Turning the throttle to Leh, with a Games message

The atmosphere at the Commonwealth Games headquarters was charged up on a sunny Sunday morning. A doctor, a civil engineer, a student and a mechanic had gathered, clad in windcheaters and mounted on their bikes. Agenda: to spread the message of the Commonwealth Games on a 3,500-km bike trip from Delhi to Leh, and back again.

The 34-biker group includes 60-year-old Raghvinder Singh Rekhi, who spends most of his time travelling in India and abroad. “After retirement, my mission is to discover India on a motorbike,” he says.

The expedition, called Mission Ladakh VI, is spread over 15 days. “Besides publicity for the Games, we also want to publicise motor biking as a sport,” says Mohit Thimmaya, a team member.

Love for biking and wanderlust pulled these 34 men out of the trudges of their daily lives to embark upon the five-state expedition. Mahesh Aute, a 39-year-old businessman from Aurangabad, admits, “I have embarked on this project just to go on this tour.”

It is, however, more than just a tour for Dinkar Bhardwaj, a 38-year-old businessman from Hyderabad. “We will be showcasing our country during the Games and I am proud to be part of this event,” he said.

Harried bosses and job deadlines can hardly come in the way of these men’s love affairs with their bikes. As 27-year-old Jagdeep Soni puts it, “I am a full-time biker, part-time IT professional.”

The team is led by Vinod Kumar and Parmesh Kumar, co-founders of motor-biking club Team 456. The club organises biking trips for professional as well as amateur bikers.

Flagging off the rally, Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the Games Organising Committtee, said, “The Commonwealth Games is not just for Delhi but for India and these bikers, while crossing the five states of North India, will spread the message and spirit of the Games to the public.”

The bikers will pass through the states of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir on their way to Leh.