Cycling trip: Kochi to Kathmandu in 23 days

Kalamassery: P R Vineet was a young boy when he fell in love with the bicycle. Even at 22, Vineeth has the same passion for this humble mode of transport. On the night of January 2, Vineeth began cycling from Kaloor in Ernakulam and covered more than 3000 kilometres to reach Katmandu on the 25th.

He cycled solo without any sponsors. Vineeth set out for this unique cycling journey to create awareness about role of cycling in staying fit and healthy and its incredible positive impact on environment. Besides, he appeals to the authorities to turn Kochi into a cycle friendly city like Sweden.

Vineeth chose the Kochi – Coimbatore – Bengaluru – Hyderabad – Jabalpur – Nagpur – Kathmandu route for his trip. At Bengaluru and Hyderabad, he stayed at his relatives'. However, in other places, he put up tents in secure spots. At Jabalpur, Dinesh, a Malayali officer with the military engineering services accommodated him at the army quarters. His cycle got punctured 4 times on the way to Nagpur. Vineeth says that the police had helped him then. The youngster, who completed his BTech course, is currently pursuing a course in industrial automation.

Vineeth loved long-distance cycling trips since childhood. He used to ride for more than 20 kilometres a day. As he transitioned from riding a basic cycle to a top-end one, Vineeth began going for long distance rides up to 50-200 kilometres. While a student, he used to ride cycle from Kochi to Alappuzha, Ilaveezhapoonchira, Peechi dam and Idamalayar dam.

He cycled for more than 15 kilometres daily to ISAT, where he studied his BTech. Though he had designed a cycle which ran on battery in the morning and worked manually in the evening as part of his project, he couldn't build it owing to financial constrains. Vineeth is also a member of the Cochin Randonneurs Club.