When Preeti Maske took up cycling at the age of 40, she had no idea a new hobby would turn into a passion, and then a profession. Becoming the first solo cyclist to bike from Leh to Manali in 55 hours, she talks all things sport in adulthood, setting world records, and her latest adventure: An unassisted ride from Bhutan to India via Nepal.
Driven by an indefatigable desire to accomplish what most people would consider impossible, Preeti Maske, a 46-year-old cyclist from Pune, India, who happens to be a mother of two, has achieved five Guinness World Records in just 10 months.
Her latest record-breaking journey saw her cycle from Bhutan through Nepal and into India covering 1,803 kilometers (1,120 miles) in 10 days, 18 hours, and 40 minutes—completely unsupported. “I have been to Nepal before,” says Maske, “but cycling through the country was special. I rode through towering mountains with valleys on both sides. I have made a note of many small villages that I would like to go back and visit.”
It wasn’t wanderlust that fueled Maske’s adventurous side, but a surprise first-place victory in a five-kilometer fun run at her children’s school.
During her own school days, Maske played hockey at a national level and basketball at a state level, but following marriage and children, sports were firmly in her past—or so she thought. Blighted by health issues and grappling with a lack of purpose, the podium finish at her children’s school ignited her latent competitive spirit. “Many women in their 40s feel like their dreams have been crushed,” she says. “Maybe I felt this more keenly than others and it showed in my health.”
“I was the first lady in my home state of Maharashtra and second in India to complete this challenge. It got me a lot of recognition especially amongst the rider community.”
- Preeti Maske
There was no stopping Maske after that. She trekked up to Everest Base Camp, and ran 154 kilometers from Mumbai to Pune. Recognition came her way, and her health began to improve. Of course, there were obstacles, but Maske was determined to give it her all. “I felt if I gave up midway, then the next time I won’t get a chance to do this again,” she explains.
It was a cycling expedition from Kashmir in the north to Kanyakumari in the south—down the length of the country—that made Maske take up cycling seriously. Although Preeti kept improving her timing and was putting in the training that was required, being one of the few women in the group came with its own challenges.
“Keeping up with male riders was tough,” she says. “I would be slower but when I caught up with them, although they had been resting for a while, whenever they said, ‘let’s go’, I would say, ‘let’s go’. I saw many women who were slower, took longer breaks, and how male riders would be reluctant to have them join their group the next time.” Among her cycling peers, Maske is known never to complain about anything, even pushing herself after a fall or an accident.
Within 15 days of completing this event, Maske got a chance to cycle from Nashik in Maharashtra (western India) to Amritsar in Punjab state (northwest India) and from there to the Wagah Border—India’s border with Pakistan. “I really had to convince my family to let me go,” recalls Maske.
She eventually managed. “I was the first lady in my home state of Maharashtra and second in India to complete this challenge,” she says. “It got me a lot of recognition, especially among the rider community.” It was at this event that Maske met fellow cyclist, Guinness Record holder, and owner of the Nashik Randonneur Club, Dr. Mahendra Mahajan.
A passionate ultra cyclist—Dr. Mahajan holds the Guinness World Record of being the fastest male to cycle from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 10 days, 9 hours and 59 minutes, and is the fastest on foot from Manali to Leh (highway) in 4 days, 21 hours and 13 minutes—he encouraged Preeti to attempt setting a Guinness Record. His push was instrumental in Preeti taking her cycling to the next level. “He’s filled with a lot of positive energy and has been a continuous support on my cycling journey,” says Maske.
She decided on cycling a 6,000-kilometer route (3,730 miles) spanning north, east, south, and west India, known as the Golden Quadrilateral. However, the pandemic delayed her plans and posed several challenges. The expedition involved passing through 16 states across India, and due to the pandemic, there were several restrictions in place on inter-state movements.
On the morning of her flag-off, her driver and cycle technician didn’t show up, worried about being held up at a state border and being stuck there for days on end. Dr Mahajan suggested she use her own car and her then-20-year-old daughter as her support crew. Even her husband joined them for the initial four days until another driver replaced him.
“Every time I finish something, automatically I think of ‘what next’.”
- Preeti Maske
Although she finished the challenge within the time parameters, that ride never became a Guinness World Record. The video evidence she submitted to the Guinness authorities showed other people cycling along which was prohibited—and because of this, her attempt didn’t qualify as a record.
This was a turning point for Maske. “Because I didn’t manage to achieve my first record, it spurred me to attempt and achieve many records one after the other,” she tells me. “For the golden quadrilateral ride, my family had upended their lives, so many people’s hopes and aspirations were also attached to my journey but we couldn’t do it.”
An invitation to participate in an event organized by the Indian Army took her back to Kashmir. She cycled from Srinagar to Khardung La, covering a distance of 458 kilometers (285 miles) in eight days. Encouraged by how her body was performing in these high-altitude conditions, she scoured out two Guinness World Records that she could attempt.
She cycled from Manali to Leh in 55 hours and 15 minutes and ran the same distance in four days, 22 hours and nine minutes. She completed her fourth record by riding north to south from Kashmir to Kanyakumari again, this time completing the challenge in 11 days, 22 hours and 23 minutes.
One of her favorite travel memories is riding through the picturesque state of Arunachal Pradesh on a 4,000-kilometer (2,485 miles) ride from west to east of India—her third Guinness World Record challenge. On passing through so many beautiful places and not really having the time to explore them, Maske says, “Everything looks very beautiful from the back of a cycle. It’s because you notice everything very slowly. I don’t mind passing through places and not having time to see them properly as the journey itself is so special.”
People of all ages, including many women and children, write to her sharing stories of how she’s their inspiration. One of her friends who didn’t know how to ride a bicycle rented one, learned how to ride, and completed a 100-kilometer ride and dedicated it to her.
Beyond inspiring people to push their boundaries, Maske leverages her growing popularity to spread the message of organ donation by creating awareness and dispelling widespread misconceptions about it.
What’s next? After completing the Ironman challenge, Maske has her eyes set on cycling from India to Singapore via Myanmar. “Every time I finish something, automatically I think of ‘What next’,” she says. Picking up on this relentless desire to achieve what most think is impossible, her daughter gave her the moniker the ‘the extreme lady’. Looking at Maske’s plans, it’s clear she’s hell-bent on proving her right.
Chaitali Patel is a freelance travel writer based in Dubai. Before moving to the UAE, she worked with National Geographic Traveller India as Associate Editor, Special Projects. She's partial to art, design and conservation.
