Two Wheels, One Epic Journey: Manali to Leh

“Breathtaking Trails: My Himalayan Ride”- By Mr. Arvind Mishra

A dream that every cyclist in the world wants to be true. This expedition starts from Manali and then you cross 5 passes: Rohtang, Baralacha, Nakeela, Lachungla, and the highest one Tanglang La with an altitude of 17582 feet and finally climaxes at the beautiful location named Leh. There are abundant challenges en route; tough terrain, very low oxygen levels, off-roading at many places, steep elevations, dangerous downhills and extreme weather conditions including sub zero temperature at places, heavy cold and dry headwinds at the passes and snowfall during rides. As a cyclist मनैं खदु के बारे में कभी नहीं सोचा था कि इतना बड़ा दस्साहस करूँगा, हालाँकि After completing The Golden Triangle and a couple of mountain rides with some of my cycling buddies मझु  थोड़ा थोड़ा confidence आने लगा था और ride quality भी improve होने लगी थी। 

अचानक एक दिन I received a call from Mr. Tarun Wadhwa from Dare2Gear where he told me to join this Manali-Leh Cycling Expedition. I simply asked him, “मेरे से हो पायेगा?” I was really doubtful of my capabilities and also I had an idea that during this expedition one is supposed to ride in very tough climatic conditions that too at an altitude of more than 13000 feet on most of the days. In his reply he showed confidence in me and stated that “On an average 60 km ही तो चलना हैउसमेंभी आधा downhill होगा….” 

My wife was also listening to the entire conversation. She also nodded her head and immediately agreed to pay the entire expenses as my Birthday Gift just to set a good precedence, कुछ ही दिनों बाद उनका भी Birthday जो आने वाला था। 

I asked my younger brother Abhijit and other cycling friends to join me on this expedition. Three of my cycling friends Sanjay Singh, Avdhesh Goel and Pushpinder Singh Chahal got ready right away. Excitement substituted my Insecurities. With the confirmation of my brother my excitement became manifold because after almost 30 years I was going to be with him for such a long time. Entry of Rupesh Gupta at the last moment was an icing on the cake. It is an honor to call you, Brother. Around one and a half months 

before the event, all participants were instructed to practice for good cadence and around 5 hours of saddle time by team D2G. I planned my training slightly differently and that was initially 1 century ride, 2 fast half centuries and 5 km running twice a week for 3 weeks and ultimately 5 centuries for 5 consecutive days without any break. Unfortunately in the beginning itself during the Say Hello to Phantom – my Lapierre Raid 529.first century of my training, I met with an accident which forced me to stay immobilized for around a month. Event सेपहलेमेरा 5 से7 kg weight loss करनेका plan था, उल्टा मनैं  उतना ही put on कर लिया, अब मैं करीब 125 kg का हो चका  था और जसै लोहा ही लोहे को काटता है उसी तर्ज पर पहाड़ को ही पहाड़ पर चढ़ना था। 

Out of the six of us, Me, Abhijit and Sanjay Sir (all 3 from the same college) reached Manali three days earlier i.e. on 25th August. We did the Hidimba temple ride on 26th and on 27th we rode to Solang valley. Three musketeers from NIT Jamshedpur Rest 3 people of our gang Avdhesh, Pushpinder and Rupesh joined us in the evening on 27th August. Thanks to Sanjay Sir for the delicious Dinner Party at the bank of river Beas. 

