ABC's Night ride | 17th December 2014

Much eagerly awaited ABC night ride on 17th Wednesday was just full off excitement.

Dr Uma, Vivek, Jk, Parvez and Me we started on time for a chilly ride ahead to end with an even more chilled dessert party. Our mouths were watery as Bhavinbhai mentioned the awesome chocolate avalanche at Al Fresco... We were tempted to ride straight to the joint but Alas love for the pedals won.

Just 100 meters and Uma had a rear flat... O my my now she wont be able to ride? Well ABCians came to rescue. Out came the tyre and Vivek swiftly replaced a new tube in 5 mins flat. "Whoosh whoosh - hai ho" went the air in by Bhavinbhai and Me and back she got on saddle.

Tapan joined from Vijay and we had a good ride full of jokes and laughter. AMC has started resurfacing the roads. Other vehicle drivers including a few stray dogs now seem to show some respect towards cyclists which is a huge welcome.

Ended at Al Fresco. "Closed" almost got us into tears but the kind staff arranged and did overtime preparing and serving Chocolate Avalanche and Coffee's.

See you in the next ride.Cycles rolling again.

- Written by Parth Modi

Kartik Nair's Journey to the Nationals.

"To start with it's a great feeling to be a member of the Gujarat State Team for the Nationals scheduled to be held in December 2014 in Karnataka and it has been pretty tough getting there, and yes, things are only going to get tougher. Cycling as a sport hasn't much evolved in Gujarat State, and so, there are not many who can train an individual for particular events. But thanks to the Ahmedabad Cycling Club (ABC) and its efforts, cycling has started emerging as an important sports event in Gujarat. it is because of them that I'm here today. I started aimlessly cycling 5 months ago, before I joined the club. I met people with similar interests here, and my 'training' started. I started to train after July and started realizing how enduring, both physically and emotionally, the sport was. It is not easy or simple as it looks or sounds. For better cycling, we require better roads, proper traffic management and they continue to be major concerns along with atmospheric conditions.

Also, there are not much competitions organized in cycling as there are in other sports, but the ABC has been lately organizing competitions/championships every month since July where we have been getting a platform to perform and improve. 

The National Championship is scheduled to be conducted in Jamakhandi, Karnataka from December 26-29, 2014, and I will be competing in Under-23 Elite Men Division. This is my first National Event in cycling, and am quite excited about it. I have started training hard for the event along with my friends Tapan and Vivek, who are already excellent cyclists. In fact, they have greatly helped me getting into this sports and the improvement I have gained. 

I am a Third Year Student at St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad, with Economics as my major subject."

Kartik Nair