Enthusiasts to cycling to Mount Abu

At least 22 members of the Ahmedabad Bicycling Club (ABC) in the age group of 16 to 54 years will cycle their way from Abu Road to Mount Abu, roll down the mountain back, cycle up to Palanpur and end the trip at Karnavati Club, Ahmedabad on December 18, covering 260 km, including the mountain climb of 21 km.

Three Friends – Dr Harsh Shah, a Knee Replacement Surgeon, Baan Bapat, a scientist, and Gaurav Shah, who runs a popular bookstore, took up cycling as a serious endurance sport and formed ABC six months ago to promote cycling as a sport.

The club has a total of 125 members who gather at a certain point on the highway and then ride an average of 50 to 80 kilometres to various destinations like Gota, Thol, Vaishnodevi Temple among others. Initially, the programme was confined to Sundays alone. However, as the activity gained popularity, regular rides were organised on Tuesdays and Fridays as well.

Talking about the concept of ABC, Shah said, “The idea occurred to me during my 750-km bicycle trip to Nilgiris, where I met a group of more than 1,000 cyclists from Bangalore. This was when I thought of promoting cycling as a sport as well as for the fun of it in Ahmedabad.”

“It’s an energetic and enthralling experience to go bicycling every morning and every female who has time must be a part of this club. You get to see many things in the morning that one can’t usually enjoy, owing to their busy schedules. As it’s hard to find time during the week, I usually go on Sundays. But now that the Abu trip is coming, I go thrice a week for practice. I am eagerly looking forward to the mountain ride,” said Anita Shah, 40, a school teacher who has been a part of this club since its inception. Source by The Times of India