OUT ON TWO WHEELS
#GREENSTRIDES
ISMAIL LAKDAWALA
(@ismaillakdawala) loves being amid nature, travelling slow and witnessing stories. A BBA graduate from Christ University, Bangalore, he currently works full time in Rajkot, Gujarat, on a venture called XploreTheEarth.com, which he launched with his two best friends, Akshay and Saransh, to make reliable travel information easy to access.
INSPIRING YOU TO RIDE THE MANALI-LEH HIGHWAY ON YOUR FIRST BIG TRIP!
I cycled 11km to and fro to my school in Rajkot for about four years. I didn’t have a bike in college, and I felt handicapped. College done, I invested in a bike and decided to make the purchase memorable by making its maiden journey one from Manali to Leh.
I cycle about six to eight hours a week. I’ve started using my bike to commute in the city, and I go on occasional morning rides. I‘m planning more bike packing trips in the coming weeks.
I cycle to feel the breeze on my face, to feel that power of moving a machine with my own strength, to glide through trees, on empty roads, off roads. To go wherever I want to without worrying about fuel or costs. Cycling brings calm, contentment and joy to my life. My thoughts often clear up on a ride.
My favourite bike is my first big-boy bike, the Raleigh Terrain 10. At about ₹25,000, it is the best budget buy I could find, with all the features of a beginner mountain bike and quality components. It got me through the entire Manali-Leh trip without any trouble. I didn’t even have to adjust my tire pressure through the 15 days of cycling over difficult terrain!
I picked the Manali-to-Leh route because I needed a break from the ordinary. This route is one that bikepackers from across the world dream of doing. Motorbiking was too mainstream for me; bikers do in two days what we did over 12! When you live with the landscape over days, struggle to climb slopes, brace against the wind and see the darkness of the sky at night, you truly feel it.
I wanted this trip to be more than just my personal adventure. I wanted to share with people the need to travel responsibly and take care of the environment while doing it. Akshay, Saransh and I talked to travellers about travelling responsibly, we documented places along the way suffering from over-tourism and excessive littering, we distributed garbage bags to vehicle owners, and carried a banner to remind everyone to take care of the climate.
HIGH POINTS
• First snowfall when cycling towards Baralacha La Pass
• Watching the Dalai Lama pass by at Debring
• Going downhill for almost 60km straight from Taglang La Pass till Upshi, through the maroon mountains of Hemis right by the river
CAN ANYONE DO IT?
Yes! It’s more about mindset
