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World Bicycle Day: Sangam city docs pedal their way to fitness
: Sangam city doctors have taken up cycling as a perfect way to remain physically and mentally fit amid these pandemic times
: Sangam city doctors have taken up cycling as a perfect way to remain physically and mentally fit amid these pandemic times.
Cutting across age and gender barriers, the medicos in Prayagraj are going for group cycling outings twice-a-week covering 40 to 60 km stretches each to de-stress and remain fit.
The love for cycling among the doctors of Prayagraj began in November-December 2018—much before the Coronavirus took the world by storm—when around half-a-dozen of them including Dr Atul Dubey, Dr Jaivardhan Rai, Dr Arun Kant, Dr Yugantar Pandey, Dr Chhitij Srivastava, Dr Subodh Jain and Dr Pankaj Gupta formed a cycling group—Two Wheels Thrill— as a way to chill together and stay fit while taking a break from their hectic and often high-pressure workplaces.
“Now we have 28 regular members in the group. While before the pandemic, we have even gone on cycling tours to Varanasi and Chitrakoot, but now during the pandemic, we prefer scenic destinations on the outskirts of the city like Shringverpur, Sujawan Dev temple, Maharishi Durvasa Ashram or even Kaushambi. These places allow us to cycle in peace while maintaining social distancing and building up our stamina and immunity,” said Dr Yugantar Pandey, former secretary of Allahabad Medical Association and a noted paediatrician.
Dr Anil Shukla, former president of Allahabad Medical Association said, “Most of us in the group are aged between 45 and 65 years. Pandemic has been harsh on our fraternity, and we have lost many dear colleagues. Amid work stress and personal challenges, we found that cycling was a great stress buster and these twice-a-week cycling helped us gear up for the days ahead. So, during the pandemic, whenever the restrictions allowed us, this remains our favourite stay-fit mantra.”
Women doctors of Sangam city too formed their own cycling group: Prayagraj Pacers.
“I took part in the Indira Marathon in November 2018 in the above-45 age category and bagged third place. Pepped up, I along with Major Farah Deeba formed ‘Prayagraj Pacers’ and today we have 64 members aged between 34 and 60 years including 53 doctors,” said Dr Ritu Jain, a paediatrician.
In place of long cycling tours, the women doctors prefer shorter cycling outings which they combine with running and yoga sessions. “Cycling is a perfect workout. It helps in increased cardiovascular fitness, builds muscle strength and flexibility, improves joint mobility and posture, strengthens bones besides decreased stress levels and fight body fat,” said Dr Ritu Jain.
United Nations General Assembly declared June 3 every year as World Bicycle Day in April 2018. Polish-American sociologist and well-known track cyclist Leszek Sibilski’s crusade and the support of Turkmenistan and 56 other countries helped bag recognition for ‘World Bicycle Day’. Numerous activities are held across the world to mark the day. “Uniqueness, versatility, and longevity of the bicycle as a simple, sustainable, economical, and reliable mode of transportation” is the theme of World Bicycle Day-2021.
