Cycling India

Last day here in India in the beach town of  Goa. Goa is a state in western India with coastlines stretching along the Arabian Sea. Its long history as a Portuguese colony prior to 1961 is evident in its preserved 17th-century churches and the area’s tropical spice plantations. Goa is also known for its beaches, ranging from popular stretches at Baga and Palolem to those in laid-back fishing villages such as Agonda. Goa is visited by large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year because of its white-sand beaches, active nightlife, places of worship, and  World Heritage-listed architecture . It also has rich flora and fauna because it lies very close to the  North Western Ghats rainforests , one of the rare  biodiversity hotspots  of the world. Last day to take in a swim in the hotel pool without worrying about the next days ride. Last day to hit the beach and swim in crazy warm waters of The Arabian Sea. Travel an hour to the airport from our la...

My first impression of India over the past 39 days, it’s polluted, it’s dirty, dusty, uncomfortable, there is poverty and plastic trash everywhere we go, the air pollution never stops, the food is, well challenging at times…. STOP 🛑  As they say, India is a country of contrasts. Everywhere we go, people are extremely interested, curious to know about us. Waving to us as we ride by, wanting selfies at every turn, smiling, beautiful faces. Hard working people in the fields on the roads, helpful and gracious in the stalls on the roadside, at the hotels. Wedding parties along the way, celebrations, parades, music, dancing. In the larger cities as I have written about previously, there are flowers in floating water at the hotel entrance and around the grounds, street art full of color, red and yellow tuk tuks flooding the streets. I’m captivated by the women’s textiles, the color is here for me. Everywhere I go, I’m gazing at the Saree’s and other traditional clothi...

Last day of the tour!!! Omg this was definitely challenging for me. I rode 23 of the 30 riding days. A few days were missed due to food poisoning, a few days missed because not feeling great and a few days skipped because it was just too much for me, the climbing combined with the temps in the mid 90’s was too much for me. I caught a cold a few days ago, it’s a mild one but still affected my energy levels today. I felt like i could barely push the pedals you can see how slow I rode today on my Strava. My ride today 12:06 miles and 728 feet of climbing. See my ride route on Strava: https://strava.app.link/2hYnn9CczRb I just rode the last section of the ride and I struggled to get to our end hotel. These high temperatures are just killer to ride in. Today we saw a salt mine with people working in it. This type is salt production is referred to solar evaporation salt mining. Solar evaporation salt mining  involves using shallow ponds to capture seawater or brine, allowing the sun and ...

Next to last day of riding. We’re going down the Konkan Coast to our final destination tomorrow of Goa. Tonight they are giving out the tour jerseys. Tomorrow is our last riding day. I’m ready for that! 😝 Beautiful day today with a short ride we weren’t out in the searing heat overly long. Mango and cashew orchards along the route. Today’s ride was 30.32 miles with 1,663 feet of climbing. See my ride route on Strava

A long difficult ride with lots of rolling hills today. The high temperatures make these days even more challenging. This coastal road is similar to riding down the Oregon coastal highway. There are expansive views of the ocean off and on. 18 riders total still. This morning 4 riders are not riding, myself included. 1 rider was picked up before lunch. 7 riders stopped at lunch. 6 riders finished the ride today. There are acres and acres of mango orchards and cashew orchards along the route today. Devgad the area we are riding to is a small village in the state of Maharashtra and produces the world’s best Alphonso mango.  The Alphonso mango is a named mango cultivar that originates from India. As of now, it is one of the world's mostly prized mangoes, known for its exquisite saffron-colored flesh and can be eaten raw or used extensively in dishes and desserts. The variety is named after  Afonso de Albuquerque , a distinguished  militarian  and  viceroy  of...

Truly a rest day at the beach side resort of Blue Ocean The Fern Resort & Spa . Spent most of the morning and afternoon at the beach. The ocean is as warm as bath water, seriously, it’s so warm it barely cools you off. The outside temps are still in the mid 90’s with about 65% humidity.  We’re in our last 3 days of riding to get to Goa. Tomorrow is another big distance, climbing elevation ride. I’m not riding. I do feel like I’m coming down with a cold now with a stuffy nose and scratchy throat, but maybe it’s just a minor thing? My goal is still to ride the last 2 days of the trip, will play it by ear and see if my cold progresses or not. John coming in from the ocean Sitting in the beach cabana after swimming in the ocean                                                      ...