Haryana girl cycles solo from Kanyakumari to Khardung La for a green cause

Long-distance cycling is one of the favourite hobbies of Gurugrammers. Across the city, you will find several avid cyclists who cover distances of a few hundred kilometres every day. However, 25-year-old Sunita Chokhen, who lives on the outskirts of the city, has upped the ante by cycling solo for over 4000km from the southern-most point of the country to the northern-most motorable road.

The 25-year-old, who lives in a small town in Rewari, an hour away from Gurgaon, undertook this long journey as part of her plantation drive that saw her plant over 200 saplings in several cities in India. The journey also made her the first Indian woman to cycle solo from Kanyakumari to Khardung La, Leh.

Talking about why she started this journey, Sunita tells us, "I'm not a cyclist but a mountaineer. I climbed Everest in 2011 and have conquered 17 other mountains around the world. Earlier this year, I was on an expedition to an unclimbed mountain in the Himalayas when I noticed how much the region had changed. I had gone for my initial recce of that area in 2012 and since then, the region had seen so much deforestation that I felt bad. That's what compelled me to do something for the environment and the idea of the Kanyakumari to Leh plantation drive shaped up."

On why she chose to cycle instead of using any other mode of transportation, Sunita says, "If I had driven or taken a bike, it would defeat the purpose of an environment-friendly campaign since those vehicles cause pollution. Cycle was the best option."

Sunita started on her 4656km journey from the southern-most point on the mainland - Kanyakumari - on July 15, and ended it at Khardung La, the highest motorable road in the world, over six weeks later.

"It took me 46 days to finish the journey, during which I covered 100-200km every day on my cycle. But more importantly, I planted 220 saplings along the way. I planted some in every city I stopped in from Kanyakumari to Manali. Post Manali, the weather wasn't conducive for plantation so I stopped that," she says.

Sunita spoke to her contacts and friends in several cities and also made new friends in every city she visited, in order to make sure there was someone to look after the saplings she planted there.

She explains, "In every city, I planted the saplings keeping in mind that there was someone to tend after them. I mostly planted them in ashrams, temples, local schools or colleges. Even in open areas, I made sure to get the residents nearby to promise me to water them regularly. The main focus of my journey was not any record but the goal of plantation."

However, the record landed in her lap acci-dentally. She tells us, "Friends told me that I'm the first girl to cycle from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. I didn't believe it at first but then I decided to check and it was indeed the case. But since I hadn't mapped my journey through GPS, I could not apply to Guinness or Limca books. However, I have applied to India Book of Records for a certificate and my application is under review currently. The record is not my goal but a certificate wouldn't hurt."

Sunita, who is also the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao ambassador for Haryana, says that she utilised whatever free time she had in each city in trying to speak to the students there.

"I would walk up to local schools and colleges, tell the administration who I was and what I was doing, and that I wanted to speak to the students for a short time. Surprisingly, about 80% of the schools received me positively and I delivered quite a few short lectures in several schools along the way. I spoke to young girls about the importance of education, taking up sports, and preserving the environment."

Sunita started her cycling expedition from Kanyakumari. Here, she's seen cycling at a place that appears to be in Southern state.

Sunita now says that she will return to mountaineering for a while, but she does have plans to revisit all the places where she has planted her saplings a few years on to check on their progress.

"I want to give the saplings some time to grow and a few years down the line, I will retrace my journey and see how much they have grown. I am curious to see whether my efforts will bear any fruit," she says.

(Source: ToI)

Cyclist Mark Beaumont breaks around the world record

Mark Beaumont has broken the world record for cycling around the world - by 44 days.

The 34-year-old, from Perthshire, arrived in Paris one day ahead of schedule having cycled the 18,000-mile route in 79 days.

He set a new world record of 194 days in 2008. Since then it has been broken by other riders, with the previous record set at 123 days.

To achieve his goal, Mark needed to cycle an average 240 miles a day.

He was on his bike for more than 16 hours a day and only slept for five hours each night.

Inspired by Jules Verne's classic adventure novel Around The World In Eighty Days, he began his journey in Paris on 2 July and cycled through Europe, Russia, Mongolia and China.

He then cycled across Australia, up through New Zealand and across North America before the final "sprint finish" thorough Portugal, Spain and France.

During the trip, Mark was also awarded the Guinness World Records title for the most miles cycled in a month, from Paris to Perth in Australia, verified at 7,031 miles (11,315km).

On completing the expedition, the Edinburgh-based cyclist, said: "This has been, without doubt, the most punishing challenge I have ever put my body and mind through. The physical and mental stamina required for each day was a challenge in itself, but I had an amazing support team around me.

"The success of cycling around the world in 80 days shows that what seemed impossible is possible and has redefined the limits of endurance sport.

"Each stage brought different challenges including different climates, which I had to adjust to quickly. Stage one through Russia and Mongolia was unknown territory, so to complete this phase and come out with a second Guinness World Records title is a real achievement."

Mark Beaumont on the last leg of his journey

He added: "I am very grateful for the support I've received from people all over the world, from fellow cyclists joining me on the road to messages and wishes online.

"The experience has been incredible, and I'm excited to share this journey for years to come."

During the trip the cyclist was exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the southern hemisphere and smog from forest fires in North America.

He had two falls - one of them in Russia requiring emergency dental treatment from his back-up team - but otherwise everything went to plan.

He said: "Ultimately, the magic ingredient that you need to be able to do something like this is grit, just the ability to suffer.

"Physically, of course, I'm incredibly sore but what you learn very quickly is there's a big difference between hurting and being injured. I'm not injured, although it will take time for the body to recover.

"For one thing, I think I'd struggle to walk up and down a flight of steps at the moment because I've not really walked since 2 July."

A crowd of well-wishers was waiting for the cyclist as he pedalled up to the Arc de Triomphe, completing the 240 miles of this last leg.

Mark began long-distance cycling at the age of 12 when he rode 145 miles across Scotland.

He was supported by a team including a mechanic, nutritionist, physiotherapist and manager.

The adventurer is raising funds for Orkidstudio, which works to benefit communities worldwide through innovative architecture and construction.

Five amazing facts about Mark Beaumont's 80-day challenge:

• Mark Beaumont has been cycling across the world. He's travelled over 17,000 miles, riding for 16 hours a day, functioning on around five hours of sleep each night. He is on his way to smashing his around-the-world-in-80-days target. Here are some amazing facts about his attempt.

• It's not all been by bike and it hasn't all been smooth sailing. Mark has taken four flights, been a passenger on a ferry and had two crashes while travelling across four continents.

• There is a big team behind Mark and they've had to deal with some pretty unusual things. They've been involved in a car crash and had to dig themselves out of sand after getting stuck in it. They even had to try their hand at dentistry after Mark cracked his tooth when he crashed.

• The route is always changing. When the team plot the journey on a map, they don't know how good or busy the roads are, so the route has to change to make sure that Mark does not have to ride alongside big lorries or on really busy roads. He has to cover 18,000 miles over the course of the whole journey in order for the record to count.

• Wind is a tool and the weather is very important. If Mark is riding against the wind it slows him down a lot, but if he has a good tail wind it can help to carry him a bit so he rides faster.

• He's not done it all on his own. At times it's been a really sociable event. Even his friends from his first journey ten years ago have met him at certain points along the way. Mark looks set to smash the current world record and may even beat his own target of 80 days and get to Paris a day earlier than planned.

(Source: BBC)