A Dubai resident discovers India on a bicycle

The temperature was a sizzling 43°C. A thin stream of sweat trickled down Arcot Nagaraj’s back as he struggled to balance his black bicycle loaded with 18kg panniers filled with everything he needed for his journey of more than four months. It was dusty, and the 37-year-old Dubai resident struggled to breathe.

But Arcot was not deterred. He began to pedal faster on the lonely stretch of road on the outskirts of Nellore, a town in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. “Don’t give up,” he kept telling himself. “You’re almost there.” He had been cycling for 134 days over bumpy lanes in the blazing sun, up mountainous roads in rains, through thick fog, finally coming full circle back to his hometown in Hyderabad to fulfil his childhood dream – of cycling into the prestigious Guinness World Records book.

It took him six months – during which he clocked up 14,197.55km to become the only man in the world to do the longest journey by bicycle in a single country. He rode 762 hours, averaging 105km per day through 19 Indian states and Union territories covering more than 900 cities, towns and villages to complete his epic ride. By the end of the journey, he had lost 22kg “but I was fitter and mentally was happy to have fulfilled one of my dreams”.

He was first inspired to hold a Guinness World Record as a child when he watched the TV show. “I was always in awe of the adventures people did to earn a name in that book and I secretly vowed to get my name in it one day,” he recalls.

After graduating in commerce, Arcot arrived in Dubai in 1999. Starting off as an accountant in a construction firm, he rose to become manager; but he always felt something was missing – adventure. Years went by focusing on his career until, bored with the corporate life, he quit his job in 2012 and left the UAE for India, determined to fulfil his childhood dream “to do some adventurous stuff ”.

“As a kid I had heard of a group of people who went on a tour from my state to the neighbouring state of Kerala on cycles. That thought gave me the idea of going on a cycle tour across India,” he reveals.

He bought a bike for Rs4,000 (Dh243) and began training. “I knew I would be on the road for several months and both physical and mental stamina was crucial to sustain myself through the journey,” says Arcot.

For the first 10 days he cycled 12 to 15km and realised that he needed to work on his speed. Next he drew up a plan – the first three days of a week he would cycle for two to three hours each day. The next two days he would run for 10km and on the last day he would cycle for 120km at a stretch. Every day he worked on improving his pace. Initially it took him 10 hours to cycle 120km but six months later he was able to cover the same distance in five hours.

In February last year, six months after he started training, he felt ready to start his marathon bike ride. “I wrote to the Guinness authorities and registered my record attempt.” They wrote back confirming his registration and approving his record attempt. Their guidelines included some parameters – the start point of every day should be the end point of the previous day, no change of cycle unless it was damaged beyond repair, no stay in a single location for more than 30 days and lots of evidence in the form of signatures of passersby, videos, pictures, hotel bills and GPS tags.

“For the actual record attempt I bought another cycle, a Trek hybrid 7.3 fx that cost me Rs45,000. I also bought a sports GPS that included a cadence sensor – a gadget to measure pedals per minute and a heart rate monitor.” He started a Facebook page, so he could let everyone know about his progress, and set out.

“I would set out at 8am every day and cycle around 140km on average,” he says. He carried three pairs of clothes, a laptop, mobile phone and bottles of water in his panniers.

He also had to battle flat tyres, damage to his cycle, three minor accidents and muscle cramps. On many occasions he couldn’t find suitable hotels, forcing him to deviate from his actual route. Sometimes he relied on people’s generosity and mostly banked on his luck.

“In Manamelkudi in Tamil Nadu, after cycling 135km in humid weather, I couldn’t find a hotel and finally ended up at the mercy of a marriage hall owner, who allowed me to stay the night as the rooms weren’t booked for a wedding that day.”

From nondescript villages to picturesque mountains to bustling capital cities, the cycling tour helped Arcot experience the real India.

En route he also saw some incredible places, including the black sand beach in Maharashtra, Gateway of India in Mumbai, Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace in Porbandar and the historical Dwarkadhish temple in Gujarat. “I was awestruck by the impressive forts in Rajasthan, Amristar’s Golden temple, the Taj Mahal and the Puri Jagannath temple in Orissa. I spent hours viewing them from various angles,” he says.

But it wasn’t all about viewing the major tourist sights of his homeland. “I would just stop by a beach and take a dip or halt at a local tea shop and relish the goodies. It also became a gastronomical journey, as I got an opportunity to relish various local cuisines of India at every destination,” he says. “In north India, Delhi and Punjab I gorged on ghee-laced paranthas, in south India I enjoyed rice and curries. But my most memorable meal was in Madhya Pradesh – simple roti and a vegetable curry with lentils. I was extremely hungry that day, not having had a chance to eat all morning, and this meal was just fabulous.”

One of his best discoveries was the helpful nature of strangers he met. “For all the negative perceptions about crime in India I did not face any trouble, but I took the caution of never cycling after sunset.”

Most of all Arcot found motivation from his supporters, who checked his daily updates on the Facebook page and looked out for him when he reached their towns during the tour. While in Chandigarh, for instance, a couple organised a dinner party to welcome him; in Gujarat a group of 40 cycle enthusiasts footed his hotel bill and threw yet another grand reception where he was presented with a souvenir. In Kolkata two of his supporters took him to their homes and fed him traditional meals.

“I also earned myself a good friend in Guru Prasad, a cycle enthusiast and an Indian Air Force employee who took three days leave from work to cycle with me from Agra to Gwalior,” says Arcot.

“Many of my supporters felt they were living their dream through me.”

Arcot was humbled by the hospitality of poor villagers and tea stall owners, who offered him food and drinks generously along his travels. “People in cities are too busy and indifferent. But villagers are much more humane.

“In one village a gaunt old man in a dhoti mistook me for a government employee. He confessed that he had not eaten well. The entire village looked impoverished and looked as though they were waiting for a miracle to survive. At best I could buy them a day’s meal, but that wouldn’t really solve their problems. ”

As for the most challenging moment, he says it was the last leg, with his weight dropping down from 69kg to 54kg. “After I completed 10,000km, I entered my state and was just 1,400km away from home, and it was very tempting to finish it there.” But he battled on and found the strength to finish.

“I was overwhelmed to complete the tour and thrilled to be a record holder,” he says.

Six months on Arcot is back in Dubai, and has joined a new firm as an estimation manager. But his adventurous streak and hunger for the unusual means he is already planning another tour. This time he plans to do the fastest journey from one end of India to the other.

“My first trip across India has whetted my appetite for more adventures. There’s truly so much to see and experience in India that one trip is just not enough. I’ve already started planning for it.

“And yes, it will be on a bicycle. It’s really the best mode of transport to see India up close.”