Ehsan Fazili/Srinagar

A day after he made it from Kashmir to Kanyakumar on bicycle in a record time to stake his claim of setting a world record and making it into the Guinness book of world records, Adil Teli, had missed his flight from Kanyakumari to Srinagar on Wedneday, thanks to the constant calls from family, friends and sportsmen congratulating him and others wanting to know more about his expdition, he had lost the sense of time.

He completed cycling from Kashmir to Kanyakumari after covering a distance of 3,600 km in a record time of eight days, one hour and 37 minutes and that is surely a world record.

Starting his expedition from Srinagar on March 22 he touched Indian peninsula’s tip at Kanyakumari on March 30. He waas followed by a team of mechanics and medical professional, appointed by his sponsors, Abraq Agro.

Adil being received en route his expedition in different places

Teli arrived in Srinagar on Thursday to a rousing reception from, friends, family and sports associations. He was honoured by SSP Budgam for his achievement.

Hailing from Narabal town on the outskirts of Srinagar city on the Srinagar-Gulmarg road, Adil Teli had developed keen interest in cycling and trekking in school. He represented Jammu and Kashmir in the national championship seven years ago.

The 23-year old Adil Teli has been practicing professional cycling since since 2013. He also represented the University of Kashmir for three years. His first record was covering a distance of 440 km from Srinagar to the high altitude Leh, Ladakh, in 26 hours and 30 minutes two years ago.  

During his Srinagar-Kanyakumari expedition, Adil cycled daily and only broke his journey with small halts at different places. His journey was covered by people in different states and he was projected as a daredevil Indian sportspersons on social media by people across India.

Adil Teli on his expedition through Kashmir

On the first day, he cycled 398 km.This was followed by 450, 537, 440, 443, 448, 420 and 49 kms respectively on the subsequent days.  He has broken the record set by Om Mahajan from Nashik, Mahrashtra. Mahajan had set the record of covering 3,600 km in eight days, seven hours and 38 minutes in November 2020.   

Before the Guinness book of records registers Adil’s claim, it would be verified by a technical committee. Adil’s expedition had been approved by the Limca Book and now he needs to submit the evidence for a final declaration.

The Limca book of world records had already given him a go ahead for the expedition and considering his claim.

Government in Jammu and Kashmir has released a handout on Adil’s achievement. It said, Adil Teli, a professional Kashmiri cyclist created a history covering the 3600 kilometers distance between Kashmir to Kanyakumari within eight days, one hour and 37 minutes time duration.

“Braving all odds including rough terrains, harsh climatic conditions, traffic snarls and other difficulties, Adil kept on riding with full energy to break the Guinness Book of World Record set by Om Mahajan.” It said.

Adil, a young cyclist, started his journey on March-22 morning after flagged off by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole from Lal Chowk area of Srinagar.

Abraq Agro that supported and sponsored Adil on the expedition has lauded Adil on this great achievement. Its management also expressed its gratitude to the Divisional Administration Kashmir for its support throughout the Adil’s journey in setting the new record.

For Adil, Srinagar-Leh Cycling expedition was the turning point in his life and it boosted him to aspire higher and set his eyes on breaking the World Record. However, it was not easy and needed dedication, passion, stamina, guidance and training.

Adil being felicitated by SP Budgam

To chase his dream, Adil went to Amritsar where he went under rigorous training for four to five months in the Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar.

Adil, a fastest rider from Srinagar to Leh, did his training under coach Rajesh, who heads the cycling Department of the University

The training at GNDU helped him to plan for the Kashmir to Kanyakumari challenge. He was amongst the top 10 in the National Championship in the fixed Spring finish. In the beginning of the pandemic, it was very difficult for him to arrange bicycle parts due to the ban on imports. However, with the help of his sponsors everything went off smoothly.

Staring his journey from Srinagar, Adil pedalled through many states including cities which includedSanat Nagar NH44, Qazigund, New Tunnel Banihal, Nashri Tunnel, Lakhanpur, Pathankot, Jalandar, Ludhiana, Delhi, Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Gutti, Banglore, Madurai and finally Kanyakumari.