BENGALURU: King Richard Srinivasan gave himself the best birthday gift he could ask for. The biking enthusiast completed his cross-country biking expedition just a day short of D-Day, which had him whizzing past three continents and 15 countries on his 250 kg Triumph Tiger. “I wanted to cover North America, South America and Australia this time,” says the 45-year-old businessman, who travelled through USA, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Chile and Australia, among other countries, over five months.
The journey began in USA in August last year, with Srinivasan being accompanied by his friend Vijay Narayan till Peru, after which the duo returned to India mid-October. After a two-month break, the Bengalurean embarked on a solo expedition to South America and Australia. “I usually rode for eight hours but when I had to cross a country’s borders, I only got 3-4 hours of riding time since the rest was spent on paperwork,” he explains, adding that the trip was self-funded. Ask him about his favourite country and he mentions Chile, gushing about the “ultra HD colours” of the region. But the most challenging ride was at Ushuaia, Argentina, which is often nicknamed the “End of the World.” With strong winds pushing you, lack of control over speed can cause a rider to “fly away,” explains Srinivasan, adding, “The wind can topple a lorry.”
This, however, was not his first international trip, since he took a 72-day trip from Bengaluru to London in 2018. The journey is coloured with many stories, of difficulty in getting fuel in China and riding on two-day old snow in Kyrgyzstan to acts of kindness in Russia, where a woman offered him a meal though he didn’t have the local currency. “The most loving people were in Uzbekistan, where everyone would greet you with warmth,” he recalls.
While the urge to whisk away on his bike is strong, planning is hardly spontaneous for Srinivasan, who runs a machine-manufacturing factory. “I planned for two years for the London trip and a year for the recent one,” he says. The time is spent researching bike mechanics and the regulations to be followed in each country. Srinivasan is already plotting his next escape – the last continent left for him to ride. “I can’t ride a bike through Antarctica so I want to try Africa next year. It’s just a matter of convincing my wife,” he laughs.
No speed bump too big
Srinivasan’s journey gave him a bag full of stories, but none as gripping as travelling through the 2019 Ecuadorian protests. “We carried signs saying we are two Indian riders on a motorbike trip and are trying to reach Peru. We often saw people rushing towards us with sticks and they would stop after reading that,” he recalls. “There are many moments when you wonder why you are doing what you are doing. When you look back, you feel nothing but glad to have overcome yet another challenge.”