“My vision is to support people with disabilities to be able to participate in all sports. I am working with Sanket and Niket [Dalal], both of whom are blind athletes with a common mission to fly India’s flag at the international stage in the paralympic category. The agenda is to qualify for the Ironman World Championships and spread awareness about inclusive sports in the outdoors and educate people about the same,” said Shaikh.

For Bhirud, it has been another opportunity to participate in such a race and show the world that nothing is impossible. “I have been disabled since birth, and have struggled to participate in sporting activities. I have had to literally fight my way to grab opportunities to be able to participate in outdoor activities,” he shares.

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For both Thuse and Kumar, it was their first experience riding with a blind athlete. “I am lucky to have got this opportunity,” says Kumar. He feels that there’s a need to participate in many such activities to build awareness about disabled athletes. “This is not a one-off mission, but a long-term one.”

Team Sahas included two solo enduro cyclists Sandeep Kumar and Dr Himanshu Thuse and eight crew members

The race was not easy, as it included managing high-altitude sickness and associated problems. Riding tandem in such a terrain is a task as the tandem cycles are not made for this terrain. “The overall rolling resistance [energy loss between wheels and surface] and the air resistance require much more effort. To add to this, the weather at that altitude was not very good. It was raining all the way, and there were strong headwinds throughout. We had to put in four times more effort to climb up, but, then what’s the fun of achieving something without putting in the effort? We were determined to finish the race,” says Shaikh.

The Great Himalayan Ultra race organised by Pune-based Inspire India has most of the terrain above 3,000 metres. The lowest point of the race is 2,600 m in Kargil, while Fotu La at 4,100 m is the highest point. It is considered to be one of the toughest ultra-cycling races in India and the highest in the world.

On supporting the inclusive ride, Guneet Puri, founding partner of Bohemian Adventures LLP, says, “We’re trying to challenge the barriers to cycling, which include infrastructure, cost, attitudinal barriers and access to tandem cycles. By supporting such activities, we’re trying to get everyone from local authorities to sporting associations and other organisations to understand that disabled people can and do cycle in tough terrains if there is support.” Puri was also part of the eight-member crew.

Bhirud concludes, “I wish that kids like me in the future have a more inclusive space and get more opportunities to participate in sports with able-bodied athletes, so that they don’t have to suffer the lack of opportunities that I have faced as a child.”