Funmi Ogundare
Members of the Cycology Riding Club, recently, joined their counterparts to commemorate the World Bicycle Day themed, ‘ Let’s Ride Lagos’ aimed at using the bicycle as a tool for healthy lifestyle and creating social impact.
Speaking with journalists after members of the club took a ride to some parts of Lagos, the Vice Captain, Internal Ride, Cycology, Mr. Gboyega Durojaiye, noted that though cyling is seen as a sport, but the club was making efforts to introduce it as a way of life.
According to him, “Cycling is seen only as a sport in Nigeria, but we are trying to introduce it as a way of life. The entire world is now going green, so rather than drive your car, its better for you to ride your bicycle and it makes you live a healthier live style and clearer minds and that’s why we go round the neighbourhood to tell them about how safe cycling is.”
He said people in Lagos perceive cycling as a dangerous thing to do, noting this is a wrong notion and that when people ride together, its a lot more safer.
“I have been cycling in Lagos for about 10 years now and when we ride together as a club, it’s more safer. We have cycled to other states outside Lagos, such as Abeokuta and Abuja,but basically we ride within Lagos and that is what we do every weekend. When people see you doing something, they will tend to contribute and see how fit we are doing it, “Durojaiye said.
He commended some of its partners such as Ilubirin, Hygeia, AVIS, Diamond/Access Bank, among others for their support , adding that the club was planning to organise a race around Lagos to further create more awareness about cycling being seen as something that will make one healthy, live longer and think clearly.
Membership Secretary Cycology Cycling Club, Mrs. Temitope George, emphasised on the impact of cycling on the health and mental wellbeing saying that it is a way of also making oneself happy.
She opined that riding the bicycle is already creating a social impact, adding that with its partnership with the Lagos state government on the non motorised transportation system, it has gone a long way in ensuring that all road users including cylists have rights to the road.
She said, “we have our campaign; ‘The Share the Road Campaign’, which is about creating awareness and educating other road users that we all have rights to use the road. You find out that a lot of motorists are not comfortablle with cyclists on the road, but the more they see us cycling, they know that we are all road users and we all have rights to the road. The highway code recognises that.”
The secretary emphaised on some of the activities the club had emarked on to inlude; provision of bicycles for girls in rural community, to enable them get to their various schools.
“The bicycle is already creating social impact and we partnered with African Cycling Foundation to do that. This year we donated 20 bicycles for girls in rural communities to get to school because it is a means of transportation and that is what the UN calls it. They celebrate the uniqueness and longevity in the bicycle and safe and reliable means of transportation.”
