Athul
Bos, 24, on his Kawasaki Ninja 300, raced from Hyderabad to
Kanyakumari and back in less than 36 hours to win an international
bike award
At
night, on the Hyderabad-Bangalore six-lane highway, Athul Bos zipped
past a lorry and sped ahead on his Kawasaki Ninja 300. After a
while, when he glanced at the rear-view mirror, he saw an
astonishing sight. The truck was veering from left to right and back
again. As Athul increased the speed, to avoid being hit, on the
opposite lane, he saw a similar sight. When he looked closely, he
saw that the driver was nodding off. “Apparently, this happens
often on the highways,” he says.
But
Athul, 24, had no time to stop and do something. He was racing from
Hyderabad towards Kanyakumari, via Bangalore and Salem, because of a
challenge: Athul wanted to cover 1500 miles (2400 kms) in 36 hours
so that he could win the BunBurner 1500 award, issued by the
US-based Iron Butt Association (IBA). This is a group that
recognises long-distance endurance races, and enjoys a worldwide
reputation.
Interestingly,
for the journey, on January 31, Athul set out at 5 p.m. “I left in
the evening, because it would be easier to stay awake at night since
I felt fresh,” he says. “If I had started in the early morning,
by the time night came, I would have felt tired. During the day you
don’t feel sleepy.”
To
keep himself replenished, Athul carried several tins of energy
drinks, like Red Bull and Gatorade, as well as bars of chocolate. In
fact, the only stop he made was at 4 a.m. at Salem, where he used the
toilet facilities of a 24-hour McDonalds outlet.
And
to prove that he had done the distance, Athul had a petrol pump
attendant in Hyderabad sign a witness statement before he left. All
along the route, he got computerised petrol bills which showed the
date and time, as well as the bike number. He also saved ATM receipts
and took photos.
Meanwhile,
while he kept the speed between 70-90 kms per hour, on some sections
of the highway, where the roads were smooth, he turned the throttle.
“I reached a maximum speed of 170 kms per hour,” he says. “The
wind does not hit you hard if you use the right technique.”
The
correct way is to bend down, place your head over the handle and keep
the knees together. “In that way, the wind will blow over you,”
he says.
What
also helped were the right clothes. Athul wore a special black jacket
which he imported from the USA. It had elbow, shoulder and back pads,
and the cloth had meshes, to allow easy passage of air. “If I fell
from the bike, the jacket provided protection, apart from the
helmet,” he says.
Athul
was travelling on schedule, but on the return journey, from
Kanyakumari, he got stuck in Bangalore during the peak evening
traffic and lost precious time. In the end, he had to do the last
500 kms in six hours. But when he entered Andhra Pradesh he
encountered thick fog for a few hours which slowed him down.
Eventually, he reached Hyderabad in 5 hours and 55 minutes.
Later,
Athul sent the petrol and ATM receipts along with photos, to the IBA
headquarters in Dallas, where they studied the material, and mapped
his route, before agreeing that he had set the record.
Michel
J Kneebone, president of the IBA, says, “Only a handful of riders
from around the world, including Athul, have managed to overcome the
challenges of such a gruelling ride.” In fact, Athul is the first
from South India to get the certificate. In total, there are four
from India.
Asked
what he likes about bikes, this mechanical engineer, who works in his
dad's textile business in Thrissur, says, “When you are riding a
bike you are in another world. All your worries are far away. There
is the open road, the breeze is hitting you and you are going fast.
It’s a nice feeling. People ask me why do I attempt these
challenges? I always tell them that I enjoy it.”
(Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)
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