Cyclists own Kochi nights

KOCHI: The concept of night cycle ride through the city and outskirts is becoming popular among the city residents. Several clubs now conduct night and early-morning cycle rides especially during weekends, which have regular takers including IT professionals, students and women. “Night cycling is picking up among city residents and there are clubs that conduct long- and short-distance rides. As the busy city roads are not safe for cycling during day time, clubs prefer night for conducting such trips,” said Shagzil Khan of Cochin Bikers Club.

Associating with a club will help riders get quality tips on safe riding, cycle maintenance and following traffic rules. “Since riders have associated risks during nights, we equip ourselves wearing reflective jackets and fix front and rear lights on the cycle. We have recently conducted a 300-km Kochi-Kollam-Kochi ride which had many participants. These are not competitive rides and are open for all,” he added.

Meenu Nandakumar of RedrawLife, a community promoting adventure in the city, feels that there are several people including women who are passionate about night riding. “We had two batches of participants for the first cycling event conducted along the Tripunithura-Panampilly Nagar-Marine Drive-High Court route,” she said.