BACK IN THE SADDLE

JOE & SANJAY UPDATE. Joe James returned to the states on Friday evening, February 16. We also now know that Sanjay Sumadre arrived safely in Yavatmal, India, after delivering Bob and John to the Delhi international airport on February 10.


TRANSITIONING. All of us are back in the saddle...a saddle of a different sort. Instead of a bicycle saddle, we're back in the saddle of our various vocations and callings. We're dealing with lingering time adjustments. We're transitioning to a much colder climate and the reality of snow. We're savoring the experience of six weeks and 2,000 miles on a bicycle in India. Hard to believe it's behind us. Now we look forward to completing our mission: making every effort to see the full $600,000 raised to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital.


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MAKING IT HOME

BOB & JOHN HOME SAFELY. We're happy to report that the team members scheduled to return to the USA on Saturday--Bob Yardy and John Hay, Jr.--made it home safely. Flying out of Delhi on Saturday morning, they arrived with theirs and Joe James' boxed bikes at Chicago O'Hare early in the evening. Unfortunately, their bags were in one of the 747's cargo bays with a jammed door that took several hours to open. John's baggage was later flown on to Indianapolis and Bob's was shipped to Champaign, Illinois.

JOE STILL IN INDIA. Joe flew from Delhi to Hyderabad early Saturday morning for a week of administrative meetings there. It won't be a week of biking, that's for sure. He is scheduled to conclude his extended journey in India on Saturday. We have not yet received word from our guide Sanjay Sumadre as to whether or not he arrived back in Yavatmal.

CONTRASTS STRIKE US. What a contrast in weather and culture Bob and John are experiencing. From 85 degrees (Fahrenheit) and sunshine to frigid temperatures and snow on the ground... with more expected across Illinois and Indiana early this week. From a land were simple living is the rule to a place where heightend pace and pressure assert their impact on individuals, families, institutions, and communities. Still, it is home and we're glad to be here.

GRATEFUL. We're inestimably grateful for what we have been privileged to experience over the past six weeks. Grateful, also, for all who have encouraged us, prayed for us, supported the project, and worked faithfully behind the scenes. As we debrief and assess the project, we will be sharing our thoughts and offering specific "thanks" in coming days and weeks. Stay tuned!
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END OF THE ROAD

We celebrated at the India Gate in the heart of old Delhi on Friday afternoon. We started back on December 30, 2006 in Nagercoil, rode south to the southern tip of India, and then made our way north to Delhi. We're finished with our riding, but the project ot rebuild Umri Christian Hospital continues. We hope you will be a part of it's future. Thanks for your interest & involvement. Check back often for updates. Learn more @ www.bikeindia.org.

WE MADE IT...3,200 KILOMETERS / 2,000 MILES

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FOG. We rode north out of Kosi in a serious fog. Objects were not visible until about 30 feet in front of you. It was eerie and dangerous. We thought the fog would lift soon, but it persisted most of the way to Delhi. The moisture soaked our clothing and the spray covered our bikes. But it’s not likely anything could have dimmed our spirits or deterred us from making this last day of our cycling journey a bright one.

INTO DELHI. The sun burned the fog away by the time we reached the outskirts of Delhi, the capital city of India. We stopped at our hotel just long enough for Sanjay to drop the trailer and register. The three of us plowed our bikes through thick traffic, our experience of pedaling thru Bangalore, Hyderabad and Nagpur serving us well. We were tired from the day’s 75-mile / 120-kilometer ride, but we were psyched as we rode into Delhi. We’d studied the map of the city enough to know where we wanted to go. This is just about the only time on the trip that Sanjay didn’t need to guide us.

CELEBRATING AT INDIA GATE. We headed straight for the India Gate in old Delhi as our “finish line.” The India Gate is a massive arch, memorializing all India’s war dead. It stands at one end of a grand boulevard on the scale of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. At the opposite end of Rajpath Marg are the Presidential buildings and India’s Parliament (we also visited these sites). Once we reached the India Gate, we lifted our bikes over our heads and celebrated the completion of the cycling portion of our journey. We’d ridden over 2,000 miles / 3,200 kilometers since starting in Nagercoil on December 30. We have much for which to be grateful.

YET TO BE COMPLETED. The cycling portion of “Bicycle India 2007” is complete. The investment portion of the project continues. Until $600,000 is raised for rebuilding Umri Christian Hospital, we will continue to pray for UCH’s revitalization, share about the mission, encourage contributions, enlist more people in involvement, and spread the story. We’re grateful for every donation that has thus far been shared. God bless you. We’re trusting that individuals, families, congregations, service organizations, and charitable contributing entities will see the value of UCH and share in its future.

