Sunday Nov 17, 2024
Sunday Nov 17, 2024
Tuesday, 7 July 2015 12:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Fun, fitness, and friendship, this is the ethos of the Pedal Pushers cycling group that was formed on the 10 March 2010 by two enthusiasts Lalanthi Rajapakse and Dharshini Ariyaratne.
With a history spanning over half a decade, the ‘Pedal Pushers’ have been pedalling their way to promote a change in the mind set of cycling, perceiving it not only as a sport but a healthy lifestyle. What began as a male dominated hobby/sporting activity in Sri Lanka, has evolved into a dynamic and well participated family outdoor activity today.
The ‘Colombo Cycle Fun Ride 2015’ is an example of the popularity of this sport amongst all age groups and genders, where a city ride cum carnival atmosphere is created on 26 July at the Race Course in Colombo. The main idea of the event is to propagate the love for this sport mixed with entertainment amongst a wide section of enthusiasts. As illustrated by the three previous years of the event, the ‘Colombo Cycle Fun Ride’ is an ideal entry point for newcomers to experience the excitement of this sport.
The Pedal Pushers have enjoyed organising a spectrum of rides held throughout the year. For example, every Tuesday is dedicated for a fitness training road ride around Vihara Mahadevi Park and a city ride for busy executives on Wednesday nights.
Exciting off-road rides are also organised over the weekend and a ‘Mud Bunnies’ ride once a month exclusively for ladies. Every once in a while, exciting terrain is explored out of the city with both off-road and road rides spanning 100km and more. Continuing the spirit of the sport, this community sport activity encourages participation in social responsibility initiatives, corporate fitness programs and also fun and fellowship.
Since its inception, the Pedal Pushers have been part of many humanitarian projects and this year, they are proud to have some of Sri Lanka’s admired brands coming together to sponsor this year’s edition of the Colombo Cycle Fun Ride, the proceeds of which will be donated to the National Cancer hospital in Maharagama in order to support the patient care program.
“The Colombo Cycle Fun Ride began three years ago in 2012 because of a passion to make a difference to share this wonderful experience with other likeminded people. Cycling is a sport that enhances ones life›s experiences and it can also be considered as a means of eco-friendly and alternative transport. Therefore we as a community should take up the responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint. It is indeed a great pleasure to be part of a well-established family event that instils the value of cycling as a sport and fun activity but also reminds us of the importance of giving back. A big thank you to E- FM and our esteemed sponsors for collaborating with us for the fourth consecutive year and empowering the success of the ‘Colombo Cycle Fun Ride’,” said the founder of the ‘Pedal Pushers,’ Lalanthi Rajapakse.
The Pedal Pushers would like to invite all men, women, children, corporates and institutions to be a part of this sporting extravaganza which will be a spring board for regular community rides throughout the year. In order to be updated on the Colombo Cycle Fun Ride, visit https://www.facebook.com/PedalPushersCyclists.
