On a long, rocky ride

A group of adventure cyclists in Gurgaon insist: tougher, the better.

It’s 4 am on a Sunday morning and a bunch of cyclists from Gurgaon are on the road, on their way out of the city. Their mountain bikes slide easily on the highway, as they race towards the Aravallis, looking for the tough dirt trails that will put their bikes to real test. Meet the Pedalyatris — a group of serious adventure cyclists, perhaps the only such organised one in the country. The members, from different walks of life, have but one similarity: they are here to “bike seriously, and not to network”.

It’s a motto that one of the founder members of the group, journalist Rajesh Kalra, is fiercely stringent about. The energy for the road is palpable, the enthusiasm for adventure, infectious. “Cycling is addictive,” says Kalra. The group is still reeling under the success of last week’s race they organised, the MTB Aravalli Challenge, which saw over 150 participants. “Who knew there were so many people who ride a bike in the city?” says Jasbir Singh, one of the early members of Pedalyatri. A brand consultant, Singh lends his expertise to the group, whether it is in designing logos, or corporate communication.

The yatris have even tried to cycle to work. “It’s feasible only for those of us who live and work in Gurgaon. But we figured one will have to be more organised about bike rides. We have identified two stretches in Gurgaon which are relatively all right to ride on when we head out on weekdays. We make sure by 4:00 am everyone’s on the road, and we get back by 6:00 or 7:00 am by the time everyone is waking up,” says Kalra. When the members have more time, on weekends or holidays, they head out to the hills, where they can play with gears, and challenge themselves. The members point out that the mountains are far safer for cyclists, because people are a lot more careful on the road, and much more sensitive. Recently, a few of them, including Kalra, went as far as to cycle a 170 km-distance from Leh to Pangong Lake, the third-highest motorable road in the world. Another interesting experience was discovering indiscriminate mining in a part of the Aravallis. “We were astounded to see such destruction of nature,” says Kalra.

Environmental concerns are important for Pedalyatri. Of the 85 permanent members of the group, many of them women, 18-20 get together and plan a ride. “We rely heavily on technology for our planning. We look up Google Earth, find an interesting trail, and go do a recce,” explains Kalra. The trails are chosen on the basis of its levelling, whether it is too puncture prone, and the surroundings. “Though we would ordinarily avoid a road which will give us too many punctures, it’s actually exciting to be on a trail like that,” laughs Kalra. It’s a challenge they take to easily, for all of them can repair a flat tyre in a matter of minutes.

Come Saturday, sometimes Sunday — depending on who’s free which day —these cycling enthusiasts hit the road early so they have it entirely to themselves. Some of them cycle for a little while everyday. A doctor, Atamjot Grewal, who heads administration at Artemis Hospital, is on call at her job 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. But she won’t miss her daily 5:00 am bike ride. “Being a woman, I need to be more careful about being out by myself.

I choose roads closer to my house. Earlier, I used to cycle by myself, cycling in villages, just riding around and exploring the area. Riding is like second family to me,” she says. Three months ago, Grewal joined Pedalyatri and she’s thrilled that she’s ridden 600 km with them already. “It’s not only about cycling. We, in the group, are also extremely concious of our environment and community,” she adds.

Recently, Pedalyatri has adopted Critical Mass cycling, a concept which comes from San Fransisco. The idea is to point out in public that cities are unfriendly towards cyclists. The group hopes to draw the attention of the government in this matter, and push for cyclists’ lanes and better urban planning. “The traffic rules and roads aren’t designed to keep in mind the cyclist. Though the Bus Road Transit (BRT) has a cycling lane, you would have seen how motor vehicles barge in there,” points out Kalra.

Next on their calendar: A river rafting-cum-biking trip to Rishikesh. Till then, the 50-km rides around the NCR will have to do. “It takes a lot of our personal space, and we sacrifice our time with family. But that is one of the trade-offs. It’s our passion, after all,” says Singh. All for that adrenaline rush.