People brave winter chill to join Fit India Cyclothon by Smart City, BMC

Bhubaneswar, Dec 27: More than 300 cyclists braved the winter chill of the year-end today in the Temple City to participate in the Fit India Cyclothon Campaign, which was organised by Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. The event, which was flagged off from Ekamra Plaza near Sishu Bhawan Square, culminated at Sikharchandi Hills, covering a distance of 12.1 km The event also had the august presence of Arjuna Awardee cyclist Minati Mohapatra and CEO of Smart City and BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary. Welcoming the participants and making an appeal to stay fit by cycling, the eminent cyclist said that if we continue the good practice then Corona could also be prevented as cycling would enhance immunity like other exercises. The Smart City CEO and BMC Commissioner said "resident welfare associations have started adopting cycling as a community activity and BMC has been removing encroachments from cycle tracks along the Priority Road Network. Friday CycleGiri has become a popular event every week." It can be mentioned here that Minati Mohapatra is the first Odia Arjuna Award winner (1980) and first woman cyclist of Odisha was the chief guest of the Cyclothon. She was national champion in cycling for eight consecutive years. She is also an internationally acclaimed cyclist, who has won several gold medals in national and international cycling competitions.