Women cyclists show the way

The film Going Solo highlights the inner and outer journeys of two extraordinary Indian women cyclists who refused to conform to traditional gender roles, writes Neha Kirpal.

Ammi Media by Khan & Kumar's documentary film Going Solo is about endurance cycling. It highlights the journey of two extraordinary Indian women cyclists who refused to conform to traditional gender roles and took charge of their lives, venturing out in pursuit of freedom.

44-year-old Gareema Shankar and 58-year-old Renu Singhi defied conventional

societal norms and took up long-distance cycling much after they got married and had children. The film, follows them before, during and after one of the world's most prestigious endurance cycling events, London-Edinburgh-London, and was shot along with the cyclists in Delhi and Jaipur at the end of May 2023.

In 2016, Renu Singhi bought a cycle along with her son. Since she was already doing various physical activities, such as going to the gym, walking, running and playing badminton, she realised she had the physical stamina to cycle about 10 kilometres in 50 minutes.

As a 50-year-old, she began cycling seriously the following year. She joined several long-distance cycling groups wherever she could, which helped her train herself while managing her time, fitness and sleep. “At this point in my life, my children were well settled, and I was looking for some new motivation,” recalls the 57-year-old grandmother from Jaipur. It steered her towards a new path, which helped her become a role model and set a new benchmark for many other women. Soon, she was cycling in various tournaments and gradually scaling up the cycling distances — from 100 kilometres to 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 kilometres. She then started training for 1,000-kilometre runs that needed to be completed within a span of five to six days. Her ultimate dream was to go cycling for the Paris-Brest-Paris tournament for which she started preparing.

Singhi practiced rigorously in grueling terrains all across India — from Udaipur,

Kumbalgarh and Mount Abu in Rajasthan to Srinagar, Ladakh and the North East, and right up till the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. “I realised that when the mind is strong, the journey is smooth,” she says. It paved the way for her to compete in international forums such as Paris-Brest-Paris and London-Edinburgh-London. Singhi went on to create history by becoming the first Indian woman ever to complete the London-Edinburgh-London and the Paris-Brest-Paris events as well as the 1,500-kilometre challenge within the stipulated time of 125 hours. Over a period of time, all of her achievements have earned her the title of "Iron Lady".

In 2017, Delhi-based Gareema Shankar, weighed about 86 kilograms. “At that time, I was a mother to a three-year-old, and even walking was a very heavy workout for me,” she says. Wanting to shed some weight, she bought herself a new bicycle. For about a year, she would cycle every day.

In 2019, she decided to compete in the Paris-Brest-Paris cycling event. Having no formal training at that time, she met with an accident that hurt her left knee. It was only after this that she decided to do some structured strength training. A few years down the line, she went further, attempting several ultra long-distance rides and the London-Edinburgh-London event last year. She went on to become one of the ‘Heroes of LEL 2022’.

Though her family was always supportive, as a 44-year-old mother, Gareema experienced some guilt, and the journey was certainly not easy. “However, I continue to remain steadfast in my resolve to pedal across the world,” she declares.

Directed by Ameya Gore, Going Solo was co-produced by actor Vikas Kumar who worked in the popular web series Aarya with Sushmita Sen. Kumar and his partner-producer, Sharib Khan, were inspired by the journeys of these two women cyclists and decided to make the documentary film on them. “I hope this film inspires all of us to go and grasp something beyond ourselves,” he says.