[HappyWheels]

This is one heck of a trip!

Doing a trip to Leh itself requires preparation for quite a lot of people (self included) and you do it on a cycle! Bravo!!!

Looking forward to the rest of the travelogue and the science behind the 21 laps.

And did you take some of them mutton curry to-go?

[motorguy]

What a fabulous trip !!! Your pictures were so exciting that I kept on looking at them multiple times.

Wish I had the tenacity (and guts) to take on a challenge like this - and that too on a bicycle.

These are things that a lot of us probably think of doing but never do so. Kudos to you and hope you enthrall us with many more trips like this!

[PapaBravo]

What an experience Dada. I remember meeting you at Decathlon where you had come for some cycle related problem. Never knew then that this was coming. You style of writing is very gripping !!

Hats off to you for undertaking this trip. Please do come for the next meet, there are a lot of updates to be taken from you.

Keep Pedalling !!

Pawan

[Lone Ranger]

Originally Posted by mr.sinha

While cycling, one tends to notice and appreciate a lot more things, - nature, the vista, the people around, the villages, small schools, children, shops, - things which would have zipped through while in a motor vehicle. Photography while traveling by car feels almost like a forced stop to take photos. On a cycle, it felt more dynamic.

Mr. Sinha, hats off to you! I love riding as well and you have captured the essence of a bicycle beautifully in the above paragraph. Some questions popped up as I was reading
1) How did you manage your water intake - how many litres of water did you consume on a daily basis while on the saddle?
2) Didn't you use cycling gloves and a face mask?

I would also suggest you get a heart rate monitor and a bike computer with cadence. These two things really help monitor and improve your performance. Of course, as you have just demonstrated, you can very well do without them, but since you mentioned your heart rate a few times in your post, I just thought I would mention it. Also, with the risk of going slightly off topic, and speaking as an ex smoker (20 + years) myself, I would urge you to give it up and watch how your body responds. It's like getting a free stage 2 performance upgrade for your car

[SS-Traveller]

Midlife crisis - what a beautiful way to celebrate it, Mr. Sinha! ADC did it multiple times, and his physique changed from plump to carved muscular (I almost didn't recognise him a year ago, when we met in Kolkata). But then, he's kind of disappeared from Team-BHP lately... Here's hoping you keep on cycling, travelling, discovering the limits you can push yourself to, and coming back time and again to tell us about it.

Mesmerizing writeup, this, and I wait for the rest of the instalments. Rated 5 stars already.

[ALTIMAed]

Mr. Sinha, what a wonderful 'cycletlog' if I could name it. Some people do the circuit in their dreams (I am one of them) and you did it on a cycle, kuddos to you Sir. Rating this travelog, a well deserved 5 stars.

[Samba]

Awesome travelogue Abhijeet da. Hats off to your spirit. Am running short of words to congratulate you!
Normally people avoid walking fast in this circuit fearing to get out of breath but then there are persons like you, ADC da who make the impossible, possible. Kudos to you for achieving this feat.
The pics are splendid with detailed narration. Eagerly waiting for the rest to come up.

Rated high 5!

[MorePower]

Hats off Mr Sinha. This is truly inspirational! What better way to explore the gorgeous landscape of Leh - Ladakh than on a bicycle. Like you rightly said, you tend to notice and appreciate the nature, the people, the culture a lot more when you are on a cycle, rather than zipping around in a 4-wheeler. More power to you for many more rides. Eagerly awaiting the rest of the travelogue.

[anand.shankar82]

Sinha sir you are an inspiration in every sense of the word. I am an avid cyclist as well and do a daily cycle route of 25+ kms within the city

The most I have done is a 120km round trip from Pune to Lonavala and back that too on a very modest 5 gear Hamilton Road King (gears added after-market)

Have also done some shorter ones like 50kms to Panshet (and 50km back next day), 50km round trip to Saswad from Pune and some random hill-climbs on the several ghats around here

However, your courage and determination to make it solo to Leh on a cycle has inspired me to attempt the same someday

Please keep the travelogue going. Eagerly waiting to read all the way till you reach Leh.

