HomeEverything Else20 year old BCA student completes Spiti circuit on his 125cc scooter

20 year old BCA student completes Spiti circuit on his 125cc scooter

Avid biker, Ishant Sharma, 20, from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh has tackled the Spiti Valley in peak winter. He had wanted to do the Spiti Circuit last year but was not able to do so due to heavy snowfall in the area that resulted in a road block.

Ishant has taken on this journey despite all odds. He set off on the 7 day trip on 4th November 2017 and returned to base on 10th November. His journey took him started from Meerut and ended in Meerut. And in those 7 days, he rode through the toughest terrains on his scooter. A total distance of 1722 kms was covered.

On the first day, he covered 394 kms, riding from Meerut to Simla and Narkanda. Day 2 saw Ishant travel from Narkanda to Jalori Pass and then on to Manali completing a distance of 204 kms. He stayed the night at Manali to set out on the next day to Rohtang Pass and Chhatru and on Day 4 Ishant travelled 157 kms to Chicham, Kibber and Kaza.

He then on went on to villages of Hikkim, Langza on his 5th day of travel after which he rode to Kaza, Tabo, Nako, Rampur Bushar and Kumarsain covering a distance of 331 kms on the 6th day. His final day saw him travel to Kumarsain and Shimla to reach back to his hometown in Meerut after travelling a distance of 428 kms.

Day 1- Meerut-Shimla-Narkanda (394 KM) (Stay in hotel)
Day 2- Narkanda-Jalori Pass-Manali (204 KM) (Stay in Manali)
Day 3- Manali-Rhotang Pass-Chhatru (84 KM)
Day 4- Chhatru-Chicham-Kibber-Kaza(157 KM)
Day-5 Kaza(nearby villages e.g hikkim, langza, chicham etc) (124 KM)
Day-6 Kaza-Tabo-Nako-Rampur Bushar- Kumarsain (331 KM)
Day-7 Kumarsain- Shimla-Meerut (428 KM)

Below is a short interview we had with Ishant –

Q – Where are you from?
IS – I’m from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

Q – How old are you since how many years are you riding?
IS – 20 years old and riding from last 2 years.

Q – What do you do professionally?
IS – BCA(Last year).

How many bikes do you own?
This the only scooter I own.

Which is your dream bike?
Hero Xpulse as of now. 😉

What inspired you achieve this record?
For the love of riding, I would say.

Any special training you underwent?
Nothing particular, just did 3-4 rides before on scooter to Spiti valley, Chanshal Pass, Mussoorie etc.

Why a scooter?
1. Great mileage( I get 60 km/l overall)
2. Ample storage space (Underseat + Front)
3. Ease of riding (No clutch/gear shifts)
4. Slow riding so you can really enjoy the beauty of The Himalayas.

Why scooter of this particular brand?
As it’s the only one I got.

Help / funding / sponsors you had ?
No sponsors, I wish I had some. Even mailed to Honda, but didn’t got any response. Why would they care, as there sales figure are already high in this segment.

How you tackled hunger, sleep, weather, etc while on the bike?
Same as always, took 7-8 snickers, 250g dry fruits, wore clothes in layers, no rocket science 🙂

Cruising speed?
70-85 (On Highways)
In hilly areas it significantly varies from 10-50 km/hr depending on road.

Any special thing you would like to mention from the ride / experience?

Yes there are many. I had 2 falls in this trip, one while descending Jalori Pass. It was special as it was my first fall in Himalayas which however was necessary as I was doing reckless riding. Did hard braking of front brake on a slushy road (silly me). Second fall was stupid too, it happened while I was ascending Kunzum top, I took the shortcut 1 KM before the pass, and it was really really steep. Don’t know what came in my mind, I took it (I think I saw it in a video on youtube, that’s why). My scooter stopped climbing at halfway, it halted and was rolling back. I pressed both brakes as hard as I could but it was of no use. So I deliberately made it fall, otherwise I wouldn’t be here writing.

Would you want to do it again?
Yea why not. I would love to.

And anything else if you want want to add related to the ride?

Going to Spiti is the best thing happened in my life. I wish it remains the same as it is now and it’s only us who can preserve it. What disheartened me this time is, I found many chips wrappers, used plastic bottles lying near road, specially from Chhatru – Batal part. As there are two famous dhabas in this region, the famous chacha-chachi dhaba in Batal and the Prem dhaba in Chhatru, the place where we stayed. Also I see people use water bottle for toilet purposes and after dumping shit they leave the bottles there. On an average it takes a minimum of 450 years to completely degrade a single water bottle (and that’s a minimum). So please I appeal to you, instead of throwing bottles anywhere, crush them and carry them till you find a dustbin (in a hotel, shop etc.)

For complete story, check out my instagram handle – https://www.instagram.com/dauntlessrider/

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