Indian teenager cycles from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 8 days, sets record
Om Mahajan celebrates with friends and family in Kanyakumari.
Few people have the stamina, grit and, above all, determination that Indian national Om Mahajan possesses.
The 18-year-old teenager combined speed and pedal power to break the record for the fastest bicycle journey across India, a distance of over 3,000 kilometres.
Mahajan, a resident of Nashik in the state of Maharashtra, cycled 3,600km from Srinagar to Kanyakumari on his bicycle in eight days, seven hours and 38 minutes, according to a report in a section of the Indian media.
The young lad began to dream of endurance cycling and taking part in the Race Across America (RAAM) after the lockdown began.
Midway through his training, the zeal turned patriotic, when he decided on a Race Across India.
He started from Srinagar on a chilly night last week, and braved heavy rain in Madhya Pradesh and punishing heat down south before reaching the destination.
The apple, it is said, is never far from the tree. The existing Guinness Book record for the fastest bicycle ride from Srinagar to Kanyakumari was held by his uncle, Mahendra Mahajan.
Om's father Hitendra and uncle Mahendra had won the RAAM as a team of two in 2015. They also hold a record for the fastest ride along the Golden Quadrilateral.
The pandemic delayed his departure to Kansas, US where he has enrolled for a graduate course in sports management, Om said. But it also gave him time to train.
An experienced crew of cyclists including his father and uncle, and RAAM solo finisher Kabir Raichure accompanied him in a vehicle as his `support team'.
He could be an inspiration to cyclists in Dubai who took part in the Dubai Fitness Challenge and could emulate his feat somewhere, sometime, someplace.
