A CONVERSATION WITH RAKIBUL ISLAM ABOUT CYCLING, CAREER IN FITNESS, AND SETTING A WORLD RECORD.
WHERE DOES THE PASSION FOR CYCLING COME FROM?
It goes back to my childhood. My father, a school teacher, would bike to work everyday. I would stand outside and wave him goodbye and almost without fail, a few minutes later, the village postmaster would ride by our house on his bike. He would wear khaki coloured clothing, and have a large torch light mounted on the handle. I was fascinated by that bike but never mustered up the courage to go ask him to let me ride it. Years went by, and nothing much happened. I focused on doing well at school, going to college, and then eventually pursuing an honours degree at Jahangirnagar University. I have always been an avid sportsperson, but by the time I had graduated, I would almost never have any time for sports. But around that time, a Facebook group called BDCyclists started becoming very active. I felt inspired to be a part of that community, and bought a bicycle to ride it whenever and wherever I could. And suddenly, that passion reignited and I started getting more involved. I didn’t realise it at that time, but my innate love for sports and cycling would eventually lead me to earn a livelihood in the health and fitness sector.
I HOPE TO SEE A DEDICATED GOVERNMENT BODY WITH SUFFICIENT FUNDING THAT ENCOURAGES A GOOD AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, AND MAKES HEALTH AND NUTRITION RELATED INFORMATION WIDELY ACCESSIBLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
WHAT GAVE YOU THE CONFIDENCE AND ASSURANCE THAT YOU COULD CHANGE CAREERS AND WORK AS A FULL-TIME TRAINER?
My heart and soul have always been in fitness. For 3 years, while still working as a pharmacist, I trained people from all walks of life completely free of charge. Soon, people were believing in me; but more importantly, they were believing in my process. The transformation of so many lives made me realise that I had a lot more to offer and a lot more to gain by pursuing a career where my true passion lies – health and fitness. On the 31st of August, 2021, I gave my resignation letter to my office in order to become a full-time athlete alongside pursuing a profession as a coach. I am currently enrolled in several coaches’ professional training under international authorities. I attribute the confidence and assurance to my discipline and foresight. I am a very calculating person by nature. By the time I had decided that I would be quitting my job, I had already planned out how I would be spending the next year. Now, I am the Managing Partner of AALPS (Athletic and Leadership Performance System Ltd.). AALPS has trained around 500 people, for a total of 1200 hours on-ground. Some of them are CEOs, some are students, while some are housewives.
PLEASE TELL US ABOUT TEAMBDC AND ITS MONUMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT FOR RIDING THE LONGEST DISTANCE UNDER 48 HOURS.
TeamBDC consists of nearly 100 amateur cyclists. It’s the competitive sports wing of BDCyclists. Our team leader, Drabir Alam, is one of the most influential personalities in the cycling community in Bangladesh. The idea of attempting the world record came from his desire to do something impactful during COVID-19. At that time, TeamBDC had already been training very hard. I was actually in Khagrachhari for 3 months – for the sole purpose of training without any distractions – when we started talking about attempting a world record. We found a record setting opportunity for riding 1500 km under 48 hours by a relay team of four. We decided that the world record would be attempted by 4 members of TeamBDC up to the task – Drabir Alam, Tanvir Ahmed, Md Alauddin and myself. Dabur Bangladesh had full faith in our capabilities and supported us the entire way. On December 10, 2021, with the support of 150 volunteers, and under the strict regulations of Guinness authority, TeamBDC successfully set a world record for riding 1670.334 kilometres under 48 hours. We set this world record on the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence. It was our way of thanking our brave nation for the freedom it has given us. We are grateful for the love and support of the people of this country, and feel blessed that we have been able to do something meaningful for Bangladesh on a global scale.
WHAT COULD BE DONE TO PROMOTE GOOD HEALTH AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN AN EVER-INCREASING SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE IN BANGLADESH?
We already know that on an individual level, each one of us could lead a healthy life by consuming a nutritious diet, working out more and being more disciplined in our schedules. But in order for all Bangladeshis to collectively be a healthier nation, I believe government intervention is imperative. History has shown that large scale government initiatives can be tremendously successful. Take the polio vaccine, for example. Bangladesh successfully eradicated polio at a national scale by making the vaccine widely accessible to the general public. Information dissemination through radio and television made the mass population aware of the epidemic, and the public responded positively – working together to improve the overall health of the nation. I think good health practices should be promoted like that. I hope to see a dedicated government body with sufficient funding that encourages a good and healthy lifestyle, and makes health and nutrition related information widely accessible to the general public.