By Preetesh Chouhan
VP-APAC, Vdopia Inc
A hectic work schedule and back-to-back business meetings can often lead to wonderful surprises that leave you with indelible memories. Cycling for me has always been a passion and a form of therapy.
I consider it the best way to explore a historical site or a natural landscape, and also to reconnect with yourself as you leisurely drift through beautiful spaces. Anytime I am on a business or leisure trip, I always look out for a rental stand for bicycles. On a recent trip to Sydney, I was fortunate to relive my most treasured passion by accident. The business meeting I was travelling for was postponed to the next week, leaving me with an unexpected free weekend to explore this unique city that blends historic splendour with contemporary style.
Sydney as a city is driven by an intense sports culture. The infrastructure is such that it supports and promotes activities like cycling or walking, both for pleasure and daily commuting. I decided to blend in with the culture and make the best use of the wonderful opportunity at hand to enjoy my favourite hobby. I joined a guided cycling group on my first day of the free weekend. We rode across the city and saw some breathtaking sights. Out of these the one that really mesmerised me was the view from Sydney Harbour Bridge. Unfortunately, one cannot stop on the bridge but I moved as slowly as possible to take in as much of those stirring moments, as I could.
I also managed to make great new friends as the group comprised other avid travelers and cycling enthusiasts from across the globe. We all cycled to a ferry which carried us and our cycles to an island near Sydney. We cycled a bit more on the island and then had a lovely Mediterranean lunch with some excellent wine on the beach. Flushed with the exercise, enchanted by the view and pleased by the conversation, at that moment I had forgotten that I had come to Australia for business. It had become a sort of therapeutic retreat for me. On returning to the hotel that evening, I realised I had cycled 23 km that day. This felt like a huge achievement for someone like me who is usually in his stiff business suits and in a professional, carefully scheduled environment.
The next day, I decided to venture out on my own with my rented bike. Being a digital media professional, I made the best use of not just Google Maps but also several other travel apps that give you a succinct idea of where you should go, where you can get a bite to eat and interesting historical facts about must-visit places. I don’t think any spa or luxury hotel could do for me what that day, spent alone in solace and awe, with the luscious greenery and manmade wonders did.
Last week, I went to buy a cycle for my daughter from Jhandewalan, Asia’s largest bicycle market. It
is such a sad contradiction that we house the largest bicycle market in the continent, yet our traffic rules, infrastructure and even the attitude of motorists are such that my heart is in my mouth every time my daughter mentions cycling outside the colony.
There are some initiatives being made in the NCR to make a few roads motor-free on weekends. I wish
this would spread and more Indian roads would become conducive to bicycle trips. For me, an ideal
holiday would involve cycling around the Aravallis or the heritage spots in Central and Old Delhi with my
daughter and wife without worrying about unruly traffic and accidents. Besides being eco-friendly, cycling is one of those unique pleasures that are immensely rewarding both in terms of keeping oneself physically fit and fulfilling your need for speed and travel and this adds to the joy I experience every time I get on my bike.
Feedback: preetesh@vdopia.com
