I wanted to share a small part of my story with cycling and hope that the community would welcome this small tidbit of my life.
I am a refugee living in India, my life hasn’t been particularly easy, but yet it has been better than most, I got to experience many things, try so many things, and achieved much, I have always been a social person, traveled a lot, and met many people.
Then suddenly the Covid pandemic hit us, and a one day lock-down was announced that later extended into another day and another and before you know it had been 3 months already that i have been inside my house and haven’t had the chance to go out of this cage.
It of course took its toll at the start, though I didn’t notice at the start, I got a bit withdrawn, and slowly the loneliness started creeping in, with my family living together of course that only added to the tension with the many fights that happened due to being locked inside with each other.
So when July came and just a bit of the restrictions were lifted i went online and started looking at cycles to get an excuse to leave the house, I posted what I’m looking for on so many sites and waited, and every offer I got was either too bad or the size didn’t fit, till one day, an old guy contacted me, he had a cycle that he used only on his trainer that he was letting go to me at a very reasonable price ( turns out he really was letting it go for far below it’s cost).
So i went and at 20th July got my first road cycle, and at the start I was pants at it, could barely do 10 Km at slow speed without having the breath knocked out of me, but that changed, I started searching for the local cycling groups and found two of them, did a ride with each and joined the one I liked most, which was GNWCC (Greater Noida West Cycling Club) and so it started.
I started joining them daily (or as much as I could wake up early) . I admit that sometimes the laziness overtook me and I just stayed in bed, once I didn’t cycle a week due to having a complete mental breakdown, and I admit I spent that week just in bed unable to move.
But I remembered one thing, the feeling I get when I am cycling, that sweet spot when I am at my 25th km, with the music in one ear, and I get lost in my mind, I start laughing out of nowhere, happy for anything, making up funny stories in my head, and I slowly started getting better, I have been cycling a bit over two and a half month, and in this time I have done 4 century rides,, and over 1700 Km of cycling, and I truly feel so proud and happy of myself, I feel so strong for the lack of better word, I take pride in myself and my cycle, this is the one thing I did to make myself happy, I have achieved much in life, but it was all because I had to, this is the one thing I do because I want to.
Riding with the group has made me cycling better, even though I remain a beginner and my speed is rather slow, I never feel left out and there is always someone to ride with no matter what goal you have and what time it is there is always someone ready to join you for a ride.
I have been constantly amazed at the care and safety shown by the leaders, as a matter of fact all routes are always planned, and no one is ever left behind, ride leaders are always there to manage the ride and make sure everyone is okay.
I do have a lot left to do, many goals in cycling to achieve and many places to cover.I want to visit the Taj Mahal on my cycle, a 250 Km ride, I want to do 2000 Km by the end of this month, and so much more.This is just a small story of my cycling Journey.