Kingfisher Blue MILE: Himalayan Expedition 2011

Outback adventures as you can sense from the name is an adventure sports firm that organises expeditions which consist of biking trips with adventure sports packed into it. Abdul Aleem Co-owner of Outback Adventures says, “We at Outback try to explore new routes every year”. The process to kick off an expedition is simple. You call up Outback adventures and tell them that you and your buddies want to go for a biking expedition. You do not have to bother about a thing after that. Outback will get you the bikes and make all the reservations. All you have to do is make sure you get to the start point.

Outback adventures have been arranging biking expeditions for four years now. This year Kingfisher has collaborated with them to launch the ‘Kingfisher Blue MILE: Himalayan Expedition 2011’. Kingfisher sponsored two out of the 10 participants this year and is merely testing the market they say. What market you might be thinking? Through this event Kingfisher wants to connect with the youth by providing an event that will excite and bring out the spirit of adventure in the youth of today. Outback organised three adventure sports in the expedition for the participants. The first was called ‘Terrestrial’ which of course consists of biking across India . The second was called ‘Aqua’ which included river rafting. And the third was called ‘Aero’ which included paragliding, unfortunately due to poor weather conditions the last event could not take place.

This year’s expedition was a 10 day affair, which included a 1600 kilometre biking adventure trip from Leh to New Delhi . The event kicked off from Leh on the 5th of July 2011. The first adventure sport of the expedition took place in the form of river rafting. The riders went onto the highest motoring road in the world at 18380 feet, which is at Khardung La Pass where they stayed in trekkers lodges. From Khardung La Pass they went down to Rohtang Pass which had the worst road conditions. It was a challenge for bikers to endure the tricky terrain they had to ride through. On the ride to New Delhi the participants pitched tents, expedition style in Upshi, Jispa and Sarche. The 10 participants of the expedition two of whom were sponsored and funded for by Kingfisher rode their bikes onwards to Manali and Chandigarh , concluding their trip in New Delhi . The participants were judged on the basis of their performance in biking and rafting. Arunesh Moudgil a Graphic Designer from Chandigarh won the 2011 Kingfisher Blue MILE expedition.

Arunesh commented on the event by saying, “I have only been riding a bike for a year now, to win the event was a good feeling. All the participants were very friendly and the whole trip was a lot of fun”. Arunesh rode a Royal Enfield Classic 500cc throughout the expedition, when asked to comment on the bike he said, “The ride was very comfortable, however it was a bit of a struggle to ride the bike uphill on tricky terrain”.

Concerned about the safety of the riders, Abdul Aleem briefed us by adding, “We have back up vans to support the participants if they ever need any help. There are always two back up riders in the vans, in case the participants need help to cross a particular type of terrain or in the case of an emergency. We take great care and ensure that the bikes are never too far away from the back up vans at any point of time during the rides”.

All the bikes in this year’s Kingfisher Blue MILE expedition were Royal Enfields except one. Edward Dayal Kumar, a participant insisted that he would take his Apache 160cc for the expedition and so he did. Edward says, “I am a big Apache fan and was fully confident that my bike would be able to complete the event”. Edward’s TVS Apache is a stock three year old bike in mint condition. He took his Apache for a regular service before the expedition and that was it. Edward on his Apache not only completed the expedition but in many parts went ahead of the Royal Enfields as well. “There was approximately a seventy kilometre stretch from Jispa to Rohtang Pass where a small river stream passed over the road. The Royal Enfields needed help to cross these rivers while my Apache had no problems in doing so”, said Edward.

Mr Aleem is a Royal Enfield fan and all the bikes in the Outback expedition fleet are Royal Enfields. However, if you want to take your own bike for the expedition you are most welcome to do so. Mr Abdul Aleem said, “We take our authorised Royal Enfield mechanic with us for the expedition along with spare parts for the bikes, so it is advisable to ride a Royal Enfield in the expedition because in the event of a breakdown, help is at hand”. The fact that Outback has their own portable mini workshop with a mechanic during the expedition is extremely handy as there are no garages or mechanics for hundreds of kilometres on some of the stretches. “Due to its low ground clearance the Royal Enfield Classic struggles a bit in on rough and broken road surfaces, otherwise on the highway cruises which is a major portion of the ride the Classic is absolutely comfortable and fabulous to ride”, concluded Mr Aleem.

Outback adventures organises good recreational biking expeditions with all the back and help you might need during the expedition, leaving you to do one thing and one thing only - enjoy the ride. It’s the perfect getaway from work for a biker to let his hair down and enjoy a great biking experience, free from the hustle and bustle of daily life and traffic choked roads. Outback charges about Rs. 40000 per person for the expedition which includes the bike and fuel they provide. If you want to go for a biking trip with your mates, this is a great place to start.