I want to ride my bicycle, i want to ride my bike

Oh, how we'd wait for the summer holidays to come, because other than going for morning runs and heading to the club it was bicycle time.

All the kids in the colony zipping around on bicycles hired from Hemant or Rocky. And though loyalty demanded we hire from Rocky (him being a colony boy), Hemant was closer so you didn't have to tackle traffic and you reached the colony faster.

Hiring a cycle for an hour, zipping around the blocks, trying to avoid the stones in the path, aunties returning from the market with their black Goa Bags and making sure you didnt get into the soft mud that could make you skid was fun. But the excitement of groups of us tackling traffic outside the colony and riding to Juhu beach had its own satisfaction.

If learning to ride was tough, learning to mount was even tougher, you needed to graslp both handles, have your left foot on the left pedal, propel the bike forward with your right foot and when you got enough traction, lean on your left leg and simultaneously lift your right leg over the seat and onto the right pedal wth your butt ftting onto the seat at the same time, and ensuring continuity of the motion. Once you mastered this, it became art of the system which like bicycle riding; one never forgot.

The guys we admired were the ones who never mounted the cycle; they just ran along their cycles and when they had enough momentum jumped on and sped away. I tried it once. Had to stop take deep breaths and touch my toes, to take away the pain from those private and sensitive parts that had made violent contact with the metal part of the seat.

The biggest challenge when hiring a cycle was keeping track of time, asking every aunty or uncle the time at regular intervals, so as not to be late to return the cycle after the hour was up; and be charged extra. There was however no pleasure greater that going back to Hemant with the ubiquitous question "Uncle time ho gaya" and having "Aur Paach minut" barked at you in that gravelly voice of his.

If you talk cycles in Marinagar, you cannot ignore the D'souza Brothers of 20, Fatima who were obsessed with 2 wheeers of any kind (maybe some day i will write a post on their motor bikes as well).

Sylvester had a Flying Pigeon, Indias First racing bike and he loved the speed. He woud do Marinagar to St Michaels Church via Mori Rd in under 1 minute; something the other guys laughed at, but when they tried it; they never succeeded . He lived on his bike and rode it to work daily. Now you need to remember that Silu then worked in L&T Powai and it was not a short diatance. But Silu loved riding and loved speed and on numerous occasions would on his cycle beat my dad who drove to work in his trusty Fiat at the same location.

Silu is also notorious for the time he left home in a huff and cycled all the way to Goa. A broken fork and exhaustion notwithstanding, he made it there in 24 hours. Just to put this into perspective - today the buses running between BBy and Goa take approx 14 hours to reach on much broader and better roads.

But if Silu loved riding, he had great inspiration from his elder brother Mike who was passionate about it. Mike was the guy who started the cycling craze. I do not think that there is any other guy in the colony who has ridden further than him. Mike has under his belt cycle expeditions to all the way to Agra, and am not too sure whether he made it to Delhi as well on that trip but if ever he reads this I hope he does confirm the same.

Mike had this racer bike that had an Aluminium frame and the thin racing tyres. This bike was imported from the UK and it was one of the first that any of us saw that had bent handles and gears. Mike loved this bike,and it served him well on all his rides across the country and for the races to Poona. On this bike he won the cycling races at the annual Hindustan Lever Sports for 15 years running.

I loved this bike too. Ccoz when my cycle was stolen; Mike ( who had graduated to Mortor bikes by then) generously let me have this cycle for my use. I used it for years through school and college till it finally crumbled with age.

This bike gave me freedom go out and explore areas and things outside of the colony and Mahim and I will always be grateful to Mike for his generosity that allowed me this opportunity.

Thanks Mike.