The interceptor - Royal Enfield

odyssEy 2011TEXT By adaRsH saXEna. PHoToGRaPHs By VaRioUs ConTRiBUToRsCome summer when the passes are cleared and the roads areopened, the land of the highest passes in the world opens up toa different audience. This is when one of the most scenic highwaysin the country beckons to adventurers all over the worldto come and experience the thrill. Yes, we are talking aboutthe legendary Manali-Leh highway which despite stretchingfor all of 480kms (don’t let the numbers confuse you) offersmuch more to a motorcyclist than any other highway in theworld. Endless twisties, all sorts of terrain—tarmac, gravel,sand, slush and a bunch of cold water crossings—you name it and you have it. Not justthat, this highway is actually the gateway to the most beautiful place on planet Earththat I know of—Ladakh!For more then past seven years, a bunch (read BIG bunch) of Royal Enfield enthusiastshave been riding on this very road to get to Khardung La in the form of theHimalayan Odyssey! This year the epic ‘mother of all rides’ Himalayan Odyssey 2011,similar to the earlier years, saw the number of riders swelling up again; 72 to be precise.After months of planning for the ride, most of us met each other on the morningof 24th June for the introductions, briefing, scrutiny and the physical fitness test. Ridinga motorcycle through some of the highest passes in the world for two whole weekscoupled with the unpredictable nature of the terrain at hand and the weather demandsa level of physical fitness that this test aims to check. Following the fitness test we spent15