The participants, numbered around 40, had bravely chosen to leave behind their living room couches on a Sunday for the “noble cause”. On a route that captured the essence of the old and the new in the Capital, rows of riders were seen leaning over their handle bars. The event started from Delhi’s Humayun Tomb and took the cyclists to Lodhi Road and past the Oberoi Hotel, to the cycle tracks of the Bus Rapid Transport corridor.

“If the government decides to promote cycling among citizens and spends only a fraction of its road and flyover budget to develop safe and segregated bicycle lanes and cyclist-friendly infrastructure and facilities in our cities, we could see a large number of people leaving their motor vehicles behind and take up cycling as an alternative,” Nalin Sinha of ITDP-India said.

Though the organisers admitted that bicycles may look a little out of place or seem “slow” in the fast traffic lanes of Delhi, enthusiasts like Sinha can hardly forego the charm of a vigorous ride and the tinkle of the cycle bell. A proof of that were the 40 participants at today’s event, they said. “Although the bicycle is losing its modal share in today’s fast and unsafe road traffic, it’s still considered the common man’s transport in most Indian cities and is also gaining popularity in western countries,” Sinha said.

The Delhi Cycling Club and ITDP-India have been engaged for the last two years in creating awareness about the benefits of cycling and popularising it among the public and various stakeholders.