Pedal for life
BENGALURU : Twenty-eight-year-old Balakrishna Udyavara, who stays in Electronics City, rides his cycle every day to work, which is 21-km away. On Sunday, he cycled 25-km to support the education of underprivileged children in Colors of Life, an NGO, as a part of a cyclothon. With the presence of hundreds of cyclists and fitness enthusiasts like Udyavara, Pedal for the Planet cyclothon ended on a high note in Devanahalli. Organised by Embassy Group, it is the sixth edition of the cyclothon and the theme of the event was ‘Cycling to work for a greener planet.’
Eashwar Kumar, who works in the construction industry, admitted that not everyone can cycle to their offices. “Cycling is a good habit that improves health and reduces traffic and pollution. At least those people whose offices are within short distance can use a bicycle every day. You should also determine this by considering your work environment. If your job is tiresome, you can avoid cycling and use public transport at least,” Kumar said.
The event included cycling races for both men and women, such as ProElite ride covering a distance of 40-km, which was open to those aged 16 years and above, 25-km; amateur ride for participants aged above 14 years; 15-km fun ride open to all above 14 years; 8-km fun ride open for the youth below 18 years and 1-km fun ride open for kids below 10 years old.
Delighted to see the enormous participation in the cyclothon, Aditya Virwani, COO, Embassy Group, said, “We always thrive to continue our commitment towards sustainable and green living. I am overwhelmed to see such a great turnout. The enthusiasm and growing interest of participants in cycling indicates their keenness on adopting ways to protect our planet.”
Cylcothon also hosted Soul Sante’s eco-friendly flea market with over 100 curated stalls showcasing various green and sustainable products. Additionally, the event was pet-friendly and included live music performances, fashion show and interesting games for kids and food stalls, making it a fun outing for one and all.
Kannada movie star and cycling enthusiast Diganth Manchale and his wife Aindrita Ray also participated in the 40-km and 25-km categories, respectively.As done in the previous editions, the proceeds raised during this one-day event will be donated to Colours of Life, a non-profit organisation that empowers the lives of more than 7,000 children through holistic education initiatives across 19 government schools.
‘We need separate lanes for cyclists’
Actor Diganth Manchale who was also a part of the event believes in going green. “Cycling is an activity where we can contribute to the environment without any effort. When we talk about cycling to work daily, I want to emphasise the need for a separate lane for cyclists in the city. I think we have the right to claim a separate lane. With these kinds of cyclothons and other initiatives, I foresee such developments in Bengaluru within five years,” says the actor, who is preparing for his upcoming movie Gaalipata and attended the event with his wife Aindrita Ray. Previously, the actor has completed a 200-km ride
to Mandya, which took 10 hours.