The ride is on. Slitting the silence, the wheels ram into the quietness of night. On board are men and women on a revolutionary mission to establish safe, freedom nights on streets. The common man’s luxury of yore, bicycle, in other words, is a vehicle for spreading a word for social awakening here. In the dark, the cities stay awake to the call and put together all cycling clubs, each having their fair share to pump in energy to make a mission possible. In these hottest months of summer, the riders are backpacking in flock to conquer the dark.
The Paravur Bikers Club could be called an ‘infant’ among the cycle clubs in the state. Just a year old, they have pedalled across the length and breadth of the state during nights. In a month’s time, the team rode twice spreading messages to protect nature and chip in with their bit to create cancer awareness among the masses. They are gearing up for the third ride on World Earth Day in the Kochi-Thekkady-Vagamon route in April.
“The riders have associated risks during nights and therefore we equip ourselves wearing reflective jackets and fix front and rear lights on the cycle. Whatever be our theme, we just don’t ride to and fro, but spread flyers to the public to spread our mission in the best way we can,” says Leju K.D., senior rider-cum-coordinator of the Paravur Bikers Club. The lengthiest of all was a pan-Kerala, Kasargod-Thiruvananthapuram tour. In Thiruvananthapuram, Trivandrum Bikers Club, one of the pioneers, is reviving their once-staple night rides this month.
“We used to have rides at nights around two years ago from the city to Shangumugham. It has been resumed now to promote the rides during nights. Some people still fear to take to the roads at night. By organising these kinds of events, their fears can be allayed too. This is the best way to practise for those taking part in brevet (long distance cycling event). For rides above 300 kilometres, they must get accustomed to the road conditions at night,” says Praveen R. Nair, one of the co-ordinators of Trivandrum Bikers Club. It was the ride’s re-launch on Tuesday where the cyclists rode through the same old route till Shangumugham.
Every Saturday morning, a message pops up in the inbox of each member in the cyclist fraternity of Indus Cycling Embassy (ICE) in the capital, one of the veterans in the scene. Weekend for them is not a time to while away. The nights are oh-so-special, for they get ready at the Manaveeyam Veedhi in Vellayambalam to enjoy a short journey till Kowdiar and back. “It is to encourage women to cycle in the night. So it is called freedom ride. Anyone with a cycle can participate,” says Prakash P. Gopinath, managing trustee of ICE. Without a break, ICE has been following the schedule since the past three months.
The Cochin Bikers Club based in Kochi marked their opening with a night trip five years ago. It is an effective way for them to tame the fast-paced life in an emerging metro and make it a perfect hide-out from pollution. “Just take a look at our villages. In the evenings men have an indispensible evening chit-chat and get-together. They cycle and meet in a nearby teashop, exchange pleasantries and return with a refreshed mind and body. People may ask us why we don’t take a ride in the morning. It is common to see the streets cleaned up and waste materials burnt in the early morning hours. To recharge our mind and body, we need a less polluted atmosphere that can only be found post sundown in the city,” says Shagzil Khan, ride-responsible of Cochin Bikers Club. Up next in the Cochin Bikers Club is a 300-km brevet, ‘Port Cities Night BRM’ in the Kochi-Kollam-Kochi loop.
