77-Year-Old Veteran Rides Royal Enfield Classic 500 to World’s Highest Motorable Road
Age may slow the body, but it cannot dim the fire of determination or the passion for motorcycling. Pune’s 77-year-old military veteran Lt. Col. Sohan Roy (Retd), just proved this by riding his Royal Enfield Classic 500 to Umling La, the world’s highest motorable road. If you are a biker, you'll know how challenging this ride is. Completing it at the age of 77 is indeed a marvel.
Epic Ride From Pune To Umling La: Details
Lt. Col. Roy embarked on the solo ride from Pune to Leh on August 20, 2025. He reached the destination on 30th of August, covering thousands of kilometers over 10 days. Situated at 19,024 feet, Umling La is the highest motorable road in the world.
The veteran rode through different states and varying landscapes and climatic conditions to achieve this milestone. He, in fact, had to push through relentless rains, landslides, power cuts, and patchy communication.
Having conquered Umling La, Roy shared a set of pictures and videos of him with his beloved motorcycle on Instagram with a soulful caption that reads ‘Umling La done today via Norbu La Top. Long-awaited. Thanks to everyone for your support and inspiration.’ This post is now racking up views, reactions, and comments from netizens.
Lt. Col. Roy rode through Jammu, Srinagar, Drass, Kargil, Leh, Nyoma, and Hanle before reaching Umling La. He even stopped at the Kargil War Memorial and the Battle of Badgam Memorial (1947-48) enroute, and paid tributes to the fallen soldiers. This gesture resonated well with his identity- soldier first, rider later.
The daring ride drew admiration from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and his fellow riders. The journey has already sparked discussions within the rider fraternity and sent out a strong message that the passion for riding never ages.
Reflecting on his achievement, Lt. Col. Roy says: "You don't stop biking as you age. You age when you stop biking. At 77, Umling La reminded me that the spirit of a soldier never fades." Somehow, we can’t agree more to this statement!
Another post shared on Instagram reveals key details of the aftermath. In it, Roy says that he came back last Friday, and the motorcycle is stuck somewhere in Srinagar due to bad road conditions. He doesn’t mention the details of this. We hope to learn the same in the upcoming days.
The Veteran’s Glorious Past
Roy was commissioned into the 15th Battalion of Indore’s Kumaon Regiment, and served the country for nearly 30 years. During this period, he had postings in Jammu and Kashmir, Line of Control (LoC), the international borders, and even the North East. In his prime, Roy was a sportsman, footballer, boxer and marathon runner.
He also has a formidable past as a rider. The veteran has covered over 2,50,000 kilometers on various Indian and international roads. He even describes riding as a "Personal Social Responsibility" (PSR). He uses every ride to spread awareness on causes close to his heart, and even inspires youngsters to join the armed forces. The Chief Minister of Gujarat has felicitated him twice for these efforts.
This passionate biker even entered the Limca Book of Records as the oldest rider to reach Khardung La, in the past. Umling La being the world’s new highest motorable road, could fetch Lt. Col Roy another record. We will get to know more about this in the upcoming weeks. This Indian veteran was also recognized in the India Book of Records for his East -West solo through the Indian mainland.
International Rides
Lt. Col Roy has had many international rides as well. He has explored roads in Malaysia and Thailand on his motorcycle. It was in 2025 that he conquered Thailand's Mae Hong Son Loop.