A historic cycling race began in Srinagar on Wednesday, marking the start of the first-of-its-kind 3655-kilometer event. The race, which has been accorded the status of Asian Ultracycling Championship by the World Ultracycling Association (WUCA), will be Asia's longest cycle race, and will cover a distance of 3655 kilometers.
The race has attracted 29 cyclists, including one woman, Geeta Rao, who is specially-abled. Rao expressed her excitement about the event and her hopes of inspiring women. "If I can dream of it and achieve it, everyone can do it," she said. "I always do what I dream of and take one step to achieve it."
The cyclists who complete the race will automatically qualify for the World event, according to the director of the ultra-cycling project, Jitendra Nayak. While the organisers have set a time of 12 to 14 days for the cyclists to complete the race, most participants have set a target of completing the race in nine to 11 days.
Nayak said the idea to hold an ultra-cycling race came after several Indian cyclists participated in such events held in the west and the far east. He also noted that it is a very expensive affair to participate in races held in the west. "So the idea was to allow the cyclists from India to participate in ultracycling events which are affordable," he added. "It will cost only 1/10th of what it takes to participate in races abroad."
The race route will have 13 time stations manned by marshals, and all riders will be tracked using GPS devices.
(Edited by : Soham Shetty)
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