Can India Host Cycling’s Biggest Event in 2032? | Ravi Kumar, Founder, VIR Bike
[PARTNERED]
Pune has bid to host the UCI Road World Championships in 2032. Asked whether a race like that can change
how Indian cities think about cycling, Ravi Kumar’s answer is blunt: in short, no.
In this episode, host Ruchi speaks with Ravi Kumar, founder of VIR Bikes, which builds electric cycles in India
for Indian roads, about why our roads are designed around how many cars can pass in an hour instead of how
many people, why cycle lanes here keep failing, and where electric cycles actually fit in.
Chapters:
00:00 A BMW owner on a cycle, and the KPI we get wrong
00:53 Introduction
02:12 Pune’s bid for the 2032 World Championships
02:40 Can a sports event change a city? In short, no
03:54 What India can learn from the Netherlands
04:59 Cycling’s Olympic medal potential
06:31 Velodromes, and why India has only 17
07:11 What should change across our cities by 2032
08:01 Cars per hour, or people per hour
09:14 Can cities be sustainable as car ownership grows
10:53 Gated societies and the case for large townships
13:41 Why mobility became a status symbol
16:11 A guy with a BMW riding a cycle will be seen as cool
16:51 Choice or compromise: why choose a cycle
18:41 Why India’s cycle lanes have not worked
21:17 Designing cities around walking and last mile
22:47 Foot over bridges and who they really serve
24:57 The 6 km commute and the white collar bias
27:49 Infrastructure, culture or weather
29:16 Where electric cycles fit in
32:41 Will electric cycles replace cars
33:58 Rapid fire
35:33 Closing thoughts
#Cycling #UrbanMobility #Pune2032 #ElectricCycles #VIR #SustainableCities
Mint is an Indian financial daily newspaper published by HT Media. The Mint YT Channel brings you cutting edge analysis of the latest business news and financial news. With in-depth market coverage, explainers and expert opinions, we break down and simplify business news for you.
Click here to download the Mint App: https://livemint.onelink.me/MrDS/p0kx3pdg
Now make Mint your preferred source on Google and get business & finance updates first.
Add here – https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=mint
Subscribe to Mint Premium Now: https://www.read.ht/Scaq
Subscribe to Mint’s WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va91YSeGehEM6oMesj3d
