Technically, the first vehicle that any kid owns is a bicycle. A bicycle is a boy’s best friend until his motorbike or car arrives. A bicycle continues to be a girl’s best friend too. Grown-ups use bicycles to move around, and for a handful of them, riding a bicycle is one of the best ways to shed weight.

The senior citizens cycle around the city leisurely, and for a majority of them, it is one of the best ways to enjoy their free time. April 19 is observed as world Bicycle Day, but most Coimbatoreans remained unaware of this.

“I go cycling everyday with my gang of boys. No one told me that today is bicycle day. For my friends and me, everyday is bicycle day as we cycle a lot in Sai Baba Colony,” Shiv Kumar, who enters Class IX next academic year, says. Also unaware of Bicycle Day is the founder of Coimbatore Cycling, Chakravarthy Birur.

“Honestly, I’m unaware that April 19 is observed as Bicycle Day. Our club organizes cycling activities on a monthly basis and we will continue to do so the following month too,” Chakravarthy says.

Coimbatore Cycling has about 60 active members who regularly participate in the monthly cycling trips that the club organizes. The club has organized cycling expeditions to as far as Kotagiri. Chakravarthy shares with us that the cyclists who participated in the expedition drove from Coimbatore to Mettupalayam by car, and cycled from there to Kotagiri and back the same day. En route the cyclists witnessed some breathtaking scenery too.

On the best cycling routes in Coimbatore, Chakravarthy says that a trip to Maruthamalai on weekends is a good idea, as the traffic on this road is light when compared to the weekdays. Those who are planning to combine cycling with some adventure during the weekend can cycle up to Vaidhehi Falls, and weekday trips to the Kaniyur Tollgate is also a good option.

It is sad that a city like Coimbatore, blessed with a considerably good climate, lacks a cycling track. The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) is still working on the construction of a cycling and walking track around the Ukkadam Lake. Officials at the CCMC were unavailable to comment.