Day 0 : Manali 

On 28th August, we all met and acquainted with the other fellow riders as well as the crew team members at Hotel Kanishka in Manali. Post-Lunch, all the cycles were examined by D2G technical team and we headed out for a short orientation/acclimatization ride.मुझे tension महसूस हो रहा था क्योंकि मेरी cycle अब तक कोई अच्छे signal नहीं दिखा रही थी। दरअसल, हर महत्वपूर्ण सवारी से पहले, चेतावनी के तौर पर मेरी साइकिल में हमेशा कोई न कोई खराबी आ जाती थी। आख़िरकार, मैंने Rupesh से अपनी साइकिल पर टेस्ट राइड के लिए चलने को कहा और तभी मुझे खुशखबरी मिली कि साइकिल की चेन टूट गई है। जब मुझे पता चला कि चेनिंग और कैसेट दोनों को बदलने की जरूरत है, तो मेरी आंखों में खुशी के आंसू आ गए। हालाँकि, भागों को बदलने की लागत काफी अधिक थी।

In the evening, briefing was done by Mr.Tarun Wadhwa and after dinner we were sent for complete rest before the beginning of this cycling expedition.पूरी यात्रा के दौरान Abhijit और मैं रूममेट थे। जबकि अभिजीत जल्दी सो गया, मैंने बिस्तर पर जाने और सो जाने को अलग-अलग घटनाओं के रूप में अनुभव किया। नींद मुझे दूर की कौड़ी लग रही थी, और मैं यह निर्धारित नहीं कर सका कि यह अनिश्चितता, असुरक्षा या अत्यधिक उत्तेजना के कारण था। मैं 2 बजे तक जागता रहा और उसके बाद मुझे कुछ भी याद नहीं रहा।………Abhijit threw a party for all those who had their birthdays in August including me.

Day 1: Manali to Marhi  |  Night Stay: Domes / Camping  | Cycling: 35km 

A weird alarm sound (from Abhijit’s phone) forced me to wake up at 5 AM. We got ready and had our breakfast by 7.30 AM. The hotel itself was the flag off point for our today’s journey. We had a photography session before starting the day ride. It was a bright Our East Delhi Riders team EDR sunny morning. We began our ride at around 8 AM. I was mentally prepared to face a tough day because it was a steep climb of an average inclination of around 4.3%. The team!! I was riding at a very slow pace क्योंकि मझु े पता था कि लड़ाई लम्बी है। We came across different villages like Palchan, Kothi, Gulaba etc. The landscape was lush green, very misty, and had plenty of waterfalls. As we were approaching Marhi the weather got worse. The cold wind started with drizzle. We crossed more than 30 hairpin bends to climb around 1500 m to a beautiful place named Marhi by 3 PM. थकान, तजे बर्फीली हवा, बारिश, और करीब डढ़े घंटे पहलेपहुँच चकुे Pushpendra की मजाक उड़ाती नजरें बिलकुल बर्दाश्त से बाहर हो रही थीं। हमारी शारीरिक हालत देखतेहुए शाम में हमारे Ride Motivator Mr. Raghav ने stretching करवाई तो शरीर की थकान थोड़ी कम हुई, बाकी की स्ट्रेचिगं वहांपर वेस्टर्न टॉयलेट उपलब्ध नहीं होनेकी वजह सेअपनेआप ही हो गयी।

Post dinner we went to the dome where our tents were set up. I was very excited because I was going to sleep in the tent for the first time in my life in a sleeping bag. जब हम dome के अदरं पहुंचेतो पाया कि सभी फ़ोन का लाइट जला कर jugnu बने हुए थे और अपने अपने बगै के अदरं pura नहीं घसु पाने का अफ़सोस लिए, सिर्फ मंहु को अदरं डाल कर suitable clothes की तलाश में लगे हुए थे। Out of the 11 tents, Tent no.5 was allotted to Abhijit and me. Abhijit fitted himself into the sleeping bag available inside the camp very easily लेकिन मेरे सारे अरमान धरे के धरे रह गए …….. mujhe ussi जर्सी बेचने वाले की याद आ गयी, जिसने mujhe ना जाने कितनी बार छोटे साइज की जर्सी चिपकायी थी और कम्प्लेन करने पर बेशर्मी से दांत दिखाते हुए mujhe अपने शरीर का ही साइज कम करनेकी सलाह दे जाता था। Sleeping bag के लिए ना तो मेरी लम्बाई ही upyukt थी ना ही चौड़ाई। Tent No. 5 maine मन मसोस कर Gurpreet (Technical Head) को अपनी समस्या बताई। फिर उसने mujhe एक कम्बल ला कर दिया और मैं गूगल पर sizes of sleeping bags पर research करता हुआ पता नहीं कब नींद के आगोश में चला गया। 