THANK YOU. We will continue to post to this blog and update all who have been supporting, praying, investing, and serving. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement all along the way. What a difference you have made. God bless you! Namaste!
Thanks for your interest & involvement. Check back often for updates. Learn more @ http://www.bikeindia.org/.

INDIAN MAN

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RAIN, FLATS & PROGRESS TO NEW DELHI

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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.

MAUSOLEUMS, MOSQUES & FORTS

Here's a mish-mash of photos from today's activities in Agra and out on the road. It was a day full of visiting mausoleums (the Taj Mahal is one...and everything it's cracked up to be), forts, and adjacent mosques. We'll be back on the road to New Delhi on Wednesday. By the way, the last photo is a neatly (artfully?) stacked pile of dried cow/buffalo chips...ready for use as fuel. Biofuel!

TO AGRA

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GWALIOR TO AGRA. We rode 127 kilometers / 78 miles from Gwalior to Agra today. Except for some exceptionally rough road right at the edge of Agra, the roadway was smooth and four-land most of the day. We have pedaled 2,833 kilometers / 1,756 miles since December 30th. With only two full days of riding--plus shorter tours around Agra and Delhi--our cycling days in India are numbered. We came across our Swiss cycling friend Sebastien just outside Agra and rode into the city of 1.2 million people with him. Photo: Raju from Mumbai rides north at sunrise.

THE BANDIT QUEEN. We passed through the Indian “Badlands” about 60 kilometers / 40 miles south of Agra. This is a miniature of the North American Badlands in South Dakota. This area is famous in India for being the hideout and raiding territory of “the Bandit Queen,” for which a historical novel is written. Abused by a landowner as a girl and having watched her father’s land taken from him, Phoolan Devi became something of an Indian Robin Hood. She and her gang would hide in the craggy Badlands and hold up trucks along National Highway 3. She avoided capture for years, taunting pursuing police. Eventually Phoolan Devi confessed, repented, surrendered and was jailed. After her release, she became a member of Parliament. Her amazing story ends tragically: she was assassinated. Photo: The Indian "Badlands" south of Agra, historic hideout for "The Bandit Queen" and her gang.

AGRA AND THE TAJ MAHAL. We can now say we’ve seen the Taj Mahal. There it is, in the hazy distance, its dome just visible between two hotel buildings across the street from our place of lodging. I suppose that’s like saying you’ve seen the Statue of Liberty from the jet on its landing approach to LaGuardia airport. You’ve seen it but not experienced it. Tomorrow, we hope to get a much closer look at this architectural wonder. John’s desire to ride his bike down the steps of the Taj Mahal doesn’t sound like it’s going to be possible, however. No bikes allowed! Not even shoes!

SUPER BOWL UPDATE. On the way to Agra, we checked in on the Super Bowl via phone a few times. John would stop at a roadside ISD phone, pay the equivalent of 50 cents, and get an update from his son, Jared. So, while we do not know much about the game itself, we do know that the Colts won (YEA!) 29-17 and that Peyton Manning is the MVP. We can't imagine what is happening in Indy this week. Pay dirt at last!

Here are a few more photos from today:

ON TO GWALIOR...NEARER NEW DELHI

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JHANSI KEE RANI. We had a bit of a history lesson before leaving the city of Jhansi this morning. Our hosts told us that Jhansi was the beginning point of India’s freedom movement against Great Britain in 1857. The story goes that a 22-year old woman named Laxmi Bai, the recent widow of the area’s Maharaja (territorial prince), rallied the town to fight the British when they tried to seize control of the area after her husband’s death. Agreements between the Maharajas and the British stated that Indians would maintain control of an area as long as there was an heir. Laxmi Bai was childless, but she and her husband had adopted a son. Upon the Maharaja’s death, the British refused to recognize the child as the next prince and moved to take control. Rallying the town to resist the British and fight for their freedom, the people occupied the local hillside fort. A traitor in their midst opened the gates and the British forces flooded in. Laxmi Bai, with her child on her back and a horse under her, leaped from the high fort wall and escaped to continue the freedom challenge. She is revered as Jhansi kee Rani…the Queen of Jhansi. Photo: Statue of Laxmi Bai in the city where she made her stand against the British...Jhansi

MEETING SEBASTIEN. Our 100-kilometer / 62-mile ride north from Jhansi to Gwalior was smooth, but not uneventful. Riding through a small town, a young man from Lausanne, Switzerland named Sebastien rode up beside John. He rode with us and ate lunch with us. We learned that he had ridden alone from Katmandu, Nepal and was touring India, eventually intending to ride to Kolkata. He left us after lunch, but we came across him not long after—his bike had broken down. We hoisted his bike on the trailer and took him on in to Gwalior. Bob spent the next three hours taking apart and repairing his back wheel hub and gear assembly. The bike is now nearly good as new (great work, Bob!) and Sebastien will be able to continue his trek. Best wishes, friend!

