Amartya G.
Since 2019
Manipal, Karnataka, India / @redridinghood_layla
My first Fuji was…
an Absolute 1.3, an absolute beauty!
I used to cycle in school with my friends, and I remember one of my friends got the Absolute 1.4. I
remember everything about the bike, it looked so good, and was so, so, so fast! From that day on I set
my eyes on getting an Absolute for myself, and last y
ear I finally did! What stands out to me is actually 4
years of patient waiting and saving through college to finally get my own Fuji Absolute
What kind of impact did cycling have on your life?
I've been cycling for about 8 years now. I love the sport! I took a liking to touring and adventure cycling
at the start of my college in 2015. I studied in the coastal town of Manipal with the hills on one side and
the beaches on the other. It's paradise given the amazing scenery places to visit. The majority of my
college life, I rode around on an old MTB. I loved that bike, but it severely limited my abilities to explore.
Then I finally got my Fuji Absolute 1.3. I call her Layla. I name all my bikes to be honest, and I call my Fuji
Layla after the Eric Clapton song -Layla. Kind of lame, I know, but it's my bike and you can't make
anything truly yours unless you get a little weird with it! So, Layla changed everything for me almost
immediately. The next thing I knew I was flying through the Western Ghats. I joined an outdoor cycling
adventure program through which Layla and I cycled through some breathtakingly beautiful places. It's
barely been 8 months and I've done more than 2500km with her. I think it's safe to say that getting Layla
has helped me challenge myself further in terms of cycling and adventure. I have my eyes set on a tour
of the Himalayas sometime soon, but I'm just excited to see where she takes me next.