Day 2 :Marhi to Keylong | Stay: Hotel | Cycling: 78 km 

During breakfast we came to know that Sanjay Sir too had the sleeping bag issue, which he solved by using two sleeping bags (He laid on one of the sleeping bags and covered himself with another one) सबहु में उनके चेहरे की muskhan को देख कर पता करना मश्किुल था कि ये उनकी स्वाभाविक muskan है या रात की समस्या पर विजय पानेकी। The day began with a 15 km steep climb to the Rohtang pass having an altitude of 13060 feet. We took around 2.5 hrs to reach there. The weather was very cold and harsh at the Rohtang top, so we spent very less time there. 

जब हम रोहतांग पहुंचे तो पर्यटकों में तस्वीरें लेने की होड़ मच गई। भले ही मेरी साइकिल मौजूद नहीं थी, मैं तब हैरान रह गया जब एक महिला पर्यटक अप्रत्याशित रूप से पुष्पेंद्र के पास आई और उसकी साइकिल के साथ तस्वीरें लेने लगी। यह लगातार दूसरा दिन है जब मेरी भावनात्मक स्थिति को दूसरों से छिपाने की मेरी कोशिशों के बावजूद पुष्पेंद्र ने मेरे प्रति असहिष्णुता दिखाई है। जाते समय पुष्पेंद्र को “थैंक यू भया” कहते हुए सुनकर मुझे शांति का एहसास हुआ। Rohtang Pass (13050 feet) [The literal meaning of Rohtang is Valley of Death. Actually in ancient times people tried time and again to cross this pass to discover the other side. But due to the extremely difficult climate most of them fell prey to nature, so the name has derived.]

After some relaxation and photo session at Rohtang, we descended towards the River Khoksar. It was a steep, monotonous and dangerous downhill of around 34 km up to a small town Sissu in the Lahaul valley at the foothills of the Pir Panjal range. We had Sure, I may look ridiculous, but I’m with my best friends, so I don’t care. lunch at Sissu at a roadside restaurant named Day Night cafe. हालांकि हमारा खाना पीना Dare2Gear के जिम्मेथा, फिर भी खाने के बाद bill payment की याद दिलाने के लिए गेट पर एक बड़ा सा कुत्ता रखा गया था। Sissu to Tandi was a 22 km rolling stretch and then there was a constant elevation of 7 km from Tandi to Keylong. The ride consumed the entire day. We checked into a hotel in Keylong for a night halt. The best part of the hotel was that they were providing running hot water in bathrooms. So first I took a bath. As a result fatigue subsided to a great extent. हमेंपता था Trust me I’m Engineer….कि हमें अगले चार दिनों तक तंबू या ढाबे में रहना था, और यह जरूरी था कि हम एक बार फिर जगनु न बनें। इसलिए, हमने अपनी पोशाक को फिर से व्यवस्थित किया और रात का खाना खाने के बाद सो गए।

Day 3 :Keylong to ZingZingBAr | Stay: Dormitory style dhaba tent / Camping | Cycling: 58 km 

