Bicycles and breakfast: Here are some cycling routes you can explore in Mumbai

Two wheels held together by a chain and propelled with kinetic energy and some sturdy legs always equalled something akin to freedom as we grew up riding a bicycle around the city Itrsquos no wonder that even the world earmarked a day to tip its hat to the activity of getting on a bicycle and wandering aboutAs the city witnesses the Coastal Road project or the metros across the length and breadth of the city and the brandnew airport construction picks up speed we speak to people who have mapped out routes for themselves and others mdash making sure that the bicycle always finds a place on the roadThe Treks and Trails groupSarfaraz Baghdadi started Treks and Trails back in 2012 when people still made analogue connections With a few years of tinkering around the group finally came up with a route that they have stuck by and which begins from Colaba during the nighttime due to Mumbairsquos infamous traffic snarls ldquoWe head from Colaba to Nariman Point then to Wilson College and towards Babulnath Haji Ali Worli seaface go past Mahalaxmi Station then to Jacob Circle at Byculla then back to CSMT station Asiatic Library and then back to Colabardquo says BaghdadiThe route run by Treks and Trails covers 30 km starts at 11 pm and heads into the wee hours ending around 330 am to 4 am Baghdadi adds The ride does have stops every halfhour depending on how tired the group feels but Baghdadi assures us that people can stop and head home if they feel that it is too much for them to take ldquoSome do take the exit at Breach Candy for example but that is why there are breaks mdash so no one feels too tired and we also make sure that during this breaks we take on light interactive gamesrdquo he addsMihir Sanghani of the Treks and Trails groupWith the early monsoon this year Baghdadi tells us the beauty of this route is that it ldquonever floodsrdquo and it is ldquosomething really beautifulrdquo to cycle in the rains at Nariman Point Vijay Barai part of the bicycle group Wandering Souls says that their nighttime bicycle ride starts at Colaba and ends at Matungarsquos Ramashray Hotel at 5 am where new friendships are further bolstered by sharing a breakfast ldquoPeople who are thinking of cycling should also have a theme in mind If they want to see iconic places in their area or they want to start at night and loop around to breakfast in their neighbourhood It helps to map out your route better if you have a start and finish pointrdquo he addsOther than Colaba and SoBo both cyclists have recommendations for those who live in the suburbs For example Baghdadi points in the direction of the western suburbs first ldquoThe Sanjay Gandhi National Park SGNP is a good place to go and do a nice long ride Another can be from Borivlirsquos Charkop area and then you can take the jetty to the other side to Marve in Malad then ride back from Gorai even to Manori There is an East Indian colony there itrsquos very prettyrdquo he says ldquoAnother route can be Versova to Madh Island and ride out to Malad and take the link road Additionally the Shivaji Park area is a good area to ride and if you really want to be adventurous then you can head to Sewri fort and see flamingos near the Bombay Port Trust area like Daruwalardquo he addsFor those early risers Barai recommends Manori ldquoFor a morning breakfast ride we go to Manori side you have to take a ferry from Gorai and there is a route from Manri to Pagoda This route is one of my favourites because it is a shaded route on both sides of the roadrdquo he saysSo what are you waiting for Hop on that bikeWhere to rent a bicycleHappy CyclesThis 75yearold establishment on 3rd Pasta Lane in Colaba houses over 120 cyclesNongeared cycles cost R120 per hour while geared cycles cost R150 per hourManori Hills amp Beach CyclingRs 799Average renting time is four to five hours atOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params