World Bicycle Day: Vadodara’s community of cyclists

In April 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 3 as International World Bicycle Day. Today, being June 3, Our Vadodara reached out to people who cycle from Vadodara to understand the activity better, their favorite routes in the city, and their motivation to cycle regularly.

Early in the morning, citizens across Vadodara, novice or veteran, hop on their cycles and ride the streets. While some seek fitness, others seek peace of mind. As an individual activity, they try to explore routes on weekdays and join like-minded people on weekends with the help of cycling clubs.

The flux of people who cycle in Vadodara includes casually cycling individuals who ride for fun and professional cyclists who cover 70-80 kilometers daily. Tushar Tere, Associate Editor at Times of India, prefers to cycle 10-15 kilometers every day and go on longer rides on weekends. About his go-to routes, he said, “The road to Ranu Temple near Padra, an approximately 50-55km ride, is a favourite. It is a secluded channel road with greenery all around. Other routes such as the quintessential Sindhrot Road, Vasad highway, and Ajwa Road are also routes with better roads.” He added that with the onset of COVID and the subsequent closure of parks, gyms, and clubs, cycling was taken up by more and more people as an activity.

Before the pandemic, clubs like the Baroda Cyclist Club used to arrange group rides to places like Pavagadh and Amul Dairy. However, to follow strict safety protocols, the Baroda Cyclist Club stopped conducting group rides. Pragnesh Patel from the Baroda Cyclist Club, hence, joined hands with ‘Run & Ride to Fit Sports’ to conduct virtual cycling programs, wherein cyclists could cycle, upload their distances, and receive digital photo frames and e-certificates as their prizes. To motivate people who cycle, BCC also encouraged them to share daily statistics in the WhatsApp group.

Not only as a one-off activity, but citizens of Vadodara have also taken up cycling as a secondary activity along with running or jogging as their primary one. 43-year-old Aashish Luhana, one such individual, said, “In a month, I run close to 150 kilometers and cycle for roughly 300 kilometers.” “Exploring unchartered routes and being one with nature motivates me to cycle,” he added. His list of three favorite routes includes the route to a secluded cottage-like ruin at Dabka Village near Padra, the road to Rameshwara Dam, and his top choice being the Kayavarohan route, roughly nine kilometers in the interior of Por village.

New cyclists have been coming up every day to physically and mentally benefit from the activity, thus expanding the community of cyclists in Vadodara. A poor man’s vehicle and a rich man’s sport, the International World Bicycle day attempts to recognize every individual seated on a bicycle.