“7 young boys from Sopore town participated in the expedition”
Suhail Khan
The first-of-its-kind cycling expedition to Gurez valley in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district concluded here on Monday.
The expedition was held by a group of boys from Sopore and completed it in three days.
On 3rd of July 2021, 7 enthusiastic boys from Sopore town of Baramulla district left for Gurez Valley on cycles and returned back on 5th July 2021 covering a distance of 336 kilometers.
“We left 7 in the morning from Sopore, covered a distance of around 117 kilometers on bicycles and reached Gurez at 6:30 in the evening. It was a fun trip and while descending from raazdan pass towards gurez Valley, we experienced fresh snowfall that too in the month of July,” said Muzamil Lateef one of the cyclists.
The cyclists said that on the first day of the expedition, they spent the night under open sky in the tents.
On day 2, the cyclists left for Tulail Valley at 11 am and returned back to Gurez, covering a distance of around 100 kilometers. And on day 3, they started the return journey from Gurez at 11 am and were back in Sopore at 8:30 pm.
“Paddling through the green lush fields, pristine water streams, mountain roads and meeting lovely people is always a lovely experience. Paddling through Gurez valley was a breathtaking experience,” said Abdul Dayim, another cyclist who took part in this expedition.
The participants who took part in the expedition were Abdul Dayim, Muzamil Lateef, Rizwan Rouf, Adees Dar, Suhaib Ganai, Nasir Bhat and Imtiaz Ahmad.
This is the first expedition after Go-Gurez trend, which was started by a newly appointed sub divisional Police officer (SDPO), Sheikh Adil on his twitter handle.
A massive rush of both local and outside tourists can be seen visiting Gurez after the SDPO started the Go Gurez trend. Even top celebrities from valley as well as from other parts of the country are also visiting Gurez valley.
Meanwhile talking to Kashmir Despatch, Sameer Ahmad, a tutor and travelling enthusiast congratulated the cyclists for their outstanding performance.
“These guys have done an excellent job by paddling through the hilly roads, lush green fields with a message of peace and harmony. I congratulate them for the completion of their expedition and wish them luck. Other youngsters can take a lead and explore new places with minimal cost,” Sameer added.
