The previous evening, the lodge owner, Purna, had told me he goes riding every morning at around 5 a.m. All the previous week, I’d struggled to get up early, but today I woke at 4:30, eager to go mountain biking with the locals who know their trails and forests.

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 It was only my second day in Nepal.

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We did about 8 miles of pure trail riding through the forest, and then I packed up and set off towards Kanyam by 9 a.m.

Within a few kilometers, the plains gave way to steep mountains.

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And I switched to being a non-believer. I was in control of my life and could pull over whenever it got too hot or too tough to push.

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At this point, it was all about pushing the bike.

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Andrea BrownThere is something reassuring when I see younger, fitter cyclists than me pushing their bikes up steep mountains. "It's just using another set of muscles" is something somebody told us once.
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10 months ago

Girish HemashettarTo Andrea BrownHaha. Honestly, that’s exactly what I was thinking — I just didn’t want to pull over and sleep yet. And I haven’t taken any lifts, even though I’ve been offered rides a few times. Pushing my bike is still on me, because at least I’m ‘carrying’ my own weight, albeit using different muscles..:)
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10 months ago

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It was around 5,000 feet of elevation gain over just 16 miles.

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Finally, I reached my friend’s place in Kanyam by around 6 p.m.

And, those 16 miles had taken me the whole day.