It’s World Bicycle Day on June 3. As the city changes with infra projects and road digging, is there space — or scope — for the good old bike?
Representation pic
Two wheels held together by a chain and propelled with kinetic energy and some sturdy legs always equalled something akin to freedom as we grew up riding a bicycle around the city. It’s no wonder that even the world earmarked a day to tip its hat to the activity of getting on a bicycle and wandering about. As the city witnesses the Coastal Road project or the metros across the length and breadth of the city, and the brand-new airport construction picks up speed, we speak to people who have mapped out routes for themselves and others — making sure that the bicycle always finds a place on the road.
The Treks and Trails group
Sarfaraz Baghdadi started Treks and Trails back in 2012 when people still made analogue connections. With a few years of tinkering around the group finally came up with a route that they have stuck by and which begins from Colaba during the night-time due to Mumbai’s infamous traffic snarls. “We head from Colaba to Nariman Point, then to Wilson College and towards Babulnath, Haji Ali, Worli seaface, go past Mahalaxmi Station, then to Jacob Circle at Byculla then back to CSMT station, Asiatic Library and then back to Colaba,” says Baghdadi.
The route, run by Treks and Trails, covers 30 km, starts at 11 pm and heads into the wee hours, ending around 3.30 am to 4 am, Baghdadi adds. The ride does have stops every half-hour depending on how tired the group feels, but Baghdadi assures us that people can stop and head home if they feel that it is too much for them to take, “Some do take the exit at Breach Candy for example, but that is why there are breaks — so no one feels too tired and we also make sure that during this breaks we take on light, interactive games,” he adds.
Mihir Sanghani of the Treks and Trails group
With the early monsoon this year, Baghdadi tells us, the beauty of this route is that it “never floods” and it is “something really beautiful” to cycle in the rains at Nariman Point. Vijay Barai, part of the bicycle group Wandering Souls, says that their night-time bicycle ride starts at Colaba and ends at Matunga’s Ramashray Hotel at 5 am where new friendships are further bolstered by sharing a breakfast. “People who are thinking of cycling should also have a theme in mind. If they want to see iconic places in their area, or they want to start at night and loop around to breakfast in their neighbourhood. It helps to map out your route better if you have a start and finish point,” he adds.
Other than Colaba and SoBo, both cyclists have recommendations for those who live in the suburbs. For example Baghdadi points in the direction of the western suburbs first. “The Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) is a good place to go and do a nice long ride. Another can be from Borivli’s Charkop area and then you can take the jetty to the other side to Marve in Malad then ride back from Gorai, even to Manori. There is an East Indian colony there, it’s very pretty,” he says. “Another route can be Versova to Madh Island and ride out to Malad and take the link road. Additionally, the Shivaji Park area is a good area to ride and if you really want to be adventurous then you can head to Sewri fort and see flamingos, near the Bombay Port Trust area like Daruwala,” he adds.
For those early risers, Barai recommends Manori, “For a morning breakfast ride, we go to Manori side; you have to take a ferry from Gorai and there is a route from Manri to Pagoda. This route is one of my favourites because it is a shaded route on both sides of the road,” he says.
So what are you waiting for? Hop on that bike!
Where to rent a bicycle
Happy Cycles
This 75-year-old establishment, on 3rd Pasta Lane in Colaba, houses over 120 cycles
Non-geared cycles cost R120 per hour, while geared cycles cost R150 per hour
Manori Hills & Beach Cycling
Rs 799
Average renting time is four to five hours
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