GEARS, a biking group in Goa is making a difference by teaching Goans to ride safe
It’s a whole new gear shift. This iswhere boys do have all the fun. But girls do too. At GEARS, biking is not amean thing. It doesn’t mean- burnt rubber, tyre marks on the tarmac, spinsand turns but it’s still fun. And that’s because it’s safe.
This group was formed by Aaron Cardozo, amechanical engineer and transportation designer by profession. He was supportedby his biker friends Akshay Prabhu Tendulkar, Gauresh Halarnekar and CarltonFigueiredo with an intention of uniting Goan bikers and people with a passionfor two wheels under a common banner. The group expanded with time andcurrently has over 200 members from all over India. The members, who are calledGEARheads, own and ride machines ranging from gearless scooters tomulti-cylinder imported superbikes! They celebrate the spirit of bikingregardless of the machine they ride whilst strongly advocating safety as a priority.Aaron says “We promote responsible riding and encourage the use of riding gear.The group is proud of the fact that within a short span of a year, it has earnedrespect and recognition from the larger biking community in India.”
The GEARheads meet frequently and have workshops to improve riding techniques. The members meet on various occasionsand connect with fellow members from all over the state to promote the spiritof biking brotherhood through intra state and inter-state rides. With zerotolerance to rash riding and performing stunts on public roads, the group makesthe use of helmets compulsory for both riders and pillion riders during theserides. The group activities also include discussions to share technicalknowledge about bikes and biking. All this is done without compromising on thethrill of biking and having fun chatting, discussing bikes, technology,motorsport, etc.
The group now intends to increase thenetwork of its members to spread the message of safe biking. In the presentday, with biking being mistaken for hooliganism and the high number ofaccidents claiming lives or limbs, the group is striving to negate themisconception by setting a fine example.
