Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): Ujjain City’s Rajdeep Singh has completed one of the toughest amateur Paris Brest Paris (PBP) 1220 km cycling event with 11,500 metre elevation in 86.5 hours.
He has become the first Indian defence personnel and also first person from Madhya Pradesh to have completed the journey. Born and raised in Ujjain, Group Captain Rajdeep Singh (Vishisht Seva Medal recipient) is presently posted at the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) headquarters of Western Air Command in New Delhi.
He is a latecomer to ultra-cycling. At 53, he successfully completed the gruelling 1,200 km endurance cycling event in 86.5 hours. His journey into cycling began in 2017 due to restrictions on other physical activities, following a broken ankle during a para-jumping incident.
The pandemic further shaped his cycling journey. Within the first two years, he achieved remarkable milestone, including completing three Super Randonneuring titles, a 1,200 km ultra-cycling event from Delhi to Jammu and back and leading an expedition from Kasauli to Dharamshala during the winter season.
Unfortunately, due to his postings in distant regions, he couldn’t participate in PBP 2019 despite registering. The PBP, dating back to 1891, is considered the world’s oldest cycling event. It’s a gruelling 1,200 km race from Paris to the Atlantic coast and back.
Many refer to it as the ‘Olympics of ultra-cycling’ and it occurs once in every four years. Rajdeep, who relocated to Delhi from Mhow about 1.5 years ago, recently focused on improving his fitness.
In the second week of August, he travelled to Europe to acclimatise with the weather and other associated factors, preparing for his final ride from Paris to Brest on August 20.
He not only completed PBP 2023 in 86.5 hours (with 3.5 hours to spare), but also actively engaged with the local French population and cyclists from around the world.
The challenge of PBP lies in its requirement for riders to be self-sufficient throughout and to finish the race within 90 hours. Participants must arrange their own supplies and can only afford a few short naps along the route.
Unlike staged events, ultra-distance cycling sees the clock ticking continuously from start to finish. To qualify for PBP, one must complete a series of randonneuring events ranging from 200 to 600 km. ‘I was 47- years-old when I seriously took up cycling,’ Rajdeep told Free Press.
This is an age when most people shy away from physically demanding pursuits. Although I used to run and swim regularly, international cycling events demand commitment and patience, which my age was not necessarily seen as conducive to.
However, I had one goal in my mind—to set an example for my children through discipline,’ he added. Initially, Rajdeep began cycling to shed weight, but he soon discovered a deep passion for the sport. He began to0 participate in Audax India events across the country.
His journey into long-distance riding began when he cycled from India Gate to Wagah Border in support of War Widows. This experience greatly prepared him both mentally and physically for the Paris-Brest-Paris challenge.
Although Audax India branches operate from cities in Madhya Pradesh and Rajdeep has actively done a 200km BRM from Audax Indore in 2021 while being posted at Mhow.
However Rajdeep became the first person from the state to have completed the gruesome challenge within the stipulated time period. He is also the first defence personnel from India who completed the ride while in service.
Rajdeep has further set his eye on the next big event of ultra cycling, i.e. London Edinburg, London in 2025 which is a 1,500 km ride to be completed in 120 hours.
With mere four years left for retirement from active service, Rajdeep has set ultra cycling challenges for himself. ‘As age increases, your experience to tackle such challenges also increases and physical fitness is a state of mind which should always facilitate you to complete any challenges in life,’ he signed off.
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