The Pedal Pushers

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cycling club founded in 2011 by Lalanthi Rajapakse and co founded by Dharshini Ariyaratne stands for, apart from its name, for passion and perseverance. This non-profit group began with the need to share a wonderful experience of a healthy life style, a positive attitude, and to create awareness that will help our environment by taking up an Eco friendly sport, to bring together like minded people to make a difference in people’s lives.

Our goal is to encourage people to cycle, as a recreational sport that a family can do together, a couple can do for fun to enhance their relationship, and one that can help, health conscious individuals to improve on their own fitness. This in turn encourages people to appreciate the environment around us, to improve the respect and understanding between cyclists and motorists, to raise awareness of safety while cycling by observing road rules. We hope to give back to society, the enjoyment and benefits that cycling has given us.

This is the reason Pedal Pushers with much enthusiasm and dedicated volunteers, organized the first mass fun ride, a first of its kind, with the idea to increase the number of people taking to cycling. The Colombo Cycle Fun Ride’ in 2012,at the Viharamahadevi Park road side was a carnival style free event, that drew close to 300 cyclists and cheering onlookers. It was a huge success! The years 2013 and 2014 has seen this event grow with the

participation of leading cycling stores some of which have given away bicycles as prizes at the raffle draws. The Fun Ride includes a 25 km mass ride for adults and teens and a short and fun ride for kids which is safely marshaled by pedal pusher marshals, and police motor bike escorts. The ride ends in a carnival style atmosphere with fun, interesting games to win, food and live music and cycle stalls. All in all, it was a memorable day in the day of a cyclist.

Over the years we have taken up worthy charity causes to champion. “Heart for Heart” a charity ride to raise money for the heart unit in the Karapitiya Hospital. Environment day rides, championing Women’s day against Violence, and the recent 1333 Bikeathon, to raise awareness of suicide in Sri Lanka, a 1333 km ride for 13 days around the island, in which we were event partners. And we hope to continue.

The Pedal Pushers have a membership of over 100 people and a fan base well into the thousands. We are a group of people from all walks of life, and professions, and nationalities that gather two to three times a week to cycle. There is no payment to become a member, but your person on a bicycle!

Our regular Wednesday night rides start from Independence Square. This is a road ride with fun off- road elements ridden on mountain bikes. The “weekend warrior” rides are off road rides on Saturday mornings from Malabe and Sunday mornings from Madiwala. All rides start off at 6.15 am. These rides can be wonderfully muddy, or dry depending on the weather. We pass through lush paddy fields, rubber estates and gravel paths, up hills and down hills, scenic rides by the side of rivers and marsh land and sometimes, we carry our bikes over bridges with dozens of steps being the only access. Our rides offer fun, challenging and technical trails for the seasoned rider, as well as easy going training rides for anyone with the enthusiasm to try. Tuesday nights are for road cycling, which is geared to build speed and endurance on road bikes.

It’s wonderful to see the government’s initiative to add bike paths at various public parks. This encourages more people to take up the healthy and fun recreation of cycling. We would like to see new trails for “off roading”. If cycle lanes are added on the main roads in Colombo along with secured cycle parking bays, this will encourage more people to take up cycling as a means of transport. It is also important to increase the motorists’ awareness toward cyclists to ensure their safety. More people cycling as a mode of transport will in turn reduce the traffic congestion in the city along with pollution.

Sri Lanka is a fantastic cycling destination and we hope to see more steps taken that will further enhance the cycling experience. The Pedal Pushers organize exciting out of town day rides, off roading trips as frequently as possible, Galle, Kalutara, Bentota,

Kitulgala, Ranna,to name a few places. Usually these rides have a great response and sometimes turn out to be family outings, building camaraderie among the cyclists. There is never a dull moment, and never a moment when one is left behind, we always look out for each other, and motivate others to never quit, when you see the endless hill up ahead, but instead to keep going or keep trying!