India Cycles 4 Change and Indore’s Cycle Mania post Lockdown.
Indore has seen a rising love for cycling amongst people of all ages who set out of their homes early in the morning especially all around the BRTS route which is littered with cyclers who actively work out during 5-8 a.m. before the scheduled i-Bus starts running on the route. In an unplugged conversation with Indore’s National Cyclist Ram Krishna Patel, we learned a lot of useful Cycle facts and tried to understand why cycles have emerged as a major sport amongst the Indoris especially post lockdown. There was seen a 40% boost in the cycle industry in Indore alone after lockdown when people realized that staying fit and healthy has become a necessity in time of the pandemic.
While cycling is a pro workout mode, it is also increasingly becoming a commute alternative for public transport due to the fear of the COVID-19 transmission. Cycling thus is encouraged to reduce pollution levels of the city, another problem with which the entire country is battling. Ram is also Indore Smart City’s Ambassador for India’s National Campaign for cycling IndiaCycles4Change a Smart Cities’ Mission under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It was launched in June 2020 and aims to inspire Indian cities to implement quick cycling-friendly interventions in the wake of Covid-19 with the support of their citizens and assistance from experts. Under this, the Cities are encouraged to create extensive cycling-networks using low-cost methods like pop-up cycle lanes, non-motorized zones and set up community-led cycle rental schemes, etc. Indore Smart City administration has carried out various activities to encourage people to cycle and has gathered around a lot of cycling enthusiasts who enjoy such events. The purpose of its organization is to motivate the cycling culture in the city which can entail various benefits like healthy citizens, reduced pollution, decreased traffic, and minimal noise pollution. Cycling not only reduces stress but also allows you to commute while having a workout.
Cycling as a sport has gained much attention since, with various national level championships being organized in the country like track cycling, open road racing, Individual time travel, team time travel, and the biggest National Championship for cycling which is usually held in November-December every year. Cities like Pune, Bikaner, and Mumbai, etc are renowned for the popular road cycling events that are organized here. With the increased love for cycling new lightweight bicycles are being produced which are made up of high tensile steel, aluminum alloy, or Carbon fiber to reduce weight. Where normal cycles can weigh up to 20 kgs, these cycles have a reduced weight of 10-15 kgs and even 8 kgs in the case of carbon-fiber. Fewer weight cycles require less effort and have more speed as compared to heavy cycles and hence are being highly preferred by cycling enthusiasts. Cycling has therefore managed to increase appeal to the people of the city, who have gained more time in their hands with jobs, schools, offices, and colleges being on hold. They can focus on living a healthy life and bringing back the essentials of the old era like cycles.
To watch our entire interview with National level cyclist Ram Krishna Patel check out our segment Info Unplugged on Youtube.
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