Young biker from state rides all the way to North Pole
Yogesh Alekari, originally from Sangli and now residing in Mumbai, completed this remarkable journey under his Instagram handle @roaming_wheeels. Upon reaching Nordkapp in the Arctic Circle, he displayed a portrait of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, describing it as a moment of immense pride.
His expedition, which commenced on May 1 with former Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe's send-off, carries the message of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam".
Working in collaboration with Mumbai RTO, and with additional transport commissioner Bharat Kalaskar, Yogesh has been promoting road safety awareness internationally.
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Starting from India, his route included Nepal, Tibet's Everest Base Camp at 17,700 ft, and Lhasa. He continued through the Gobi Desert to Kazakhstan, visiting the Indian Embassy, before exploring Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Despite a 25-day delay in Tashkent due to the Russia-Ukraine situation, he persevered, entering Russia via Kazakhstan.
To cope with extreme desert temperatures in Central Asia, he adopted night-time travel. After traversing Russia and Saint Petersburg, he entered Finland, navigating its forest-covered landscape and summer mosquito challenges.
After covering 18,500 kilometres across 10 countries in 85 days, he reached Nordkapp, Norway. Near his destination, he faced a mechanical issue when his motorcycle chain broke, requiring a costly repair of Rs 25,000.
His accommodation often consisted of camping in remote areas.
He documents these experiences on Instagram, sharing authentic moments from his journey. He experienced the Midnight Sun phenomenon in Norway, where summer days are endless.
Yogesh is now heading towards London and Scotland, with plans to reach Cape Town, South Africa. It is learnt that he has received substantial support from Indians abroad, particularly for his road safety initiative.
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