Ride India
PAUL BIGLAND heads to the sub-continent for a gruelling six-day charity cycling challenge
Join the volunteers taking part in a gruelling six-day, 28-mile cycling challenge in India in aid of the Railway Children.
Last year, I volunteered to help the Railway Children charity by documenting their ‘Three Peaks Challenge by Rail’ charity challenge ( RAIL 832). Little did I know what this would lead to in 2018 - or where I’d end up - but Katie Mason, the charity’s Events Manager, had a plan.
When I mentioned that I used to cycle a lot, Katie seized her chance. Before I knew it, I’d agreed to take part in a 450km (280 miles), sixday cycle challenge around Rajasthan in India - and take the photos…
The only problem? I’d not done any serious cycling in 20 years! So, in January, I dug my bike out of retirement and spent the next two months riding around hilly West Yorkshire in sub-zero temperatures, to train.
I wasn’t alone. Twenty-five other people, many of them from the rail industry, were also preparing. On March 2, we all met at Heathrow for the first time before flying out to Delhi.
The hectic schedule left us little time to acclimatise. On our first night in Delhi we met the Indian support crew who would be guiding us on the challenge. Early next morning we travelled by bus to visit two of the Railway Children’s projects in the city.
The first was a hostel capable of catering for up to 26 homeless children. They are offered a safe and supportive environment while the charity tries to either reunite them with their families or find new homes for them. We spent a couple of hours there, playing games or chatting to the children with the help of the local staff, and hearing the stories of how the children came to be there.
Afterwards we visited nearby Ghaziabad Junction railway station, where many of the children had come from. Railway Children staff maintain a 24x7 presence on the station, and work closely with the Railway Protection Force (the Indian BTP) to encourage kids who live on and around the station to accept help.
Many of the kids eke out a living at the station by begging or scavenging, such as collecting plastic bottles to sell for recycling. It’s a precarious and dangerous existence.
Emotional as the visits were, they made us all realise what fantastic work the charity is doing, and how the money we were raising would help to change lives.
After a night in Agra we began the serious part of the challenge, collecting our mountain bikes and fitting them with personal kit such as gel saddles (worth their weight in gold!), cyclometers and bags, before setting out for the first 45km run to our next destination.
Learning to ride unfamiliar bikes on strange territory was a challenge in itself, but we soon adjusted and the group began to gel into a team. We had a mix of serious cyclists and novices, all of whom found their own levels and stuck together to support each other - along with our guides and shepherds.
Cycling on Indian roads can be a hair-raising experience, as it’s gloriously anarchic! Forget lane discipline - you need eyes in the back of your head!
There are lorries, cars, tractors, motorcycles and all manner of mechanised contraptions to contend with, along with bicycles, camel and bullock carts, wandering goats and sacred cows, flocks of sheep and stray dogs.
Then there are the speed humps, potholes and road barriers to contend with and keep an eye out for - and that’s just out in the countryside. When you’re cycling through a town it’s crazy. Imagine one of those old war films where you see a fighter pilot’s eye view of a massive aerial dogfight, with planes coming at you from everywhere - only more colourful… and with smells!
Despite the sensory overload, it’s the people who make it a pleasure. They’re incredibly friendly. Kids come running up to wave or swap ‘high fives’ in every village, as do sari-
Many of the kids eke out a living at the station by begging or scavenging, such as collecting plastic bottles to sell for recycling. It’s a precarious and dangerous existence.
clad women sitting side-saddle on motorbikes. In fact, just about everybody waves! You soon learn that Indian driving may be mad, but most give you a wide berth when passing - far more so than British drivers.
By the end of day one in the saddle we were tired but elated and happy, which was just as well as we had the two longest days ahead to cover 113km and 112km respectively.
Each day meant early starts. Our routine would be to rise at 0515, shower and pack, breakfast, then be ready at 0700 for a bout of stretching exercises before hitting the road at 0730. We’d cover as much distance as possible in the cool of the morning (normally about 25km), before our first of two breaks to replenish water bottles and fuel up on snacks or fruit. For lunch, we might stop in the shady grounds of a Hindu temple to eat a packed meal and power-nap, before heading off in the afternoon heat when temperatures could often hit the mid 40s.
On Day 4 the group cycled a mere 45km, but most agreed it was the most punishing physically due to the poor-quality undulating roads, the heat, and a tough climb to reach the base of the abandoned fort of Ranthambore. Earlier that day we had visited a village where people welcomed us into their homes, allowing us a glimpse of local life before we called in at a nearby school to chat to teachers and pupils.
On Day 5 we covered 80km across open plains that baked in the heat. It was an arid landscape that would only spring to life after the monsoon. Few Westerners see this side of rural India.
Day 6 was our final day, covering 56km on busy dual carriageways before heading off on minor roads of mixed quality, through isolated little villages in an increasingly hilly landscape. We regrouped to cross the finishing line together at a house where we celebrated and enjoyed a delicious Indian banquet, before saying goodbye to our bikes and catching the coach into Jaipur for our last night in India.
What started out as a disparate group of strangers ended up becoming a team full of camaraderie. I’ve no doubt many of us will stay in touch.
So far, we’ve raised more than £ 65,000 for the Railway Children. If you would like to donate, visit my Justgiving page at: https://www. justgiving.com/fundraising/paul-bigland. And to find out more about the Railway Children, visit: www.railwaychildren.org.uk