Wheels of Change

When you believe in yourself, every glass ceiling is bound to shatter.

SARAN PREETI, 34, Cyclist, Hoshiarpur

Who is She? She is the first woman

Super Randonneur of Punjab and cycled from Manali to Leh last year when she conquered Khardung-La, the highest motorable road in the world. “That is a memory that will stay with me forever,” says Saran Preeti, who along with her husband Abhishek Kashyap organised the first segment of Brevets, which are rides of fixed distances that are to be completed within specified time limits, in Hoshiarpur in November 2014.

A Thank You Note For Preeti, nothing would have been possible without her husband’s support. “He has always stood by me and ensured that I always felt strong, no matter what direction the wind was blowing.”

The Initiation When Preeti’s husband was injured after a fall in June 2013, the doctors advised him to cycle in order to avoid surgery for the severe

ligament tear. “We went to Kochi that year and bought cycles to explore the town and thoroughly enjoyed it. Soon, we could cycle 30-40 km a day.”

What Keeps Her Going Though I don’t take part in competitive cycling, what really draws me to this game is the test of endurance, nerves and the high one gets by surpassing everybody’s expectations,” explains Preeti.

Testing Times Despite the fact that her mother didn’t really support her, Preeti’s husband bridged that gap by constantly encouraging her to test her limits. “If you have faith and believe in yourself, no one can stop you,” she says.

Get, Set, Go Preeti will be participating in the RAAM (Race Across America) qualifiers to in Pune in November. RAAM is considered to be the world’s toughest endurance race.