Dr Pyniarlang Nongbri (40), a resident of Mawnai village in Meghalaya's Eastern West Khasi Hills and a faculty member at the Bio-Tech department of St Anthony's College, has created history by cycling over 40,000 kilometres in six years.

This has been done in a bid to inspire the youth and inform them about the benefits of cycling for health and freedom of mobility and also inspire them regarding the environment.

The 40-year-old Nongbri started taking cycling seriously when he enrolled for a PhD degree in 2005 at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi.

Speaking to news agency PTI, Dr Pyniarlang Nongbri said, "The Strava app on my mobile phone in 2021 showed that I had completed 11,172 km with a maximum riding time of 675 hours. This included my ride to work and scenic locations across the Khasi and Jaintia Hills districts."

He further informed that he rode for 234 days in 2021, which became possible mainly due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

"Thanks to the pandemic, which allowed me to sneak out and I could go to far-off places, avoiding contact with people and keeping myself safe from the COVID-19, " news agency PTI reported, quoting Dr Pyniarlang Nongbri.

He further informed that from the distance and the time, in 2021, his average distance was 47.7 km on every single ride he took, and this was a personal achievement as well.

He further informed that after his return from Germany in 2013, he had never stepped into a motor car or bus.

Dr Pyniarlang Nongbri has cycled to Tawang, Kaziranga, Darjeeling, and Sikkim in addition to riding to work.

Dr Pyniarlang Nongbri has also inspired many Meghalayan youths to go green and take up cycling as a hobby.

Inspired by Nongbri's passion, the Meghalaya Cycling Association (MCA) has also helped in constructing cycling racks at his college so he and other cyclists can park their bikes safely.

The MCA has also installed another bike rack at St Edmund's College as many kids have taken to their bikes to commute to these educational institutions too.

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