Record-breaking Indian cycling mum on her recent 6,000km tandem ride and proving the doubters wrong
- Last year, Meera Velankar became the first woman to complete India’s Golden Quadrilateral, which connects Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, on a tandem bike
- Ten years ago, she was unfit and unhappy with herself, so she took up cycling. She talks about her journeys and the help she received from friends and strangers
Ten years ago, Meera Velankar was unfit and having an identity crisis. So she took up cycling, and is now the holder of several records.
Last year, Velankar became the first Indian woman to complete the Golden Quadrilateral (a national highway network that stretches for 5,846km, passes through 12 states and one union territory, and connects the major cities Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai) on a tandem.
The 46-year-old mother of two daughters took 42 days to complete her journey of 6,263km including some backtracking. She started in Bangalore in June, to avoid the worst of the monsoon weather.
Velankar had been a research scientist in the United States and moved back in 2011 to Bangalore with her husband. She was having difficulty finding a suitable job and wasn’t feeling good about herself.
“Here I was, a mother of two, short and slightly obese, not particularly athletic, in my late 30s, who decided to start cycling. No one took me seriously.”
After a series of short rides she went on an eight-day, 800km trip in the Malnad region of Karnataka, southwest India. She began taking part in cycling events, riding different bikes over a variety of terrains.