Sixty-year-old Gagan Khosla, who believes he has won half the battle covering the distance from leh to Delhi pedalling all the way, opens up about his journey so far. Ankita Jain reports
“The biggest challenge in riding the bicycle from Delhi to Agra was not the distance but the heat, which went above 40 degrees during the ride,” says Gagan Khosla in a telephonic interview just after his scheduled ride. But this inconvenience is mentioned in a matter-of-fact tone, as it is one of the many to be expected during a 4,000 km ride from leh to Kanyakumari. He has already covered the distance of leh to Delhi in around ten days covering 5 mountain passes.
Gagan, who hail from New Delhi and have been cycling enthusiasts since childhood, is doing the ride as part of a campaign to spread awareness amongst the people about celiac disease which is a gluten related disorder where individuals are sensitive to a protein in wheat called gluten, which damages the intestinal lining causing malnutrition and debilitating diseases.
“This is my solo ride, different riders join me at places but then it is limited to certain places.” When asked about what led to the germination of this idea, he explains, “It’s my personal venture. My desire was to actually climb Mt Everest but my family didn’t let allow me for that. And thinking for other alternative I came up with this needful attempt of cycling,” he chuckles.
Sixty-year-old Gagan Khosla, who is the founder of Whole Foods India, will head for Gwalior next with the students of Scindina School for his journey ahead. Inspiring the old aged people, he adds, “I am cycling 8-9 hours every day. Such activities require being active in life. And for people who have already started counting themselves among the olds, I just want to tell them that life goes on until the very last minute and one should live it to the fullest living all their dreams and fulfilling all their ambitions.” His entire journey will complete within 26-28.
Describing his experience, meeting new people on the way, he says, “People I meet during my journey often ask me the reason behind my ride and I take the opportunity to open a dialogue with them on the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. I also try to touch on the problem of malnutrition and gluten releated disorders. I have printed flyers that I distribute to people on the way. The flyer carries message throwing light on various aspects of these diseases and also how to come over it.”
While riding long distances is relatively smooth sailing, he concurs that Indian cities have a long way to go in becoming inclusive of cyclists. “The infrastructure and roads leave a lot to be desired. There are few spaces where we can safely park our cycles. Also, everyone in cars are in a hurry and cycles are almost invisible to them, which is dangerous. Cycling is the perfect solution for our congested cities, if people would use them for travelling short distances at least,” he explains.
Ask Gagan if he has any advice for beginners who want to take up the rigours of long distance cycling, and he leaves with a simple yet profound statement. “You just have to pedal.”