the guide PEOPLE JULY 31, 2011. SUNDAY MiD DAY 14 AKSHATA SHETTY [email protected] FOR Urvashi Patolia to be among the top 20 contenders for the the Biker of the Year 2011 is not unexpected. After all, the 23 year-old motorcyle enthusiast founded the coun- try’s all-women motorcyclist association of India, The Bikerni, in January. The Bikerni members go on biking expeditions across the coun- try, collaborate on dirt racing and stunts and get together to share notes on their passion. Patolia, a resident of Aundh in Pune, entered the contest three weeks ago after getting to know about it via Extra Breaking Horsepower (XBHP), an online motoring forum that she is a member of. The Biker of the Year 2011 is an initiative by CEAT Bike Tyres along with other spon- sors to honour the men and women who ride the machines that hog the lime- light the rest of the time. Prizes include a custom edi- tion of the Ceat Pulsar 220, as well as an Asus laptop. The winner will be announced on August 7. “I began biking six years ago. My family always encour- aged adventure. My mom is a polo champion and my father has always been into motorcy- cles,” she says. Interestingly, her sporty parents only discov- ered her love for bikes when she broke her first bone while practising stunts on a friend’s motorcycle two years ago, she laughs. Her journey began when her dad gifted her her first bike, the Bajaj Exceed 125, in 2006. “He told me that more than owning a bike with a large capacity engine it was important to first perfect the riding technique,” she says. Patolia, speaks passionate- ly about empowering women. “Women have a lot of poten- tial to do things — and I’m not just talking about biking,” she says. Quick to dismiss any sug- gestions that seek to stereotype her as a tomboy, she says, “People think of me as someone who is manly and only into stuff that interests guys. But that’s not true. I also love to dress up and put on make-up as other girls of my age do.” At the moment, the fire in her belly comes from the anticipation of the 20-day Leh-Ladakh tour she will be undertaking in August with her friends from The Bikerni, through which they want to enter the Limca Book of Records for being part of the first all-female motorcycling expedition in India. Before she signs off she says, “Do not go for a high-end bike just because it looks cool. Buy one that you can handle comfortably. Also buy an ISI- marked helmet that fits you properly. That is crucial.” Log on to www.bikeroftheyear.in to find out if Urvashi made it to the top six contestants on Aug 2. PIC / KRUNAL GOSAVI DHAMINI RATNAM [email protected] JAYESH Shikarkhane, Sangramsingh Salvi and Yogesh Desai have known each other long enough to indulge in some Bollywood bonding along the lines of Dil Chahta Hai, or even the more recent Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The former college mates (junior col- lege, mind you) may have branched out to pursue different things in life, but the one thing that bound them was their shared love for adventure. Which is why, when Theadventurists(.com) threw open the enrollment of the Rickshaw Run 2011, all Shikarkhane did was tell Desai, a 28 year-old engineer and Salvi, a 26 year- old post graduate of chemical engineering, currently preparing for his UPSC examination, to come up with 1,095 pounds as their registration fees. Desai wired his third across, Salvi took a loan from his dad and 27 year- old Shikarkhane, an ad filmmaker and adventure sport enthusiast, robbed a bank, as he puts it, to submit their fee. “As far as we are concerned, the most difficult part of the process is over,” says Shikarkhane, who has been trying to enrol for the Rickshaw Run, organised by UK based company The League of Adventurists International Ltd, since the past two years. The Rickshaw Run will be held from September 10 to 24, 2011, and partici- pating teams will be required to ride an auto rickshaw from Shillong in Meghalaya to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. They can chart their own route, and the trio are keen to take their three-wheel- er through Bhutan and Nepal. Shikarkhane speaks from experi- ence. In 2009, he and Desai went on a three-day survival trip to the beaches of Goa and Gokarna. “We decided to con- duct an experiment to test how well we can survive without money. We stayed in tents and ate only what we caught from the sea. The first day we went hungry and panicked. The second day, we fared better — we caught crabs, and pomfret fish that we cooked on a fire. By the third day, we caught a sword fish,” says Shikarkhane. “If either one of us had bailed then, the whole trip would have failed,” adds Desai. The trip did more than just putting them in touch with their survival instinct and teaching them self- reliance — it showed them how important teamwork is. Salvi may not have been part of that life-changing trip, but he’s done a 21- day backpacking journey with Desai in 2006 — in Kashmir. “We were caught in the middle of a cross fire between soldiers and youth, and we also saw unbelievable beauty. No one can remain untouched after an experience like that,” says Desai. The trio are banking on their team spirit to take them through. However, there is also a touch of daring to their endeavour, evidenced in the way the three are keen to chart their route only closer to the journey date. “We don’t want to plan our route now,” says Shikarkhane. He adds that they won’t learn how to ride a rickshaw till the journey begins either. “There are close to 70 other teams coming for this trip from around the world and they will be given only two days to master riding a rickshaw. We don’t want to give ourselves an unfair advantage,” says Shikarkhane. Sounds noble, but Desai already knows how to repair a rickshaw — he took a week-long workshop while employed as a service engineer in a large auto company — and Salvi has already ridden one thanks to a neigh- bour back in his village in Ratnagiri. “It’s not easy,” says Salvi. “The rick- shaw is a tripod after all, and can easily tip over if you don’t turn at the right speed.” The ride will raise money for two charities — the Adventurists offers them a list of 50 to choose from. The trio are aiming to raise at least 1,000 pounds for Frank Water Projects and the Wildlife Protection Society of India. But they’re intent to have the ride of their lives while they’re at it. At present, they have raised 385 pounds. Want to sponsor them? Visit their website www.teentigaadu.com for contact details Yogesh Desai, a trained service engineer, can repair a three-wheeler because of a workshop he took 2 years ago THE 2-STROKE ROAD TRIP Stunt biker Urvashi Patole, one the top 20 contenders for the first Biker of the Year award, loves make-up and respects rules THE GIRL IN BIKER BOOTS Sangram Singh (standing) and Jayesh Shikarkhane won’t take lessons in riding a rickshaw till two days before the Rickshaw Run that starts on September 10. PIC/ ATUL KAMBLE A trio of friends will embark on their journey of a lifetime — 3,000 km from Shillong to Jaisalmer — in September. But, instead of a convertible, they’re making the trip in a humble autorickshaw