In 2007, after finishing fourth in the prologue of Tour De France, Sir Bradley Wiggins, took a dig on the most popular television show in UK around that time, “It is nice to be recognised for actually achieving something in life as opposed to spending seven weeks in a house on TV with a load of other muppets.” Around the time when a version of that show is making news, Coimbatore Cycling, supported by Cycology, organised a 100 Kms Independence Day Ride. “Riding the first 100 Km is an aspiration for every amateur cyclist. We will make sure that amateur cyclists remember the day by achieving something special,” says Chakkravarthy Birur, one of the organisers.
Although this wasn’t my first 100K cycling ride, my lack of preparation was certain to make me feel like it was. Twenty five of us set out at 6 AM on August 15th from Ramanathapuram. There were champion cyclists who could easily do the distance under three hours and there were those who were riding long distance for the first time. The bicycles (and of course the participants) came in all shapes and sizes. The bikes ranged from top-end carbon-frame ones designed to cruise at 35-40 kmph to simple cycles whose speed is largely dictated by the energy levels of the riders.
The weather was lovely, and the route fairly simple – a long ride on the Avanashi Road towards Salem for 50 kms and return. The early pace was set by Satish Kini, nicknamed ‘the German’ for his no-nonsense approach to cycling, running and possibly every aspect of his life. We followed him, for we knew that he had his plans in place and that would help us to finish the ride.
We skipped our routine tea break as the weather was conducive for a fast-paced ride. The onward journey was largely downhill and the tail wind assisted our smooth progress. The volunteer presence en-route made our ride comfortable with hydration and nutrition support. The roads looked pristine and were cleaned by the overnight rains. The return journey was a different game altogether and offered some challenges for the riders. It was a ride up towards Coimbatore with headwinds acting against our efforts. I had to let go my fellow riders one after other and wage some lone battles towards the finish.
The finishers received a commemorative badge celebrating their achievement and, of course, sumptuous food. “We believe every finisher is a winner and there is nothing like coming first or last. Each rider rides to a best of his/her ability and deserves to be recognised equally,” said Sulaiman Bhimani, a former national-level cyclist and currently one of the key organisers of Coimbatore Cycling. There was also a 50 Km ride on the very same day to encourage beginners to take up long distance cycling.
Independence Day was certainly memorable thanks to Coimbatore Cycling and fellow riders. We hope to see more riders join and experience the joy of cycling. Remember the day when you first attempted to learn how to ride a cycle? It’s as much fun now as it was then.
Wheels of change
Regular cycling helps people keep physically fit
Completing the distance does great things for self-confidence
Studies have shown that cycling has been a catalyst in social change (a 2014 study of the Bihar Government’s initiative of providing free cycles to girl students found that the scheme has increased girls' age-appropriate enrolment in secondary school by 32 per cent ( Muralidharan, Karthik, and Prakash Nishith, 2014, “ Cycling to School: Increasing Secondary School Enrollment for Girls in India ).
Besides cycling, the author has also successfully completed the Comrades Marathon in 2012
