RAIN IN AGRA. It began raining in Agra last night around 9:00 pm. A thunderstorm went through in the middle of the night. When daybreak came, light rain, wet pavement, puddles, and mud greeted us. O, what a gloriously muddy mess we and our bikes were in by midmorning. But the rain stopped, the clouds cleared, and by midday the sun had dried the roadway. It’s been our only opportunity to use the raingear we’ve been hauling thru India. We half expected rain in the extreme south, but not this far north. Photo: In the early morning rain and gray skies, Sanjay and Bob wait for some riders to catch up.FLATS and MORE FLATS. It was our day for flat tires. John punctured and repaired quickly. Joe hit a piece of glass that cut his tire, which took a bit more time to repair (the tire will be replaced this evening). Then John’s back tire went down...again. This time we found the culprit: the same tiny shard of glass imbedded in the tire surface. Three flats in a day after only two punctures in over 1,900 miles…interesting. Cross-country cycling requires readiness to quickly repair flat tires and access extra tires and supplies. Thanks to Bob for thinking well and ahead on these things. Photo: Vijay, age 65, talks about road conditions with our Shereesh, our host from Mumbai.
NEXT TO LAST DAY OF RIDING. We pedaled 108 kilometers / 66 miles to a little town on National Highway 2 called Kosi on this our next to last day of cycling in India. The roads have become familiar to us. We’ve become quite adept at the Indian “rules of the road.” We’re
accustomed to the diverse activity on the roadsides. We feel like we are part of it and it is a part of us. There are hardly any more unique visuals that we haven’t already captured on photo or video clips. Still, the thought that we will not be riding these roads—Seals and Crofts’ song “We May Never Pass this Way Again” comes to mind—puts us in a wistful but grateful frame of mind. Photo: Evidence of rainy and muddy conditions on John's bike.Thanks for your interest & involvement. Check back often for updates. Learn more @ www.bikeindia.org.
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