Renu Singhi, Jaipur cyclist who finished 1550 KM ride in London at age 57
The only Indian woman to complete the 'London-Edinburgh-London 2022' in 124.32 hours
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57-year-old Jaipur cyclist Renu Singhi.
JAIPUR: Renu Singhi is 57-year-old, but her passion for cycling leaves young cyclists awestruck. Renu is in news again after she became the only woman participant from India to finish the 1550 km target of the international cycling ride ‘London-Edinburgh-London (LEL) 2022’ in the stipulated time frame.
Most women would retire at this age and get themselves busy with raising grandchildren, but what Renu Singhi has done is extremely challenging even for young boys and girls. No wonder, she has come to be known as the Iron Lady.
London-Edinburgh-London is considered to be one of the toughest self-supported cycle rides in the world with a cumulative elevation gain of about 14,300 meters, way higher than the height of Mount Everest.
The tournament is a test of patience and determination in addition to cycling skills. About 1900 cyclists from all over the world were to travel 1550 kilometres from London to Edinburgh (the capital of Scotland), to reach back to London. This was to be achieved in 128 hours.
Renu Singhi made India proud by finishing the ride in 124 hours and 32 minutes, a rare feat of mental and physical strength for a woman in her late 50s.
Renu Singhi, who has cycled more than 55,000 kilometres so far, told The PinkCity Post that she bought her first bicycle about six years ago with the sole objective of remaining fit.
“I could not find time for gym daily. After buying the bike, I joined the Jaipur Cycling Community (JCC) and started riding to Nahargarh early in the morning with JCC members. It was followed by routine rides around cities. This boosted my confidence”.
She then started participating in cycling events. She has achieved the status of Super Randonneur (SR) five times by completing a Super Series of 600 km (100km, 200 km & 300 km) in a calendar year.
In 2018, Renu Singhi qualified for the cycling endurance ride ‘Paris Brest Paris (PBP) 2019’ organized in France. After participating in this event, she never looked back.
She stood first in the 1220 km elite category in the Cyclotrots Freedom Challenge before PBP. Nine participants from Rajasthan participated in the self-supported endurance ride- Paris Brest Paris in August-19, in which Renu Singhi was the only finisher of the 1220 km task. She achieved this target in 92 hours.
She completed the 1500 km Super Randonneuer (SR) series organized by Hawk Rider, Jalandhar in February, 2021. In October 2021, she rode 420 km from Srinagar to Leh as the only woman cyclist from Rajasthan. Despite being in a hilly area, she did not lose his courage. After Leh, she also cycled up to Khardung la, located at an altitude of 18,000 feet above sea level, where the oxygen level was very low. Renu Singhi has also cycled 1200 km in ‘Tour de Rajasthan’ and 1460 km from Delhi to Mumbai in six days under G2G Ride.
She topped the women’s category by cycling 1785 km and running 426 km in the national event organized by the Kota Cycling Community.
Renu Singhi is currently the advisor of Poornima University (PU), Jaipur. Renu Singhi, who has become a role model for people of all age groups, has proved that no goal is difficult if there is strong determination and commitment. Age should never be a hindrance to achieving it. Her husband Shashikant Singhi is a businessman and she has two sons. She is also the grandmother of two children.
