A practice that began as an 18-kilometre cycle ride to school every day in the suburbs of Manipur’s Thoubal district has culminated into Thoudam Opendro Singh becoming the first Indian to complete the Trans Am Bike Race (TABR) in the US, covering a distance of 4,400 miles in less than 25 days. A resident of Bengaluru for nearly two decades, Opendro is an avid cyclist , who has been regularly taking part in long-distance biking tours in and around Karnataka as well as in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Describing his recent feat as a fantastic experience, the 38-year-old technical professional says, “TABR is an annual self-supported, ultra-distance cycling race across the US that follows a specific trail, covering 10 states. I rode from the north-west coast to south-east coast of the country with a group of bikers. The race started at Astoria in Oregon and went on to Idaho, Montana and Wyoming in the north, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri in the central part and Illinois, Kentucky and Virginia in the east. Yorktown in Virginia was the finish point.”
From idyllic countryside to hilly terrains as high as 11,500 feet from the sea level, this race packs quite an adventurous trip, according to Opendro. “During the initial days of the journey, we either camped at a particular location or tucked ourselves into sleeping bags outside petrol pumps or other public places. But later, when the weather started becoming colder at high altitudes, we halted at motels overnight and then hit the road in the morning,” he adds.
So, do you think resorting to bicycles can be a solution to Bengaluru’s growing traffic and pollution? “Although Bengaluru is expanding in area, when it comes to commuting space, the city is rapidly shrinking. We have a lot of cycling enthusiasts in the city, and clubs and groups supporting them. But to make cycling a regular mode of transport, more constructive efforts need to be made and common people made me aware of the benefits of the cycling,” he sums up.
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / Reema Gowalla / July 16th, 2016