Bengaluru: The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly made the lives of citizens topsy-turvy. People are forced to stay indoors as they fear contracting the virus if they step out.  

Sitting at home for months with no exercise has made many health conscious. Bengalureans are not left far behind.  

While COVID-19 is causing fatalities across the world, Bengalureans are getting fitter each day. Social distancing measures and closure of gyms kept people indoors, which meant lack of activity would take a mental and physical toll after a while.

Across the world this has been a perfect opportunity to promote a clean, healthy, and socially distanced personal transport.

The window of opportunity presented itself and some Bengalureans have grabbed it with both hands, and legs.

Many bicycle riders are using the Strava app, a tracking application used by sports persons worldwide.

Bicyclists can tag their ride as commute or leisure in this app. Strava has a platform called Metro, which gives insights to cities on bicycle-riding patterns and enables decision-making on infrastructure.

While cycling has become more of a daily routine for many people, a few residents take this opportunity to go on long morning rides with family and friends and have some great breakfast.

According to many cycle shop owners and dealers the sale of cycles has increased post lockdown.

Many shopkeepers claim that there has been a 60% rise in queries through calls and showroom visits. Out of the queries 50% translate into sales.

The benefits of cycling are many: 

1.    It improves cardiovascular fitness. 
2.    It increases muscle strength. 
3.    It increases joint mobility. 
4.    It decreases stress levels.