To have wheels is to pedal is the motto of cyclists in Thiruvananthapuram. Their reasons for cycling vary from improving their physical condition to a passion for exploring the outdoors and racing against the wind.

At the forefront is Prakash P Gopinath, Bicycle Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, who has made it his mission to popularize the use of bicycles, especially among women and children.

On June 3, celebrated as World Bike Day, a new Junior Bike Mayor will be selected from more than 24 candidates.

ICE members on a walk in Thiruvananthapuram | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

In the city, the goal of the Indus Cycling Embassy (ICE), founded in 2012 by Prakash, is to encourage people to cycle. An ICE student turned cycling enthusiast is O Beena, Instructor of One Kerala Girls Cadets, NCC Girls Battalion. She learned cycling at the age of 50 from Vasundhara, her 63-year-old instructor.

Today, Beena will lead ‘Sheroes of ICE’, the women’s wing of ICE, on a 6.6km rally from Kawdiar via Kuravankonam to Kanakakkunnu Palace. “We expect a good turnout with older people and housewives joining our rally which starts at 6am,” she says.

The mother-of-two says many women, with no age limit, are reaching out to learn how to ride. “My daughter Madhur B, who was the former Junior Bicycle mayor of the city, was the one who motivated me to learn,” Beena says. Since then, Madhur has encouraged her father, older sister, aunts and cousins ​​to ride bikes.

On June 6, Madhur will accompany Arya Rajendran S, Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, who will inaugurate a cycling club at his school, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom. Currently, 14 educational institutions in the city have bicycle clubs.

Students on wheels

Cycling clubs are open to students who cycle to school or who own a bicycle. There are no fees or membership fees. Beena says there were over 50 members in the Carmel Girls Upper Secondary School Bike Club.

Many clubs like Trivandrum Bikers Club (TBC), Cyclo Trivians and Nedumangad Bikers (NDD Bikers) organize regular outings and encourage people to cycle towards a healthier lifestyle.

Kattakada-based Cyclo Trivians was formed by three friends. In August 2021, 25-year-old Nigel RS decided to learn to ride a bike to reduce his weight. He says: “Thanks to the confinement, I was quite sedentary and I discovered that I could not even bend down to tie my shoelaces. Inspired by my cousin I bought a bike and started riding it and that’s when I noticed Ajai c hettan (Ajai CK) also goes up. We kept each other company until a third rider joined us and that’s how we formed the Cyclo Trivians. he says. Today, their club has 170 runners.

Cyclo Trivians sees one of its bikers, Ajai CK, take a ride in Ladakh | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Nigel says that almost every week they go to different places in the district and he loves the long trips they take. During the confinement, they drove every day. In September 2021, Cyclo Trivians member Ajai CK and friend Arijith Krishna A from Palakkad traveled to Ladakh and back.

Nedumangad Bikers Racers | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

In the case of Nedumangad Bikers (NDD Bikers), it was the dynamism of Murali P that led to the formation of the club. During the lockdown, while working from home, he started horseback riding and was soon joined by many people based in and around Nedumangad. they now have about 150 members.

With a core of bikers, they explore places in and around Thiruvananthapuram on weekends. “Most of us work, so long trips require a lot of planning. But weekends are ideal for rides of 100 to 200 kilometers. We’ve been to Varkala, Thengapattanam, Thenmala and so on. There a few weeks ago we went to Vellarada and from there we walked to Koonichimala.”

A long distance ride is an adrenaline rush for most of them. “Once you start riding, there’s no stopping you. Recently, I went for a ride to Ernakulam and back,” says Beena.

Patent Specialists

The city also has several cyclists who have done Brevet de Randonneur Mondiaux (BRM), a long-distance endurance race in which cyclists attempt to cover 200 kilometers or more, thanks to the TBC. It is one of two cycling clubs in Kerala – the other being Cochin Bikers Club – authorized to run BRMs certified by Audax India Randonneurs (AIR), the national organization for trekkers (the rider who has completed a of 200 km is called a randonneur).

Members of the Trivandrum Bikers Club at the start of a patent | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

TBC has a membership fee of ₹100 per month and people aged 18 and over can join. “Members come from all walks of life, including 10 registered women cyclists as well,” said Rajesh Madhavan, president of TBC.

TBC has organized 55 patents so far and among its members are 18 Super Randonneurs (SR) or runners who have covered 200, 300, 400 and 600 kilometers in a season. “There are riders who have become SR five times in one season. They participate in BRMs in other states to achieve the feat. We call them our licensed workers! says Rajesh.

As adventurers pedal to conquer new heights, Prakash and Beena say that if the police and the Corporation work together to create safe routes, many parents are willing to allow their children to ride their bikes to school. “Unfortunately, at present, the roads in the city are not marked out for users. If that was done, a lot of people would have started cycling. It will free the roads from private vehicles, make the city greener and relaunch a clean mode of transport. ICE is taking up the issue with the authorities and we hope they will make efforts to make the city bicycle-friendly,” says Prakash.

(with contributions from Athira M)