Teacher Carries 9kg Bike to Everest Base Camp, Makes History

At 17,560 feet above sea level, where breathing becomes a challenge and silence blankets the Himalayas, schoolteacher Divya Singh stood holding the Indian flag beside her bicycle. She had just made history.

In March 2026, the 28-year-old from Gorakhpur became the first Indian woman and only the second woman worldwide to reach Everest Base Camp on a bicycle. But calling it a cycling trip doesn't capture what really happened.

"Only about 10% of the route was rideable," Divya explains. "For nearly 90% of the journey, I had to carry my nine-kilogram cycle on my shoulders."

Over 14 days, she covered roughly 700 kilometers through some of Earth's most punishing terrain. She trekked through remote Himalayan settlements like Namche Bazaar and Lobuche, crossing steep ascents, rocky trails, and narrow paths with deep drops on either side.

The conditions tested every limit. Oxygen levels dropped to 50-60% of normal, pushing her heart rate to 125 beats per minute. She drank four to five liters of water daily, stopping every five minutes to hydrate.

Expected rain turned into heavy snow. Winds grew fierce. There were moments when even walking felt impossible, and altitude sickness affected not just her body but her emotions too.

This wasn't Divya's first time at base camp. She had trekked there twice before in 2023 and 2024. During her 2024 trip, she discovered something remarkable: no Indian woman had ever cycled there.

The dream actually started much earlier. "I first read about Everest and Indian mountaineer Bachendri Pal when I was in Class 7," Divya recalls. "That's when I knew I wanted to reach there one day."

She prepared for nearly 18 months, training across Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Nepal in 15 to 20-day stretches. Her trainer Uma Singh from Rust Adventures guided all three of her Everest expeditions, recognizing her determination from the start.

"Cycling there is a completely different challenge," Uma notes. "It requires technical skill, stamina, and mental strength."

Why This Inspires

Back home in Gorakhpur, where Divya teaches sixth through eighth graders at a private school, her achievement has sparked pride across the community. The district flagged off her journey from Vikas Bhavan, and young women nationwide are now following her story.

She holds two postgraduate degrees in Political Science and Home Science plus a teaching diploma, and she's currently preparing for a government teaching position. Her school granted her leave, making the expedition possible.

"I stayed at base camp for about an hour, just taking it in," she says. "I made videos for my family because I wanted them to feel that moment with me."

Divya isn't stopping here. She plans to cycle to other high-altitude base camps across India and, one day, summit Everest itself.