Looking Ahead

“Riders will come in with this big smile on their faces after riding i n complete chaos,” says Cristiano Werneck, a tour leader for tda Global Cycling. Werneck has travelled all over the world, but when he first went to India to lead the Hippie Trail tour in 2016, he was shocked. “When the riders ask the local guides how often the food, dress or even language changes, they almost always respond, ‘About every 30 km,’” Werneck laughs, describing the 2,750-km adventure from Agra to Goa.

As many as 40 riders set off on the 37-day trek beginning at the Taj Mahal. Reaching the finish in Goa means pedalling through manic traffic, rural desert roads, sleepy villages and unpopulated white sand beaches, with nine rest days mixed in. Werneck recommends riding a modern gravel bike, as the final week sees very little pavement at all.

tda has also split up the tour into three separate sections for those unable to commit to the five-week journey.

Werneck welcomes those ready to escape their comfort zone – both on and off the bike – and look for the unexpected. “For almost two weeks of the tour, we are staying in palaces, and royalty still lives there,” Werneck says. In the final week, the route goes through regions typically undisturbed by tourists. The accommodation there is far from palatial. “You will tell the hotel that the sheets are dirty,” Werneck recounts, “and they’ll respond with: ‘No, they’re not. They were changed a week ago. They’ve only been used a few times.’” ( tdaglobalcycling.com)— Jakewilliams