The joy of cycling on an almost empty road — and without a stern sun staring at them — is drawing people to night cycling.
For Kirti, who last cycled when she was in school, cycling was more of a laborious fitness task and hardly fun. But night cycling changed all of that. It has infused fun into cycling.
“The bustling city that I see in the morning is pleasantly different at night. I cycled to Demonte Colony at 2 a.m. These night cycle rides are total stress busters,” says Kirti Nibhibhruv, a working professional who lives in Ramapuram.
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Tent n Trek regularly conducts night cycling rides with a fixed route map, covering 35-40 km. On an average, 25 cyclists go on each night ride.
Manoj, along with his two friends, Dhana Suryaa and P.K. Venkatesh, manages the day-to-day activities of Tent N Trek.
Its next night cycle ride is scheduled for February 27.
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“As these rides are conducted in the night, safety of the members, especially women cyclists are of utmost importance. We have 10 volunteers who accompany the riders throughout the journey. Three to four members are accompanied by one volunteer at all times to make sure no one deviates from the path. We also have a pick-up van and a car following our trail,” says Manoj Suriya, owner of Tent N Trek and a resident of Choolaimedu.
The group, which has over 5,000 members on Facebook, has been conducting night cycle rides for the last four years, especially on Shivaratri nights. With 30 participants, they start from Madhya Kailash and ride up to Thiruvottiyur, stopping at five to six temples on route for darshan and some prasadam.
“We are equipped with puncture kits and spare tires and also have people on board who know how to repair cycles in case of any emergency. We have two to three coordinators stationed at different pick-up points for people gathering at different corners of the city,” said Santhana Selvan, one of the core members of the group.
* WCCG is conducting a cycle ride on February 24. For details, visit WCCG Cyclists on Facebook
* Tent N Trek has its next ride on February 27. Call 9159544544