Keylong के उस छोटे सेहोटल को छोड़तेवक़्त वसा ै ही लग रहा था जसा ै भगवान राम को सारी सखु सविु धाएँ छोड़कर वनवास जातेवक़्त लगा होगा क्योंकि for the next 4 days we were not going to have access to mobile network, bathing water and most Importantly, the western toilet. Our confidence was at its peak after crossing Rohtang. We started pedaling across Gemur, Jispa, Darcha on rolling rusty rocky terrain. We had Lunch at a food van called ‘The Meal Machine’ near Deepak Tal or Patsio lake. (The Meal Machine) यहाँआतेआतेमेरी साइकिल का saddle (शायद मेरेवजन की वजह से) टेढ़ा होकर बायींओर झुक गया था, गुरप्रीत नेउसेठोक पीट कर सीधा तो कर दिया, लेकिन आगे mujhe अपना weight right side में shift करके ride करनेकी सलाह दी। 4-5 km के बाद mujhe टेढ़ा होकर साइकिल चलातेदेख कर वो खदु ही हंस पड़ा और बताया कि उसनेयेसलाह मजाक मेंदी थी। एकदम सेमेरा saddle sore दिमाग पर चढ़ गया और बहुत मश्किु ल सेकण्ट्रोल हो पाया। Thanks to one of the co-riders, Mr. Vyas, who was carrying a spare saddle (पता नहीं क्यों) with him, gave me the confidence to ride fearlessly. From the lunch point it was a gradual and easy climb ride to ZingZingBar but as I was gaining altitude my difficulty in breathing was increasing probably because of lack of oxygen. By the time I reached ZingZingBar, my condition started deteriorating. I was having a constant headache and my Oxygen level went down to 65%. मुझे पता था कि (Dormitory style dhaba tent at ZingZingBar)अगर मैंज्यादा बीमार हो गया तो मुझे वापस low altitude पर भेज दिया जाएगा। लेकिन मुझे वापस नहीं जाना था, अब मैंलोगों सेअपनी actual health condition छुपानेलगा। मैं एक Paracetamol खा कर सो गया।

Day 4 :ZingZingBar to Sarchu | Stay: Swiss Hut | Cycling: 58 km 

Today we were supposed to cross the second mountain pass, Baralacha (16500 ft), in the Zanskar range, connecting Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh to Leh district in Ladakh. After riding a 14 km uphill, we reached the Sooraj Taal. The Bhaga river, a tributary of the Chenab river, originates from Sooraj taal. The other major tributary of the Chandrabhaga, the Chandra river also originates from glaciers in this region. After Sooraj Taal, the trail was becoming steeper till Baralacha La. As I was climbing up I was feeling more unwell. It was becoming hard for me to pedal, लग रहा था जसै ेपरैों में जान ही नहीं हो। Abhijit sensed that I was not well and that’s why he was riding with me since morning. This was my second big problem. Because of his presence I was neither able to take breaks more often nor I could cry in front of him. On the contrary, I was feeling guilty for spoiling his ride. मैं अलग अलग बहानेकर के उसेजानेको बोलता रहा फिर अपनी मनोस्थिति भी बताई, जब उसके पास कोई रास्ता नहीं बचा तो उसने मझु से pucha कि अगर मैं बीमार होता तो आप छोड़ कर चले jaate I could hardly hold back my tears. A Brother will always stand by you!!

Anyhow, we managed to reach Baralacha Pass. We took some snaps there and then headed towards Sarchu. A stream of glacial water known as ‘Pagal Nala’ flows across the highway at Bharatpur. One must be extremely careful while crossing this stream as the water is ice-cold and the flow becomes powerful as the temperature rises during daytime. Pagal Nala – इतना भी पागल नहीं था जो हमेंरोक सके। Bharatpur to Sarchu was a rolling terrain and it was one of the best in terms of scenic beauty. The entire topography changed and we got the first glimpse of the Mountain Desert. As I reached Sarchu, I again started experiencing a severe headache. I checked my Oxygen level and found it to be 37%. It was alarmingly low. I knew I was suffering from Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). But ये बात मुझे किसी को बतानी नहीं थी, ride जारी रखना था, give up नहीं करना था। मुझे बस headache नहीं बर्दाश्त हो रहा था Thanks to the D2G team for keeping me on oxygen support for the whole night. क्योंकि जब तक ऑक्सीजन मिलतारहता था तब तक headache नहीं होता था। सांस में तरेी सांस मिली तो मुझे सांस आयी…….. (Thanks Dare2Gear for providing a much needed सांस)

