June 13, 2011 

It’s 7.30 pm and at the end of the line of luxurious cars parked outside Hotel Vridanvan near Kadri Circle in Mangalore is a set of sleek and sporty bicycles! This scene is recreated here every day at the same time. It’s not the hotel food that brings these cyclists here; it’s the meeting point for The Chain Gang!

This bunch of young techies have found their new love in cycling and every day they escape from their air-conditioned offices and run out of the world of computers into nature’s arms as they go around the city and outskirts on green wheels.

Today it’s Bajpe, tomorrow Surathkal: and this way the gang has explored numerous places. Each one of them has an interesting story on how they took to cycling. They are now on a mission to popularize cycling in Mangalore for the numerous benefits it offers to individuals and the environment.

Mithun Miranda, an electrical design engineer at BCS Control System, was inspired during his childhood after seeing Shahrukh Khan on TV riding a bicycle. He then was in search for companions and lo! he bumped into Puneeth, the youngest member of the team who is a project manager at Diya Systems. 

This ripple effect reached out to Laxmeesh V Shenoy, proprietor of TeamDezigners and to Roshan Madtha, project manager at Mphasis. While Laxmeesh was a die-hard fan of the cycling Salman Khan, Roshan was brought up in Vittal and would rent a bicycle for Re1 per hour to enjoy the ride. Although his father could not afford a bicycle, Roshan was determined that one day he will buy his dream bicycle from his hard-earned money. The day finally dawned when he was a part of an NCC expedition cycling 300 kms! Cycling then became a part of his life. 

In came Ravish Kudva and Manjith, both from @tlantic Data, who along with Mohith Kumar, made the team a houseful. Mohith is a dynamic writer and a mechanical engineer by profession. He brought to the team rich experience in mountain biking. Cycling is what brought these techies together and opened to them a world of experiences and fun.

“We ride on the roads and people just keep staring at us. Few of them ask us where we are cycling. Most make fun of us. Cycling in other countries esp. in the developed countries is a common thing. But here it is linked to prestige and a cyclist is looked down upon,” says Roshan Madtha.

“Most come and see our bikes with amazement. These bikes are little more expensive than the ordinary bikes but it’s just a one-time investment with multiple benefits and our contribution to conserve earth,” says Mithun who takes the role of a cycle expert in the team guiding the rest with his expertise and knowledge.

Each one in the team is an example of how cycling can be beneficial at various levels.

Puneeth who is lanky has developed a good appetite from cycling and is feeling good about it. Roshan finds cycling relaxing, while Laxmeesh has learnt to relate in a different way to nature through their mini cycling expeditions.  

Taking a daily dose of fresh air by riding away from the air conditioned office rooms, every member of The Chain Gang is an ambassador of environment protection and healthy living.

“The important benefit is that cycling builds stamina and due to sweating all the toxins from the body are thrown out and kidneys cleaned. Cycling at 10mph can burn 560 calories in one hour. It is also a de-stressor,” explains Roshan.

Group cycling is fun, says Laxmeesh. It’s a fulfilling time-pass also. Every trip strengths the bond between the members and helps us relate to each other and nature.

An obese colleague once criticized Puneeth demeaning his efforts. “You will become so thin with cycling that you will disappear one day,” he said. A poised Puneeth replied: “I cycle because I don’t want to become like you.” An adventure lover, Puneeth is always up to some stunt show with his cycle. While most of us prefer visiting malls and spending our weekends, this bunch of explorers love cycling around.

Lots of people find excessive weight gain a big problem; they have difficulty handling it, and there are times they thought that it’s impossible to reduce. They will try solutions like jogging in the morning but they find it burdensome because one needs to wake up early for that. Then comes options such as gym, but with high pricing and deadlines to meet if you have work every day, they give up.

Cycling thus is a good option. Buy yourself an excellent bike as an investment; you can use it during weekends. Associating with a group brings in commitment to join the daily/weekly expeditions. 

This is an excellent type of exercising; it improves your aerobic as well as endurance capacity. It tones down several groups of muscle like thighs and calves, and it strengthens your back. You’ll be able to burn fats between 200-750 calories if you do one hour of cycling, which however, is dependent on your intensity.

Cycling lowers the risk of getting cardiovascular diseases, prevents high BP, improves the levels of the good cholesterol or High Density Lipoprotein in blood, and improves muscle strength, balance and coordination. 
Apart from these cycling is a complete leisure activity and gives you the opportunity to spend time with friends and discover new places. 

The Chain Gang is an open group and invites young and old to join the green ride. They can be tracked on Facebook too on http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/home.php?sk=group_175273669191715.