Mysore youth pedals 6,070 km

Bicycle diaries

A 23-year-old youth from Mysore, Krishna Vasudeva, is on top of the world as he successfully finishes his cycle expedition from Kanyakumari to Leh pedalling 6,070 km.

Vasudeva, who set out on the tour from Kanyakumari on July 9, is back home after a gap of 111 days – traversing from the tip of the south India to Leh in Kashmir.

He cycled back on the Chandigarh-Mumbai route and passing through Goa, Mangalore and Madikeri to reach Mysore on October 27.

“It has been a dream come true. The expedition helped me understand my nation better, our people and their cultures, which I would have missed if travelled in a high-speed vehicle. It is not a tough task if one has the will to do it,” Krishna told Deccan Herald sharing his experience of the tour.

Krishna was not alone. His friend Krishna Chaudhury accompanied him till Manali in Himachal Pradesh and his cousin Ashwin of Bangalore joined him at Chandigarh.

High wind

As Krishna Vasudev and Krishna Chaudhury began their expedition, the high wind between Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad was a challenge.

“We had to reduce our luggage weight comprising tent, food, clothes to 40 kg from 50 kg. Our racing cycle speed which crosses 60-70 km on a plane road reduced to 40 km,” says Krishna Vasudev.

From Hyderabad, the duo took NH 7 passing through Nagpur, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Chandigarh to reach Delhi and Agra, even as Vasudev’s cousin joined the expedition from Chandigarh on his cycle.

The trio proceeded to Manali in Himachal Pradesh pedalling about 300 km from Agra. They travelled 500 km from Manali to Leh passing through the highest motorable road in the world, the Khardung La Pass at 18,380 ft. Choudhury opted out because of his BBM exam back in Mysore.|

“The route to Khardung La pass was arduous. A landslide happened about two kilometre away from our place. That was the loudest noise I ever heard in my life.

Officials cleared the road soon. I feel proud about India and Indians. We did not face any trouble anywhere, even from security forces. A voter ID can take you from one end of the nation to the other.

When we pitched our tent in the open, people from dhabas, lorry drivers and the public offered us food and allayed our fears about security of the cycles. In Pathankot, an octogenarian offered Rs 20 saying it was his token of appreciation for our mission,” he says.

Krishna adds that he has a dream to tour the world on a bicycle. Krishna, in early 2011, had completed the Mysore-Kodaikanal-Munnar route pedalling about 1,024 km.

“Krishna has inspired almost a dozen of his friends to cycle everyday. We practice on long routes,” says Ramya, Krishna’s friend.