Starting at sea level and heading toward remote mountain passes in the Himalayas, cyclist Bir Kumar Tanchangya of Kaptai in Rangamati has achieved a remarkable feat by cycling from Cox’s Bazar to Nepal’s Everest region and conquering three high-altitude passes.
As part of his ‘Sea to Himalayas Expedition for Awareness’, Bir Kumar conquered Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La — three challenging passes in the Everest region.
He claims to be the first Bangladeshi and the first cyclist from a small ethnic community to conquer all three passes by bicycle overland.
On Monday, October 5, Bir Kumar reached the summit of Renjo La at 5,360 metres at 4:26 pm Nepal local time, completing the final stage of his expedition.
Earlier, he conquered Cho La at 5,420 metres on October 1, and Kongma La at 5,535 metres on September 21.
His long journey began on August 14 from Zero Point in Cox’s Bazar. Starting near sea level, he cycled across a series of routes before reaching the remote high-altitude areas of the Himalayas.
Along the way, he had to cope with the challenges of a long-distance journey, difficult mountainous terrain, and the harsh conditions of extreme altitude.
Bir Kumar said the expedition was not aimed merely at setting a record.
“Creating interest in cycling, raising environmental awareness and delivering a positive message to people are the main objectives of my expedition,” he said.
People in Kaptai have expressed their happiness over the young cyclist’s achievement.
They hope Bir Kumar’s success will encourage young people across the country to take greater interest in cycling and adventure-based activities.
By Mohammad Morshed
Photo: Collected
