My name is Sharath, and I love machines! Growing up in Kochi, I was never a big traveller, but my love for motorbikes took me to places in and around Kerala. All I wanted to do was ride for hours, see more of the world, and learn more about the people in it.

The recent lockdown put a break to my wanderer life; that’s when I took to cycling. Initially, it seemed to be a bit of a struggle. Like every beginner cyclist, I too struggled with saddle sores, covering short distances, and others. But I realized cycling was helping me improve my physical as well as mental strength.

As I continued cycling and pushing my limits, I realized my long-standing health issues due to a weakened nerve improved drastically. I lost a lot of weight too and am in the best of my health today. Now I feel I should have started cycling long back.

My bicycle has taken me to some places I could have never visited on my motorbike. I could also achieve a considerably higher average speed effortlessly, something I was not confident of achieving initially.

I challenged myself to ride to Munnar, this time on my bicycle and not the motorbike. At the foothills, I thought I’d never make it to the top. But I kept on pedaling, slowly gained confidence, and completed the ride. This has been my best personal achievement to date. Now, riding 1500m elevation doesn’t seem unbelievable. My bike played its part in taking me through the course and giving me confidence for riding long distances, and I absolutely love it.

Why am I saying all of this now? The last year and the pandemic has definitely helped us reflect and realize a lot of things. Given that we are in a similar situation I would urge my fam to stay in, reflect and realize, for such situations only make us stronger. Come tomorrow, you will and always #RedefineYourLimits