Raised in India to adventure-loving parents, Vedangi Kulkarni set out on her first epic ride - crossing the Himalayas - when she just 17.
Then in 2017 at the age of 19, she set out on her quest to become the fastest person to circumnavigate the world and to complete the journey in 100 days.
And while she missed both of those goals, after riding 29,000km / 18,000mi and 160 days, 14 countries and 1 birthday later, she became the youngest woman to ever circumnavigate the world on a bike. She was 20.
In this conversation she shares:
- her 850km solo cycling adventure across the Himalayas at 17 and what gave her the confidence to attempt it,
- where the idea to circumnavigate the world came from,
- the role visualisation played in helping her mentally prepare for the ride,
- how she still struggles with worrying about what people think,
- being told “this adventure jam is for white people” and the importance of not automatically taking on other people’s stories and beliefs,
- her experience as a woman of colour in endurance sports, and
- whether she felt like an imposter when asked to be part of a new book called ‘Tough Women Adventure Stories” that will be published later this year.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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