Women on a cycling mission

Jaipur: Women on a mission, Meera Velankar and Tasneem Mohsin, are cycling their way from East to West, covering 3,800km, to spread awareness. Importance of cycling, environment and fitness, especially during the Covid times is the motive behind undertaking the rough and tough ride. Mothers to two children, the duo from Bengaluru hopes their expedition will inspire others to take up the challenge.
On Saturday, they crossed Rajasthan and are now headed to Gujarat.Sharing the experience of cycling 700km, covering Bharatpur, Jaipur, Ajmer, Pali and Mount Abu, 45-year-old Meera said, “Middle-aged women are too tied up and scared to taking up challenges, I hope we are able to encourage them to break out of their shell and experience the fun of outdoor activities. Even if they set out to walk, jog or cycle would be just great.”
“Our aim is to cycle almost 150-175km each day. We encountered high temperature variations in Rajasthan. Cold mornings and hot afternoons made it extremely challenging,” added 42-year-old Tasneem.
The cycling expedition flagged off from Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh on January 27 and they have so far covered around 2,800km.
When asked how challenging it is, Meera said, “Managing temperature variations in a short span is tough. Cycling in mountains in freezing cold to high temperatures in Gujarat is a challenge.”
“It is scary at times when for a stretched period we don’t see anything on the roads. This happened in Arunachal, as the hilly regions are completely deserted,” Tasneem added.