MARGAO
The ride started from Ravindra Bhavan in Margao and the participants cycled through the villages of Benaulim, Cansualim, Varca, Cavrem, Quepem and Margao. The ride was flagged off by Lt Col Srinivas Gokulnath, India's first RAAM (Race Across America) solo finisher. The cyclists were flagged off at 6.45 am and cycled through the route within the stipulated time of 6 hours and 30 minutes.
The ride was made special by the presence of not only Lt Col Srinivas, who cycled the entire distance, but Sundaram Narayanan, Goa's first RAAM qualifier who will be attempting the race in June 2018. The youngest cyclist was 12-year-old Adityaraj Sawant from Vengurla and the oldest was 75-year-old, Wing Commander (retd) Ajit Guglani from Raia.
The 134 cyclists had a large contingent of school children from Sawantwadi and Vengurla and outstation cyclists from Bengaluru. Sameer Nadkarni, President, Xaxti Riders, thanked all cycling clubs of Goa for participating in the event and hoped that this event would inspire more Goans to take to cycling.
