Work hard, pedal harder

Varinder Singh

From Jaito to Hoshiarpur, Punjabis are taking out their bicycles and pushing the pedal like never before. Cycling is a rage and cycling clubs a thing of prestige.

According to estimates, there are around 25 cycling clubs in Punjab with young and old cyclists participating in weekend expeditions stretching from 10 to 40 km. Interestingly, most cyclists are professionals such as doctors and bureaucrats.

Several small and big clubs dot Jalandhar, Bathinda, Jaito, Ludhiana, Patiala and Hoshiarpur and are attracting more and more new members across ages — from 18- to 73-year-olds and from fitness freaks to the not-so-conscious ones. 

Bathinda Cycling Group could well be the largest in Punjab with over 400 members. “We have completed as many as 290 Saturday rides,” says Dr Amrit Sethi, a Bathinda-based ophthalmologist and president of Bathinda Cycling Group. Personally, his tryst with cycling started in 1992. “One day I just saddled up along a canal for a few kilometres. The experience was very refreshing. Next day, a few of my friends joined me and the gang now has more than 400 members, doing an average of about 30 km every day,” says Dr Sethi.

Narinder Singh, a 65-year-old is one of the ‘fittest’ in this cycling club at Jalandhar. “Cycling brings positivity and keeps maladies like hypertension, tension and depression at bay,” he says. Eye specialist Dr Balbir Singh Bhaura and his sons, Satbir and Ranbir, who are doctors too, are equally passionate about cycling. They took to the activity in 2013. While most of their rides are made into the nearby villages and spent exploring the countryside, at times, they go uphill too. Agrees Dr Satbir as he shares: “In May last year, we cycled from Banjar to Jalori (10,800 ft) in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Our next mission is to do 68 km from Chivari to Dalhousie in Chamba. Cycling gives us a great adrenaline rush and we are always looking forward to challenges.” He says that unlike gymming, cycling is an affordable sports activity with a bicycle costing anything between Rs 4,000 to Rs 75,000.

Among those who have taken to cycling is Girish Bali, joint director of Enforcement Directorate, posted at Jalandhar. “It is not possible for me to go for cycling every day. So, while gymming figures in my daily schedule, I cycle once a week. Initially, I began cycling around 10 km on weekends but have now increased it to 35 to 40 km a day, mostly on Sundays. Apart from health benefits, cycling and trekking bring us close to nature as well as ourselves,” he says. The cyclists go cycling and trekking in groups of 12 to 15.

Cycling is not just an urban activity. People in smaller towns are going for it too. Like Gurmail Singh, a tehsildar posted at Gidderbaha in Muktsar district. Health benefits apart, he says he has just re-discovered how much fun cycling is. He says it keeps him energetic throughout the week. He has also joined a local cycling club  to maintain consistency.

While he enjoys his Sunday rides, why don’t you dust that cycle rusting in your store and start pedalling?