The men's team for the 2016 Himalayan Odyssey consist of a total of 83 male riders from across India along with various international participants as well, from countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Colombia, France and UK. On the other hand, the maiden women's group is made up of 20 female riders, hailing from the major Indian metropolitan cities along with smaller towns like Tirupur, Bilaspur, Chiitinagar and Kumbakonam. Interestingly, the HO-W group, as the name suggests, are an all women crew right from the service staff and technicians to doctors who will be supporting and assisting the riders throughout the journey.
Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey - Women
Before flagging off the riders, Shaji Koshy, Senior Vice President, Sales, Services and Spares, Royal Enfield said, "The Himalayan Odyssey has championed leisure motorcycling in the way it has initiated scores of people to ride to Ladakh. With each passing year, a new set of riders are initiated into this extraordinary expedition. This year, we have introduced the Himalayan Odyssey- Women, an exclusive all women's ride that promises to be the ultimate motorcycling adventure for all women who ride a Royal Enfield. We have received an encouraging response towards this and we hope this ride becomes an inspiration for many more women to take up motorcycling in India."
As mentioned before, both the teams will take different routes as the ride through three mountain ranges and six passes as they make their way to Khardung La, one of the highest motorable roads in the world, situated at an altitude of 18, 380 feet. Participants will have to ride though some of the most exciting routes, which will include picturesque regions of the Himalayas like - Narkanda, Sarchu, Jispa and Leh. In fact the weather would shift remarkably, from scorching hot to icy cold as riders will make their way to the picturesque regions of the Himalayas from the national capital.
Many of these participants will be riding the newly launched Royal Enfield Himalayan to the mountains, which the company says is the bikes natural habitat. The Odyssey will also be an amazing opportunity for Royal Enfield owners who have bought the all-new Himalayan to ride the bike where it is meant to be ridden. We hope to see whether they get the same thrill that we received during our first ride as well as the road test of the Royal Enfield Himalayan. In fact commenting on the bike's ability, Koshy said, "Our single biggest insight in all these years of riding has been that the best motorcycle for the Himalayas is not one that tries to dominate its landscape, but one that is able to go with its flow."
