10 years of Cycle-to-Work in Bangalore

It's 10 years since I started cycling to work in Bangalore. I bought a Hero Octane 26T on Jan 8, 2008. Covered a distance of 10 KM between home and office in 50 minutes, on the following day. Never considered any other way as the default mode of commute-to-work, since then.

Despite the repeated warnings/advice that I get from friends about pollution, being vulnerable to accidents etc., the 10 years of riding has been largely event-less. I tried several pollution masks. None of them were comfortable to get the breath required while riding. So, got rid of them. Medical reports don't point out anything bad, so far [Not touching any wood]. Not sure about any internal or slow damages. There were just 4 nasty falls in 10 years, and none of them involved any other vehicle. They are due to, either skidding on a slippery patch because of rain, or some gravel laid in the middle of a road during night.

The journey stared with an entry level MTB - Hero Octane 26T. I didn't have any knowledge of cycles at that time. I just went to a shop on the way home and picked up one that's looking good, with dual suspensions. After a year, I upgraded to an excellent MTB - Merida SUB 40 MD. With disc brakes and exotic looks, it used to get quite a lot of attention, and eventually succumbed to it. I lost the Merida within a year, while sipping coffee at a Cafe Coffey Day. Replaced it with a sleek Road Bike - Trek 7.2 Fx, while visiting the US, thanks to Blue Coat. Have been riding it for the last 7+ years. 

Current Bangalore traffic is terrible, compared to the day I started riding in the city. Being a morning person, ride to work has always been fun. I have been starting my morning ride at 5:30 am, for the last 3-4 years. En route office, I spend an hour at a Cross-Fit gym. That's easily the best part of the day. Bangalore is blessed with slight and pleasant chill in the morning, almost throughout the year. A lot of bakeries would be open at that time that serve some quick coffee/tea. Even, traffic is largely irrelevant in those hours. Year over year, I see a stark difference in the quality of my evening rides, though. It's on a constant decline. Anytime after 5 pm is bad. I tried up to 9 pm. Bad roads (though same roads as in the morning, evening rides get pushed to sides of the roads), bad foot-paths (yes, I ride on them, as long as I don't block pedestrians), automobile exhausts, practically everyone on the road in a hurry to get home etc., are the culprits. Though there were days when I got irritated with all these, the irritation never lasted the night and nothing much changed.

The evening ride usually ends with some admiring looks from kids playing in the apartment, when I enter with blinkers and in flashy dry-fits. A 5-6 year old kid stopped me once to inquire the class that I am in, and the school that I go to :-)

It's almost a no-brainer in Bangalore to ask someone, why they cycle-to-work. It's the fastest way to commute in many parts of Bangalore. One-way distance of around 10 KM is manageable by any healthy adult. Most of the offices have bathrooms to fresh-up (That's been one of my requirements for accepting a job offer from a company). So, that's not an excuse.

Though a 10-12 KM ride in the morning and evening may not contribute much towards calorie burn and fitness, it's definitely liberating and fun!