Cycling

"I want to ride my bicycle .." - an old song from Queen ! This song really inspires me every once in a while to cycle around. I've had a cycle for the last 4 years ( the latest one!). It's a good BSA Mach I with really really thin tyres.

I've always cherished this dream of cycling to Mysore from Bangalore some day. But before that day comes I need to prepare myself mentally and physically with the concept of cycling. The latest to inspire me to take up serious cycling were :

(1) My latest knee injury that occurred during my last cricket venture
(2) That fundu mail from BUS on his cycling mission for the cause of cancer pateients

I have been cycling some local distances within JP Nagar and Jayanagar. But I really wanted to try out at least a distance of 20 Kms in a session.

So I set out cycling yesterday morning from home. I went through the ring road in Jayanagar and reached the Nanda road early in the morning. It was cold abd beautiful with sun pillars breaking through the canopy on the Nanda road. And it is a good long stretch of good straight road. Then took a right turn at Ashoka Pillar and went onto double road and then residency and MG Road and onto Ulsoor lake. The lake was again looking awesome without too much traffic around it. And then finally rode to the gym to have a small workout and a well deserved steam and shower bath !

Temporarily, atleast my knee pain seems to have vanished ! What a good thing cycling is. I'm getting to realise it now. Thanks to this knee injury. Otherwise I was obsessed with running - be it in the park or the gym - just anywhere - I would attempt running anywhere - a la Forrest Gump. But I'm rediscovering the joys of cycling.

However, a few things that must be taken care of when cycling in Bangalore :

(1) Crazy truck and bus drivers with scant regard for any vehicle/person smaller than their size.
(2) Horrible pollution on the main roads in later hours ( Yesterday was Sunday and so it wasn't bad at all - I don't think on a weekday attempting this beyond 7 AM is worth it !)

Overall, feels good for the body and knee :-). I would love to join others and may be we could organise some good cyclothons around Bangalore.