Photo Gallery: Chandigarh Cyclothon 2010

I have to be the first one to admit that waking up at 5.30am did make me wonder

for once, 'WHY??!!!', but the thought of meeting you all was too tempting :)

By 7.30am CATS couldn't wait to hit the road on their bikes :)

Time finally to leave for the venue... CAT HarmeshInder posing with our little ones..

9yrs old CAT Aman and 14yrs old CAT Amanat... with pride :)

One fine day... we will have Adhiraj Inder also joining us.. Amen :)

This is what greeted us at the 15/16-10/11 roundabout... a barricade CAT HarmeshInder

got opened for us respectfully.. while CAT Reema waited.. with attitude :D

We reached the Assembly Point by 7.40am... Main Gate of Home Science College for Girls :P

CAT Vineet joined us as soon as we reached... but where are the rest?

We were soon joined in by CAT Vineet, and another pretty Supreet along with LaDawn.

Rohit called and from his voice it sounded had just woken up! CAT Reeta nearly

chickened out of the event but set herself from home.

CAT AR 'tele-reported' as he was running a little behind schedule too.

With helmets waiting on the handles...

Hydrating fluids ready in our bottles...

Our sustenance money and mobiles tucked away neatly in CATTY clutches ;-)

LaDawn looked towards one side... time was ticking on.. still waiting for about 10 more to join us...

CAT Sanjeev arrived quietly and CAT Davinder came with the florescent jackets

for all of us, saving us having to queue up again at the jackets counter

in the holding area. CAT Sandy marked her absence on the phone due to fever.

Surprises of all surprises, CAT Rajpal was LATE!

CAT Reema looked the other way to ensure she can wave any stray CAT down the road ;-)

It was 8am by now... and CAT HarmeshInder was really getting agitated.. where the hell is Rohit???

A GYAA??!!!

How many times I told you that the main gate of home Science College has changed

since the days you used to make rounds of the college ;-)

while all this was unfolding at the assembly point, CAT Sanjeev sat quietly on the footpath... just observing ;-)

and just when we thought CATS had had their share of fun for the day...

we came across this guy who rode the bike in reverse sitting on the handle!!

CAT Reema shouted at us all, 'Bachhe saambh lo aapne'

The line up in the making at the holding area...

Sun was shining but we were still under the soothing shade of trees.

Holding Area was well organised affair.

There was no chaos and no rush of people trampling over each other.

Last minute touches being given... CAT Sanjeev pinning the bib onto CAT Aman's T-Shirt

Pint sized CAT Aman was our main concern since he was riding his new adult size bike!

OK TESTED ;-)

If you see carefully, you will find a kid sitting behind his father on a

dual seat/dual pedal bike.... regardless that his legs could not reach the pedals and

his fingers barely kissed the handle bar :)

However confusion reigned high for a few minutes when the organisers told us

to start off with another segment. After a few minutes of dilly-dallying,

we were told to pedal off at 8.45am and there was no looking back after that.

CATS flagged off... YIPPIE!!!

and soon after I lost my cap to the wind... fortunately CAT Davinder retrieved it back for me :)

The gang having fun on the road.. MEOW :)

It was amazing to see how the new ones who had come to the fold a few minutes ago,

automatically became the very being of each other. CAT Sanjeev was looking over

both the kids from the holding area itself. CAT Reema had met CAT Sanjeev for the

first time, but hit it off straight away. Two no-frills CATS! CAT Rajpal and CAT Davinder

took charge of CAT Aman to ensure he does not get knocked over by anyone

even by mistake. CAT AR we found just after the Golf club and CAT Savneet managed

to find me thanks to the CATS T-shirt and cap i was wearing.

CAT HarmeshInder, our new pretty Supreet and LaDawn would stop every so often

to allow me to catch up with them. It was camaraderie all over again.

aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai :)

Three charming friends with salt n pepper hair/beard met us on the way

who were all too happy to say hello, 'We are all under 17!!'

and we caught up with our fellow CATS on the road who could not reach the assembly point in time...

CAT AR and CAT Savneet got introduced on the road!

Our first timer, the pretty Supreet and LaDawn waiting for the last batch of CATS to catch up with them :)

CAT Rajpal keeping CAT Aman safe on the road.. on beautiful city roads... BLISS :)

CATS beyond the finishing line...

CAT Vineet touched the finishing line at 9.30am, followed by CAT Amanat,

CAT Reema and CAT Sanjeev at 9.45am. The rest of the gang clocked in

soon after, but not before witnessing a little accident half a kilometer

short of the finishing line. A boy around 10years of age had fallen off his bike

and had suffered a cut above his left ear. Though it was a little frightening

to see a little splattered on the road but the kid was promptly given first aid by the marshalls.

I requested for an ambulance which arrived within minutes and took the boy

to the hospital. Little incidents like these do make you could your lucky stars.

You automatically become grateful for being part of a group, in which everyone

takes pride in each other and we all look out for each other. That kid was unknown to us,

but we all stopped. He could easily have been our own CAT Aman or CAT Ansh.

That's the least we could do as human beings.

With gratitude deep in our hearts and happines warming our souls, we touched the finishing line at 9.55am.

we could not leave the grounds without a BIG MEOW to our little CAT Aman,

who did 20kms on an adult sized bike...

Proud of you little one.. CAT Aman demanded to know why he could not run

Delhi Half Marathon (21.097kms) with me in November?

CAT HarmeshInder played the perfect host for CATS... the freshly made nimbu pani with

nutricious biscuits and wafers..

and flavoured milk on offer too for the ones who wanted.

If every event is to begin and end like this... then I want an event to take place every week ;-)

- CAT Supreet