Saiyami Kher: My bike packing trip in Italy was one of the best experiences of my life

Saiyami Kher recently jetted off to Italy to shoot a documentary on bike packing, and the actor shares how the expedition turned out to be one-of-its-kind experience. “It was a bike packing trip around lake Garda in Italy and was one of the best experiences of my life,” says Kher, adding, “It’s basically carrying all your luggage of the trip on your bicycle and exploring a place. You get to explore a place in its best way when you cycle around. And the routes I cycled on were extremely scenic. Cycling around the lake while exploring historical sights, the food and culture was for sure an adventure for me.”

Besides the fun and adventure, the actor shares there were several challenges, too, that she countered. “It wasn’t easy,” she admits, and goes on to share, “I wish I had prepped more… I’ve cycled on road bikes because of my iron man training, but that was all flat. This was different because of the climbs we had to do. And I never really liked climbing. So I had a stationary cycle trainer at home, which I used and also did training on the slopes of Pali Hill in Mumbai.”

The 31-year-old spent a total of seven days on this trip, and in addition to basic prep, she reveals many more difficulties that she faced. “It it was hot, then cold and we had a hailstorm, too. We had to climb 2000 metres on the day, we did the tremalzo mountain pass, so that was serious amount of climbing,” she recalls, calling it all “worth it”.

An adventurer by heart, Kher has had trysts with several interesting sports while growing up. Giving a peek into those memories, she tells us, “I’ve grown up swimming in lakes and doing treks. So, I still do a lot of trekking. I’m a certified diver and make sure to do at least one dive trip every year. I also learnt how to surf, last year, and want to better that skill. Next, I want to learn to snowboard.”

What made the trip more adventurous and fun was the company Kher had in actor and host Ranvijay Singha. “He is a full-on adventure junkie. We had a great time with the entire group that also included pro cyclists Shardul Donde, Delton and Aditya Talwar. You need great company while trying such adventures,” says Kher, hoping that the said documentary would “inspire people, as this is just the best way to discover a place”.