This cycle ride in Noida was dedicated to staying fit in 2018

With the beginning of 2018, many would have resolved to stay fit and exercise regularly, but not all are able to keep the promises they made to themselves. But these Noida residents were not among the lazybones, as they cycled for 35km on Sunday morning to resolve to stay fit in the New Year. Organized by the Noida Cycling Club, several fitness enthusiasts rode from GIP to the Akshardham Metro station and towards the Yamuna bank forest area and back.
Sameer Kathuria, administrator, Noida Cycling Club, said, "The purpose of this ride was to make a resolve to stay fit throughout the year by the easiest and most fun way - cycling. Since this was the last ride of 2017, we decided to spend some time close to nature and so, we rode to the Yamuna Bank forest area. We had a brief stopover in the woods where we clicked pictures and shared each other's fitness stories and goals."
THE CYCLING SQUAD: (L-R, sitting) Nupur Gupta, Rohit Jangra, Rudra Pathak, Seema Kaushik and Sachin Rathore; (L-R, standing) Dinesh Tanwar, Shivam Chauhan, Sameer Kathuria, Rahul Kapoor, Supratik Verma, Shubham Mittal, Vipin Gupta and Amit Tantwani (BCCL/ Ranjit Kumar)
He added, "We ride every weekend and ensure that we cover at least 20km on our cycles on Saturdays and around 100km on Sundays. We wanted to spread this message among Noidawallahs that they should dedicate at least a day every weekend to indulge in fitness activities. It's good to see that cycling as a fitness activity is gaining popularity in Noida. In 2017, about 200-250 people joined our group."

'An affordable and fun way of keeping fit'
From students to corporate professionals, many turned up for the early morning ride. "I cycle to work for 30km (single side) every day from Ghaziabad to Muradnagar in Meerut. Gym karne se better hai cycling karo. It is much more fruitful, easy and helps to stay fit naturally," says Sachin Rathore, a teacher.
'You get to contribute towards environment conservation'
Rahul Kapoor, a corporate professional, said, "I ride because it is cost-effective and I get to contribute in keeping the environment clean. It is quite smoggy in the morning, toh car mein travel karne se better hai cycle karna. It will help reduce the pollution in NCR. Also, there's so much traffic during peak hours - it is easier to navigate on the roads on a cycle."

Shivam Chauhan, who is self-employed and a member of NCC, added, "Cycling increases ones metabolism, so it’s the most affordable and fun way to lose weight. There couldn’t have been a better way of bidding farewell to 2017 than cycling in the woods."