Rajasthan, India

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Keegs

Keegs
Location
Herts
Just signed up for a 400km ride across Rajasthan in India for November this year with Unite and Bike against Cancer. Averages about 65km per day but it will be on hired mountain bikes as the terrain will be changeable, hopefully the cycling will be fairly challenging. Been thinking about doing something charitable since my bro was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer this Christmas and this seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Never been to India before, Anyone here ridden in India? any tips for a fairly novice cyclist either on or off the bike are appreciated?
 

deptfordmarmoset

Full time tea drinker
Location
Armonmy Way
My brother's just 'done' India, north to south. He did have a blog dedicated to it but I can't remember what it was called. Meanwhile, it looks like he's put most of it on here - dmorg.org (loads of pictures). I'm sure that he'd be more than happy to give you help, tips and advice. PM me if you want me to contact him. (Though there's very probably a contact email somewhere on the blog.)
 

Kies

Guest
Be very very careful on indian roads .... Look for vehicles and animals crossing your path from any and EVERY direction.
The law of India is the horn, and your road presence ...

Cyclists gives way to mopeds and motorbikes
Motorbikes give way to small cars
Small cars give way to big cars and 4 x 4's
Cars give way to trucks and trucks
They all watch out for tractors with 10 tons of hay in a trailer
Everybody stops or swerves for a cow
Nobody stops or swerves if your a human



ENJOY!!!!
 
OP
OP
Keegs

Keegs

Keegs
Location
Herts
My brother's just 'done' India, north to south. He did have a blog dedicated to it but I can't remember what it was called. Meanwhile, it looks like he's put most of it on here - dmorg.org (loads of pictures). I'm sure that he'd be more than happy to give you help, tips and advice. PM me if you want me to contact him. (Though there's very probably a contact email somewhere on the blog.)

Cheers DM I will check that site out and any questions i think of i'll get in touch!
 

CRVFR

Active Member
Hi, I did a Rajasthan tour on a motorbike a few years ago, also in November. I hope you can cope with extremely high temperatures, high 30's. On a motorbike the roads were not that interesting, quite flat with not many hills, but the towns & cities are spectacular. Watch out for people, dogs, cows, camels & especially Tata trucks!
 

Hill Wimp

Fair weathered,fair minded but easily persuaded.
Namaste - learn and repeat :smile:

I have done a lot of cycling in India and cycled through Rajasthan Dec12/Jan13. Brilliant.

It is a fantastic place, massive contrasts throughout however roads can be pretty poor quality for cycling, watch out for the children in the villages, some will try to poke sticks through your spokes as you ride past. It happened many times in the group i was in.

Also look out for the many many dogs that will appear from nowhere.
If you have a particularly comfortable saddle take it with you, it will be worth it.
Make sure you take a buff, you will need it for the dust and good eye wear protection.
Also take loads of hand sanitiser and use it all the time. I swear that is what has prevented any nasty stomach complaints on many of my trips to India.

I personally loved cycling through the cities particularly Udiapur , it's manic and you will need your wits about you but it's brilliant. I nearly got taken out by a donkey hurtling across the road on Christmas day.

You will see some fantastic sights, Forts and Palaces and i am pretty sure the amazing Camel fair takes place in November in Pushkar.

You will love it.
 
OP
OP
Keegs

Keegs

Keegs
Location
Herts
Thanks everyone, it sounds like it will be a really interesting trip. Thanks also for the tip about the hand sanitiser, that will come in handy. Really looking forward to this, even more so now i've had some feedback.

Namaste....
 

rb58

Enigma
Location
Bexley, Kent
I toured Rajasthan a couple of years ago, but not by bike. It's a full on assault on the senses, but an amazing place. I would love to go back, especially Uadaipur, which was enchanting. Enjoy!
 

Will1962

Well-Known Member
Location
Edinburgh
I went to Rajasthan with Exodus in 2007. We didn't get the stick in the spokes treatment, but we got plenty of stones thrown at us. We also had several close encounters with feral dogs. On one day we even had a police escort as there had been problems with the locals on previous trips. The best thing to do is to keep with a group of other riders - it is the people who are riding on their own that get picked on. Women especially should not ride on their own unless they are particularly keen on being harassed by a motor bike rider and his pillion passenger.

It should go without saying that you should only drink bottled water - check the seal on the bottle as you will sometimes find that the bottle has been refilled with tap water.

I liked Udaipur the most - It was probably the cleanest place I visited in India.

Hill Wimp is right about cycling in the cities, it is a real buzz (especially when it is dark and almost nobody has lights).

Will
 

Skuhravy

Veteran
Location
Darlo
Rajasthan's brilliant. It's much less populous than the plains, and I found the cycling really easy (I was in India for about six months a couple of years ago).

Roads can be a bit hairy, especially at night (I tried not to ride at night, but events get in the way). I did get knocked off my bike by a motorbike - the rider and his two mates (every motorbike in India has at least three people on it) were riding too close behind me and too busy grinning at me to pay attention, so when I braked for a pothole, they clipped my pannier and chucked me off into the dust. That was on the road from Chittorgarh to Bundi. No damage to me but I had to clip my pannier back on with cable ties.

On the roads, just go with the chaos. If you go to Jaipur that gives you a good sense of what it's like. It's much quieter as you get out into the desert.

Probably worth taking some chlorine tablets in case you have to fill up with water from a pump or something. Bottled water is fine, and widely available - and you'll need plenty of it if you're going into the desert, even in the winter.

Food wise, there are loads of street vendors and roadside dhabas. It's easy, and good, and cheap. There's a huge mark-up in tourist areas, so follow the locals if you're concerned about budget. I never became ill from the food (only the water), so I wouldn't have too many concerns about that. Don't eat things like salads and apples unless you rinse them using filtered water. Bananas are widely available as on-the-go food.

The hardest thing to deal with (probably less of an issue if you're only there for a week) is the constant attention. Most of it's friendly, but it's wearing after a while. The noise can be overwhelming as well. Consider taking an Airzound with you so you can compete on equal terms. The poverty is striking as well, and there's a harsh contrast between rich and poor (go to Connaught Place in Delhi and look at the glittering Apple store, compared to the skinny rickshaw drivers kipping under their machines). Everyone will treat you as a rich foreigner, which is fair enough, as you are, by comparison. Beware of scams, but they're mostly pretty obvious (always agree a price in advance, for example).

And India's just different. Body language is very different, and be prepared for complete misunderstandings even when you're all speaking in English. Hotels are hilarious, they're all like variations on Fawlty Towers. Me and a mate were the only guests in a hotel where the staff were charming and looked after us really well, and we had a cracking meal, but they seated us under the renovation works, and carried on drilling and hammering while we were eating.

Just go with the flow. Here're my Rajasthan photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30024450@N04/sets/72157629256768395/
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
I've cycle commuted for a couple of weeks in Jaipur and Jodhpur (and Kolkatta, and once, and once only, never again, in Mumbai)

Enjoy.


and good luck
 
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