The 11th Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey flagged off

The 11th edition of the Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey was flagged off from India Gate at New Delhi, today. Recognized as the holy grail of motorcycle rides organized across the world, the Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey remains the most revered and cherished ride amongst all bikers. Now in its 11th edition, the Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey will take 72 riders through three mountain ranges and six passes as they ride through one of world’s highest motorable road – Khardung La, at a peak of 18,380 feet.  These motorcyclists will ride for 17 days covering more than 2700 kilometres, through some of the most scenic yet treacherous terrains in the Himalayas.

At the flag-off ceremony, after the lamas chanted prayers and blessed the riders, a majestic procession of 72 thumping Royal Enfield motorcycles was flagged off by Mr Abhijit Singh Brar, Head- Marketing, Royal Enfield, marking the commencement of the ride. Addressing the riders at the flag-off ceremony, Mr Abhijit Singh Brar, Head- Marketing, Royal Enfield said, “The Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey is the ultimate motorcycling adventure that unites the rider with the bike and the terrain to create an experience of a lifetime.  It is this love of pure motorcycling that brings riders together from all over the world and bond over their common passion of riding a Royal Enfield to the Himalayas. With each passing year a new set riders are initiated to this extraordinary expedition. Their successful completion of this journey has come to establish Royal Enfield as the definitive bike for riding to Ladakh.”

The thumping cavalcade of riders have gathered across India from major metropolitan cities and even from smaller cities like Tripura, Calicut, Amravati and Erode to celebrate this ultimate motorcycling adventure. From mighty peaks, down to teasing mountain curves, the riders come face to face with the most challenging riding terrains in the world only to emerge victorious, for the sheer love of motorcycling. The seasoned motorcyclists will pass through Parwanoo, Narkhanda, Keylong, Sarchu via Kalpa and Kaza regions on their way to Leh.  The Kalpa and Kaza areas are considered to be the toughest terrains for riding not only in India but across the world. After relaxing for a day, on July 1st the riders will set out for the sand dunes of Hunder and then commence their return journey tracing Leh, Debring, Keylong, Manali and Chandigarh to finally reach Delhi.

To mark the ride to Ladakh, Royal Enfield will be celebrating the Himalayan REUNION on June 29th once the participants at Himalayan Odyssey 2014 reach Leh. Now in its second year, this meet recognises the spirit of riders who have conquered the Himalayan range. The riders get an opportunity to share their biking experiences, especially, the ones made while riding to the Himalayas for the first time. For those who have already conquered the hills once, this would be a chance to relive their earlier experiences and an opportunity to spend time riding out on their beloved motorcycles and experience a fun filled and an amply rejuvenating weekend, away from the usual humdrum of their city .

Speaking on the RE Union, Abhijit said, “The Royal Enfield REUNION, is a one of its kind motorcyclist get-together on top-of the world that celebrates the riders, the spirit of motorcycling and their journey to the Himalayas, We encourage all Royal Enfield owners across the world who are riding their motorcycles with their friends, to come conquer the Himalayas and be a part of this get together” Besides a musical extravaganza, the action packed weekend would see various events and games around motorcycling with attractive prizes to be won. These would include team events like ‘Assembly Wars’ which would test sheer motorcycling skills and knowledge of the enthusiasts and other individual events like the crowd favourite ‘Slow Race’ testing the riding skills of the participants.

Royal Enfield regularly organizes rides across the country. The purpose of these rides is to bring together Royal Enfield enthusiasts from across the country and share the experience of riding together. The rides are planned through locations that give enthusiasts that extra bit of thrill, excitement and rejuvenation that emerges while riding Royal Enfield motorcycles.