Unexplained freedom, a break away from the din and chaos of city life or to simply go on a weekend getaway hundreds of kilometres on the highways with like-minded friends, the thrill of the open road is what they look forward to. The tribe of bikers in the city is growing and so are the biking clubs. In fact, it isn’t uncommon to see a group of riders cruising in two-lane formations along the Visakhapatnam-Bheemli coastal stretch. The city has quite a few biking groups and the latest one to join in is Road Thrill (RT).
The Visakhapatnam chapter was formed on January 26 with the ‘Republic Day Ride’. With a team of 22 riders as of now, RT has created a platform to bring the bikers of the region together, ride for their passion to explore places and also to draw eyes to social issues. Their maiden ride, for instance, was a 30-km one in the city which was hitched to a cause of spreading the message – ‘Give way to ambulance’. “We had an ambulance going ahead of us, while the bikers rode in a formation behind it to put across the message to the public,” says Sreedhar Vaddi, one of the administrators of RT Visakhapatnam chapter. This was an initiative held simultaneously in nine other city chapters of the biking group including Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Mysore, Mangalore, Shivamogga, Coimbatore, Mumbai and Pune. The biking group also has a women’s chapter which is present in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. Apart from the ‘Republic Day Ride’, Road Thrill will be conducting two other nationwide rides – Freedom Ride on Independence Day and ‘We Are One’ ride to support differently-abled people. “The ‘We Are One’ ride will be held at the end of the year where each biker will take a differently-abled person as a pillion-rider. Through this we will be spreading the message of being a inclusive society and support differently-abled individuals in every way,” Sreedhar adds.
Third anniversary
With a vision of uniting motorcycling enthusiasts, today the Road Thrill group has grown from three bikers in Bengaluru to over 6,000 bikers across India, many of whom try not missing even a single ride. On March 10, the group will be celebrating its third anniversary with a ride to Hampi. In Vizag, the RT team consists of bikers from other clubs as well like Naked Wolves (a community exclusive for the riders of Bajaj Pulsar NS 200) and VZ Riders (a group for sports bikers). All that you need to be a part of Road Thrill is a motorcycle with a minimum capacity of 150 CC and respect road safety rules. “Our main message to the people is ‘Don’t be a squid please’. We emphasise on this aspect and this is the basic foundation of our group. Respect for traffic rules and consideration of safety mandates are a must for entry into RT,” says Naveen Nembhwani, the other administrator of RT’s city chapter. Basic riding gears of helmet, gloves and shoes are mandatory for all of the RT rides and even for short distance ones, they do not compromise no these aspects. RT Visakhapatnam’s next long-distance ride will be in the month of March to a monastery located in the hilly terrain of Chandragiri district in Odisha. There is discipline and order in their rides. “We follow instructions. The ride captain leads the group and the route. We maintain uniform speed,” adds Naveen.
Breaking perceptions
Over the past two years, the biking community has seen a surge in the city. Today there are a handful of such biking communities in the city with at least 100 motorcycling enthusiasts who are challenging the common perception of bikers being a law unto themselves. “We ride with safety gears which are of global standards, after making elaborate tour plans well ahead. Apart from rides, we also conduct awareness programmes for bikers to follow road safety rules,” says Pavan Kumar G., a part of RT and also administrator of Visakhapatnam chapter of Naked Wolves. Pavan had a motorcycle accident a couple of years ago. While he survived the accident with minor injuries, the incident made him realise the importance of safety gear and being a part of biking communities that believe in the same. “Last year, we celebrated International Helmet Day by involving parents of those who passed away in road accidents and made them interact with others. This year too we want to conduct an awareness drive on a larger scale,” says Pavan, who runs a store for riding gears in the city. So what is it about the biking community that holds everyone together? “When you ride in a group, it gives a feeling of safety. You know you have brethren to watch your back,” say the bikers. And thanks to social media, the community is well-connected wherever you go, ready to give you a helping hand in times of bike breakdowns or any other incident. Ready to welcome you with a thumbs-up!
(To enrol in RT, call 9966682753/9000812348)
