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Indomitable bikers on top of the world
The TVS Fiero FX OutThere Adventurers team has covered four passes in tough terrain in one day.
Six biking enthusiasts, who battled challenging terrain to cross four of the world’s highest motorable passes within 24 hours, are all set to lay their claim on the Guinness records.
The TVS Fiero FX OutThere Adventurers expedition led by Chandan Lahiri, covered four passes of the Himalayan terrain between July 31 and August 1. The team claim to have covered four passes, including the Marsimik La pass, touching an altitude of 18,652 feet.
“We rode through Marsimik La, Khardung La, Tanglang La and Chang La, covering a distance of 638 kms in 23 hours and 25 minutes,” says Lahiri. The six-member team comprised Patrick Kerr, Michael Williams, brothers Bugess and Sarosh Cooper and Saurav Gupta, besides Lahiri.
Looking back, Lahiri says the thrills did not come without the spills. “One of us was down with high altitude pulmonary oedema and another member was gripped by mountain sickness. Both had to be hospitalised but recovered in time,” he says.
The toughest part of the ride, says Williams, was the ride to Marsimik La. “There was no virtually no road. We waded through 42 kilometres of sand and gravel on steep gradient. The pass is not motorable at all.”
The Indian Army was the best thing that could have happened to the expedition, maintains Kerr, 47, an engineer by training and an adventurer at heart. “Not just did they give us restricted area permit, they sent a JCO to accompany us on the trip. Also, the Army’s transport check posts were timing us. Also they were sending messages to the next post about our arrival to ensure that we didn’t meet with any exigency,” he says.
Considering that there are no treadmarks in Ladakh’s terrain, the bikers made their own road. That’s what we call biking by instinct.