TEAM CHANGE. Gwalior is the location for our last exchange of Indian team members. We are saying farewell to host Ashok Sejaho and riders Yogish and Mashremkar (at 65 years of age, he’s been our oldest rider. Great job!). We welcome for the last stage of our journey a cadre from Mumbai (Bombay): host Shereesh Ahaley and riders Beejay and Raja. We look forward to getting on the road to New Delhi with them first thing Monday morning. Tomorrow, Sunday, is an official rest day. A few of us may take a 60 km training ride / excursion in the afternoon, but not in the direction of Agra or New Delhi. Photo: Joe poses for a photo with some children who were playing cricket in a sand lot near the road. As soon as they saw a camera, the game was over...they came running.

CHILD AND CHICKEN

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FROM LALITPUR TO JHANSI

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COLD START, WARM FINISH. The road leading north from Lalitpur was smooth. We’re thankful for simple gifts at this point…like a relatively smooth road. When we began at 6:45 am the temperature was 52 degrees Fahrenheit; our fingers were numb and we were chilled (we know this sounds like whining to those of you mired in freezing temps, but it’s all relative, right?). But by 9:00 am it was 70; by noon it was over 80 degrees. Yep, an American Midwestern September day. The 96 kilometers / 60 miles went by uneventfully and quickly. We were in Jhansi, our day’s destination, by 12:30 pm. Photo: Yogish warms up his hands by the fire at our early morning roadside tea stop.

MARIA ACKERMAN HOYT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. We are hosted again by a Christian hospital, one of a network of Christian hospitals across India. The Maria Ackerman Hoyt Memorial Hospital has 110 beds, a nursing school, and gifted medical staff. They serve the city and surrounding countryside’s poor. Photo: A young Indian cyclist. Will he ride 2,000 miles across his homeland someday?

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SEVEN THINGS WE THINK ABOUT

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SEVEN THINGS WE NEVER THINK ABOUT IN NORTH AMERICA BUT ASK EACH DAY WHILE CYCLING IN INDIA

1. “Is this water purified? Are you sure?” We drink only sealed bottled water.

2. If water is not coming from a faucet: “Where is the nearest well with a hand pump?” Makes you appreciate running water.

3. Because hot water is not usually readily on tap: “Do you have a hand-held electric water heating rod that I may use?” Makes you appreciate water heaters.

4. Daily reminder to oneself: “Have I taken my malaria prevention pill today?”

5. At an eatery (unless you choose to eat Indian style): “Do you have forks or spoons available?”

6. Because rolling blackouts occur throughout the country: “What hours of the day will electricity not be available?” Imagine planning your business around this. Honda has made a haul selling petrol-powered generators across the nation.

7. John’s daily quest: “Internet? Cyber café?” If you’re reading this, we found one in the town this day.

FROM SAGAR TO LALITPUR. We rode 116 kilometers / 70.5 miles today on more rough roads from Sagar to Lalitpur. Not so many potholes as uneven and patched tarmac. Our new team of Indian riders got an immediate baptism in riding such a distance in a day. Yogish, a young man from Nagpur, experienced only our second tire puncture in over 2,400 km today. John fell on an earthen detour while trying to avoid rocks—his third spill of the journey (no injuries except to his pride). Also, one of our Indian riders fell (again, no injuries).

HARRIET BENSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. We left the state of Madhya Pradesh and entered the state of Uttar Pradesh, inching us nearer to New Delhi. We are privileged to be hosted in the guest house of the Harriet Benson Memorial Hospital here in Lalitpur. This is our second evening to be guests of Christian hospitals (other than Umri Christian Hospital) initiated by missionaries external to India and now led by Indian medical and operations staff. These hospitals have an important medical mission in serving the poorest of the poor with caring and quality medical care. Photo: Children from a migrant family camping near our lodging.

Thanks for your interest & involvement. Check back often for updates. Learn more @ www.bikeindia.org.