Seven years ago, on January 15, Anil Shet took up cycling to fight his blood pressure and borderline diabetes. He met cyclist Shabari who took him on his first early morning ride at 5.30 am. He completed his first 20 Kms on that day and since then, has been riding every day for almost 30 to 40 Kms.
“Cycling was not my passion but it eventually did become one,” recalls Anil. “I was advised by my wife Dr Ramya, a dentist by profession, to buy the bicycle and not to depend on medication for my High BP.” Speaking to News Karnataka, Anil said that within 6 months of cycling, his blood pressure came to normal.
With this new found passion, Anil joined the Mangaluru Cycling Club (MACC) where he goes on regular morning rides and long rides on weekends with other cyclists. “Initially our MACC morning ride used to be of 20 km distance in 2014, weekends it would be 50 km, then later on in 2015 it increased to 25km and in 2017 it was 30 km. In 2018 it further increased to 40 km and 2020 it was an average of 50 km/ day. In last few weeks it has been increased to 100 km/ day in 4 hours.”
On Saturday April 3, he rode along with fellow cyclists to Tannirbhavi from Mangaluru and back and completed a total of 1 lakh Kms on the saddle. He said that he was indeed grateful to MACC for helping him achieve this goal. “A big thank you to Bhaveesh who has ridden with me more than 40,000 km and Dheeraj Hejmadi who supported me in all club activities,” he expressed.
Anil graduated from Manipal Institute of Technology in Electronic and Communication Engineering, worked for Bharat Electronics Ltd., Bengaluru, then started his own business as a developer. “I have completed numerous projects under the Beetle Developers banner. I currently have another project on the anvil, the Beetle Sanvi,” he said.
As a cyclist at MACC, Anil has ridden with more than 50 new cyclists and guided them and once he felt that they were fit for 100 km ride, he would accompany them and cover the distance at their pace. “At MACC, we don’t charge any fees and all those who are interested can join in,” he said.
Speaking about his cycling experience, Anil says that it helps him start the day with a fresh mind and on a positive note. “I urge everyone to invest at least one hour of their day on any kind of physical activity so the in the future they do not have to resort to medicines to keep their body healthy and fit!”
