Covering a 1,400 km journey from Chennai to Vijayawada and then back to Chennai by cycling – if you think he pressed just the pedals to move forward, then you are mistaken. Rather, he pressed his passion, pressed his perseverance, pressed his dreams and eventually they made him move forward.
Meet Gunasekaran Muthuswamy, a member of MFC (Mugappair Fitness Circle) who cycled several thousand kilometres in last five years across India. When this athlete suffered an injury and came to a situation where he had to stop running, little did he know that he is going to make big name in cycling.
For Gunasekaran, there are no stops in his life, at least in his cycling journey. Yes, the 41-year-old resident of Mugappair is all set to participate in upcoming cycle races, in another two months. In an interaction with News Today, the enthusiast shares about his dream path that he travelled so far and his future plans.
“I am basically an athlete. I was more into running. Once I had an injury and doctors advised me to stop running. On a lighter note, I shifted to cycling. Though I did not start it enthusiastically, the speed started thrilling me, slowly.”
PARIS HERO!
“At this juncture, I started the professional training. It was a very slow process. I started off with 100 km, 300 km, and gradually I touched 600 km journey. All these rides were conducted by Audax India, a part of Audax UK. All their rides will have specific timings and control points. We should cross these control points within the given time. In one of my 600 km rides in December 2015, I was honoured with the title of ‘Super Randonneur’ by Audax, Paris, UK.”
BIG RIDES
“Every year a 1,000 km ride will be conducted by Audax, which has to be completed in 70 hours. My first mega ride was from Chennai to Vijayawada and then back to Chennai. The month that I had to take this ride was March. Across the State, there were extreme temperatures. In mornings, the temperature will go as high as 41 degrees, and in the nights it used to be very cold. It was one amazing and challenging ride. This gave me more confidence. After this, I took a short break and in September 2017, we again went on another 1,200 km ride. The path is from Chennai – Thiruvannamalai – Vellore – Javvadhu – Coimbatore – Dindigul – Puducherry – Chennai.”
| WANT TO BE A CYCLIST? |
| “For any aspiring cyclist, fitness is very important. Particularly, more concentration should be given in strengthening muscles. I do some body weight trainings. Since you sit in a single position for long hours flexibility is all you need. Along with them, stretches play a major role. Never get tired of stretching, anywhere, anytime.” |
Gunasekaran can be contacted at 9840088718.