Aliza Ahmed Mina Conqueror of the Land Port

Aliza Ahmed Mina has set the record as the first female cyclist from Bangladesh who cycled alone for almost 1100 km. She dreams to conquer the mountains by cycling, and has come one step closer to fulfilling it by cycling from Teknaf to Tetulia within nine days only. On September 27, 2017, Mina hopped on a bus to Teknaf. Having reached the destination, she did not look back until October 6. With her cycle, she crossed cities, villages, and bazaars to reach Tetulia.

Upon asking her about the experience, Mina exclaims with joy and replies, "This journey was a totally different experience for me. Even though the weather was not in my favour, I was still very excited." Her fight with the rain started from the very first day of her journey, or to be precise, as soon as she took off from Teknaf. Ignoring the rain and darkness, from Teknaf Zero Point to Marine Drive, Mina got drenched but still decided to paddle. At 10:30 PM, she reached Kolatoli Beach, Cox's Bazar, by defeating the unruly weather.

Throughout the journey, Mina had to take shelter during the nights at different places. People from different cycling groups around Bangladesh have helped her to meet her goal. Before starting from Teknaf, she had shared about her expedition with other cyclists through her Facebook page "Ramble Riders". A group named Himu Paribahan helped Mina arrange the accommodations at different locations. On October 5, they also arranged for a reception upon Mina's arrival to Bikon Nattokendro, Rangpur. In Chittagong, cycling groups like the CTG South Riders, Dichokrojan and FNF have helped her with directions and guidelines. Mina mentions to Star Youth, "I want to thank all the cycling groups from the bottom of my heart. Without their help and support, I would not have been able to complete the challenge."

Even though the weather was not in her favour, surprisingly, Mina never felt the need to return home. Crossing from one place to another, the one striking realisation that hit Mina was, there is a lack of greeneries in the towns and cities of our country. An important lesson that has come out of her voyage is, we need to plant more trees: for both natural beauty as well as for life to sustain.