Originally reported and written in September 2023, this story has been republished as part of our archival content.

Renu Singhi from Jaipur, Rajasthan, begins her jam-packed day by alighting her bicycle. She then rides for 70 km, all before starting her daily routine. In the evenings she builds her core physical strength by training some more. 

But what’s even more awe-inspiring is that Renu is 58 years old. When people ask her what keeps her going at this age, she merely responds, “For once, I am doing something for myself and not for anyone else.” 

Ever since Renu started her cycling journey in 2017, she has inspired countless Indian women wary of cycling to take to the streets. 

One such woman was Gareema Shankar (44) from Delhi. Though Gareema had also been cycling since 2017, she recalls how she would only do it at the park near her home. 

She shares, “I would stay hidden from my parents and only cycle once I dropped my son off at school. I had never cycled on the roads of Delhi because I did not want people I knew to see me.” 

But she adds that 2021 proved to be a game changer for her. “I got to know about Renuji’s story on a Zoom call that was being hosted by an organisation. When I figured the age at which she had started cycling, I asked myself ‘What’s stopping you?’” 

Gareema adds that being a mother to an 8-year-old and juggling work and home brought its own set of doubts. “But when I would follow Renuji’s accomplishments, it would hit me that age was indeed a number and there was no better time than the present to take on a new project.” 

The start of a unique friendship 

It was in 2022 that the duo finally met at the London-Edinburgh-London (LEL) — Britain’s greatest cycling challenge spanning 1500 km. Gareema had only admiration for Renu. In fact, Renu was something of a star at the event. 

The news of her completing the Paris–Brest–Paris........

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