This story is from January 29, 2019

This officer of EME Secunderabad cycled 25,000-km across India in just 107 days to set a new world record!

This officer of EME Secunderabad cycled 25,000-km across India in just 107 days to set a new world record!
It’s been a little over a month since Lt. Col Vishal Ahlawat returned to his base in Secunderabad after completing the EME Ultra Cycling Expedition — a record breaking 25,000-kilometer journey crisscrossing the length and breadth of India. The 43-year-old officer from the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME Corps) has been waiting for an official confirmation from the Guinness Book of World Records ever since.
The record for the longest journey by bicycle in a single country is 18,922.47 km (11,757.88 miles) set by Benjamin Woods who rode throughout Australia in 245 days between 10 June 2017 to 10 February 2018. Lt. Col Vishal, clocked a whopping 25,000 kilometers in just 107 days, 23 hours and 34 minutes! His eyes light up when he talks about the expedition. “We embarked on this expedition as part of the platinum jubilee celebrations of EME. The objective wasn’t just to set the record for the longest journey in a single country, but accomplish it in the fastest time possible as well. We completed the expedition on December 2 and submitted hard copies of all the details to the Guinness authorities for verification. But we were told to upload the soft copies of the same on their website. It is a time consuming process as we have to submit pictures and videos we took all through the expedition. It is still going on. We were told that the verification will take two months. When the confirmation will come it will be another feather in the cap for EME Corps,” says Vishal, who embarked on the journey with six fellow officers from EME Secunderabad. Along the way many officers took turns to join him on the journey with the motto of paying homage to the martyrs of the Corps and spread the message of a healthy, clean, green and pollution-free India.
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‘We set three new records’
The expedition started from Secunderabad on August 15, 2018 and set three world records in the course of the epic journey. In the first phase, the team covered the “fastest North to South cycle ride” pedalling 3849 km from Leh to Kanyakumari in just 14 days, 3 hours and 54 minutes. “I was part of a similar cycling expedition from Leh to Kanyakumari back in 2007 as well. We’d completed it in 18 days and our efforts won us a place in the Limca Book of Records at the time. However, a lot has changed in 12 years. While we have superior equipment and better roads, the traffic density has increased significantly and the weather pattern has changed drastically. We experienced extreme cold and hot weather, and had to brave through a cyclones as well,” Vishal explains.
And while the group of riders managed to complete the stretch in a record breaking time, they had their share of close shaves. “On our way to Leh, we fell down from the slope on the highway. It was a busy road but thankfully, none of us were hit by a moving vehicle. Some of us had our backs bruised and were bleeding profusely, but fortunately, none of our injuries were fatal,” the officer recalls.
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‘Cycling unnoticed through Naxal belt in Chhattisgarh was a challenge in itself’

After the completion of the first phase, the team reached Arunachal Pradesh from Kanyakumari to start the second leg of the expedition — from Kibithu (the last town of Indian border from where the country witnesses its first sunrise) to Koteshwar in Gujarat. In this phase, they covered a distance of 3,880 km in a record time of 10 days, 19 hours and four minutes. This was a staggering effort, especially considering that they had to cross the Naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh.
“While crossing Chhattisgarh, we had to stop in a Naxalite area. Since it was a sensitive region, we were cautious about revealing our identities. We didn’t tell them that we are from the armed forces and requested them to let us cross the area as soon as possible. However, luck was not on our side and it started raining heavily the next day preventing us from crossing the area,” he says, adding, “We had no choice but to spend the night at a government school there. We were drenched and cold, but had to power through without drawing much attention to ourselves. We left in the early hours the next morning, and soon after we left, an encounter took place in the very same area.”
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‘We pedalled across four Indian Metros in 15days flat’
In the third phase of the expedition, Vishal and his team achieved the fastest golden quadrilateral as they covered four metros — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata — in record time, covering a distance of 5947 km in a record time of 15 days, 22 hours and 21 minutes. “The weather conditions were most difficult on this leg of the expedition. In some places, it was extremely windy and at other times, it was very cold, so it wasn’t easy for us to finish so quickly. Thankfully, we stuck to our schedule and did not face any hiccups. Had we been delayed by even a day, it could’ve derailed our plans completely. For instance, as soon as we left Chennai, the city got hit by a cyclone,” shares Vishal.
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‘Everyone must visit rural areas to see how people live there. It’s the real India’
Having covered both rural and urban India over the course of his journey, Vishal is stunned to see the difference in the living standards in rural India compared to the urban cities, and urges the youth to do more to develop rural places. “I feel rural India is the real India. This country has given us so much, we too need to give it something in return. I think everyone should go to rural areas to see how people live there. The government should make it compulsory for young graduates to go there for a month or two and educate people living there,” adds Vishal.
Going on numerous expeditions also means making sacrifices, as Vishal stays away from his family for long periods of time. “When I’m away on expeditions, I miss a lot of important occasions such as birthdays and festivals. My daughter would call me everyday and urge me to come back home. My family have been
supportive since they know this is my dream,” he says.
When Lt. Col. Vishal scaled the Mt. Everest without Oxygen supply
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Like any enthusiastic adventurer, it was Vishal’s dream to scale the Mt. Everest. He had just recovered from a half-body paralysis when the officer was called on to lead a team of NCC girl cadets to the world’s tallest mountain. Despite objections from his family, Vishal grabbed the opportunity and went for the trek not knowing that a new challenge awaited him there. “When we crossed the Balcony Everest, which is ahead of the summit camp, my oxygen mask stopped working. At that point I had two options in front of me — either to keep climbing or return back. I choose the former because I was sure I won’t get such an opportunity again. To top it, I had the responsibility of leading the cadets on me and had to shoulder that. So, I kept climbing and conquered the peak without any oxygen supply,” he says.
Lt. Col Vishal is now planning to embark on a 365-day marathon to spread the awareness of maintaining a clean and green environment all over the country. “If there’s one thing that my expedition has taught me, it is that climate change is real. I have seen the drastic change in climate over the past decade or so. Something must be done, and it needs to be done now,” he says, signing off.
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