Bhubaneswar: Members of the Bhubaneswar Cycling and Adventure Club (BCAC) took on a monsoon special Raja Sankranti Ride. As a happening club of enthusiastic cyclists, runners and adventurists, BCAC never misses a chance to mark special occasions with its events, Raja was one such event.
Taken on May 15, this Raja Sankranti Ride was special for many things and will be remembered as one of the most fun-filled rides of 2020 after a series of shutdowns and lockdowns amidst the global Covid-19 Pandemic. This ride was the first Monsoon Ride of the season, although it was not a group ride respecting the norms of Social Distancing.
On this special day, respecting social distancing norms, we requested BCACians to ride their own routes and reach Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) by 7:30 in the morning. Through it was not raining in the morning, by the time the riders reached NZP, it rained heavily for quite some time. More than 15 riders reached the pre-destined place riding through various routes at different times.
A few days back, BCAC had initiated a crowd-funding call for one of the brightest triathletes of Odisha – Debendra Kumar Hota. It is important to note here that Hota rides a basic non-geared bicycle and won medals in a few competitions in Bhubaneswar. Not only this, but Debendra also has a very fine running form and completed numerous half-marathon events with spectacular timing of 1 hour 20 minutes or nearer.
The President of BCAC, Sanjeeb Panda (IPS), Transport Commissioner of Odisha gifted a LaPierre Audacio 300 with accessories to Debendra in this informal get-together. The BCAC team congratulated and wished him the best for his dream of becoming an Ironman.
After a few cups of tea and a little gossip, the riders dispersed towards their home, marking the end of the first official monsoon ride of the season.
