Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge
In June 2020 we cycled in 34 countries on 6 continents and achieved many new records in spite of Covid-19 restrictions in many countries:
- Record in number of participants: 301 (previous best was 264 in June 2018).
- Record in total distance: 117'772 km (previous best was 94'718 km in June 2018).
- Three records in male category: Udayachal Senkyr from Zlin, Czech Republic cycled 4'304 km (143.5 km/day), Pushkala Tramosljika from Frankfurt, Germany cycled 4'066 km (135.5 km/day) and Marko Mihajlov from Skopje, Macedonia cycled 3'361 km (112 km/day). All three cycled better than the earlier best ever - 3'352 km by Pushkala in June 2018.
- First time ever cycled >4'000 km (Udayachal and Pushkala).
- Two records in female category: Sananda Fitzgerald from Vienna, Austria cycled 3'159 km (105.3 km/day) and Agnikana Senkyrova from Zlin, Czech Republic cycled 2'424 km (80.8 km/day).
- First time a girl cycled >3'000 km on the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge (Sananda). Second time a girl cycled >2'000 km (Agnikana 2020, Sananda 2019).
- Four cyclists had >3'000 km (Udayachal, Pushkala, Marko and Sananda).
- Ten cyclists had >2'000 km.
CONGRATULATIONS and a cordial THANK YOU to all participants! Scroll down for the final results and photo-gallery. See you in June 2021!
Results June 2020:
Final results:
June 1 to June 30 (last update September 6) - 117'772 km, 301 participants in 34 countries on 6 continents
Results as they were arriving:
June 1 to June 30 (last update July 24) - 115'758 km, 293 participants in 34 countries on 6 continents
June 1 to June 30 (last update July 22) - 115'740 km, 292 participants in 34 countries on 6 continents
June 1 to June 30 (last update July 11) - 109'680 km, 266 participants in 34 countries on 6 continents
June 1 to June 30 (last update July 2) - 88'790 km, 223 participants in 32 countries on 6 continents
June 1 to June 29 - 60'614 km, 189 participants in 31 countries on 6 continents
June 1 to June 28 - 58'702 km, 186 participants in 31 countries on 6 continents
June 1 to June 27 - 55'027 km, 176 participants in 31 countries on 6 continents
June 1 to June 23 - 44'224 km, 158 participants in 30 countries on 6 continents
June 1 to June 21 - 42'549 km, 155 participants in 30 countries on 6 continents
June 1 to June 17 - 29'608 km, 140 participants in 29 countries on 5 continents
June 1 to June 15 - 25'340 km, 136 participants in 26 countries on 5 continents
June 1 to June 13 - 18'792 km, 120 participants in 24 countries on 5 continents
June 1 to June 9 - 9'737 km, 76 participants in 18 countries on 5 continents
June 1 to June 6 - 3'289 km, 25 participants in 8 countries on 2 continents
Photo-gallery June 2020:
In the gallery below the participants of this year's Month of Cycling share the photos and inspiration from their rides in June 2020.
Anastasia cycling in Winterthur, Switzerland.
Cycling in Covid-19 times (cyclist's identity known to the Editor)!
Bartika and Tarika cycling in Heidelberg, Germany.
Tejvan cycled 997 km in Oxford, UK.
Sananda from Vienna, Austria cycled 3'159 km (105.3 km/day) in June 2020 - the new best-ever result in female category. Sananda is the first girl cycling >3'000 km during a Sri Chinmoy's Month of Cycling.
In Sananda's own words: "In May 2020 Shamita did a 3'100 km Run along Danube. Her last running day was my first cycling day." Photo above shows Shamita (l.) with a helper riding a tricycle behind her and Sananda joining them. Sananda: "I got so much joy on that day that I was inspired to also cycle 100 km every day during June!"
"There is only one perfect road and that road is ahead of you, always ahead of you" - Sri Chinmoy, from the book "My Fifty Gratitude-Summers". Photo by Ekalabhya, somewhere in Macedonia.
Dejan (l.), Vlatko, Ekalabhya and Marko, on a cycling tour in Macedonia.
Pushkala from Frankfurt cycled 4'066 km in June 2020. He finished on the second place and transcended his previous best result by 800 km!
Pushkala's bike and ...
... his favourite 90 km cycling route along Nidda river.
Deeptaksha found a little blue car on his ride outside Zurich, Switzerland.
Krishna cycled 226 km in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Photo by Krishna, from one of his rides in June 2020.
Trail cycling with friends makes you happy! Krishna, Kathmandu, Nepal, June 2020.