Day 5 :Sarchu to Pang | Stay: Domes / Camp | Cycling: 80 Km 

Our day began with an entry to the Union Territory of Ladakh. The first section of the ride took us all along the river Tsarap. After crossing river Tsarap, the road started ascending steadily. रास्तेमेंBrandy Bridge, Whisky Bridge जसै ेनाम वालेपलु बता रहेथेकि इतनी ठंड मेंकैसेसिविल इंजीनियर्स नेइनका निर्माण कराया होगा। यहाँ की topography देखने से ही ऐसा लगता था जसै े समद्रु का तल ऊपर उठ गया हो। I could feel the presence of the oceanic floor and sea sediments everywhere. आज हमें Gata Loops पार करना था| Gata Loop, is a stretch of loopy road, having 21 hairpin bends at a height of about 17000 ft. The entire series of loops is about 10.3 km and every loop (Gata Loops) measures 300-600 metres. You may have heard the ghost story of bottle baba who died due to thirst, and about the bottle baba shrine where he was buried at one of the loops. You may not want to trust this story, but believe me, while crossing these parched loops, I felt that it is very much possible for someone to die of thirst. At the bottle baba shrine, travelers leave water bottles as offerings. मुझे घाटा लपू पार करने तक तो कोई परेशानी नहीं हुई लेकिन नाकीला पास 

उम्मीद सेज्यादा दरू निकला और फिर से मेरी तबियत बिगड़नेलगी। नाकीला पास तक पहुँचतेपहुँचते मुझे चक्कर आनेशरूु हो गए। किसी तरह से वहां एक फोटो लिया, और वहां सेव्हिस्की नाला की और चल पड़ा। व्हिस्की नाला तक डाउनहिल होने की वजह से ज्यादा दिक्कत नहीं आयी, लेकिन vomiting jaisa मन हो रहा था।व्हिस्की नाला पहुँच कर करीब 15 मिनट रेस्ट किया, किसी नेजबरदस्ती कुछ खानेको कहा, शायद मनैं े खा भी लिया। फिर आगेकी यात्रा के लिए उठना चाहा लेकिन उठा नहींगया। एक बार फिर से10 मिनट के बाद चलनेकी कोशिश की, 100 मीटर भी नहीं गया होऊंगा, आखँ ों के सामनेपरूी तरह से andhera छा गया। मैंवापस लौट कर सपोर्ट कार मेंबठै गया, और I reached Lachung La with the help of support car. ये7 किलो मीटर मेरी परूी यात्रा पर एक धब्बा था लेकिन मुझे लगा कि मुझे अपनेशरीर की आवाज sunni चाहिए और शरीर का सम्मान करना चाहिए। waise भी अगर ज्यादा बीमार हो जाता तो आगेकी यात्रा पर पर्णू र्णविराम लग जाता। 

When we reached Pang, we found comparatively well-built temporary rooms available with attached toilets for accommodation, which is a rare luxury on that highway. My health started deteriorating again. I was again kept on oxygen support for the whole night. 

Day 6 :Pang to Debring |Stay: Camping / Dhaba | Cycling: 51 km 

This morning, my health started to improve. The headache subsided. After riding a 5 km uphill, we reached the most beautiful route of this journey called More plain (मोरेप्लेन). येकहाँआ गए हम, yuhi साथ साथ चलते मोरेप्लेन, is a plateau at an average elevation of 15,750 ft, having a stretch of around 40 km with mountains on both the sides. मोरेप्लेन को local language में Kiang Chu Thang कहतेहैं, (Kiang Chu Thang means a plain where the kiang (Wild Tibetan ass) does not find water.) हमारेपास D2G का सपोर्ट था इसलिए हमेंपानी की कोई कमी नहीं हुई और हम तिब्बती गधा बनतेबनते रहे। We did some photo shoots in this region. In spite of the heavy headwind it was a wonderful experience to ride through the More plains. जब तक हम डीबरिगं पहुंचे मैंपहले से बेहतर महससू कर रहा था। कई रातों के बाद आज मैंबिना सिर दर्द के सो पाया। 

