A cyclist's response to Overdrive's attack on cycles

Cycles are a man’s best friend when it comes to any distance in urban metros especially (Getty Images)

“Hi there! Yes, you, Mr Cyclist. The one in the fancy aerodynamic helmet, and clothes so tight that they’ve probably choked the blood flow to your brain.”

Hey there Vikrant! I ride wearing baggy clothing for increased wind resistance. I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t wear a helmet despite riding a hybrid. A majority of cyclists don’t wear helmets or tight clothes. Those are the guys who are out of bed before the sun rises and bring us our milk and newspapers in the morning. A cycle is a common man’s preferred mode of transport. Cheap, sturdy and reliable. The fancy cycling gear you are talking about costs about as much as a simple bike does.

“Yes, you, the one in pseudo-rubber tights who probably wanted to be a deep sea diver, but ran short of money and so the rubber suit is a lot shorter than prescribed. You, the one riding that thin-as-a-twig bicycle but riding it as if you had rocket boosters stuck to your behind. What’s with the manic riding; the senseless filtering through traffic; the dangerous and uncouth overtaking; the mindless swerving across lanes as if the highway was a cycling track with no one on it but you?”

Leaving aside the allegation of every cyclist’s secret urge to be a deep sea driver, thin and light bikes make for faster and more efficient riding. I do ride like a manic. Covering 15 km in about half an hour requires one to pedal hard. Regardless of how hard a cyclist pedals, they barely sustain speed compared to motorbikes or even scooters. We cyclists only look like manics since our legs are chugging like pistons. I do filter through stationary or crawling traffic. Imagine if three cyclists queued up one after another behind one car. Would you really want that when the bikers can just sift through the gaps? As for dangerous and uncouth overtaking, the vast majority of cyclists are exceptionally wary when it comes to overtaking.

I’ll explain what goes through a biker’s head while overtaking a vehicle from the right-- What if a pedestrian/road bump blocks the path of the vehicle ahead and the driver swerves to the right?- What if some pedestrian runs across the car and into my path?- What if there’s another vehicle trying to overtake from behind me?