A THIRD OF THE WAY

POST #14

TO DHONE. We rode 100 k into Dhone (except John, who missed the turn-off to the town and got to ride a few more kilometers! His excuse: "I can’t read Telegu--who knew?"). Along the way we encountered wonderfully hilly countryside. We had our longest, toughest climb of the trek--a 7 k hill that seemed never to peak. But we got to sail down the other side. Our afternoon arrival in these small Indian towns draws a lot of interest; folks aren’t sure what’s happening, just that they’re seeing five men on very odd-looking bicycles with shiny helmets and pale bright vests riding through their marketplace. What’s that about?

A THIRD OF THE WAY TO DELHI. This was our eleventh day in the saddle. We’re pedaling between five and six hours a day (not including our breaks for food and water). Today we reached the one-third point in our 3,200-kilometer (2,000-mile) journey. We’ve now ridden 1,200 kilometers since starting at Nagercoil on December 30th. We’re averaging between 20 kph (12 mph) and 22 kph (13 mph), which is a bit less than expected but in line with our commitment to ride with relatively untrained local team members. In all, we’re pleased with our progress to this point.

THE ROAD ZOO. Some local folk refer to Indian roads as "the zoo." Seriously, we’ve seen enough variety of animals on, beside or near National Highway 7 to populate a small zoo. Motorized vehicles and bicycles share the road with oxcarts and pony-drawn carriages, with goat and sheep herders, with all kinds of cows and water buffalo. Alongside the roads one frequently sees chickens, pigs, monkeys, and a variety of unfamiliar birds. Strangely, all this seems normal to us by now. Why NOT use this main north-south roadway to move India’s dynamic life along?

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