Prof’s Guinness Book record: Cycling across Himalayas in 495 hours
Times of India | 4 December 2025
Kolkata: Avisek Tunga, an ultra-marathon runner, made it to the Guinness World Records for being the fastest to cross the Himalayas, from west to east, by a standard bicycle in 20 days and 15 hours. Tunga received the Guinness certificate on Tuesday night.
A faculty member at Meghnad Saha Institute of Technology, Tunga set out on the trans-Himalayan journey on a cycle from Ladakh to Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh in Sept. He traversed 3,700 km while gaining an elevation of 17,056 feet on his entire journey, which was monitored by the World UltraCycling Association.
"The Guinness authorities sent me the certificate on email. The framed certificate will arrive soon. I hope this will open doors to other cyclists in Bengal and the rest of India who will break this record," Tunga said.
On his arduous journey, Tunga negotiated areas, where oxygen levels were low, mountain passes were steep, and temperatures varied vastly during the day and night. "As I cycled on, I crossed passes, like Bara-lacha La and Lungalacha La. It was difficult to maintain speed. In Haryana and UP, I decided to cycle at night and sleep during the day to avoid the heat," he said. From UP, he crossed the border near Nepal, where it started to rain. Tunga again entered Bengal and was supposed to head for Assam via Sevoke Road. "But north Bengal roads were flooded and I had to take a detour," he said.
Tunga is now preparing for a 550-km race between Bagdogra and Kolkata airports in 24 hours.