Marko, Vlatko, Rade, Daniel and Eklabhya cycled from Skopje to Ohrid, Macedonia. Total 218 km, 1900m elevation.
Vlatko and Rade checking the GPS somewhere in Macedonian mountains. Are we on the right way?
Through the mountains, cyclists of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team. Photo by Ekalabhya.
Endre organised a group ride around Tisza lake, 150km east of Budapest, Hungary: 14 people cycled 70 km around the lake.
Thamara and Gloria, first time participants of the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge...
... cycled in Sao Paolo, Brasil under Covid-19 lock-down.
Atul, Indo-Australian living in Brisbane, made this photo on June 30 from a view-point above Brisbane. Atul joined the Month of Cycling for the first time as part of his triathlon training."I am happy to be part of the future ones also. Even though all of us are far away, events like Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge keep us together and our oneness alive."
First time participant Deirdre from Dublin, Ireland, cycled 297km in June 2020.
Nikhad and Bati cycled in Leskovac, Serbia. Luckily the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in their city just a few days before June 1.
Bati started cycling on her stationary bike on the balcony, then switched to outside rides.
Nikhad (65) cycled his personal best in June 2020 - 2'731 km, 5th place.
He also inspired the 30-hour cycling in Nis, Serbia on 26/27 June, in which 15 cyclists took part.
Yasen and Hrishikesh on Shiroka Polyana lake, Bulgaria. Spontaneously introducing a new cycling category on the Month of Cycling: water-cycling!
Yasen, Kalin and Hrishikesh practicing water-cycling (pedalling a boat on famous Shiroka Polyana lake, 1500 m over sea level).
Sukinkar and ...
... Shatadal in a field near Dresden, Germany.
Dohai cycled 664 km in June 2020. He sent this photo with the following comment: "Once I did with one of my colleagues of Vienna Symphony Orchestra the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse up to 2'400 m over sea, near the highest mountain in Austria. 33 km uphill. Nice experience!"
Pavaka from Montreal, Canada joined the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge for the first time and cycled 140 km.
Pavaka writes: "On the website I saw beautiful photos in beautiful places. But I only took my phone when I went to pick up a truck for our enterprise, which was being repaired in the industrial sector of Montreal...
... This is not a beautiful lake in the Alps, but I did ride 18 km that day!"
A proof of our oneness in diversity - we cycle all around the globe in diferent places and climes, but we are all one cycling family!
Madal Bal Outdoor Cycling Team, Skopje, Macedonia.
Madal Bal Outdoor Team on a 190km / 1500m elevation ride on June 13, 2020.
Jayasalini cycled in Danmark on relation Esbjerg-Odense. She did 1'179 km in June 2020. This was the first time that we were cycling in Danmark! Thank you, Jayasalini!
Baridhi and Hrishikesh cycling together in Sofia, Bulgaria on June 7, 2020.
Agraha in front of Sri Chinmoy's statue in Seattle, USA.
Tirtha and Tapaswini did together a one-day tour from Munich to ...
... Stamberger lake and back.
Tapaswini on the lake. Half-way point.
Guzel, cycling in Nakhabino near Moscow, Russia.
Puroga and Shuna cycled around Balaton Lake (240 km) in Hungary.
Muniya cycled 504 km in June 2020. No, not in Himalaya, ...
... but in peacefully green and ... (Photo by Muniya)
... joyfully red fields near Prague, Czech Republic. (Photo by Muniya)
Vasanti cycling near Heidelberg, Germany.
Sunrise as seen from Chandini's window in front of here home-trainer bicycle, Bethesda, USA.
Cycling in the forest, Vilas from Bristol, UK.
Hrishikesh made a road trip from Sofia to Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
On his 170km long ride, he had encounters of all kinds.
And in Plovdiv, he shared his hotel room with his bicycle.
Livia sent this photo of a bronze-age house replica in Nizna Mysla, 11 km from Kosice, Slovakia. In June 2020 Livia cycled 502 km.
Garga cycled in Bristol, UK.
First time participant from Petah Tikva, Israel - in June 2020 Yuri cycled 247 km on his home trainer and 576 km outside. Welcome to the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge Yuri!
This is the first time that we were cycling in Israel. Yuri from Petah Tikva, 11 km east from Tel Aviv.
Ashcharjya cycled 474 km in Paris, France.
Pragya from Nuremberg, Germany, feeding squirels on one of her cycling tours.
Sukhada from Perm, Russia, joining the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge for the first time. Welcome Sukhada!
Sukhada cycled along the river Kama ...
