Kashmir to Kanyakumari on a bicycle in just eight days. 23-year-old Adil Teli from Kashmir has created a Guinness Book of World Record for the fastest Kashmir to Kanyakumari journey on cycle.
The youth from Narbal in Kashmir's Budgam district covered a distance of 3,600 kilometres on cycle in eight days, 1 hour and 37 minutes.
He started his journey from the iconic Ghanta Ghar at Lal Chowk in Srinagar around 7:30 am on March 22 this year and reached Kanyakumari around 9 am on March 30.
Speaking to ANI, Adil said, "I belong to Narwal. I did my schooling till tenth from Narwal. I went to Magam to complete my studies for classes 11th and 12th. Then I went to Gandhi Memorial College, Srinagar for graduation. Currently, I am pursuing my post-graduation from Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar where I am also undergoing cycling training."
Further talking about how cycling became his passion, Adil said, "In 2013, I represented Jammu and Kashmir at the national level for the first time. After that, my interest in cycling only kept on increasing. But at that time the biggest challenge was that not many facilities were available. But I was determined to make cycling my profession, and I also knew that to achieve this I need to work hard. Since 2013, I have been representing Jammu and Kashmir at the national and senior national levels. I have represented Kashmir University for three years."
In 2019, Adil participated in a non-stop cycling event where he said he cycled between Srinagar to Leh and covered a distance of 40 kms in 26 hours. Adil said this event motivated him to realise his capabilities in the sporting activity.
Speaking about his record, the young cyclist said, "On March 22, I embarked on my journey. The day my journey was flagged off, it was raining all day in Srinagar. I would thank the administration of the union territory that the new tunnel joining Kazikund to Banihal was specially opened for me. Srinagar-Jammu highway became very risky because of frequent landslides due to bad weather. I faced many difficulties but I was determined to break the record," said the young cyclist.