Day 7 :Debring to Lato | Stay: Guest House | Cycling: 54 km 

सबहु हल्का snowfall हो रहा था इस वजह सेride थोड़ी देर सेशरूु हुई। आज की राइड के लिए हमेंकाफी डराया गया था because we were going to cross the highest point of the Manali Leh expedition and the second highest motorable pass of the world open for public. It was really a tough climb but I saw it as an opportunity to prove my worth in front of me after my Lachung La failure. ये मेरे आत्मसम्मान की लड़ाई थी। भगवान ने भी साथ दिया, देर से ही लेकिन अब शायद मेरा acclimatization हो chuka था। I kept on pedalling and by around 11 AM I reached The Tanglang La (17582 feet from sea level). We were instructed to not stay at passes for more than 5 minutes so after taking some snaps I started descending towards today’s night stay point Lato, one of the oldest villages of Leh Ladakh. The Lato stay was relatively comfortable, hot water was available in bathrooms and most importantly we could finally connect with the rest of the world via mobile network after around 4 days. 

Day 8 :Lato to Leh | Stay: Hotel | Cycling: 82 km 

We woke up with utter excitement. आज की ride relatively आसान थी। मन उमंग सेभरा हुआ था, सपना सच होनेवाला था। तबीयत भी बिल्कुल ठीक थी। उड़कर लेह पहुँच जाने की इच्छा हो रही थी। बस अगर कोई तजे चलनेसेरोक रहा था तो वो थी मेरे दादा जी द्वारा दी गयी सीख “अतं भला तो सब भला”। क्योंकि हमें लेह सरुक्षित भी पहुंचना था। We cycled the rest of the way to Leh town is mostly flat land. We crossed several villages, and some famous monasteries on our way to the town. Shey Monastery The signboard saying “Welcome to Leh” made me think of the day when I decided to do this expedition for the first time. I was in tears…. ये khushi के aansu थे। I lived my dream. I was feeling extremely proud of my accomplishment. I was proud of having those people in my life जो परूे expedition में मेरे साथ नहीं होते हुए भी थे, जिनके विश्वास ने, उम्मीदों ने मुझे टूटने नहीं दिया। मैंमन ही मन ऋणी था उन co-riders का जो एक dusre को लेकर चलते रहे। ऋणी था Abhijit का जो परूे expedition में साये की तरह साथ रहा। ऋणी था Avdhesh Goel और Rupesh Gupta का जिन्होंने mujhe पहली mountain ride करवाई। mujhe गर्व हो रहा था अपने cycling ग्रुप EDR पर जहां से mujhe इस expedition को pura  करनेका confidence मिला। मैं एहसानमंद था Dare2Gear team का जिसके बिना ये expedition असंभव था। There was a roller coaster of feelings inside me which I can’t express even half of it. jaise किसी important examination के समाप्त होने के बाद प्लान तो बहुत सारे होते हैं लेकिन समझ नहीं आता कि क्या करेंऔर उन्हें किस order में execute करें, ठीक waisa ही होटल पहुंचने के बाद feel कर रहा था। विश्वास नहीं हो रहा था कि जिस राइड के बारे में इतना कुछ सनु रखा था, जिस राइड को किसी cyclist के पागलपन की हद बतानेके लिए प्रयोग करता था, वो maine स्वयं pura कर लिया। परै जमीन पर नहीं पड़ रहे थे। इंतजार था बस शाम को felicitation ceremony का, social media पर अपने इस achievement को ट्रॉफी के साथ share करनेका …….. 

It was not just a trophy, I was holding an everlasting memory. Started as a team and ended up as a family.