Cycling club captures Saputara's peak

SURAT: They captured Saputara's steep incline on Dussehra and are now set to ride from Surat to Vansda, with a mission to cover the 110 km on the 24th of November. Surat's 'Life Cycling Green Association' is an enthusiastic cycling community with ever growing members that belong to all age groups.
It all started three years ago in July 2010, when three young Surtis, Jignesh Modi, an architect, Yogesh Patel and Vinay Krupekar, both businessmen shared an extremely tough, but amazing experience when they cycled a challenging 500 km in merely 9 days from Leh to Kargil.After covering a hostile mountain terrain in temperatures that often dropped down to 2 degrees, they decided to begin a club for Surtis, who loved to cycle.
In October 2010, the club members took their first trip from SVNIT to Dumas and back, over 35 members from the age of 8 to 72 years had participated then.
Jignesh Modi, one of Life Cycling Green Association's founding members, says, "Unlike motorcycles where one just needs to accelerate, the fuel that functions a cycle is one's body energy. Although I had invested in a bicycle five years ago, I had put it away in the attic. It was the excitement that the challenge of conquering Kargil generated that made me realise I was born to cycle. One races with none other but one's self," Modi cycles on a daily basis to Dumas and back.
Yogesh Patel, co-founder of the club, says, "After celebrating a terrific third anniversary on Gandhi Jayanti, we decided to cycle from Ahwa to Saputara - 48-odd km of steep incline. Twenty-four cyclists took part in this ride, which began at 8am and ended at noon, it was a 100% success since all of us, including four lady members completed it."
Asha Nainesh Wadiwala, says, "It was a thrilling experience and we constantly sipped on ORS for energy."
Hitesh Modi, who participated in Saputara ride, says, "Humidity made the challenge even tougher, especially since the last few kilometres are extremely steep, but we all encouraged each other and had a superb back-up team with one car leading in the front and another behind the last cyclist."
Forty-three-year-old Pruthul Desai, principal, Sir P T Science College, says, "Ride cycle, ride life' is my motto. The Saputara challenge was tough, the last 700 metre felt like ten years, but it was a different ball game to stretch one's ability and conquer the target."
Jignesh Modi says, "The club trains all members regarding safety gear, cycles and hydration. Our aim is to make the environment of Surat an eco-friendly one."