*links to all people places and groups have provided below the article
To all Mumbaikars,
we all have a hectic professional life and don't get me wrong it is important to be stay dedicated at what we do isn't it important to getaway to let your mind breathe important too? maybe on a holiday rather than going to a mall, sleeping or playing Fortnite/pubg
try some activity among nature and maybe work on you health, skills or enjoy with your family and friends.
for all students and working people: these activities can be done on any holiday at any budget.
So,I'd like to share my experience with you, my experience of one instance of my experience of one year in the very common sport in India,cycling.
just like every Sunday i started my day at 4-am. i woke up to freshen up, change, eat and carry necessary things
#things i carry and i think any cyclist should:
>helmet at all costs
>bicycle tubes
>patch kit(to patch punctures if you get anywhere)
>tools(you bike specific Allen key size better yet a Multitool)
>water bottle
>a handy snack or some chocolate bar
>a cellphone
and at 4:45 called my friend Ilyaas who i was supposed to catch jetty with at 5:30 am. well he didn't pick!
after calling 6-12 time until he woke up at 7:30 am, i rushed up his home waited mins for him to arrive and we started at at our journey at 8 ish maybe. now cycling can be any road, mountain or many types i may have to list just to tell. but we were mountain bikers, we use to ride only off-road and some what road(more than some what). our general routine for Sunday was get to our building spot by riding(18 km one way) or by jetty(which we had to ride till 10 km as well). start building and practice on the feature we built(one sometimes two features per Sunday). so we met a friend Savio(great Mounatainbiker with awesome DH)at jetty and got to Manori and rode till sun and shades where we were supposed to meet Slade(2018 Indian nation DH champ).
we met Slade and had some breakfast(Poha,its awesome) with one of Slade's friend,had a nice chat and set off for our riding/building spot. not all but some mountain bikers build.It is great to improve skills by building and learn from some experienced and skilled person. we got to our spot wore knee pads and kept out bags under our rain-coats and started discussion to build a groovy berm.
I and Savio collected stones, while Slade and Ilyaas were working on the groove(step), as we got the stone all of us started placing them in a curved way at the outer side of our groove, in just 15-20 mins we built a nice berm and started practicing, the key to build these features is to look at the whole feature at sum and not focus on just one thing and use you hands, in rainy season you can build good features using hand and they will stay for all your long once its dry and better yet let roots and plants grow in them, it'll help the berm to not erode. after some practice and learning we rested for a few minutes and started to work on a pre-built jump built by Savio and Ilyaas some weeks back. we made it longer and increased the height of the lip. we started by digging holes beside the jump and collecting stones again(never make a jump out of just mud, put mud over stones to make the job 5 x easier). after we were done it was 2 or 3 pm, i had got a call from mom ready to give me pasting if i don't get home in an hour, so we went to sun & Slade and had some food i really appreciate Slade's dad for serving us hot tasty lunch, if someone provides you food, be loyal to them.
so after lunch i and Ilyaas made a run and went by the 18 km route, the rest journey was a blur and i went home ate and stated studying :P.
conclusion:
>cycling is a good way to refresh yourself and you dont need a ton of money, just get any bike and the necessary stuff which will run with you for years to come.
> having fun doesn't require a long trip, investing in any activity and building your skills will always help, be passionate about the task at hand with the people you are.
>to start cycling you can join passionate groups in Mumbai such as:
wheel and barrels,Mumbai Mtb Offroaders,BCA and many more.
you can contact me via Instagram as well
join us on rides, all it takes is passion.
>the budget is very low:
@20-40 bucks for jetty(if taken)
@50-100 bucks (to eat)
@spare money to go by auto(if you get an injury or bike gets some damage or due to some reason you had to)
I mean i can afford these trips as a student,anyone can
contacts:
>my instragram id: riyanest
