Bicycling has long been a passion and I used to bicycle a lot, till after my graduation. When I moved to Pune, however, I swapped the bicycle for the motorcycle and that I soon found my fitness levels dropping and weight ballooning. The first thing I’d observed on my first visit to Linköping in August of 2012 was the unmistakable bicycling culture of the city; It brought back memories of when I used to bike actively. I decided right then that the first thing I’d do when I moved was to buy myself a bicycle. Within a week of moving, I found a good deal on a used bike and started riding to work.  Though I found a couple of uphill stretches quite daunting, I managed to not only ride it everyday but also did it right through the winter, not even chickening out when there was heavy snow!

When I found a place to rent in Skäggetorp, which was just under five kilometers to my work place, I jumped at it, as it was just the right distance; Not close enough to walk but not far enough to discourage a daily commute by bike, while still giving me some much needed exercise. What I did not realize then was just how good this newly renewed interest would prove to me. I was timing my ride to the workplace each day, and I found the gradual improvements that I was making very encouraging. Before long, I was not only getting fitter, but also found the much needed push from within, to quit my smoking habit. I quit in March 2013 and haven’t gone back. In May 2013, I got my first real experience of long distance biking in over a decade, when I went on a biking holiday in Mallorca. I accrued exactly 500 kilometers in the week that I spent there, gaining familiarity with the bike that I went on to buy. Since then, I've successfully completed my first Halvvättern and Vätternrundan rides, in June 2014, taking 06:49 hrs and 14:44 hrs respectively, signalling to myself that I’d well and truly rediscovered the joy of biking long distances.

After crossing the finish line of  Halvvättern, 2014