India’s largest cycling event, Bicycle Parade 2020, will be held in Kochi on January 26 next year. The goal of the event is to break the Guinness World Record set by Turkmenistan in 1995. The official attempt will take place on the roads of Willington Island. According to event director Nithin Palal, Kochi will witness the world’s longest single line bicycle parade with 3,500 cyclists. As many as 2,000 people have already registered their names. Cyclists will line up in the parade one by one, five kilometres in a row.
There will be participants from Chandigarh, Jammu, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Agartala and Pune. Those interested in participating in the parade can register on the website bicycleparade.com until January 5. There will be no spot registration. The theme this time is ‘Cycle With Pride’.
Mayur Dhoomasya, a physically-challenged person who rides bicycle from Mumbai to Kochi, is participating in the parade.
Cyclists will be awarded gold medals in 18 categories such as Cyclist of the Year, Young Cyclist of the Year (under 18) and Master Cyclist of the Year (over 40). Every participant will get certificate and medal. Participants must report at 8 am on the previous day of the event, January 25. The bicycle will then be inspected.
There will be a mock ride also. The line-up will begin at 6 am on January 26.
The parade will start from the Samudrika Convention Centre on Willingdon Island. An expo will also be held on January 25 and 26 at Samudrika Convention Centre as part of the Bicycle Parade. Leading bicycle brands and accessories companies will be part of the expo. Cyclists need to cycle at speeds of up to eight kilometres per hour. The organisers have suggested that cyclometer can be used to maintain a consistent pace. Helmets and official jerseys are a must for parade participants. Hydration packs and snacks should not be used during the parade. Mobile phones are also banned. Hybrid, road and MTB bicycles can be used. However, bicycles with extension bars or triathlon bars, electric bicycles or bicycles with electric pedals should not be used.
In addition to the event in Kochi, there will be satellite events across the country on the same day and time. “Many cyclists across India have expressed their inability to participate in the Kochi event for various reasons and have requested to conduct a similar event in their towns under the brand Bicycle Club. We have agreed to this demand by clubs and groups to organise a bicycle parade in their respective towns to create a pedal revolution and popularise cycling across India,” says Nithin Palal.
The Bicycle Parade is organised by Salubris Technologies Pvt. Ltd., a startup mission to promote green technologies. “This is an honest attempt to bring together every club to build a cycling culture among the general public and carry on the business of promoting, initiating, developing and dealing cycling in India,” adds Nithin.
“A vast majority of those who use vehicles daily covers five to eight kilometres on an average. The bicycle parade aims to encourage people to use bicycles instead of vehicles and thereby protect nature. The objective of the event is to replace 50 per cent of the daily short distance commute on automobiles with bicycles in India,” says Nithin. By eliminating traffic congestion alone, 19 billion litres of fuel can be saved. The country could save Rs 15 trillion a year by reducing fuel costs alone, he adds.
