Wednesday, January 30, 2008

REFLECTIONS OF INDIA - ROUGH ROAD TO SAGAR

January 30, 2007 - from Lakhnadon to Sagar

JOLTED AND JARRED. Our bicycle entourage veered off National Highway 7 and continued to travel a "short cut" to Sagar on this day last year. The road turned out to be the roughest section we would ride in the 2,000-mile journey. We were jolted and jarred. The going was slow. A few times, we almost decided to put the bikes on the trailer. But, we made it. Even for the really bad parts, there were a few segments that were good as well as hilly. Bob Yardy and I had fun sailing down a few of the hills, as this photo taken by Joe James indicates.

DO I KNOW HOW TO RIDE? I had a gnarly mountain bike crash in June 2007 and landed in the hospital with 17 fractures. Joe had this photo enlarged to poster size and framed. He brought it to my hospital room and said he just wanted everyone to know that I really do know how to ride a bike! This photo now hangs in my office for all to see.

RIDING ON. I'm back on my bike and feeling no pain. In fact, the very bike in this photo--an old Cannondale touring bike I bought used a few years ago--is what I'm riding outside through the winter. My newer Cannondale (all of 1991 "new") is on a Cyclops trainer in our basement--for use when it's just too cold outside. Today it is about 10 degrees Fahrenheit in Indianapolis, so I'll be riding inside! I'm way behind in my effort to pedal 1,000-miles (half the distance we rode in India) between December 30 and February 8 of this year, but I'm still pedaling whenever I can. -- John Hay, Jr.

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