Mysuru’s Mahesh Chaudhary does a 2,024-km endurance ride in Thailand

What began as an activity to lose weight and get fit has become a passion for Mysuru-based entrepreneur Mahesh Chaudhary, who recently completed a 2,024-km endurance cycling ride in Thailand. Participating in the event, Mahesh, whose target was to complete the distance in under 205 hours, managed it in 156 hours and 25 minutes.
“Cycling is something that I took up six years ago to lose weight. Honestly, back then I would not have thought even in my wildest dreams that I would ever ride at an endurance event. When I began cycling, I got myself a very basic geared bicycle, which I then upgraded to a road bike, once I got more confident. Over the years, not only have I gotten better at cycling, but it has also become a passion to be able to ride more and in various condititions to really challenge the body,” says Mahesh, who is back home after this gruelling ride.
The Thailand event, though, is not his first attempt at endurance riding. “I began with smaller events that included 200-300 km rides in Bengaluru, and slowly graduated to 1,000-km with rides in Trichy and Coimbatore, among others. Then, in August last year, I did my first international event, when I did a 1,200-km ride from Paris to Brest and back, which gave me the confidence to step it up and do the 2,024-km ride in Thailand,” he says.
From the time Mahesh was set on doing a long-distance ride, he stepped up his training. “Preparation is key to be able to endure long distances over multiple days and on varying terrains. It is not only about strength training. You also need immense patience to just keep pedalling on without any distractions. In the run-up to the Paris event, I used to cycle 500-600 kms in a week in and around Mysuru,” says Mahesh.
The Thailand event, he adds, was a thrilling experience. “The first three days, we had to ride on flat roads, which was fairly easy. The real challenge began after that, when we had to ride through steep hilly regions in adverse climatic conditions. It was tough, but I knew that I had to do the distance in under 205 hours, so, I kept at it. My patience and endurance paid off, as I was able to complete it in 156-odd hours,” he explains.
His physical and mental stamina apart, Mahesh adds that sticking to a fixed diet also helped maintain his rhythm. “I took packets of ready-to-cook and ready-to eat upma, idli, etc., for the entire duration of the event. I did not want to try a new cuisine that could affect my health,” he says.
So, what’s next for him? “I have already planned my next ride in Italy, which is a 1,000-km endurance event. Just because I have done twice the distance, I will not take it lightly and am looking at training hard for it,” he signs off.