V. Krishnamurthy (58) has a look of satisfaction on his face at having peddled through 66 km. However, he wants more – he hopes to complete his target of 100 km by the weekend. Mr. Krishnamurthy is part of the Everest Cycling Culture (ECC), that aims to promote cycling for health benefits and protecting the environment.
Started by three cousins who own Everest Cycle Co. in Vashi — Abdul Rab Kazi, Junaid Zaman and Aijaz Ahmed Shaikh, all in their 30s — on November 14, 2014, ECC has around 1,500 members.
‘A little geeky’
Aijaz Ahmed Shaikh’s love for cycling dates back to his childhood when he used to see his father run Everest Cycle Co. from a 1,000-sq-foot shop in 1985. Aijaz and his cousins expanded the business in 2005. “While running a cycle store is exciting, and helps in connecting with people, it can be a little geeky,” says Mr. Shaikh.
In 2012, they opened Premium Store-in-Store, one of the first high-end stores to sell performance bikes in Navi Mumbai. In a year-and-a-half, they sold more than 280 premium cycles, said Mr. Zaman.
However, they realised that while people opted for premium cycles, very few people actually used them on the streets.
“We loved to see people using cycles, irrespective of whether they bought from us or not. We would get cycles for the quarterly and annual service; some of which were bought from our store. We observed that a few of them had not even removed the protection cover and had hardly used the cycle. Asked why, the owners would in turn ask us how they could go on long rides, which were the safe routes, and who they could join as they wished to ride in a group,” said Mr. Kazi.
Creating a culture
“Ours is a simple aim -- if you are into cycling, keep pedalling! If you are not into cycling, start pedalling,” says Mr. Kazi. The members are in the age group of 12 years to 67 years, says Mr. Shaikh.
As someone who cycles every day, Mr. Zaman admits that ECC was not conceived as a revenue spinner, but as a passion, as he is excited to promote a lifestyle that he has grown to love.
“The big draw for cycling is that, like running, this too is a social experience. It is easier to stay motivated when you’re in a group, and while you may start off concerned about fitness, what you’ll get hooked to is the company,” says Mr. Kazi.
Group activity
The ECC is a free forum, open to all. The group has 17 sub-groups -- each area in Navi Mumbai has a group. Apart from these, there are also Uran, Thane, Kalyan and Mumbai groups. All communication about rides and events based on cycling is on WhatsApp and Facebook. “The groups are self-sustaining: Any member of a group can put up a brief of a ride and people who are interested can join in,” said Mr. Zaman.
Apart from the 17 subgroups, there is also an exclusive A Group called a ‘Wheelist’, to encourage regular riders to prepare for long endurance rides and races. There is a special group called ‘Mommies on Bikes’ to encourage more mothers to take up health as their priority, said Mr. Shaikh.
The rides
ECC conducts a mid-week ride of 20 km on Palm Beach Road, a 50-60 km ride on Saturdays and a 100 km ride on Sundays. “We visit dams, lakes, food joints and explore beautiful places during our rides. We constantly train and boost the confidence of regular riders to achieve more distance, ride on highways, ride on climbs, ride during low light or rains and to keep increasing their pace, said Mr. Kazi.
“Our annual grand re-union and our biggest ride happen every Independence Day. We also keep regular mass ride events every Republic Day and keep observing Women’s Day, Valentine’s Day, besides having cancer awareness rides and blood stem cell donor drives,” said Mr. Zaman.
Passion keeps them going
Sabyasachi Das (36), a resident Sector 12 of Vashi, hoped to ride his bicycle all the way to Ladakh. His dream is set to come true, thanks to ECC. “I used a bicycle during my school days, following which there was huge pause. This May, I’m set to go on my dream ride,” said Mr. Das.
Sabya, as the group calls him, is one of the few members who rides to his office at Bandra Kurla Complex three times a week and uses the shower facility at his workplace. Sabya also recently completed the 900-km Nilgiri ’16 tour.
Partiosh Mohite (44 ), has taken his passion a step further. To win the title of Super Randonneur (SR), as defined by the Audax Club Parisien, a cycling club founded in Paris, he had to complete a series of brevets (rides that are 200, 300, 400, and 600 km long, in a fixed time limit) in one year. He has won that title three times, though. “I am a fitness freak, and had taken up cycling four years ago. However, I came to know about ECC only last September, when I happened to go one of Everest’s stores to buy a gift for my son.” Today, Mr. Mohite is the only cyclist from Navi Mumbai to have achieved a ‘3 SR’. In fact, he is proud that he has covered 20,000 km on his cycle when compared to 12,000 km in his car last year.
Cleaner and better roads, more greenery, less traffic, lesser pollution and more importantly, the ECC group, are what draw Preeti Singh Mathur (36) to Navi Mumbai all the way from Powai. “Kazi takes personal interest and gives immense motivation to every rider, new or old.” To her, last year’s Independence Day ride was the most memorable. As the riders, dressed in a tricolour jersey provided by ECC went past Palm Beach Road, people on the streets waved at them. The event was capped by saluting the flag and singing the national anthem. “I feel like I am part of a big, happy, healthy family,” she says.
