In A Bid To Help India Fight COVID-19, UK Volunteers Cycle 7,600km On Stationary Bikes & Raise 5.1 Cr

The London to Delhi bikeathon program aims to raise 500,000 pounds (5.1 crore, approx.) by racking up 7,600 kilometres (4,722 miles)? on stationary bikes in 48 hours with the aim of providing financial assistance to India at Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. The bike cycle ride, called 'Cycle to Save Lives', was launched at the temple premises in Neasden.

Indians as well as locals are participating in this event. As part of this, 12 stationary bikes were set up in front of the temple.?

Each volunteer who wants to participate in the program rides a bicycle for 50 minutes. The rider has to sanitise the bicycle for 10 minutes before handing it over to the next person.

So far 750 people have volunteered for the event. Each volunteer has set up a fundraising page that goes toward an overall fundraising goal.

“I think every single person of Indian origin will have someone affected over there,” British IT consultant Yogen Shah who set out this event told AP. “And anywhere around the world that you have COVID, you feel for that human being, you feel for that person, whether they’re Indian origin or not.”

On Monday, India recorded 3,68,147 new Covid-19 cases and over? 3,417 deaths in the last 24 hours raising overall virus fatalities to over 220,000, according to covid19india.org.

During this difficult time in India, around 1.4 million Indians who live in the U.K. tried to help their relatives who fought this deadly disease.

The need is dire, but so is the message of solidarity, said Tarun Patel, one of the organisers. “India is starving for oxygen,’’ he said. “We need to help."

The efforts won’t solve India’s pandemic catastrophe, but the bikers of Britain want everyone in India to know that they did their best to ride to the rescue. “You are not alone in this fight,’’ Patel said. “We are with you. We may geographically be thousands of miles away, but we are with you."