A housewife and mother of two, Preeti Maske, who claims of having set three world records, is now trying to add another feather in her cap by cycling from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 11 days. Her new crusade also aims to raise awareness on organ donation and has been named ‘Bharat Organ Yatra’.
Maske, 46, who hails from Pune, left Srinagar on Sunday morning to traverse 12 states on her cycle, covering a distance of about 3,676 kilometres.
She had started her journey in 2018 and now, while attempting a new Guinness World Record of fastest woman cyclist by travelling from Srinagar to Kanyakumari, Maske will be continuously pedalling for at least 19 hours a day, with minimal breaks and short power naps. A three-member crew comprising athletes and former armymen is following her in a vehicle.
As she left Lal Chowk towards south Kashmir on Sunday, Maske faced a snowy drizzle with temperatures plunging to zero and risk of cycle tyres skidding on slushy highway.
“The temperature was very cold. I got worried about my finger tips as my legs went numb. It was quite difficult, but somehow I managed to continue as the weather improved,” Maske told HT during her brief halt on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway. “We are attempting a continuous and fastest non-stop cycle expedition,” she had said a day before starting her journey.
What drove her passion
Maske, a science graduate, was busy with in her household when the health of her husband, a businessman, started to deteriorate in 2018. She then began her journey of running and cycling to improve her health.
“I only did cycling during my childhood. In my 40s, I faced some health problems, and that was when I decided to start running and pedalling for my fitness,” she said.
“I did cycling from Leh to Manali in June 2022, covering a 430-km distance in 55 hours. The same journey (410 km), I completed by running in four days and 22 hours,” she added.
Before embarking on the current expedition, she completed west-east circuit from Koteshwar in Gujarat to Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh in November 2022. “I completed 3,955 km on cycle in 13 days and 18 hours,” Maske said.
She had also covered 6,000km ‘Golden Quadrilateral’ in March 2022.
Apart from physical endurance, Maske said, her passion demanded much more. “Initially, my family was not ready to accept what I was doing, but when they saw my passion, they turned into my biggest motivators,” she added.
She said many more women are now following her path. “It is not necessary that you only run or cycle. You can do whatever you are passionate about,” Maske said.
