AUGUST 2018 F INDIA TODAY PUNJABI 13Trendsetter Duo
Saran Preeti, 36, and her husband
Abhishek Kashyap , 38, have been
working towards promoting the culture
of bike riding in Punjab. “At first, we
used to cycle with helmets just to set an
example and then we bought second-
hand sophisticated bikes for people to
ride along with us. Riding a good quality
bike changed people’s perception and
some even ended up buying their own
cycles,” says Abhishek, who hails from
Hoshiarpur. The couple have also opened
their own store called The Bike. “This
made it easy for people to buy imported
hybrid and road bikes that are assembled
as per one’s body shape, so that one
enjoys cycling comfortably,” says Preeti.
The duo set in motion a craze for cycling
and have now started going to the Kandi
belt along the Shivalik hills. “We recently
organised Qualifying Race across America
event, which met with a stupendous
response,” says Preeti.Taking the High Road
When Gagandeep Singh Rehal started
cycling in 2016 to get fit, he didn’t know
that this was the beginning of a change
in his life. “Cycling brought me close to
people and places,” says the 34-year-old
corporate sector employee who resides
in Chandigarh. Gagandeep owns two
bikes, Raleigh Talus 27.5 MTB and
UT Edge R1 for a road bike and enjoys
taking part in long distance cycling
races. Gagandeep is currently eyeing to
win the Super Randonneur Challenge
in Paris, in which he has to cover 200,
300, 400 and 600 km in one season till
November 30, 2018.
Riding for Health
“Cycling is the new rage,” says Sumeet
Gill, 48, who works in a textile company
near Chandigarh. This avid cyclist took
to cycling to cure his diabetes. “The easy
accessibility of imported cycles in the
city has seen a surge in the number of
cyclists. Cutting across age groups now,
you can spot them on highways, riding
in groups,” shares Gill, who recently
participated in the Ride of the Storm
cycling event in Nepali, near Morni hills.
Apart from the popular Sukhna Lake,
the Siswan-Baddi road is a favourite
among cyclists from city.