Soak in the sights and sounds of SoBo at this breakfast cycling tour. Plus, our guide to exploring the city and beyond on wheels
Cycling around Flora Fountain
We went cycling last weekend. You would think that cruising down familiar streets won’t be too different from the dozens of times you’ve walked through or driven past them. But one of the many reasons why our breakfast ride in South Bombay (SoBo) served up new experiences was because the sights and sounds of the city are different at different hours of the day. Led by Wowfarers, a travel platform, these cycling trails take place every weekend. Participants can choose from midnight or breakfast rides in SoBo, or can pedal to Uttan and Manori.
This writer opted for an early morning spin around the southern tip of the city. Gathering at one of the Pasta Lanes in Colaba sharp at 7 am, we flag off the ride which takes us to Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Flora Fountain, Chowpatty, Asiatic Library and back to Colaba. At the meeting point, we are handed a tetra pack of ORS, a helmet and neon safety vests, and given plenty of time to choose and test the cycle we’d like to ride. The trail kicks off with founder Akshay Shetty detailing some simple instructions and then taking the lead. Akshay Chaudhary, a volunteer, trails behind to keep the flock together.
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Cycling around Marive Drive
The breakfast route is a 16-km stretch, making it an easier option to start with than the 25-km midnight event. The two-and-a-half-hour ride is well paced out. We make two closely-placed pit stops at the start before picking up speed. Weekends at Marine Drive get hectic, but we stop for a group picture and a game. The game acts as an ice-breaker for our 10-member group — an important step considering how riders later look out for each other on the road. Over-enthusiastic about sight-seeing, this writer often found herself tailing the group. It was reassuring to have Chaudhary and the other experienced participants slow down to check up on us and ensure we didn’t get lost.
By the time we hit the Chowpatty stretch to Flora Fountain, the sun begins to bear down, but it’s manageable now in November. While the team recommends carrying a cap, water and a snack, we suggest adding sunscreen. It’s this last sunny stretch that makes the breakfast at the end at Madras Cafe taste even better.
Akshay Shetty instructs participants at the starting point in Colaba. Pics/Ashish Raje
While the route is pre-planned, there’s room for flexibility as Shetty judges the pace. “On one trip, when we reached Marine Drive, we got off our cycles and joined a Zumba group,” he recalls, adding, “We come for the experience, not the schedule.” Shalini Acharya, who has experienced the midnight ride, shares, “The breakfast ride is easier than the midnight ride that starts at 11 pm. Both offer different experiences of the city than we’re used to.” Cycling at these hours does help slow down the weekend from escaping, and not just because you feel the ache of every motion as you pedal.
ON Every Sunday
MEETING POINT Colaba; 7 am
LOG ON TO wowfarers.com
COST Rs 350 (without renting cycle); Rs 770 (with rented cycle)
CALL 9137371473
Pedal away
1. Cycle through paddy fields and coconut groves in Alibaug.
LOG ON TO konkanpedals.in
2. Join a 35-km midnight cycling heritage ride in SoBo.
LOG ON TO wanderingsouls.in
3. North Mumbai bicycle tour from SGNP to Gorai Beach.
LOG ON TO mumbaidreamtours.com
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