Anand Gaur - Sonipat
Endurance Cyclist | Founder of Sonepat Bicycle Club | Founder of Cycle World Sonepat
Anandji started his cycling journey in 2016 when he opened a bicycle shop. The founder of Freewheeling Sports & Fitness – Sheriyar was then the retail head of the brand store he opened. Sheriyar refused to allow him to open the store unless he took up cycling himself. After a few moments of shock and hesitation, Anandji accepted the challenge and took up cycling. He started off with a basic MTB cycle and struggled to ride even 10 kms. due to his obesity. But he was consistent at it and a year from then, he had lost 17 kgs. Then there was no turning back. Anandji took up randonneuring, went for multiple bicycle tours to Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand and did multiple century rides from his hometown. It was truly a life changing venture for him, not just a business. He felt happier and more energetic. His family was happy. He realized the true benefits of cycling and started building a community in Sonipat – a relatively small town in Haryana which had never seen cycling like this before. He motivated a lot of reputed government officers and doctors to take up cycling and in turn, made Sonipat a cyclists’ city.
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He then went on to opening 2 more stores in Rohtak and Karnal, offering the same level of customer delight and motivating people to take up cycling and to ride more. He then started Haryana’s first randonneuring club in Sonipat which inspired a lot of people to take up endurance cycling. An anecdote of his passion and love for cycling got noticed when a young boy was on a bicycle tour from Kashmir to Pune. He had fallen ill in Panipat and was able to reach out to Anandji who was around 70 kms. away. Without a second thought, Anandji drove down to Panipat, picked up the young lad and took him home – gave him a warm place to stay, food to eat and helped him with medical assistance. Before bidding him farewell a few days later, he also serviced the young lad’s bicycle and replaced his tires and tubes. All this not as a businessman, but as a fellow cyclist helping a youngster on his bicycle tour.
It is remarkable what 1 single man can do and Anandji is a perfect example of just that.