Sangam city doctors pedal their way to fitness
PRAYAGRAJ: : Sangam city doctors have taken up cycling as a perfect way to remain physically and mentally fit amid these pandemic times.
Cutting across age and gender barriers, the medicos in Prayagraj are going for group cycling outings twice-a-week covering 40 to 60 km stretches each to de-stress and remain fit.
The love for cycling among the doctors of Prayagraj began in November-December 2018 when Dr Atul Dubey, Dr Jaivardhan Rai, Dr Arun Kant, Dr Yugantar Pandey, Dr Chhitij Srivastava, Dr Subodh Jain and Dr Pankaj Gupta formed a cycling group— Two Wheels Thrill.
“Now we have 28 regular members in the group. While before the pandemic, we have even gone on cycling tours to Varanasi and Chitrakoot, but now-a-days we prefer to go on the outskirts of the city,” said Dr Yugantar Pandey, former secretary of Allahabad Medical Association and a noted paediatrician. Dr Anil Shukla, former president of Allahabad Medical Association said, “Most of us in the group are aged between 45 and 65 years. Pandemic has been harsh on our fraternity, and we have lost many dear colleagues. Amid work stress and personal challenges, we found that cycl ing was a great stress buster and twice-a-week cycling helped us gear up for the days ahead.”
Women doctors of Sangam city too formed their own cycling group: Prayagraj Pacers. “I took part in the Indira Marathon in November 2018 in the above-45 age category and bagged third place. Pepped up, I along with Major Farah Deeba formed ‘Prayagraj Pacers’ and today we have 64 members aged between 34 and 60 years including 53 doctors,” said Dr Ritu Jain, a paediatrician. In place of long cycling tours, the women doctors prefer shorter cycling outings which they combine with running and yoga sessions. “Cycling increases cardiovascular fitness, builds muscle strength and flexibility,” said Dr Ritu Jain.