... and through the forest where a cyclist-friendly forest-monster always greets her with a smile.
Krasimir cycling in Oberengstringen and Zurich, Switzerland. Listening to the music...
Guzel in Russian nature near Moscow.
Sardor cycled along Limat river coming out of Zurich lake, Switzerland. On the dam.
Jan cycling on his fiery red bike in Warsaw, Poland.
Eshana cycled in Vojvodina flats, near Zrenjanin, Serbia.
Eshana and Biljana near Zrenjanin, Serbia.
Narmada, cycling in Zurich, Switzerland.
And her brother Hutashan, Zurich, Switzerland.
Shuna was cycling in Hungary and sent this photo of Balaton lake from one of his daily 27km rides.
Rasmivan saw this rainbow on June 28 near Bristol, UK.
Kedar, cycling in Zurich, Switzerland.
Graciela from Zurich sent this photo from one of her rides in Swiss mountains.
Celana, Adarini and PIloo in front of the UN building in Geneva, Switzerland.
Ekalabhya and Rade trying Pony bikes (very popular in 1970s) for a change. Somewhere in Ohrid, Macedonia.
Rade with his Bianchi. Behind him is Ohrid lake, Macedonia.
Hrishikesh (r.) and Todor (l.) cycled together in Bulgaria...
... in rural areas near Sofia. Todor's Pinarello enjoys posing for the photos...
... and sometimes refuses to carry him, so he has to reverse the roles!
Igor cycling in Chisinau, Moldova.
Igor enjoys cycling in untouched Moldavian nature.
Lotuses, photo by Igor, Chisinau, Moldova.
Celana and Varunavi on Geneva lake, Switzerland.
Margarita (l.) and Todorka (r.) from Skopje, Macedonia, enjoying cycling during their lunch-break.
Rasmivan from Bristol, UK, in the lovely English countryside. Rasmivan joined the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge for the fist time this year. Welcome Rasmivan!
Rasmivan's TREK, ready for action.
Clifton suspension bridge over Avon river. Photo by Rasmivan.
Mananyu was cycling in Croatia and made this photo where river Krka joins the Adriatic sea.
Mananyu's mountain bike on a trail near Sibenik, Croatia.
Nadegda cycled 255 km in Cheboksary, Russia.
Heidelberg cyclists on a tour throught the fields near Heidelberg. Photo by Vasanti.
Heidelberg castle overlooking the river Neckar.
Ice-cream as a perfect ending of a joyful bicycle ride.
Kallol showing his Venice icecream in Heidelberg.
Pond in the forest near Moscow, photo by Guzel.
Ekanansa mostly cycled on relation Nis - Gadzin Han, Serbia.
Igor was cycling around Skopje, Macedonia.
In June Igor was supposed to ride the TransAm Bike Race (6'800 km through the USA, coast-to-coast), but the race was cancelled due to the Covid-19 epidemic. Next year ...
Vandaniya's Bianchi on Thur river bridge, Switzerland.
Rhein river, border between Switzerland and Germany (on the other side of the river). Photo by Vandaniya.
Vandaniya in Rheinau, Switzerland.
Swimming pool on Pfaeffiker-lake. Photo by Vandaniya.
Pfaeffiker-lake, Switzerland. Photo by Vandaniya.
Cycling on a rainy day, Guzel from Nakhabino, Russia.
Gopal cycled along a creek near Zurich, Switzerland.
Gopal surmounting an obstacle on the way. Photo by Deeptaksha.
Anne-Marie cycled 380 km in Nancy, France.
Aranka from Szekesfehervar, Hungary cycled 72 km riding a few times to her garden and back home.
Hutashan (l.) and Deeptaksha on an evening tour around Zurich airport.
Sananda took this photo of a peacock on June 30, 2020, during her last ride.
Propositions 2020:
Take part in a global 30-day Cycling Challenge that stretches over the month of June. Ride together with friends on all continents! Have fun and stay healthy!
For the past eight years, this event has given cyclists around the world opportunity to join together in a oneness-project and get joy from following each other's progress. In June last year 250 participants in 35 countries on 6 continents cycled together 93,000 km.
Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge: Month of Cycling - June 2020. Poster by Hrishikesh, Bulgaria.
Rules are simple - during the month of June you can ride wherever you like, with whomever you like. Ride in a soulful and joyful consciousness, be healthy and happy!
Send your name, place where you cycled and the distance crossed to Vandaniya, by email ([email protected]). You can send results daily, weekly or the total distance at the end. Results are posted on this page and updated as they arrive.
Back to Sri Chinmoy Cycling Challenge 2020 page