Bikers hit Ladakh trail

[1]

A lot of youngsters in the city are taking to the highest road in the world in Ladakh on their bikes to beat the heat and this gives them a thrill that no adventure can. Every year as the road becomes open for passage, summers become the favourite time for bikers to head north with their gang. While the route has all its thrills of biking, scenic beauty and sense of adventure, it’s the challenge that makes people take that road over and over again.
Saurabh Rajput, who has undertaken the journey four times and managed a round about only once, says it is the feeling of being the true master of one’s destiny that makes one do this. “Apart from the challenging nature of the track, what makes them scary is that there is no help available at hand. If something goes wrong, one has to solve it on their own as other riders will probably be way ahead,” he says adding that since the entire stretch from Manali to Leh only has two petrol pumps, it becomes impossible for the rider to return and help, to save precious fuel.
Intense preparation, right from tracking down the availability of the roads, overall servicing of the motorbike, to getting one’s own gear ready for the extreme conditions is required weeks before undertaking the trip. Chris Angler, owner of Bullet Wallas, a motorcycle club in town stresses, on three most important things for a biker. “Attention, focus and bike preparation are very important for one undertaking such journeys. Apart from having the right kind of tyres and maintenance for the bike, it is important that the rider drives with the 150 per cent focus on the road. As the journey is really long and mental fatigue catches up easily, one tends to get more tired than a drive on the city roads,” he says warning that it is essential to not focus on the scenery while driving as that can lead to severe accidents. “If you want to look, don’t drive,” he says.
Nishant Jha, a member of the Royal Enfield Clubs, Bullets on Parade, adds that self-preparation is as necessary as the bike. He suggests one gets into an exercise routine at least four months before the trip to break a sedentary lifestyle. “One often faces acute mountain sickness in those areas, which occurs by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude and can be very dangerous, even lethal. So, one should carry medication, after having consulted the doctor beforehand,” he says.
Karna Verma, who has not only made the trip four times but also driven in the prestigious Raid De Himalayas Rally, shares his experience about driving alone and warns anyone against doing so. “One must always travel in a group, unlike me who foolishly risked going alone. Also, travellers contact random people off the net to take the trip, which should not be done. As under those conditions, everyone behaves differently,” he says, adding that even friends end up having massive fights, thus spoiling the entire experience.