A ride across generations: Pune teen rides 3,000 km across Europe with his father and peers

For Nilesh, the trip was a long-cherished dream. “When people plan European holidays, they usually think of France or Spain,” he says. “But this region has one of the most spectacular coastal routes in the world that’s what drew us.”
The scenic ride, however, soon turned into a test of endurance. “The weather was brutal at times,” Archit recalls. “On our way to Slovenia, the cold cut straight through my gloves. My fingers went numb, I couldn’t even feel the clutch.” He stopped by the roadside, struggling to move his hands as the temperature dipped into single digits.

Seeing his condition, Nilesh and the two riders quickly surrounded him, guiding his palms toward the warmth of their bike engines. The heat and smoke from the exhaust slowly brought the blood flow back. “It took a while before I could feel my fingers again and you don’t forget something like that,” Archit told The Indian Express.

Their route was a journey through what they call “the hidden Europe.” From the glass-bottomed skywalk atop Croatia’s Biokovo Mountain to the rugged coastal highway through Split and Omis, every turn offered a view that felt unreal. The group also rode to the Zeljava Air Base , an abandoned underground airfield straddling the Croatia-Bosnia border, a relic of the Cold War. “It was eerie, like stepping into history,” says Kedar, who mapped much of the route.

Their route was a journey through what they call “the hidden Europe.” (Express Photo)

Among all the stops, Bosnia’s medieval city of Mostar left the deepest impression. “It’s not the Europe you see in travel brochures,” Kedar says. “It’s raw and beautiful, with cobbled lanes, mosques, and bridges that survived wars. You feel the past still breathing there.”

But the road also tested their patience. As they approached the Croatian coast, a sudden storm lashed the highway, and the wind nearly toppled their bikes. “It was the scariest moment,” Nilesh recalls. “The crosswinds were so fierce that we had to lean into them just to stay upright. We took a halt but didn’t panic — we moved together, helping each other at every turn.”

After 3,000 kilometres of changing weather, languages, and terrain, the group returned to Munich. Tired, triumphant, and more connected than ever. “When you travel in a car, you’re inside a box, cut off from the world,” Nilesh says. “But on a bike, you’re part of the landscape , you feel the air, the smells, the sounds. That’s what makes it real.”

For Archit, who will soon enter his second year of college, the ride was more than an adventure, it was a rite of unexpectedness. “Completing it safely meant everything,” he says. “We rode through snow, rain, and fear, but every kilometre taught me something about patience and courage.”

As Nilesh puts it, “It wasn’t just a trip across countries. It was a journey across generations.”