Mangaluru: Two cyclists pedal 3,500km, honoured

MANGALURU: Two adventure enthusiasts, who completed their 3,500km cycling expedition, ‘Saarthakam 2022’ from Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada to Srinagar and Gulmarg in Kashmir, were felicitated on Wednesday.
Cyclists Jagadeesh Kulal,24, and Shrinidhi Shetty,26, held about 20 gatherings across the country, and spread the message of organ donation and environmental conservation. The expedition with the taglines, ‘Life is a gift, pass it on’ and ‘Go green before green goes’, is part of the outreach activity of the city-based NGO, Centre for Integrated Learning, and traversed through over 10 states. The cyclists are both production officers at Asian Paints, Mysuru, and have experience cycling in different terrain, including the high-altitude Himalayan expedition.
“The weather condition was a challenge. It rained heavily when we were in Mumbai and Pune, and we had several breakdowns. Throughout the trip, we had more than 25 tyre punctures. We cycled through extreme conditions. We felt the pollution levels were high in Gujarat; Rajasthan was beautiful, and once we reached Haryana it was nice, as there was a cool breeze. We have pedalled in extreme conditions, including at 3⁰C at Gulmarg,” said Kulal.