Some questions for you as a fellow-cyclist:
1. Did the derailleurs make life a lot more bearable on the steep sections? I am guessing you have at least a 3 * 7 setup?
2. How did you deal with the dehydration and lactate build-up in the muscles.
3. How did the altitude affect your breathing? Was it a lot tougher there than say a hill at 6-8k feet?
4. Like you I too am a smoker. Did you quit smoking for several months before this trip?
5. Between Scott, Firefox, Giant and Schnell which one did you find the best and why? Also, are Hero and other Indian brands close to their quality?

I wish someday I too can work up the courage to do what you have done. HATS OFF!!!!

[lagnajit]

I have never been so much into cycling post school days. Always thought it is waste of time (given the traffic conditions). Could never appreciate the pleasure people get out of it. Then comes this travelogue. An eye opener and an inspiration. Gripping.

Cant wait to read what happens next. Take a bow Sir!

[mr.sinha]

Thank you all for your overwhelming response. Your encouragement makes these trips worth it.

Originally Posted by earthian

This is exciting stuff. Do continue, Mr.Sinha. Going up Khardungla pass on a cycle by a person 47 years old. This is going to be interesting.

I didn't go up Khardung La though. Concluded my journey in Leh. That was enough for me. And BTW, I am 48.

Originally Posted by Waspune

Keep it coming Mr Sinha. This is truly encouraging in every sense. A big thumbs up to you. Also loved your narration and language.

I have a noob question: What differentiates a mountain bike from a hybrid bike?

I am sure that mutton curry rice that you had for your dinner would have pepped you even more for the remaining days

A hybrid bike is somewhere between a road and a mountain bike. Road bikes have thin tires and are expected to be ridden on good roads. They are built for speed. MTBs are for all terrain and are built stronger to take the drops and falls better. These have thicker tires. In TBHP parlance, a road bike is like a sedan and a MTB is like a 4WD off-roader. You should see some of the MTB videos to see what kind of crazy stuff people do on MTBs. For this trip, MTB was not an absolute necessity - could have done with hybrid as well.

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

This is one heck of a trip!

...
And did you take some of them mutton curry to-go?

I wish I had taken some of the mutton curry with me, because from Day 4 till Day 8, I had lost my appetite and survived mostly on soup and fluids. More on that later.

Originally Posted by Lone Ranger

Mr. Sinha, hats off to you! I love riding as well and you have captured the essence of a bicycle beautifully in the above paragraph. Some questions popped up as I was reading
1) How did you manage your water intake - how many litres of water did you consume on a daily basis while on the saddle?
2) Didn't you use cycling gloves and a face mask?

I would also suggest you get a heart rate monitor and a bike computer with cadence. These two things really help monitor and improve your performance. Of course, as you have just demonstrated, you can very well do without them, but since you mentioned your heart rate a few times in your post, I just thought I would mention it. Also, with the risk of going slightly off topic, and speaking as an ex smoker (20 + years) myself, I would urge you to give it up and watch how your body responds. It's like getting a free stage 2 performance upgrade for your car

1) My fluid intake saved me during the trip. I was regularly drinking about 4 liters of fluid every day, out of which 1 L was Electral solution, 1 L was either iced tea or Gatorade, and 2 L plain water.

2) Cycling gloves: most of the times except when it was raining. I wore the half-gloves with the fingers exposed, even though it felt cold and miserable. When the gloves got wet from rain, I wore surgical gloves inside, then those gloves, but this was not comfortable, so rode bare-handed during rains mostly.

I didn't buy a heart rate monitor. I just stopped and rested when I thought the heart-rate was going through the roof. I did have a bike computer, but I couldn't find it when I reached Manali, so I had the wire and sensor on the wheel hanging but I couldn't find the damn thing among the luggage. But good thing is the MLH is well marked with milestones.

Yeah man, tell me about smoking. Failed to give it up as yet. Every uphill and every pass I was climbing, I was huffing and panting and swearing at myself for my smoking habits, and then downhills and at the end of day, I was still smoking a few. I don't have a strong will and self-control at all.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Midlife crisis - what a beautiful way to celebrate it, Mr. Sinha! ADC did it multiple times, and his physique changed from plump to carved muscular (I almost didn't recognise him a year ago, when we met in Kolkata). But then, he's kind of disappeared from Team-BHP lately... Here's hoping you keep on cycling, travelling, discovering the limits you can push yourself to, and coming back time and again to tell us about it.

