Preeti Maske becomes first woman to cycle from Leh to Manali in 55 hours, creates world record

Pune’s Preeti Maske became the first woman to cycle solo from Leh to Manali in under 56 hours. The 45-year-old, who is a mother of two, covered the distance in 55 hours and 13 minutes. Officials at the Border Roads Organisation claimed she had achieved the requirements of the Guinness World Records after completing the 430 km journey. The organisation took to social media to hail Maske’s achievement and shared a video of her journey. “Congratulations Ms Preeti Maske- Its a Guinness Record. 55 hours & 13 minutes, is all she needed to cycle from Leh to Manali, approx 430 km. The ultra cycling effort in High Altitude terrain with reduced Oxygen availability speaks volumes of her tenacity and determination,” wrote the BRO. The organisation also added that it was proud to be associated with her expedition. On 22 June, Maske was flagged off at 0600 hours by Brigadier Gaurav Karki, Chief Engineer BRO at, Leh. According to a PTI report, she finished her journey at 1:13 pm on 24 June in the presence of  Col. Shabarish Vachali, Commander, BRO. The 45-year-old also holds the record for the fastest woman cyclist on the 6,000 km long Golden Quadrilateral. Maske had also shared some images of her journey. In an Instagram post, she thanked the BRO and her crew for the photos and videos of the record. She also dedicated this record to the Border Roads Organisation. View the post here:

Maske, who started cycling at the age of 40, believes that age is no barrier to pursuing one’s goals. She persisted with the journey even though she had to take oxygen twice at high passes due to breathlessness. Experts have said the route was very tough with an elevation gain of 8,000 metres. According to officials, Maske had been given a window of 60 hours by Guinness World Record to complete this challenge.