Universal Cycle

14/12/11
Delhi to Meerut (49 miles)
A good rest in Delhi with eggs, beans and chips for breakfast every morning.
Set off late morning from New Delhi and headed for Old Delhi and the NH58. The traffic in Old Delhi was something else, every kind of vehicle you could imagine, cars, bikes. Bullock carks, hand carts the lot, all loaded and jockeying for position in very narrow bumpy streets, it took an hour to get on to the highway. Got to Meerut late afternoon after a fairly uneventful day stayed in some business hotel with the most expensive restaurant I’ve seen in India, went out and eat samosas and some sweet stuff.

15/12/11
Meerut to Muzaffarnagar (47 miles)
Again an uneventful day on the highway a lot of sugarcane being harvested and a lot of bullock carts hauling it. Got to Muzaffarnagar late in the afternoon and had a right old time trying to find a hotel, Pete got his arm caught in a cycle rickshaw and was fuming. Found a hotel, it was starting to get very cold.

16/12/12
Muzaffarnagar to Roorkee (32 miles)
Cold snap, like November in England, cold and foggy. Soldiered on to Roorkee a pleasant town, but well cold. Dried out my cycling kit by sleeping in it under a big blanket. There was talk of going to Thailand for some sun.

18/12/11
Roorkee to Lakshmanjhula (40 miles)
Cold start, but warmed up and soon into some sun and scenery at last. Into the foothills of the Himalayas and starting to follow the river Ganges. Weather improved, sunny warm days in the sun and chilly at night, great riding weather.

26/12/11
Lakshmanjhula to Deviprayag (42 miles)
The first ride into the Himalayas, great road but under estimated the distance, got into Deviprayag at night, very cold.

28/12/11
Deviprayag to Srinagar (23miles)
Great views, some rough patches of road but generally decent surfaces. Mileage down due to the climbing and distance to the next town.

30/12/11
Srinigar to Rudraprayag (22miles)
Starting off later now at about 10am too cold to start before then and the distances between towns mean a much more leisurely pace. No internet connection since Laksmanjhula.

1/1/12
Rudraprayag to Karanprayag (21 miles)
First day of the year, cloudy and chilly start, warmed up by midday easy ride, road surface good but quite a bit of resurfacing. Constantly locking and unlocking the suspension for the bumps and climbs.
The weather still a little cloudy which means it’s quite a bit colder.

2/2/12
Karanprayag to Thrali (28 miles)
A minor road so less traffic and quite a bit of rough, really nice scenery riding through mountain forests. Slowly gaining altitude tomorrow will climb too 1890 meters, I reckon it’s gonna be a bit nippy.

 

 
3/1/12
Trali to Gwaldam (17 miles)
Well nippy, but sunny, had breakfast in Thrali the usual vegtables and chapattis. A great road up to Gwalam some really spectacular scenery, really getting the feeling we are entering the wild. The distance was short but it still took most of the day. Arrived in Gwaldam at about three in the afternoon, very cold by five pm, bit of a frost tomorrow I should think.
4/1/12
Gwaldam to Kausami (26 miles)
Very cold start, 20km downhill to start the day, then a climb back up to 1890, sunny but a well cold night, wearing hat and gloves to bed now.

6/1/12
Kausami to Almora (36 miles)
As always a cold start but another big downhill to start the day, did the whole ride without any tea. Climbed back up to 1650 to end the day feeling much fitter but cold most of the time. I made some big toe warmers today out of some old gloves seem to be working fine.

‘Gonna have to stop soon’

20/11/11
Pushkar to Beawar 48 miles
An early hill climb with a great sunrise view of Ajmer started the day; we then followed the sun and Pete’s gut feeling in a southerly direction towards our goal, the NH8 and Udaipur. After about 3 or 4 miles, we turned back, used the more conventional method of signposts, and soon found the NH8.
A few miles out of town the road abruptly stopped where a new overpass was being built, we skirted this using a dirt trail for a while then rejoined the NH8. The road surface was good and traffic fairly light, made good time and arrived in Beawar in the early afternoon.
21/11/11
Beawar to Bhim 40 miles
Another early start after a good nights rest, then straight back onto the NH8. A great road surface and a tail wind made for an easy day; the terrain became more interesting with a lot of dry rocky hills. We made it to Bhim by early afternoon and easily found a guesthouse; the only problem was the door locks. I had to change rooms after no one could lock my door, it seems a bit strange to have a guesthouse and not be able to lock the door, but you kind of get used to these things.
22/11/11
Bhim to Nathdwara 74 miles
Of course another early start after black coffee and biscuits. I bought a heating element in Delhi, you just put it into your glass of water plug it in, flick the switch and hope it doesn’t go bang.
Anyway, again a good surface and tail wind helped us along and the road became more hilly and the scenery more dramatic. We stopped in a chai shop opposite a small reservoir and drank tea; it was a very peaceful place apart from the occasional car or truck. We came down out of the hills about mid afternoon and were soon swallowed by dust, noise and traffic, we had entered a marble cutting industrial zone and it was grim, this went on for about 20 to 30 km. eventually we stopped at Nathdwara and found a hotel for the night. The bathroom had flickering light, which gave a kind strobe effect whilst having a shower.
23/11/11
Nathdwara to Udaipur 36 miles
Early start, home run. A bit of a climb first thing then back out into semi- desert, very relieved we had left the industrial zone. Hilly but a fairly relaxed ride with a great downhill into Udaipur. We arrived early afternoon looking forward to a well-deserved break. The hotel had a rooftop restaurant with a great view over the lake and the lake palace, which was used in the James Bond movie Octopussy.
Went up in the evening for a cold beer and a meal and watched the end of Octopussy, some places there play it every night

