Preeti Maske, A ‘Traditional Conservative Gujju’ Mother, Creates World Record

The 45-year-old, a mother of two, set a record as the first woman to cycle solo from Leh to Manali in 55 hours and 13 minutes.

Preeti Maske is back in her hometown Pune on Tuesday. She is currently basking in the glory of her recent achievement, where she made a World record. “I’m besieged with congratulatory calls and messages from Punekars. The entire cycling community’s reaction has got me so overwhelmed. For a traditional conservative gujju middle-aged woman it is unimaginable to do something like this,” Maske shares, adding she is proud to be a Punekar: “Women from Pune have proved their mettle in every sphere. I am glad to continue the trend.”

For the unversed, the 45-year-old, a mother of two, set a record as the first woman to cycle solo from Leh to Manali in 55 hours and 13 minutes. Border Roads Organization (BRO) and Maske herself claim that she has made a Guinness World Record by covering 430km. Currently, her team has sent her documents and all verification for the certificate.

While she is ‘elated’ she also ‘couldn’t believe that she has created a world record, after she finished her journey. “It was very challenging as Guinness had given (us) a tight window of 60 hours including stops and rests. I had to climb 8,000 meters of total elevation in harsh weather with low oxygen levels, especially on top of the passes,” Maske recalls.

For Maske, the most challenging part was to peddle her way through sleep deprivation. “Managing my sleep in a continuous non-stop ride was the most challenging. I nearly dozed off while cycling but my vigilant crew with hawk eyes noticed it and shouted at me to wake me up. Twice my oxygen level tanked and I was out of breath. The BRO ensured a BFNA (Battle Field Nursing Assistant) was with me to check my vitals every hour and gave me oxygen en route,” Maske elaborates.

She was cycling even at minus seven degrees, however, there was nothing that could bog her down. “My fingers were frozen. At night I had to take off my glasses and had to face snowfall with bare eyes, that were like thorns on my face. Not even once did I think of giving up,” she reminisces.

Maske who started cycling at the age of 40, has another record on her mind. She plans to set another record in August. “I plan to come back to the Leh-Manali region to run and break the Guinness World Record in 5 days. The current record is by Sufia Khan for running for 6 days. I’m hoping to break that,” she ends.

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