Mahajan brothers return to a hero’s welcome in Nashik

NASHIK: Doctor duo Mahendra and Hitendra Mahajan, who achieved a milestone by becoming the first Indians to finish the difficult Brevet cycling Race Against America (RAAM), measuring 4,800 km from the West to East coast of America in eight days and 14 hours, got a grand welcome at Cycle Circle on Thursday.
Organisations like Nashik Cyclists, Kalpataru Foundation and citizens gathered at Cycle Circle at 4.30 pm on Thursday to welcome the brothers.The duo returned from the US late on Wednesday night.
Mahendra (39), a dentist and Hitendra (44), an anesthesiologist, participated in the race that began on June 20 with 130 teams from across the world. The brothers participated in the ‘team of two’ category and completed it in eight days and 14 hours without a single penalty. The time allotted for completing the race was nine days. Three other teams in their category got disqualified in the first 1,000 km, making the brothers the first and only ones to complete the race.
They were welcomed in a traditional manner on their arrival by the students of Gulalwadi , who played dhol tasha dressed in traditional attire. The brothers were crowned with traditional turbans and hoisted onto the shoulders of fellow members of Nashik Cyclists team. The rally proceeded from Cycle Circle to College Road and various parts of the city before stopping at Thorat Hall where they were felicitated by Mayor Ashok Murtadak.
While narrating their experience, Mahendra said, “As the traffic rules and regulations were very different from that of India, they were very difficult to follow. It was all will power which made it possible for us. The intention to participate was that no Indian has ever completed the race and we wanted to be the first ones to do it.” Hitendra said, “The crew members were the backbone of the whole race. They kept motivating us and took care of all our needs during the race. The climatic conditions were tough and they also faced a lot of difficulties. But they did it for the sake of the trust that the people of Nashik had for them.”
The brothers have requested the mayor to make a dedicated cycle track in the city.