Pedalling 1,219 km in 80.25 hours

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, August 29

Nitush Chadha (42) started cycling in July 2020. This footwear manufacturer from the city got so much fascinated with the sport that he just completed the 21st edition of the Paris-Brest-Paris endurance cycling event organised by the Audax Club Parisien from August 20 to 24. Though the cyclists get 90 hours to complete the 1,219 km ride in France, he completed his target in just 80.25 hours. His family members and friends gave him a hero’s welcome when he returned last night to his place at Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar.

Chadha said, “It was not easy. The elevations were sky touching upto 12 km high. But my coach Sunil Sharma from Bholath had trained me quite hard. He used to make me go over flyovers in the city 100 times continuously. I had also gone for the 62-hour cycling expedition earlier covering 1,000 km from Jalandhar-Amritsar-Pathankot-Karnal-Patiala-Ludhiana and back. It included cycling on heights like those of Baba Balak Nath Temple.”

“The real motivation came from several elderly from the European countries who took part in the ride. I thought that if they can cycle, I can too. I had issues with knee pain but I managed by applying gel. There were issues of diet since I am a vegetarian and the only option for me was pasta. I had to depend on energy bars for a quick rush of sugar,” shared Chadha.

He said his wife, his two daughters and son had encouraged him for the event. “Sitting at home, they were tracking my ride on an app and watching which all checkposts I had crossed in France,” he said.