Cyclist beats disability, aims for Khardung La

Bengaluru: “My

disability

is my ability and I want to show the world that nothing is impossible,” said 35-year-old

Mohammad Ashraf

, who is trying to

cycle

3,700km to reach

Ladakh

. While his right leg is

paralysed

, Ashraf says that is no deterrent and he is determined to complete his journey.

Ashraf hit the road on July 15 from his hometown Thrissur in Kerala, and reached Bengaluru on Monday evening. Ashraf said he worked as a computer engineer in Dubai years ago before losing his job. “In 2017, I met with a bike accident. It took nine surgeries and years in hospital to recover.” Ashraf took to cycling in April last year to beat depression. He soon fell in love with it and the mountains even though he could pedal only with his left leg and a few fingers of his right hand had sensation. His aim is to reach

Khardung La

, one of the highest motorable passes in the world at an altitude of 17,582 feet.

Ashraf said after his accident, he realised he could either spend his life in bed or fight it out. “It is all in the mind and I decided to spread the word, ‘Nothing is impossible’.” Crossing 10 states, Ashraf plans to cycle 100-150km a day. “I have a foldable tent and a sleeping bag for night stay at petrol pumps. The only difficulty might be in finding restrooms with western commodes as I can’t squat in Indian toilets,” he said.

Asked why he doesn’t opt for a prosthetic leg, the avid cyclist said, “I have exhausted family savings in my three years of hospitalisation and once I’m back after this expedition, I will raise money for my surgeries and prosthetic leg.”


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