Feat of endurance: Race Across America has transformed my life, says Gokulnath

Srinivas Gokulnath, the first Indian to finish the Race Across America, in Chandigarh on Saturday. Kamleshwar Singh

AS ONE of the 268 people (230 men) in the world to have finished the Race Across America (RAAM) in the solo category, 37-year-old Dr Srinivas Gokulnath is also the first Indian to finish the 5,070-km race last year. The Nashik resident, who works as a doctor in aviation medicine, clocked 11 days, 18 hours and 45 minutes to complete the race from San Diego to Annapolis, USA, last July and Saturday saw the ultra-cyclist visiting Chandigarh to talk about the first ever RAAM qualifier in north India.

“Race Across America is a life-transforming race for me. The toughest part of the race was dealing with one’s own mind. In 36 years of RAAM, nobody from India had done it and my mind would always ask me why I am doing it? The race is like a battle. The whole route, where you are on the cycle for more than 21 hours per day for 12 days, passes through four mountain passes and three time zones apart from seeing variable climate conditions. During the last stage, cyclists also had to face Cyclone Cindy. And, when I reached the last 54th time station, it was like reaching the top of the world for me,” said Gokulnath, who also interacted with cyclists from Punjab Bikers Club and Pedalerz Cycling Group, Panchkula.

It all started for Gokulnath in 2009 when he aimed for ultra-cycling races in India. The cyclist trained in Nashik initially and set a national record of cycling from Leh to Kanyakumari in 15 days. Two years later, Gokulnath made his first attempt to complete the Race Across America but fell short by 750 kms when he had to quit after the 11th day. Gokulnath attended the podium stage of the event and decided to compete in the event again the following year. It also meant that he had to borrow saddles, GPS equipment from friends to cut costs for the second attempt.

“My first attempt helped me to plan better for 2017. When I saw the podium finish in 2016, I decided that I have to be on the podium. My wife Prafulla, who is a doctor, also decided to support me for the race while our three-year-old son Rohan had to stay with relatives. RAAM is around 30 per cent longer than the Tour De France and one has roughly half the time to finish it. Owing to lack of sponsors, I also had to borrow saddles and cycling equipment, apart from GPS devices, from my friends to cut costs. And then, one has to recover fully after the race. Now, I am planning to compete in the Race Around Austria, a 2000-km ultra race to be held in August. So far, no Indian has finished it and I aim to do so,” said Gokulnath.

The last decade has seen the rise of cycling clubs and ultra-cycling races in India and with India being the only country in Asia conducting RAAM qualifiers, Gokulnath sees a rise in the trend. “Ultra-cycling is growing in India and now there are three qualification races for RAAM in India. The number of ultra-cyclists has increased three times since 2010. With the Shivalik Signature qualifier, cyclists, especially from north India, will be able to qualify for RAAM and achieve what I achieved. The two-day 615-km race will begin on April 7 from Chandigarh and race director Preeti Saran has also acted as volunteer in RAAM,” added Gokulnath.

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