On the wings of bicycle: Pedalling their way to freedom

Greater Noida (West): Cyclists here celebrated the International Women's Day with a special eight-km ride from Kisan Chowk to D Park in MU-I in Greater Noida on Sunday.

The idea was to encourage women not only to adopt a healthy lifestyle but also to accommodate others who stay away from public space fearing for their safety in the region.

Greater Noida West is prominently in the news for many criminal activities fearing which not many females opt to cycle around the area.

The ride which was organised by the Greater Noida West Cycling Club (GNWCC) appreciated by the female attendees with a plant each.

Ajay Kumar, a member of the club and resident of Trident Embassy in Sector 1, told CitySpidey that the club's motive is to promote fitness and to save the environment by reducing vehicular emissions.

He added, "When the club was started, our objective was to build a healthier community but soon we realised lack of female participation. Our club has 50 members with only three female members. This made us sit back and think of providing a safe platform for the women so that they don’t feel any insecurity at a place where they live.” 

The celebration saw participation of men and women cyclist. Several children also accompanied their mothers.

Geetanjali Kushwaha, a participant, told CitySpidey, "I joined my daughter, I wanted her to feel comfortable. We women tend to be so much invested in work that we hardly do something for ourselves. This Women's Day, after 11 years of marriage I dedicated the entire day to myself and the energy I drove came from riding cycle early in the morning.”

Sharing her happiness, Geetanjali said that her eight-year-old daughter accompanied her and rode her cycle all by herself and covered 7 km.