Bhubaneswar Cycling and Adventure Club organised a two-day tour to spread awareness on the loss of green cover of Puri-Konark marine drive due to cyclone Fani
BHUBANESWAR: Bhubaneswar Cycling and Adventure Club (BCAC) organised its flagship summer adventure ‘Cycling under the Stars’ Monday to spread awareness about the devastation caused by cyclone Fani last month.
About 50 riders assembled at BCAC Club House with all their night riding apparel and serviced bikes. The youngest rider, who joined the group was Achintya (Ram) aged 11 years and a single lady rider Twinkle too joined the night-crawlers.
After mandatory bike check for helmets, front and rear lights and reflective clothing, riders assembled for a group snap cheering BCAC and the theme of ride – #RebuildOdisha. By 6:30PM, the cycling tour was flagged off by Lalit Das, ADG along with the president of BCAC Sanjeeb Panda.
With bright front lights, reflective vests and flashing red tail-lamps the riders dressed in Neon-Green were creating an illusion of a green wave on the busy roads of Bhubaneswar. The peloton traversed through AG Square, Raj Mahal, Kalpana Square, Ravi Talkies, Lingipur to touch the highway near Daya Bridge. All riders were riding in groups with cheering voices which was quite an eye-catcher for the public.
Followed by a brief halt, the group moved towards Sakhi Gopal. The riders rode their bicycles in a single file along the National Highway. Soon after, the group headed to Shri Jagannath Temple. Rolling over the Bada Danda (Grand Road), all riders were filled with joy of having a ‘Darshan’ of Shri Jagannath Temple.
The arrangement was splendid with precise planning and superb execution by team BCAC, especially by Sanjeeb, Ajay and Santosh.
“This is by far the most disciplined ride and BCAC complements all the participants. Group bonding was at its best. Ajay and Santosh have once again organised everything with minute details. The support from Prakash and Rana is the strength of our event management. Young kid Ram continues to inspire us. Weather was the best with minimal head wind and no rain, and a pleasant summer night,” said Sanjeeb Panda, a member of the group.
“I have planned this ride with my buddy Manas and BB Das Sir on a tandem bike. We enjoyed every bit of the road while riding on a tandem gave a wonderful opportunity to connect with my cycling partners. That quick powernap on Chandrabhaga beach was quite refreshing. This was one of the most memorable rides for me with our Club. I enjoyed every minute of it,” said another member Sujit Goswami.
It’s not always about speed or miles or knackering the muscles. But when all three come together with a peloton of highly motivated riders, the all night adventure of ‘Cycling Under the Stars’ turned into a memory of a lifetime.
