Indian Cyclist Completes 3,500-Mile Ride Across US

WASHINGTON, DC – Rajasthan’s cyclist, Nitin Saini, has completed the grueling Trans Am Bike Race, riding across the United States from the Pacific coast to Washington, DC, in 28 days in this year’s ultra-endurance event.

Saini began the race in Astoria, Oregon, on June 7 and reached the historic Lincoln Memorial in Washington on July 5 after covering nearly 3,500 miles (about 5,630 km) through 11 US states. The event attracted around 30 cyclists from across the world, including riders from the United States and Europe and two from India.

The Trans Am Bike Race is considered one of the world’s toughest unsupported cycling events, with participants carrying their own equipment, arranging their own food and accommodation, and riding across the United States without support crews.

After completing the race, Saini described the ride as far more demanding than he had expected.

“When the Trans Am Bike Race started, on the second day itself I realized that this was something else,” he said, recalling rapidly changing weather, mountain climbs, heavy rain, gravel roads and long stretches without settlements. Riders encountered temperatures as low as five degrees Celsius and travelled through forests and unpaved roads, making the challenge unlike anything he had experienced before.

Travelling through rural America also left a lasting impression on him.

“I have seen that America’s geographical area is so vast,” he said, adding that while riding on country roads, he often travelled for kilometers without seeing another person. Small villages with only a handful of residents, he said, offered a perspective that tourists visiting major cities rarely experience.

Saini said people in small American towns recognized India from the Indian jersey he wore during the race.

“They know India very well,” he said, adding that many people immediately associated India with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and were eager to ask questions about the country. He said hearing such comments in remote parts of the United States made him feel proud as an Indian.

As a vegetarian, Saini said finding suitable meals during the unsupported race was often difficult. Carrying only essential clothing, tools and supplies on his bicycle, he depended largely on petrol station convenience stores for food and often relied on bread, cheese, nachos, chocolates and biscuits during long stretches where no towns were available.

Reflecting on his motivation, Saini said cycling allowed him to experience countries beyond their famous landmarks.

“If you want to explore the world, there cannot be a better way than cycling,” he said. (IANS)