Dhanraj Karkera, 30, from WE R Cycling Mangalore completed the 1,750 km Ultra Spice endurance bicycle race, Goa-Ooty-Goa held between January 26 and 31.
At a felicitation programme here on Sunday, WE R Cycling founder Sarvesh Samaga said Mr. Karkera thus became the first rider from Mangaluru to compete in and finish this race and also was the first endurance cyclist from Karnataka to achieve the feat. Mr. Samaga said Ultra Spice is India’s toughest long-distance endurance bicycle race conducted by Inspire India. The third edition this year saw 11 riders taking part, while the 1,750 km solo category saw 5 participants including a woman Ila Patil.
Starting from Bogmalo Beach in Goa, the route passed through Karwar, Sagar, Chikkamagaluru, Madikeri, Wayanad and Ooty and back the same way. The riders, facing total elevation of 22,500 m, pass through four States with varied temperatures from 38°C to 8°C on challenging terrains.
Mr. Karkera, who began the ride at 7.10 a.m. on Day 1 had easily covered 270 km by 7 p.m. when he faced severe dehydration. The support crew got him revived at Sagar government hospital with IV fluid and other medication. He continued the ride early morning to recover 12 hours and crossed Madikeri by night before taking a break at Iritti in Kerala in the wee hours on Day 3.
After some rest, he began riding again and reached the base of the climb at Gudaluru at 7 p.m. and reached the U-turn point well before the cut-off 72 hours. Mr. Karkera then had to rest. At the end of Day 4, he had reached Madikeri. On the fifth day, he took a nap at Sagar before launching the final ride to the starting point. Between Honnavar and Goa (190 km), he broke several King of Mountain records and finished the race in style. He said it was all due to the support crew comprising Mr. Samaga, Sudhir Albuquerque, Shyamprasad Nayak, Ashwath Rasquina, Harivijay Kudva, Nithin Mohan, Dheeraj Venkat and Shashank Paul, who cooked in the vehicle and fed him while he was riding.
