We can only guess as to what draws people to bikes. Could it be the feeling of wind on their faces, or the solitude that comes with being able to ride wherever, whenever? Or, could it be an inexplicable curiosity for experiencing a ride on two-wheels? For Pallavi Gautam, an industrial engineer in Chennai, it was a combination of all three that fanned her passion for riding — plus her childhood memories of zooming down the streets on a bicycle.
“As a kid, I was the silent one among two siblings. Even then, I was fascinated by two-wheelers and would fight with my brother all the time over whose turn it was to ride the cycle. Finally, when I was 13 years old, I managed to persuade my neighbour to let me try out his new motorcycle,” she laughs. That got her hooked — and the moment she moved to Chennai armed with a new job — she bought her first bike!
Now, the 27-year-old will be participating in the 13th edition of the Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey from Delhi to Leh, which will be a women-only affair for the first time. She will be joining other women from STRE (She Travels on a Royal Enfield), a community of women bikers across the country, for this 17-day, 2200 km journey. “I’m really excited about it. I have never ridden with just women, mostly with my guy friends from work. It’s a totally new experience,” she says.
What’s the best part about riding with other women? “Over the last few years, you hear many stories about women bikers. The thing is, there’s no particular bike we ride — there’s a lot of tweaking and customisation to make it suit our needs in terms of seat height, gears, and so on. So more than anything, I cannot wait to check out the bikes on this journey,” she grins. While she rides a Yamaha FZ, this journey will see her off — roading on the Himalayan. “I have ridden it before, along with other Enfield models. However, this will be the longest journey I have ever taken, so there’s some preparation that goes into it. I have been off-roading in and around Chennai, building stamina, learning how to lift bikes and so on,” she adds.
Her family and friends are also joyous about her upcoming adventure. “Of course, my mom was always scared when I rode bikes, but I think she knew I wouldn’t listen to her anyway. Coming to Chennai actually started my passion. After making so many weekend trips to Puducherry, Lake Pulicat, Goa, and Bengaluru, my confidence gradually grew. Once you do it, even your parents become less nervous — honestly, riding shouldn’t be gender-biased at all,” Pallavi says. She hasn’t yet planned her bucket list, and that’s okay because the whole route is scenic enough to make up for the lack thereof. On June 7, she will fly to Chandigarh for a briefing and meeting the other women before the actual journey.
