Bengaluru: Cycling enthusiasts will get a chance to learn more about the history of Bengaluru as the Tourism Department, along with a private company, will be organising two theme-based rides on Tuesday September 27 on the eve of World Tourism Day.
The rides are divided into a ‘Heritage’ and a ‘History’ circuit. The organisers will provide 60 participants with cycles and take them on a tour of places of interest around M.G. Road and Basavangudi. Cycles will be provided free of cost and there is no fee for the tour.
“We will begin at 9 a.m. and end by 12.30 p.m. Anyone with their own cycle can also participate,” said Shankar from Namma Cycle, the private company. “We will have a guide to accompany the cyclists.”
Each venue will have Quick Response (QR) codes, which participants can scan with their phones to download information. “The aim is to get the riders to experience local culture,” said Shankar.
This presents a great opportunity for those who are new to the city or have not yet had an opportunity to tour at leisure. “This is a great way of learning more about the culture of this city. This will also serve as a great way for people who are looking to take up cycling on a long term basis to try out this sport,” said Aishwarya Subramanian, an avid cyclist and runner.
The rides will include interactions with people at the places covered in the tour. The GPO, for example, has agreed to display stamps of people from Bengaluru that participants can buy. One of the places in the itinerary is Cubbon Park police station.
Participants can register at tour.nammacycle.in
History trails
The ‘History’ circuit will begin at M.G. Road. and some of the waypoints include Trinity Church, Someshwara temple, Chinnaswamy stadium, Raj Bhavan, Vidhana Soudha, High Court, UVCE, the Sheshadri Iyer library and two museums.
Heritage ride
This will begin at Lalbagh and participants will visit Tipu’s fort, Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Basavangudi Aquatic Centre, R.K. Math, Kala Soudha, Bull Temple, Krishna Rao Park and the World Culture Institute in their tour around Basavangudi, one of the city's oldest residential areas.
