Coimbatore: Bumpy roads, biting cold but fantastic views — that’s biking at Leh, says Ranjitha who is just back from a K2K ride (Kashmir to Kanyakumari). She is thrilled about her achievement. “The trip presented an opportunity to analyse myself, my strengths. It was a great learning experience,” she says.
Biker Mahesh Prasanna also describes the views as spectacular. “It’s a cold desert. There is hardly any greenery. But the picture of the valley and the plateau is mesmerising,” he says.
The third member of the team, Malavika Ravisubramaniam, says it was a challenging experience and, “riding my bike up there in the hills gave me a high.”
The 23-day bike ride saw the three criss-cross 15 states covering a distance of 6200 km. “We lived like nomads out of our backpacks. Packing and unpacking was our every day workout,” smiles Ranjitha. They battled rains, furious winds, and extreme cold, and hot weather in the tough terrain . “In Wari la, there is hardly any road. And it is dusty, as army convoys keep crossing often. At Tanglang la, the weather was extreme. We wore gloves but still the coldness numbs your senses. It was physically draining and we lost weight too,” says Ranjitha, who works as an RJ with Hello FM 106.4.
The team took their bikes to Chandigarh by train and rode from there, covering Amritsar, Kargil, Leh, Khardung la, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Sarchu and back via Manali, Kulu, Delhi, Agra, Nagpur and Bangalore and beyond to Kanyakumari. “Your fitness and that of your bikes is very important,” says Mahesh. A biking enthusiast for over 15 years, he has ridden over five lakh km across the country. He owns several bikes and calls them Iniyan, Mugilan, Kaarvendhan… “My bike is a part of my identity. An addiction. When I am confused or sad, all I need is a ride on my bike to recharge myself.”
Being the most experienced of the three, Mahesh took the lead. If you are planning a trip, he advises, “Drink a lot of water and stay hydrated. Carry some medicine for altitude sickness. To cut down on luggage, pack old clothes that can be thrown away. You should also carry back-up fuel. One should be mentally prepared. Regular cycling, yoga, workouts and breathing exercises help build one’s lung capacity.”
They encountered streams of ice-cold water from snow-capped mountains and glacial melts. “It’s like walking on a tight rope,” recalls Ranjitha.
Mahesh says that one has to be a skilled rider to negotiate these fast-flowing streams. “I instructed Ranjitha and Malavika to move the bike on first gear without applying brakes or clutch.” The bikers stopped at Leh for a day to acclimatise before setting off.
Within 40 km, they hit an altitude of 18,000 ft at Khardung la, the highest motorable road in the world.
The bikers maintained a uniform speed and rode from 6.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. “We covered about 200 km a day in the hilly terrain, which is about nine to 10 hours of riding. After every 300 km, your joints start aching. But we kept going,” says Mahesh.
Ranjitha mentions how they wanted to abandon the ride on their return especially after Kulu. “Once you cross Kulu, there is humidity and heat and you start sweating. But we had to keep the safety gear on.”
The roads are a biker’s delight, says Mahesh, like the one from Pangong Tso to Sarchu. Also, the picturesque Gatta Loops that has about 21 hairpin bends. “We met several cyclists en route from Manali to Khardung la. Once you enter J&K, you see many army personnel. We also visited the war memorial at Kargil. And, caught a glimpse of Turtuk village in Nubra Valley, supposed to be the last village on the Indian side. We saw the double-humped camel, Himalayan marmot, a herd of Himalayan Ibex, and the Himalayan vulture.”
Ranjitha says her bike, Romeo, is her best friend. “I want to pack my bags and hit the highway again! But before that I want to workout more and build my fitness. After the trip, I feel confident that I can now adapt to any situation. Even my family thinks so too. ”
Malavika says that the bikers are a family. “We keep looking out for fellow bikers. On our way from Kashmir to Kargil, at a place called Dras, we met two bikers from Hyderabad. We helped them refuel and they rode with us till Manali. We meet strangers on the road and they become friends the very next minute. We learn about their journeys and experiences too. You also learn about yourself. When my bike developed a snag on the way to Khardung la, I immediately decided to go back to Leh to get it fixed and then rejoin my team. The experience has enabled me to take snap decisions and act on them.” They agree that the experience has made them see life differently. They say, despite the tough life in the mountains, people are warm, welcoming, and helpful — something you rarely see in big cities.
