PANAJI
Flavian Sutari (55) of Loutolim, a retired oil rig technician, cycled up to the 5,359-metre tall, Khardungla pass, the world’s second highest motorable pass recently.
Flavian was part of a cycling trio from Goa, possibly the first self-supported team attempting the Manali-Khardungla ride of 520 kms with elevation gains of 10,000 metres, crossing five high-altitude passes.
While Flavian was successful in cycling to Khardungla, his teammate, Sangam Patil (37), a Margao-based businessman suffered from high-altitude sickness (bleeding from the nose) after crossing Rohtang Pass (3,980 metres) and had to discontinue the expedition. The other team member, Sanket Naik (38), a government school teacher from Dodamarg, suffered a nasty fall in Keylong village, hurting his ribs. However, despite the injury, Sanket completed the five altitude passes and reached Leh.
Flavian took seven and a half hours to complete the ascent of 40kms from Leh to Khardungla. “The rarefied atmosphere due to severe shortage of oxygen makes cycling very difficult on this expedition,” Flavian said.
A very experienced endurance cyclist, Flavian has previously cycled solo between Kolkata and Kanyakumari and with a group of Goan cyclists between Kanyakumari and Mumbai.
