Words & Photos: Royal Enfield
“The pursuit of Happiness is the chase of a lifetime. The sheer pleasure of discovering oneself while surmounting the challenges of perilous terrain is a tribute to the togetherness, the attitude and the bond that a motorcycle can create amongst total strangers.” – Sachin Chavan, Lead rider, Himalayan Odyssey 2010
The seventh edition of the Himalayan Odyssey was flagged off early morning on 19th June 2010 from India Gate by Mr. RL Ravichandran, CEO, Royal Enfield Motorcycles. This year the Himalayan Odyssey charted a different course and extended the definition of arduous adventure riding. Going beyond Khardung La into Nubra valley and exploring virgin territory, this annually organized Royal Enfield ride delivered incomparable excitement to all its 60 participants. The addition of the new route this year meant additional preparation, physical as well as mental to tackle the unknown and undiscovered. It also required a little extra determination and grit from everyone to be prepared to tackle this territory earlier not known to the Himalayan Odyssey. Preparations for this also meant higher levels of physical fitness which was verified by a physical fitness test conducted by Royal Enfield on all the participants. Running 5 kms and doing 50 push ups certified all of them to be having basic fitness to tackle the harsh terrain and the difficult climate. The youngest member of this entourage was all of 22 while the oldest was touching 60, an open testimony to the fact that where there is a will, there is a way. En route, medical help for the bikers and mechanical help for their machines was always on-hand 24/7.
