Three Cyclists Complete 3,168-Mile Ride From LA To DC In 52 Days

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – Three Indian cyclists, Jai Rawat, 57, Anuradha Palnitkar, 54, and Samir Palnitkar, 58,  have completed a 3,168-mile ride across the United States in 52 days without a support vehicle.

The trio set out from Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles on August 1 and reached the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, on September 21. They averaged about 65 miles a day, crossing 14 states and tackling more than 100,000 feet of climbing.

Part of the journey followed historic Route 66 before the cyclists continued east toward Washington.

The ride brought extreme heat, thunderstorms and cold weather, along with stretches of highway without shoulders and heavy truck traffic. The cyclists also had to repair their bicycles, deal with dogs chasing them and recover from cycling accidents along the way.

They crossed the Continental Divide in New Mexico at 7,881 feet and the Eastern Continental Divide in Pennsylvania at 2,392 feet.

Palnitkar became the first Indian woman to complete an unsupported, unpowered bicycle ride across the United States, according to the organizers. Rawat and Samir Palnitkar also became the first Indian Institute of Technology graduates to complete an unsupported, unpowered bicycle ride across the country.

The cyclists said the journey gave them a chance to experience small-town America and learn more about its history and communities.

“We experienced small-town hospitality as people chatted with us, offered free coffee as they learned about our cross-country ride,” Rawat said. He also recalled motorists waiting patiently behind the bicycles and shop owners sharing stories about local historical artifacts.

Rawat and Samir Palnitkar are graduates of IIT Kanpur and have been friends for 40 years. Palnitkar is a dietitian who now teaches at a special needs school. This was her first long cycle ride.

The three have trekked together in Nepal, India, Patagonia, Ecuador, France, Italy, Switzerland and Africa. Before this expedition, Rawat and Samir Palnitkar completed an 800-km bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2018.