“This is my first longest ride ever” wrote Sidharth Wali, an Automobile professional from Irvine Southern California. He w as describing his 23 km ride from near Irvine Park to Walnut Tustin field Park in Southern California at an average speed of 15 km per hour.
“Have you cycled today?” that’s how Mr Sanjiv Mehta, the CEO & MD of Hindustan Unilever Ltd called me out from stage while delivering his keynote address at the BW Marketing White Book Summit 2022. Sudhakar Rao, Director - Branding at The ICFAI Group writes excitedly in his Meta post. For the Hyderabad (India) based academic, this was perhaps one of best acknowledgements in public recognising his prowess in cycling.
Two different geographies but absolute High for both. That’s what cycling does to you. The ubiquitous two wheeler can not only be fun and handy but also a great way of being with yourself and achieving whatever you set out as your target.
Only recently Sudhakar Rao had shared his triumphant completion of his first ever Cycling Safari The Tour of Kanha National Park. From August 13 through 16, covering around 430 Kms distance and a cumulative elevation of 5000 meters at an average speed of 15 kms per hour . The ride between Balaghat and Mukki in central India Madhya Pradesh was accomplished in heavy rains amidst amazing greenery and mountain road stretches. There were minor thrills too and also some injury with the cycle slipping on moss. “In the last lap for the day I missed the support station and went ahead towards the final destination. I was lonely for an hour through thick forests. Nobody in front of me and none behind. The only thing that was constantly with me was rain. Somehow reached Mukki gate and entered the MPT Guest House to realize that I was the first one to arrive.” says Sudhakar who started serious cycling little more than a year ago.
Around the world there has been a sharp increase in cycling and there are also plenty of tours and competitions for all age groups
In New Delhi India alone there are more than 5000 cycling clubs and Mumbai the other Indian metropolitan city has a bit more the professionals aver. These clubs promote not just cycling as a sport but also a leisure activity and one that builds confidence and hope in the rider. Long term cyclists understand that cycling is both a stress buster and also a device to bring back concentration just like what one may achieve while doing serious meditation. Besides all this there is a direct health benefit from cycling as it improves all round muscle building and blood circulation, especially for people over 50 plus age.
We ourselves at Cycle to Future have the on going 50+ cycling challenge for seniors where one can post us at cycletofuture@gmail.com evidence that at least five rides in any specific month has been accomplished covering a distance of 50 kilometres or more to receive a certificate of appreciation from us. Cycletofuture.com is a member of SEAA Trust, New Delhi which in turn is the member of UN Global compact India chapter promoting the 17 sustainable development goals ( SDGs) where cycling could play a key role in promoting the sustainability concepts among target groups.
Getting High on any activity is a personal choice. Cycling of course guarantees that provided you get serious about pursuing the hobby and perhaps take it to a professional high.