With an aim to spread the message of ‘swachhata hi sewa’ and to celebrate the indomitable spirit of the soldiers, the Indian Army’s 6th Mountain Division Signal Regiment of Garud Division, Bareilly, conducted a Garud Signallers Cycle Expedition where a team of 15 soldiers covered a distance of 1048km in 11 days from Bareilly to Uttarakhand and back. Each cyclist travelled through Himalayan mountains, Banbasa, Champawat, Pithoragarh, Almora, Chaubatia, Sili Malli, Lansdowne, Kaladhungi , Haldwani and then, all the way back to Bareilly. The team was led by Captain Neelesh Kumar Shukla of Garud Division Signal Regiment.The expedition, flagged off from Bareilly by Brigadier Sanjay Nand, Deputy GOC, HQ 6 Mountain Division, symbolised tenacity, fitness and camaraderie among the soldiers, where the youngest soldier was 20 years old and the eldest, 44. Brigadier Sanjay said, “As the aim of the expedition was ‘swachhata hi seva’, each cyclist took part in the cleanliness drive at the mountains en-route, contributing in their own way towards maintaining the beauty of the Himalayas. It set an example and spread the message.”When the cyclists reached Bareilly, they were welcomed by Major General Manoj Kumar Katiyar, General Commanding Officer, Garud Division. He said, “It was a challenging expedition that depicted physical and mental strength. The team completed the expedition which shows confidence, will power and most importantly, the unbeatable spirit of the soldiers. The team also interacted with ex-servicemen, visited various schools and encouraged them to adopt swachhata hi seva.”The cyclists pedalled through treacherous and challenging terrains. Captain Neelesh Kumar Shukla, 34, who was leading the expedition, said, “We trained on a hilly terrain by covering almost 100km. The interaction with the children from various schools and veterans was quite enriching. Even though we faced a few challenges in Lansdowne, Chaubatia and Nainital, the uphill terrain from Kaladungi to Nainital tested our abilities. During the journey, local people cheered and supported us which rejuvenated our energy. People were curious and even inquired about the process to join the Army.”Captain Neelesh added, “We cleaned the mountains of Champavat and areas around Rakharikhel, Lansdowne and Silli Malli along with nearby villages in Pauri Garhwal. We even got the students of Children Academy School, Sauni, in Ranikhet involved in the cleaning drive.”The team crosses the Lohawati River at LohaghatChinmay Samant, 20, the youngest member of the team, said, “My interaction with the students and youngsters was quite interesting. We drove from Banbasa to Champavat which was 80km and it was a difficult stretch to cycle as the entire route was kuchcha. Weather proved to be a dampener but we coped against all odds. The best part was, when we began cycling initially, we were going at a speed of 10-13km per hour on plains and 8-9km on hilly terrain, but by the time we reached the last phase, we were able to go at a speed of 25-30km per hour in plains and 12-15km uphill, which was an achievement for us.”Company Hawaldar Major (CHM) AK Singh, 44, the eldest cyclist, said, “To keep ourselves energetic, we took rest, performed water-drills and kept ourselves hydrated. We did stretching and warm-ups at regular intervals that helped us while cycling along the challenging ridges and slopes in Jim Corbett forest.”The cyclists made sure they did warm-up exercises to keep themselves energised

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