The debut edition of the Dunes Ultra across the Thar — a 1,350 km self-supported desert race, finished on the podium in second.
The Dunes Ultra debuted in Rajasthan in December 2024 as a new fixture on India's ultra-cycling calendar — a 1,350 km self-supported race through the Thar desert. Having spent the year training out of Suratgarh, deep in that same desert, this was very much home terrain for me.
Self-supported desert racing is its own discipline: long, exposed stretches between resupply points, big day-to-night temperature swings, and the mental challenge of riding largely alone. I completed the course in 80 hours 49 minutes to finish 2nd overall — a strong result on the event's very first edition, and a satisfying way to round out a comeback year that had begun with finishing RAAM.
The Dunes Ultra is Inspire India’s newest race — "Race through the desert!" in the organisers’ own billing — a journey through the rugged Thar on the loop Jaipur – Bikaner – Jaisalmer – Jaipur. The inaugural edition ran in December 2024. The 1,350 km solo self-supported category is raced as a two-stage event with a minimum three-hour rest between stages; riders carry their own world, with drop-bags accessible only at the Bikaner control. Like all of Inspire India’s solo ultras, a finish inside the cut-off qualifies the rider for the Race Across America.
I finished the first edition in second place — 1,350 km of desert in 80 hours 49 minutes against an 88-hour cut-off, six months after the Armed Forces Cup, and requalified for RAAM in the process.
