Learning to Ride with the Bangalore Bicycling School

A passionate squad of seasoned cyclists and instructors, piloted by urologist Dr Ali Poonawala volunteer to teach the art of cycling to many, including older adults at the Bangalore Bicycling School.

When the ban on motorized vehicles inside the premises of Bengaluru’s green lung space Cubbon Park was implemented in 2015, an idea brewed in the hearts of Dr Ali Poonawala, Chidambaram Subramanian and Anil Kadsur from the Bangalore Bikers Group. Why not teach people of all age groups how to cycle instead? They came together to start the Bangalore Bicycling School (BBS) to provide training sessions and cycles to interested learners, including older adults, free of cost every weekend.

The school runs its sessions in three locations – Sadashivanagar and Begur on Saturdays and Cubbon Park on Sundays.

On a clear Sunday morning, I had a charming visit to Cubbon Park to meet the group– spotting cyclists, skateboarders, joggers, and runners outstretched in all directions. A quiet road near the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association in Cubbon Park led me to Dr. Poonawala, Parag Patankar, and a group of trainers and female volunteers from PedalShaala teaching learners to ride the saddle. PedalShaala is a free-for-all bicycle training program launched by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) and Karnataka Bicycle Dealers’ Association (KBDA) in March 2023.

The oldest trainee for the day was Roshni, a 72-year-old Yoga teacher and swimmer. Despite the sporty accomplishments in her life, cycling jitters were not a stranger to her as she sat on the cycle for the second time in her life after a gap of 60 years. In two hours of extensive and heedful training, I saw a fervent spark reignite within her.

Roshni’s cycling dreams were triggered by her visits overseas. “My husband was against the idea of me learning to cycle at my age. He said no, you will break your bones. My family had all cycled on our trip to Amsterdam with 2000 cycles parked in that area. I was in San Francisco when I found out about Bangalore Bicycling School online. The minute I stepped foot in Bangalore, I met Dr. Ali and joined the school!”, says an ecstatic Roshni. 

Saraswati, the financial head of a company, was in her fourth session. By now, the sessions had instilled enough confidence in her to scoot down the roads of Sadashivnagar.

“I never thought in my life I would do this. To me, it is so empowering that I can do this. The trainers took me as I am. Suma (her trainer) is so friendly and welcoming. I wait for Saturday to arrive from Friday night itself!”

For many older women, learning how to cycle is a way of empowerment and emancipation. For some older men like Dr Muni Swamappa, it is an attempt at rekindling his youth. Dr Swamappa is “75-year-old only” and has been riding his bike for over a month now.

The trainers at Bangalore Bicycling School apply several strategies in their teaching and follow an extensive 6-step process – mounting, dismounting, resting position, establishing equilibrium, scooting, and pedalling. The golden rule is to perpetually slant your cycle towards the left while landing and relaxing the foot after applying brakes.

The trainers ensure that every step of the training is completed to perfection and provide immense encouragement and reassurance for the trainees to persevere, no matter what their age is.

I was invited to a personal training session, where Dr Poonawala assisted me to strengthen my turning technique and taught me to perform the half-pedal.

How has learning to cycle impacted older adults? 

Patankar, who has been part of the school since the beginning, believes that the introduction of battery-assisted bikes has proven to be an enormous boon for the elderly. Earlier older adults had fears of a decline in endurance while cycling. Patankar believes the electrically assisted bikes have significantly reduced that anxiety.

As for learning how to cycle, most older adults feel enthused about an activity that is considered unusual for them. In fact, he and the trainers observe that older learners learn very enthusiastically and are more ardent than younger people about turning up for class and putting in the required effort.

Most older students come with three primary fears – the fear of falling, the fear of derision as a result of social stigma around the elderly taking up any sport or activity, and the fear of not being good enough. The central motto of the school is safety – and learners are taught how to balance effectively and how to fall safely, should such a situation occur.

A standout memory for me was witnessing a touching exchange between the exuberant Roshni and an astonished onlooker who was around her age and peering at the learners. Dr Poonawala and Roshni warmly urged her to join them next weekend. The onlooker expressed apprehensions about her age and alluded that her saree may not be considered fit for sportswear. Roshni reassured her, creating a safe and encouraging space for the passerby to try something new –a poignant moment of bonding. 

I’ll carry the memory with me for a while.

Connect with the Bangalore Bicycling School here: https://www.facebook.com/learncycling/

Cover image courtesy: BBS

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