In December 2020, I was searching for an expert bicycle mechanic who could handle the task of restoring a more than 50-year-old BSA Roadster bicycle, which I had acquired in the same period from a veteran commuter in Mumbai.
My Name is Dhiren Bontra and I must confess that I was the most notorious kid in school. I was always very passionate about sports and fitness. After completing my graduation, I and my friend Arun Rajpurohit were not keen on doing a “9 to 5 job” and we knew that our passion of bicycling was our calling.
Cycling is powerful and it is empowering. Cycling promotes gender equality. Cycling is a way of expression and it opens up a plethora of opportunities. One can connect with new people around and enjoy nature whole-heartedly to one’s content.
Saksham Cyclothon was held in Mumbai on 25th February 2018. The Marque event is organised annually by Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA).
‘Good Morning’ – greeted Mr. Mehra while I was unlocking my Gazelle preparing to leave for work. ‘…good morning dear friend … have a nice day’ – I replied.
Spare your car and pedal a little far, The roads are meant for you, ride when the skies are blue,
Three years ago, when I rekindled my romance with cycling, I made an ambitious plan to travel to different parts of the world and explore the local places on a bicycle. In cycling lingo, it’s called as “Cycle Tourism”.
“Is this a fish market? please maintain pin-drop silence”. A familiar quote used by our teachers. “Madam I was there at the fish market today, if you are reading this. However, I couldn’t maintain any silence because the market by itself was bustling with energy”.
‘West Coast Riders’, a cycling club in Mumbai were cycling from Bandra to Fort area on a Sunday morning. The group took a planned halt at National Association for Blind, at Worli for the visually impaired cyclists to join the group with their tandem cycles. A friendly dog approached the group and mixed around with them.
16th January 2021 will go down as an important date in the History of India for two big developments that emerged prominently. Firstly, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) rolled out its vaccination drive for corona virus. And Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) inaugurated a Public Bicycle rental service for Mumbaikars.
