10000

I started cycling late in life. I learnt cycling in summer vacation after finishing 8th standard in 1997. I cycled for 4 years to school, then 4 years in engineering. In 2005, I was 52kgs and 177cm. I shifted to Bangalore (now Bengaluru), where I relied primarily on Public transportation to commute and move in the city. I hated private Auto-rickshaw's and cabs were more or less non existent. For 18 months I shifted to Noida/Delhi and had loaned my father's Suzuki Zen for about 7 months.

After I returned to Bangalore, my wife bought Honda Aviator 125cc scooter, in May 2012. After this I was either using public transport or scooter to office. This continued till July 2013, when in ~1 year of having a scooter, I gained 15kgs in weight.

September 2011 - 49kgs

July 2013 - 79 Kgs

July 2013 - Got the bicycle

July 2014 - 62 Kgs - After ~4000km cycling.

Yesterday I completed 10,000 km, after starting cycling again in 2013. It took ~3 years and 500+ times commute to office, which is 8km each side.

In my previous post I had shared statistics at 6 months mark. At 3 year mark, total savings are now ~Rs. 25,000 in terms of fuel alone. I would not paint commuting by bicycle as something fancy. It’s about making an investment in a bicycle, and then using it for short distances. Having 8 years of cycling experience in School and College, it was not difficult for me to cycle on any kind of road and any kind of traffic. However, those with less experience should first bicycle on interior and low traffic roads. And as always don’t forget the helmet.

Best, Umang