The Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey flagging off ceremony is always preceded by Buddhist monks’ prayers. This time the 10th edition is no different but riders’ prayers were a little more intense.
And, probably, this time these prayers hold more prominence as a group of riders with sophisticated bikes, will embark on a 17-day journey through the most treacherous of tracks on the leh-ladakh road covering 2700 kms at a time when the rain God has unleashed his fury.The above mentioned roads include the terrains of Parwanoo, Narkhanda, Keylong, Sarchu via Kalpa, Kaza region and finally finishing at Khardung la, the highest motorable pass in the world at a height of 18,365 ft and going by the rain, the journey is expected to be most arduous voyage ever.
As the odyssey completes a decade this year, the organisers have decided to have 100 riders in two groups riding via different paths and later converging at leh on June 30. “In our 10th year now, this ride has only become bigger and better with a record number of 100 riders riding together to ladakh on their Royal Enfields,” Shaji Koshy, Senior vice-president sales & marketing Royal Enfield, while flagging off the event at the India Gate in the Saturday morning, said.
Among the 100 riders, three men are foreigners and one — Snigdha Chauhan is a married woman.“I am excited about my third journey — 2007 and 2008 being the previous ones. I am passionate about bikes. My husband — Sachin Chauhan is a bike enthusiast and he too will be participating in the odyssey. Although he is not in my group but, I am not worried. Everyone knows me as I am the lone woman in the team and they respect me for that. It’s a good feeling knowing that I am lone one in the journey. I have a four-year girl child and I am leaving her, which is quite a difficult decision I have taken. But, I am ready,” Snigdha, who is a Bangalore-based Chartered Accountant, said.
Another rider Dipak Kumar, said that they are not worried about rain and bad roads as this journey is known for its adventure. “The more the challenges, the better for us as we have the passion for taking up such adventurous rides. We don’t care about roads or conditions. What we care about is that we have to go there. We have a lot of friends and I am sure it will be full of fun,” he said.
Also, to mark the 10th year, the organizers have planned to host different competitions — slow racing, figure of 8 and carry your bike and assembly wars at leh. The entire contingent of 100 riders plus the competitors of those various events under the Royal Enfield Reunion North programme will be part of the celebration.