45-yr-old Pune cyclist makes Guinness record

Mandi, June 25

Pune-based cyclist Preeti Maske (45), a mother of two children, created a Guinness World Record by becoming the first woman to cycle solo from Leh to Manali in 55 hours and 13 minutes on Friday. Experts said the 430-km route was very tough with a 8,000-m elevation gain. The Guinness World Record had given her a window of 60 hours to complete this challenge.

Preeti’s journey was flagged off by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) from Leh at 6 am on June 22 by Brigadier Gaurav Karki, Chief Engineer, at Leh. At Manali, she finished the ride at 1.13 pm yesterday in the presence of Colonel Shabarish Vachali, Commander, BRO.

Anand Kansal, crew member of Preeti, said, “To manage sleep deprivation in a non-stop ride in high altitude was a big challenge for Preeti in this cycling expedition. She took oxygen twice on the route due to breathlessness at high passes.”

“It was a challenging expedition for Preeti, which could not have been possible without the support of the BRO, who had deployed two support vehicles with a satellite phone and medical assistant,” he said.