Cycling is a technological marvel as it enables humankind to traverse considerable distances with no or little effect on the environment. This International Cycling Day, Christy Varghese checks in with two avid cyclists
Ever since the nationwide lockdown last year, our country’s populace has taken to cycling like never before. India, which has never been known to be great for cyclists with reasons varying from pothole-strewn roads to heavy traffic to pollution, has fallen in love with the activity during the pandemic, and how! The heavy demand for bicycles far outweighs the supply. Cycle shops are out of stock, catering only to preorders. As per a statement by the Indian Cycle Manufacturers’ Association, the sale of bicycles had increased by 25 per cent in June and July last year as compared to the same period in 2019. During a time when gyms and sports complexes were shut down, cycling turned out to be not only a medium of exercise but also the perfect way to get some hard-to-come-by private time during the Covid-induced lockdown, given that we were cooped up indoors with our respective families.
On the occasion of International Cycling Day, we share stories of two avid cyclists. Each with their own tales, but united by their love for life on the saddle.
Indranil Roy
A traveller by heart and a publicist by profession, Indranil Roy is quite an eccentric one by his own admission. For more than a decade, he’s been backpacking across some remote corners of Southeast Asia on buses, trains and sometimes only on foot, since 2x2 can take you where 4x4 cannot. With his focus on exploring offbeat non-touristy destinations, he recently added cycling to his preferred mode of transportation. In November 2020, he undertook his first bikepacking trip in Uttarakhand, covering a 500 km loop in the Kumaon Himalayas. We were able to catch up with him over a telephonic conversation since he is back home in Gurugram now. Indranil shares, “While I did have a good time on that trip, there were many adversities I had to overcome. I did not do any research about the route and elevation which at times left me stranded. However, each time I was lucky and was able to spend the nights in comfort. I did not have proper bags or ropes to secure them and, throughout the trip, every few kilometres I had to readjust them. And to top it all, I do not have any skills to fix even minor bicycle hiccups, I am still learning (laughs). In the end, all that contributed to the experience, never did I expect it to be seamless and to be honest I don’t think that would have been much fun.” After he started cycling in June 2020, Indranil clocked his first century (100 km) ride on Independence Day, 2020 and there has been no looking back ever since. Following his debut bike packing experience in November, Indranil traversed 700 km in Igatpuri, Nashik, Shirdi, and Pune and at least a thousand kilometres along the entire Konkan and Malabar coast, all by February 2021. He feels that more than one’s physical stamina, your mental strength plays a much more vital role when it comes to long-distance cycling. “Don’t get me wrong. Physical prowess is a must during long-distance cycling but it’s my mind which keeps me going; the moment it gives up, the body won’t move any further. There have been so many times when I have pedalled through sheer exhaustion to reach my destination,” says Indranil.
While he has come a long way, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. We were mesmerised by scenic photographs and were contemplating an extensive ride in the hills when he reminded us that long-distance cycling is like an uphill ride, both literally and figuratively. There were moments when, he says, he just wanted to lay down and stop pedalling but he could not afford the luxury of resting because he was time-bound and had to keep moving. There were also times when he wished he was back home, but he had to make the best of the situation. He makes light of an instance when he had to save his life with a controlled crash to avoid being hit by a truck in north Kerala.
But there have been some immensely satisfying moments too. “Oh! I wish I could express the overwhelming joy of hitting the downhill rides in the Himalayas, there are quite a few such long stretches. The longest I found was one where for 30 km I had a wide smile plastered across my face because my legs got some much-needed rest,” Indranil exclaims. Long hours on the saddle by himself have, among other things, led to some profound realisations. “A recurring thought throughout my rides was to detach from city life. I have come to an understanding that I am not meant to live in the city anymore and am already planning and working towards the same,” he expresses thoughtfully.
While Indranil dreams of riding across the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan and the Mongolian Desert, he has already set in place plans for his next bikepacking expedition. “If all goes as planned, my next trip will be riding the entire length of the Ganges in India and Bangladesh later this year, a total distance of approximately 3,000 km,” he says and we can sense he is smiling, looking forward to his next adventure already. Well, while we wish all he encounters are smooth downhill roads, but even if that is not the case, we trust Indranil to make the best of the situation.
Om Hitendra Mahajan
While slow travel has caught on as a buzzword, Om Hitendra Mahajan has put a different spin on the word. Last year in September, 17-year old Om set the Guinness World Record for being the fastest to cover the distance from Kashmir to Kanyakumari (K2K) on a bicycle. For those who are curious, he pedalled the 3,600-odd kilometres in eight days, seven hours and 38 minutes to break the previous record held by Colonel Bharat Pannu, by two hours and 10 minutes. For Om, it was a matter of pride since the record for the fastest time clocked on a bicycle from K2K was earlier held by his uncle, Mahendra Mahajan, and ‘bringing the record back home’ was what he had in mind.
“Right from the time I can remember, before I learned how to walk, I was riding a tricycle. That is pretty much where my love for two wheels started and from the age of 12, I signed up for cycle races, as you can see the activity is a major part of my life. I am primarily a sprint cyclist, so there was this huge shift in temperament that I had to adopt because such a feat would involve superhuman endurance,” he shares.
Om started training for ultra-endurance cycling in June last year under the tutelage of his uncle and father, both of whom happen to be prominent names in the endurance cycling circle in India, and embarked on his record attempt after three months. While such an event would obviously require physical fitness, he feels that it is a ‘mental game completely’. “I feel that it comes down to how strong you are mentally. You can train as much as you want, but if your mind tells you that you are done, you are done. There is no contesting this fact. Days of sleeping just two or three hours and waking up to ride 20-22 hours are bound to take a toll on you. There were so many moments when I just wanted to sleep for another couple of hours, but bearing in mind that I broke the previous record by just a little over two hours, I am sure you would agree that every push on the pedal mattered. No matter how much my muscles were screaming I had to pedal on and on and on. That is where the mind comes in,” says Om and we can’t help but feel overawed by his feat.
When we ask him about the most serious challenges he experienced on the run, he laughs a little before telling us, “The first thing that comes to mind is how sore my backside was on the saddle. It almost felt like it had turned to stone. There were stretches when I had to stand up and pedal before being so tired that I had to sit again. Apart from saddle soreness, sleep deprivation is another major challenge. I remember vividly how I hallucinated, while pedalling uphill towards Bangalore, that there was a team of four other riders with me and there was snow on both sides of the road. When I got off the cycle, and my uncle was massaging my back, I asked him what happened to the other riders, where did they go? All along it was just me.”
In April this year, Adil Teli from Kashmir is reported to have broken the record set by Om. However, there has been no official word on the same by Guinness.
If you wish to see snow in Bangalore, you know what to do. Just head towards Kanyakumari from Kashmir on a bicycle.