28/11/11

Udaipur to Pindwara 73 miles

Well rested we set off in search of the NH76, which we found without too much bother and headed towards Jodhpur. The road surface was good and the traffic light, you could say we were bordering on high spirits . Anyway, the morning was mostly long straights with gentle climbing and the traffic remained very light. By about midday we were well into the hills and the scenery was by far the best yet, really quite dramatic arid jagged mountains and very quiet. There wasn’t much in the way of shops or towns it was really quite strange, the road is a new dual carriageway, which nobody really uses. A group of kids sat in the fast lane looking like they were playing cards, goats roaming around and people wobbling all over the road on their bikes just seemed out of place on what should have been a fast busy road.

By late afternoon, we were low on water and needed to find somewhere to stay. Pindwara was closest, so we left the deserted highway and headed off down a country lane. On arriving, we seemed to hit buffalo rush hour and were swallowed up by a herd of maybe seventy or so, they are quite easy to weave through but sometimes they clump together and you get held up.
We found what appeared to be the only guest house in the town, one look and you knew it was a hammock job but what can you do. Pete blocked his toilet and it was a bit of a rough night.

29/11/11
Pindwara to Sirohi 15 miles
Up, not so bright and not so early, suffering decided to head to Sirohi not far and rumoured to have hot water. Joined the NH14, rougher surface and more traffic but only a short ride, arrived late morning and found a nice guesthouse with hot water, balcony out back with nice quiet view of mountains also a beer shop opposite. Stayed for two nights and drank cold bottles of fosters on the balcony.

1/12/11
Sirohi to Pali 77 miles
The NH 14’s surface seems to have been layed down by throwing down shovels full of tarmac then given a light tamp down with the back to get the desired finish. (I’ve asked around and there is apparently a thriving gypsy community in that part of Rajhastan.) The traffic was the busiest yet and we were both forced of the road too many times to remember by trucks coming from behind and in front. All in all a very tough, hot, unpleasant day.

2/12/11
Pali to Jodhpur 50 miles
An easy escape from Pali, found the smooth surfaced NH65 and a straightforward ride into Jodhpur. The first night I had a bed bug issue so changed guesthouses after an early morning go at the manager. Stayed there for a week, and then caught a train back to Delhi. It was finally over.

I’m not 100%

19/11/11

Shahpura to Pushkhar (142 miles)

We left the Midway hotel at Shahpura at first light after a two day break and continued south on NH8 heading for Pushkhar. By this point, it was turning into a bit of a slog, a very hot dusty motorway with a nice heat haze to gaze at.
During our stay at the Midway both of our dongles, stopped working and we were left inernetless (no google maps) which didn’t help matters whatsoever.
The next few days are a bit of a blur, it seemed like endless motorway, dust and noise.
Pete got a puncture on the way out of Jaipur, which some kid kindly pointed out to him; I changed the tubes, whilst Pete did crowd control. It was hot and dusty.
We arrived at Pushkhar on 13th in the middle of the afternoon; found a nice place to stay called the Everest Hotel. First night I woke to the biting of bed bugs, which I think hitch hiked in my panniers from the trucker’s hotel we stayed in just outside of Ajmer. I’ve been sleeping in my hammock since then and investigate every itch carefully.
Tomorrow we will head for Udaipur, (277km) all going well it should only be a three-day ride, but you never know.

Hey you

6/11/11

Rawari to Naraul (45miles)

