I moved to Bangalore in July this year and the first thing I realised that there was no way I was prepared to share my paychecks with Uber. There was no way I was going to stay stuck in traffic for 2 hours in each direction either.

The only option left, that I’d put on the back burner was Cycling. So I went ahead, spoke to a few friends, met the inspiring Mr. Chethan Ram, and bought myself a Marin.

The first ride from the shop till home made me question myself - Why did I plop such a huge chunk of my savings on a piece of metal that doesnt have a fuel tank OR an engine? I’ve trekked, I’ve gone swimming… But nothing drained me like this blue piece of aluminium.

And then the morning rides started.. First it was an attempt to better the 10km with a 20… Then came the 20km rides every other day. And then 40km mark.

One bright sunny day, the commute to work happened… 20kms, peak bangalore traffic, 1 hour. Note this - ONE HOUR via Bannergatta road all the way into Indiranagar!

When some guys said that cycling is contagious, I thought they were kidding and it was for only the guys in the prime of their fitness, not for a middle-aged geek like me. I couldnt be further from the truth!

Fast forward to today, I’ve put in over a 1000kms on the bike AND have signed up for the longest bike ride I’ve yet had my signts on - 600kms from Bangalore to Udipi across 4 days - The Tour of Karnataka, starting Nov 16.

Cycling, I’ve come to learn, is an individual thing…

The breeze on your face, the sweat in pushing for that extra mile, the conscious self-checks to ensure you dont bonk, the muscles crying in agony, gritting your teeth to push and better your last run - its a goodie bag of everything.

The folks cycling with Cadence90 have been nothing sort of stellar, I’m in the tour more for the company, the dialogues, the culture, more so than the cycling and the distance itself..

Yes, there’s bound to be amazing food, great views, the mere challenge of climbing the western ghats and coming out the other side, those are just free add-ons…

Cycling is my new signature!

Follow me on strava here.