Syed Shiraz Ali from Delhi has attempted the fastest ride from Khardung La to Delhi, and succeeded. Time taken: A mere 19 hrs 50 minutes. Choice of vehicle: Bajaj Pulsar 220. The previous record for fastest time on this route was set last hour (21 hrs 30 mins on a KTM 390) last year. The record though documented is not official and recognised, and is something the rider wanted to undertake for his sake. Syed rode a 2009 Bajaj pulsar 220 with 21 bhp as compared to the KTM 390’s 43 bhp.
Syed Shiraz Ali started his ride from Khardung La on 12th September at 6:22 am and rode through muddy slush filled winding roads down to reach Leh, where he refilled the fuel tank. Riding in the mountains is never an easy task. A rider must constantly gauge rocky toads, and steep turns. To make the situation even more difficult is the low temperature.
The morning ride started on a strange note. Syed Shiraz Ali had already not eaten for almost 10 hours when the ride started. He was also met with a flying stone just falling near the edge of his bike, and missing him by a whisker. A slight thought of negativity already sank in, but Syed kept riding. In his words, “Beyond this, fate had already planned to give me a tough time through my journey. By the time I reached Manali, my bike broke down. I was done now. I knew now I cannot finish on time. Ok! Its over.”
He called his friends to notify them of his situation and how it was impossible for him to complete the journey. They pepped him to move on, and get going with the ride. The timely intervention made him rethink his decision and reminded him, ‘It’s me, or nobody else can complete it’.
Syed geared up and started again. Clocked 2 hrs from Ambala to Delhi, and completed the journey in 19 hrs 48 mins. He was welcomed in Delhi by fellow aspiring and experienced riders who shared this moment of great pride. A dream come true. Syed has always been a fast rider minus the risk and dangerous riding.
The rider had help from Sohail Khan himself, who offered much needed support and motivation, alongwith hooking up backend support, trip tracker and GPS activity.
