‘Drones, missiles everywhere, I knew I had to get out of there’: biker from Pune rode solo to London amid shadows of war in Iran

Born and raised in Pune, Abhijeet’s love for motorcycles began at 18, when his mom gifted him a Suzuki Shogun, his first motorcycle. Little did he know that this love was going to turn into a journey full of accomplishments. But life wasn’t all about adventures for him; in 2017, he had a heart attack, which almost took his life.

“I feel really lucky that life has given me a second chance; life is really short,” he said. In 2020, Dhano, the motorcycle that would be by his side throughout his dream journey, came into his life.

Abhijeet had seen people doing this journey by shipping their motorcycles to Turkey, but he didn’t want to do that; he was determined to complete this journey entirely by road. In 2023, he decided to survey the route for his journey, during which he visited the Mount Everest Base Camp for the very first time. In 2025, during his London Ki Yatra, he repeated the feat, making him the first Indian to successfully ride twice to the Mount Everest Base Camp.

Abhijeet Ganu is the the first Indian to successfully ride twice to the Mount Everest Base Camp. (Express Photo)

Partnering with ‘Round Table India’, an organisation aimed at promoting service, fellowship, and goodwill in national and international affairs, Abhijeet wanted to raise funds for charitable projects like building schools, empowering children, and supporting underprivileged communities across India.

Starting from India on May 1, his ride took him across 31 countries, including Nepal, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Montenegro, Kosovo, Scandinavian nations, and the entire stretch of Europe, before concluding in the United Kingdom. Full of adventure and self-discovery, this ‘journey with a cause’ wasn’t devoid of challenges; some moments became a brutal test of Abhijeet’s physical and mental strength.

Taken into custody

On June 20, when he had just entered Iran, the political tensions with Israel began to rise, and there was a high chance of a war happening. He was advised to ride to Mashhad for safety, which was 700 km away from where he was stationed. He did, and the very next day it was bombed.

“Drones, missiles everywhere, I knew I had to get out of here,” he said. He then rode to Tabriz, which was 1,616 km away. Twenty-four hours of riding and 54 degrees Celsius of heat, the challenges had just begun. In Tabriz, a car pulled up next to him, and in no time, police officials surrounded him. He was taken into custody along with his motorcycle.

“They covered my face and put me in jail for six hours, they thought I was some sort of a double agent because of all the visas”.

Those six hours were mentally torture for Abhijeet. When he was finally allowed to speak, he said: “Sir, many Iranians stay in India, and we treat them as our brothers and sisters. I know your country is going to war and my heart goes out to you but that doesn’t make it right to detain me when I haven’t done anything.” The officials then released him.

“I had never experienced anything like that; it felt as though I was in a movie,” Abhijeet said, recalling the incident.

After 52 hours of mental and physical exhaustion, he reached Armenia, where a bus conductor invited him home, offering food and shelter. “It was like staying at an Airbnb, but with so much warmth,” he said.

Gaining victory over every challenge that came his way, Abhijeet became the first person from India to ride to the North Cape, the northernmost point in Europe, and concluded his journey in the UK. He accomplished the milestone of becoming the first person to ride from India to the UK on a motorcycle.

Abhijeet became the first person from India to ride to the North Cape, the northernmost point in Europe. (Express Photo)

After experiencing innumerable acts of kindness and several cultures, Abhijeet returned to India on September 6.

“We have raised 4,000 Euros so far, and after my motorcycle reaches India, we are hoping to raise more funds. ‘London ki Yatra’ taught me a lot, and if everything works out in the future, I would like to go on a journey from Alaska to the Antarctic Circle: The northernmost point to the southernmost point,” he said.

Ruta Patil is an intern with The Indian Express.