233 Kilometers, 15 Hours, and One Massive Bridge: Our Ride to Dhola-Sadiya

There’s a specific kind of silence you only hear at 5:30 AM on a Sunday in Dibrugarh. It’s that quiet, chilly air that makes you wonder why you didn’t just stay in bed. But on December 14, 2025, the Shift Bicycle Store crew had something bigger on the horizon: a ride to India’s longest bridge over water—the Bhupen Hazarika Setu.

This wasn’t just a “morning ride.” It was a double century—233.8 kilometers of grit, tea gardens, and a whole lot of rice thalis. Whether you’re a local rider or looking for the best cycling routes in Assam, this journey is a ultimate test of endurance.

The Crew and the Early Miles: Dibrugarh to Dinjan

It started with three of us: Paul, Jwngsar, and Anupam. We rolled out of Dibrugarh just as the first light started to hit the tea gardens. By the time we reached the 38km mark at Dinjan, we were ready for our first “victory” of the day: hot roti and sabji.

This is also where we picked up our fourth rider, Manash, who cycled in from Tinsukia to join the pack. With the team complete, we headed toward the Tinsukia bypass, pushing further into the heart of Upper Assam.

Navigating Tinsukia: Dust, Construction, and MTB Leadership

If you’ve ridden around Tinsukia lately, you know the deal. Between the flyover construction and the dusty bypass, the “smooth ride” we hoped for turned into a bit of a crawl.

This was where bicycle choice really mattered. While Paul, Jwngsar, and Anupam navigated the bad patches carefully on road bikes, Manash took the lead on his MTB, showing us the best line through the dust. We skipped the old Doomdooma route and took the new bypass toward Kakopather. Once the roads smoothed out, we could finally put our heads down and focus on the destination.

The 100km Wall: Reaching the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge (Bhupen Hazarika Setu)

By 1:00 PM, Paul and Manash reached the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge. But the real story was happening about 5 kilometers behind us.

Anupam and Jwngsar are seasoned 100km riders, but pushing into 200km territory is a different beast entirely. When you haven’t ridden that long in a while, your body starts to ask questions. They made the smart call to stop at the famous Khem Dhaba, just 5km shy of the bridge, to catch their breath and regroup.

After a few photos at the bridge—an engineering marvel connecting Assam and Arunachal Pradesh—Paul and Manash doubled back to meet them. We didn’t talk much over lunch; we were too busy inhaling rice thalis. We needed every single carb for the return journey to Dibrugarh.

The Return Journey: Into the Dark (and the Cold)

The return leg was a lesson in cycling preparation. We decided to keep our lights off during the day, which turned out to be the most important decision we made. By 4:00 PM, the sun was gone, the temperature crashed, and we still had five hours of riding left in total darkness.

We kept it steady at 21-22 kmph, stopping every 20km to manage fatigue.

The final hurdles:

Tinsukia (6:20 PM): We said goodbye to Manash and stopped for fried rice and tea. That caffeine kick was the only thing keeping us going.
Nadua: Jwngsar’s front light gave up the ghost. We rode as a tight pack to light his way until we hit Nadua, where he managed to jump-start it with a power bank.

Why We Do It: The Spirit of Long-Distance Cycling in Assam

Those last 23 kilometers were something special. It was freezing, our legs were cooked, and we had spent nearly 12 hours in the saddle (15 hours including breaks). But as we rolled back into Dibrugarh, none of that mattered.

Anupam and Jwngsar officially joined the Double Century club. Paul and Manash got to see the Lohit River from 9km of concrete. And all of us realized that your bike—and your body—is capable of way more than you think.

Want to join the next adventure? Whether you’re looking for a road bike, a mountain bike, or high-performance cycling lights that won’t die on you in the dark, Shift Bicycle Store has you covered. Visit us in Dibrugarh to gear up for your next big ride.

– The Team at Shift Bicycle Store, Dibrugarh