gunbir Singh, one of the founding members.

Longer rides to neighbouring cities and states follow. Ludhiana Peddlers Club members went up the mountain track to Shimla, and some members individually went to Rishikesh and Hemkund Sahib. And JBC members are still high on their April trip to Dharamsala. It took 11 persons 10 hours to journey 250 km. They chose to ride at night, starting at 5.30 in the evening and reaching at 6.30 in the morning.

But considering that there are no cycle tracks and driving rash is cool, isn’t cycling a risky proposition?

Randeep feels it is less about roads and more about people’s traffic sense. He says with more cyclists hitting the road, people become sensitive. “Curiosity is fanned when people see so many high-end bikes on the road. Respect comes automatically, and we wish it comes not just to those with fancy bikes but those for whom this is the only mode of transportation too,” he says and admits he too was insensitive to cyclists earlier.

Thank our intrinsic desire to ride the bike, it is easy to inspire. All clubs have begun with a handful of people, but the numbers have soared to a couple of hundreds in a short span. Considering that biking is challenging and demands a good investment, these numbers are impressive. Randeep Singh from Jalandhar Biking Club says imported bikes cost anywhere between Rs 15,000 and 10 lakh per bike and each member in their club has a bike worth more than Rs 1 lakh. A year after the group was formed, they are 105 now. However, the number of cyclists in the city is more than 200.

While the harsh Punjab sun makes it difficult to push the pedal in summer, many go to work on cycles in winter. Safety remains a concern all the time, but our cyclists say that when you are out in a group, it is safer as the sheer numbers are overwhelming for the onlookers. Still, there is no taking chances. Helmets and reflector jackets are considered mandatory, not just by those going out in groups but also by individuals. Like Chandigarh-based businessman Ajay Gauba. He says he manages to drag out family and friends, including a few kids, every Sunday. To ensure it is a safe ride, they wear high-visibility jackets and keep lights on the bike on all the time, even if it is a bright day. Kids are given hydration bags and the electral powder mixed water in it has to be finished by the time they travel 25 km. He says it is important that people, especially kids, take to cycling so that they know how to get out of their comfort zone and negotiate risks on the road and learn to move together in a group. He says his friends have often told him their kids have changed ever since they began cycling. “They will wait for a friend whose bike has broken down, ask the girls to ride towards the inner side of the road. In school, they just teach competition,” he smirks, and maybe not wrongly.

Gunbir says cycling keeps youth away from drugs. Personally, however, it is about pushing the boundary a little more. He says he likes to pick stuff from the market more often, pedals to meet friends… All little joys, but translate into a better life. The smile is spreading with each mile.