A Journey of Inspiration: Riding With Sarthak Mishra [BikeDekho Exclusive]

This article narrates the story of a man who is living his life as a journey on his bicycle. Travelling alone to various parts of the country separated by 1000s of kilometers, he not only lives his dream but also preaches others to follow their dreams by being a role model. He alone, with his bicycle, has traveled to Mumbai, Ladakh and most recently to the Himalayan region. His journeys are aimed at increasing sports awareness amongst people in every part of the country. Along with him, he carries the basic necessities like food, tent, satellite GPS and clothes which were required to protect him from the raging sun in the brightest of days. All this added weight to his journey but were not enough to suppress his will to move forward.



Sarthak Mishra is a national level football player, a national level cyclist, a Philo therian, a wildlife conservator and above all, a great human being. He has played 5 football national events and has won the award for the most number of goals scored as well. He has been the sports captain of his school and was able to balance both studies and sports pretty well. He did his schooling from St. Xavier’s, Jaipur and gives a lot of credit to his alma mater for what he is today. He also started a football club for children in which he plays along with the club team to boost their confidence and give them a belief that one day, they can play at international level and become class one footballers. Presently, he is in Jaipur preparing to get into a Sports Management course so as to pursue sports as his career.



His journey began shortly after undergoing a major operation in which his shoulder was reattached to the body with the help of special wires. He fought what others said was a lifelong injury and today, it seems nothing more than a minor setback in his life. This was possible with the support of people like his father and friends who believed in him and stood right next to him the entire time. That was the point in his life when he realized, if he dreams and believes in something, no obstacle was big enough to stop him from attaining his goal. Soon after his recovery, he set off to Mumbai on his Hero bicycle (which he later donated to an NGO) on a journey which others could only consider ludicrous and impossible.



1. Jaipur to Mumbai (12 days, 1400 kilometers)

He set off from Jaipur on the morning of May 11, 2013. Anticipating the challenges ahead, he stacked a heavy backpack on his non-geared Hero bicycle which made his task even more challenging. It took him 12 long days of pedaling through traffic, junctions and highways stretching 1400 kilometers to finally reach his destination, Mumbai. He met many people on the way who asked questions related to the journey, Sarthak told them about his motive and also played football with groups of children, motivating and teaching them basics of the sport. After reaching back to Jaipur, he donated his bicycle to an NGO.



2. Manali To Khardung La via Ladakh (15 days, 560 kilometers, uphill)

3 months after the completion of his Mumbai ride, he decided to travel to Khardung La (world's highest motorable road) via Ladakh. Knowing the fact that he will be the first man of his age to complete the journey alone, he got more determined than ever to embark on it. He started from Manali on August 16, 2013, this time, his companion was a Firefox Fusion 2.6, again one of the lowest configured bicycles of the brand. It took him 15 days of uphill cycling to reach Khardung La covering a distance of 560 kilometers. As for the motive of his journey, he played football with the people of a monastery in Ladakh and also, he spoke to a lot of fellow cycling foreigners on their high-end bikes who were eager to inquire from him about his journey. One of them, a German, who became a good friend, even invited Sarthak to his place for motivating people of his country to follow their dreams.



Unfortunately, in January 2015, he broke his leg while playing the sport he loves and underwent an operation for it. His Tibia, the shin bone was to be put together using a rod. Once again, people thought that he has to stop pursuing sports as a career but again, he was ready to prove them wrong. Motivated, he made a speedy recovery and came back stronger than ever, deciding to embark on one of the longest treks of the Himalayan region.

3. Lamayuru, Jammu and Kashmir To Darcha, Himachal Pradesh (12 days)

He started his journey on August 22, 2015, almost three years after his last expedition. This time, the journey not only included cycling but also involved trekking to the higher peaks where even the road gave up. The journey was completed successfully in 12 days time on September 1, 2015. The journey started from Lamayuru situated in Jammu and Kashmir and was completed at Darcha in Himachal Pradesh which is 515 kilometers away via road. This was his most difficult journey of the three and this time, Xavier’s Alumni, Jaipur showed confidence in him and sponsored the trip supporting his idea of motivating to follow their dreams.



It was not just cycling that he had to do on these trips, along with his physical strength, even his mental strength was put to the test. When we asked him about the problems he faced on his journeys, he said, “I left for Mumbai in the month of May, the drinking water in the bottle used to get boiled up and I had to drink it with electral to keep myself hydrated. Other than this, the Mumbai trip was also very boring as I had to ride at a similar speed all the time due to my non-geared bicycle. In other two journeys, the problems were different, cycling uphill was a hell of a task in Ladakh and doing it on a bicycle with just 6-gears was making it more difficult. As I kept climbing, the altitude rose and the low air density resulted in causing fatigue earlier than normal. Other than this, being closer to the sun resulted in a greater exposure to the UV rays which felt like fire on my skin. Carrying a lot of weight in the backpack made my back sore, I could not even rest for a long time which made the recovery even more difficult. One of the greatest challenges in all of my journeys was travelling alone. I took this decision in order to increase the difficulty level.”, he added, “Overall, these journeys were the greatest learning experiences of life, I was a different man when I first left for Mumbai.”



When asked about the motive behind his journeys, he said, ”I have always found happiness in pushing my limits to a new level. I just want to reach every part of the country and motivate kids to take part in various activities and sports, especially football which is the most popular game of the world but, unfortunately, does not have deep roots in India till now. The country has a long way to go in football and it cannot be possible without the initiatives of upcoming generation to promote participation in the sport.”



We asked about his inspiration to ride at such places, he answered, “My father is the source of my inspiration and his support is the reason I am able to complete these trips alone. My friends were always there for me and supported me throughout the journey, helping me to keep a straight mind and be focused in difficult times. My friend Rohan Singh Rathore is more like a brother to me, he plans the journey with me and deals with the technical aspects of it, on the other hand, Srishti Gupta takes my counselling sessions before leaving for an expedition that helps me a lot with my confidence. Last but not the least, the people I meet in the way are the main reason of my travelling and their love and care are the biggest inspiration for me to do it again and again.” Being alone on these trips, he smiled and said, “Khud Se Bada Hamsafar Aur Koi Nahi Hota (Your biggest companion is only you).”



He has a special message for BikeDekho.com readers, “Belief holds utmost importance in one’s life. I would like to tell each and every one of you to follow your dreams and not give up, no matter what circumstances you face or what factors stand against you. Believe in your dreams, struggle to achieve them, ride with them till the end and soon you will realize, the destination you aimed for is already left behind.”

Here is a list of bicycles which Sarthak presently owns:

1. Merida Matts 10



2. Merida Scultura 5000

3. Firefox Cyclone

Sarthak, you are an inspiration for all of us. BikeDekho.com wishes you all the very best for your future endeavours.

Sarthak Mishra Facebook Page: Inspirar