All I can say is that it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Had a right rough night in Rawari, had to go out and give the security guards a good old telling off at about 2.30 am, due to the fact that they had moved their TV right outside of my window and were watching Bollywood musicals at full blast. I cannot remember exactly what I said but I can’t remember the last time I shouted at such a volume, it was turned down but it was difficult to get back to sleep in such a rage. In addition, a cold, which had been coming on from the day before, hit me and I was feeling well rough which did not help at all.
Woke up the next morning at about 5.30am. Still felling well ragged, packed up and headed for Naraul sneezing and coughing.
The road is of course very dusty but sealed and not in bad overall condition, there are a few rough spots here and there and the last mile into town is sandy off road due to roadworks.
The most distracting part of the ride is the attention from the Indian blokes; they will up draw along side you on their motorbikes, usually three up and start asking questions. Seeing they have probably never seen westerners on mountain bikes before is understandable but after a few hours of constant questioning, it does get very tiresome. So, after about four hours after leaving Rawari, we arrive in town, it is very dusty and chaotic as usual and we are both hot, tired and dusty. Finding somewhere to stay was a bit of a challenge but we eventually found a hotel and have decided to take a day off, this is mainly due to the fact that my cold has taken a turn for the worse and I need to rest up.
Tomorrow we will be heading back towards the NH8 and from there on to Jaipur the pink city, capital of Rajasthan.
Also, on the way we saw a couple of flocks of parrots, bright green with orange beaks which was quite unusual and a lot of camels pulling carts didn’t get any photo’s though.

Dust to Dust

5/11/11
Aero City to Rawari (49.50 miles)

An early start at about 6.30am had us back on the NH8 in a few minutes, past the breakdown spot and on into an early morning dust haze. The road surface was good and we made good progress through the dust haze and kamikaze like traffic. A lot of people drive on the wrong side of the road, no one seems particularly bothered but it does take a bit of getting used to, you have to keep a good eye out for rickshaws, bikes, cars and anything else on wheels which is heading straight for you.
We stopped off in a truck stop about 20 miles out for a chai, a small crowd of truckers and their mates soon gathered to check us out and the bikes. They were extremely interested in our bikes one guy thought my water bottle was a battery, I guess they had never seen mountain bikes before.
We continued on the highway for about another 15 miles, before turning off on to a B road to Rawari, the b road surface was not as good as the highway but we made good time and arrived in town just before midday. The usual ride around followed, with us ending up staying in a cheap hotel with scary bathrooms; you just know something could be lurking in one of those dark corners. The good thing though is the rooms are on the ground floor and we can get the bikes into the rooms. I think I will probably set my hammock with mossy net just in case. Tomorrow we continue south to a town called Narnaul.

Breakdown

2/11/11

Delhi to Aero City (12 miles)

Left Delhi at about 5.30 am, still dark but traffic light. Slightly confusing getting out as the map we had was a freebie from a bookshop and not very accurate at all. In fact, we pretty much had no idea of where we were going at one point but after asking someone at a bus stop we managed to get on the right road and headed for highway NH8, to Gurgaon, a new purpose built city south of the airport.
Everything seemed to be going well until we hit Aero City; the traffic was building up and getting fairly mental for lack of a better word.
After a particularly busy junction I lost Pete and waited for about ten minutes, when he didn’t turn up I went back to look for him feeling that something wasn’t quite right. I spotted a small crowd with Pete being the centre of attention. However, it was not good, the rear mech was hanging off and I could see straight away that there was quite a bit of damage. On closer inspection, I could see the rear mech hanger was broken, the chain mangled and the rear mech way beyond repair. Devastated, we pushed the bike to an area we had just passed which had a number of hotels. We checked in and assessed the damage, it did not look good.
Luckily, we both have mobile internet connections and found the addresses of a couple of bike shops back in the centre of Delhi.
The following day we got the metro into Delhi, and to cut a long story short we found the spare parts needed to repair the bike. On the evening of the 4th Nov we have finished repairing the bike and are heading on out early tomorrow, heading to a town called Rawari, about 100 km south.

Out of the water and into the dust

DELHI 30/10/2011

I managed to get my bike and myself out of the Bangkok floods, and arrived in Delhi with a quite a nasty hangover on 26th Oct.
Taking the bike box down the Paraganj, a chaotic street was a bit of a hassle, had to abandon the taxi halfway and switch to a cycle rickshaw. The box was a bit wide and we clipped a few things on the way, luckily, there was no damage done to bike, car, cow or pedestrian.
I checked into a budget hotel called ‘Sky View ‘ which is situated down a very narrow alley with absolutely no view of the sky, the room is very cave like with no view of the sky whatsoever. I wonder if there was some sense of jest when they named it.
Went of out for something to eat and bumped into Pete, my cycle buddy, he had just flown in from London the same day and was also looking a bit worse for wear.
Unknown to us both it was the Indian festival of Diwali, cheap fireworks, mostly just very loud bang types were going off all over the place, which at times really made you jump. In the evening, it intensified and fully-grown men could be seen doing funny dances around these kinds of catherine wheels, which they put on the ground. There must have been a few casualties as the concept of health and safety does not exist here.
Yesterday, we went down to New Delhi railway station and got two tickets to Rajasthan, we were in and out in only a matter of hours. The queuing system is a room with three rows of seats, which on arrival you sit on the end, gradually the queue moves and you change seats with the person who was sat in front of you. Quite bizarre, but much better than standing.
Will be arriving in Ajmer, Rajasthan on the 2nd Nov, from there on it should be on two wheels.