Mesmerizing writeup, this, and I wait for the rest of the instalments. Rated 5 stars already.

ADC was my primary inspiration behind this journey. I read his travelogue so many times to prepare and plan, and then we two even cycled together during some early morning practice runs.
He was also preparing to go on another cycle trip to one of the most exotic and extreme places, had gone there too around the same time, but for work-related reasons, he had to return back immediately. Of course, I cannot reveal the name of the place where he went to - it will eventually come from him.

Originally Posted by anand.shankar82

Sinha sir you are an inspiration in every sense of the word. I am an avid cyclist as well and do a daily cycle route of 25+ kms within the city

...

Please keep the travelogue going. Eagerly waiting to read all the way till you reach Leh.

Some questions for you as a fellow-cyclist:
1. Did the derailleurs make life a lot more bearable on the steep sections? I am guessing you have at least a 3 * 7 setup?
2. How did you deal with the dehydration and lactate build-up in the muscles.
3. How did the altitude affect your breathing? Was it a lot tougher there than say a hill at 6-8k feet?
4. Like you I too am a smoker. Did you quit smoking for several months before this trip?
5. Between Scott, Firefox, Giant and Schnell which one did you find the best and why? Also, are Hero and other Indian brands close to their quality?

I wish someday I too can work up the courage to do what you have done. HATS OFF!!!!

1. Oh yes, helped a lot, otherwise would not have been possible. Mine was a 3*10 setup. In ADC's travelogue I think there was a mention about a Japanese cyclist who bought a Hercules with no gears from Manali and did the MLH.

2. I already answered about my fluid intake. See above. Didn't find any issues with lactate build-up though.

3. Altitude definitely affects your breathing, however it depends from person to person. I usually never get AMS (at least none in all my earlier trips), but the oxygen content is really low (feels like that in thin air) at 16,000 ft+, and I could feel I was more frequently out of breath at those altitudes. Of course, my smoking habits was definitely responsible for these adverse affects.

4. Unfortunately no. Not before, during or after.

5. Among these 4, as per my research, Scott was the better brand for the same price band. I don't think the Indian brands have reached there yet.


Thanks all for your interest. Working on the next installment. Will post shortly.

[vinodvayyat]

That is amazing Sinha ji. It was an amazing life time experience for sure. Wishing you many more cycling miles in the future. This kind of a trip is my dream. Accessory/bike etc are already done and only self preparation is needed for me

Originally Posted by Waspune

I have a noob question: What differentiates a mountain bike from a hybrid bike?

As rightly replied by Sinha ji, these are completely different. My two cents (other than the tyre part) below:

• Frame is the major differentiator between an MTB or a road bike or a hybrid or a cross.
• MTB's frame gives the rider a more upright position - compared to any other type of bike (not comparing to BMX type here). More ground clearance and no chance of toe clipping. An MTB that clips the toe will be disastrous.
• The head tube will be more slanted for absorbing roughness of the roads in a better way.
• Top tube will be shorter to give more control and of course an upright position.
• Bottom bracket will be super strong. Same case for any tube, chain stay etc etc.
• Down side here is weight - Even with Al alloys, it doesn't come below 16Kg. A cross bike on the other side will weigh south of 12Kg. IMO, a crossbike will suit Ladakh terrains. Hybrid bike will also do. Hybrid is in between a road and an MTB. But cross bikes are supposed to have better road handling capabilities than hybrid.
• Components will be sturdier and will weigh more on the negative side.
• Pedals will be wide - to give the rider more traction.

The list goes on. Cycles are products with complex engineering!

[hothatchaway]

Simply inspirational, and here I was, thinking that my solo motorcycle ride from Bangalore to Spiti was something to brag about! Needed a superhuman feat from a gent a decade older than me to shatter my illusion.

You should chuck your day job and just travel and write. Devoured your TL like one of those heavenly egg rolls Kusum at Park Street serves up!

Keep going dada.

[behaln]

Excellent travelogue buddy, best ever I have read on t bhp. Having done MLH in a comfortable SUV, all I can think about you is loads of respect. Doing it on a bike and that too alone, hats off to you. It was so interesting that I read it at 2 am in the morning after a hectic day at office.
Awaiting for further write up.

[heydj]

This thread is so addictive, re-read just to experience the journey. Can't wait for day 4-9. Please post soon.