Ever since the dawn of modernity, the human population has been witnessing new forms of diseases. These new diseases are challenging to deal with and threatening the quality of life. One such disease was the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the whole world to a standstill and disrupted normal life. Many people became very health-conscious due to this new situation. People around the world were finding any possible means to remain fit and avoid getting the disease in the first place. They tried various methods to do that, and exercising was one of the methods.

People involved themselves with various forms of exercise during the lockdown period. Bicycling became one of the options when gyms and other fitness clubs were shut. It not only provided a way to remain fit and healthy but also an alternate mode of transportation in which social distancing was possible. Kashmir followed a similar trend, where people repaired their old bikes, and some even bought new ones from the market. Soon, there was a mushrooming of bicyclists pedalling across the streets of Srinagar.

Bicycling was not a new thing to the Kashmir Valley; it had a colonial legacy. It was introduced here by British mission officials. One of the frequent bicyclists of that time was Tyndale Biscoe, who had established one of the missionary schools in the region. Kashmir, due to its picturesque location and favorable climatic conditions, to the British preference, remained a perfect destination for long bicycling tours. The most traversed route was the Jhelum Valley Cart Road, which had witnessed long cycling trips during the pre-1947 era.

Coming back to the present city of Srinagar, where Boulevard Road is considered an urban rider's bicycling paradise. It stretches from Dalgate to Dargah Hazrat, semicircling around Dal Lake. During routine morning exercise, this route is usually flooded with bicyclists. Men, women, and even old people are seen pushing the pedals. The Shankaracharya forest range, which is adjacent to the lake, is also considered a beautiful bicycling place, especially among young riders who prefer much more thrill and risk in their activities.

Srinagar, as a city, lacks full-fledged bicycling infrastructure, but there were efforts under the smart city initiative to provide dedicated cycling lanes and parking stations. They also introduced a bike-sharing platform in the city, in which a person has to pay an advance amount of 300 Indian rupees to use the service. The condition of advance payment was itself a hindrance in a city where people are known for their love of cars. The city shares a similar mindset with fellow South Asians, where a person's status symbol is perceived by what kind of vehicle they possess. For example, having a car is usually associated with high status, whereas riding a bicycle is considered of lower status in society.

Unfortunately, these initiatives were hyped earlier but lost their charm over time. Cycling lanes in the city were poorly designed without taking the psyche of the local population into consideration. As cycling lanes were carved out of existing footpath space, this resulted in a narrow walking space for pedestrians. People nowadays can be seen walking over these lanes, and sometimes mopeds and even motorbikes cross over to these lanes to bypass traffic on roads. Sometimes people park their four-wheelers in the bicycle lane, which causes tremendous annoyance among riders.

It can be observed that the summer capital of Kashmir is not yet ready for full-fledged bicycling, but as a subculture, it is prevailing among enthusiasts of this leisure sport. The government has been organizing bike races and events, which draw a huge population to the city, especially the youngsters.

Youngsters are experimenting with various subdisciplines in bicycling sports. As Kashmir is full of mountains, the preference towards mountain biking is evident. These people, like their former European masters, perform long rides of more than 100 KM. The trail involves flat terrain, muddy and gravel roads, and concludes the trip at tourist destinations & sometimes even venturing into remote high mountain passes. Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Sonamarg, just like the usual choice of mainstream tourists, are also preferred by bicyclists due to their infrastructure. Other than these three tourist spots, there are other locations that riders prefer, one of them being the rough terrain of high-altitude mountains, which is not accessible by car.

Though the young population of modern Kashmir is showing interest in bicycling by exploring forests and the mountain trails, it is not without risk. The environment of conflict in the valley causes huge discouragement among most of its inhabitants. The presence of armed men in remote forests and mountains is the biggest challenge to sustaining this trend. In addition to that, human-animal conflict is also one of the concerns. In addition to that, there is a lack of proper services at many locations, which prevents other riders from pushing their boundaries. But there is still some sense of optimism that bicycling culture will become a mainstream phenomenon in the future.