It's always tough for a woman to ride in a country like India, but when you have the right attitude and are fired by overwhelming passion, everything else becomes just a technicality. I ride a 1971 Royal Enfield Bullet, one that I acquired in 2002 and on which I had clocked 5,000 kilometres before Mountain Tamers.

When I first came to know about Mountain Tamers -7,500 kilometers in 30 days; I was naturally
overwhelmed with apprehensions. Frankly, who wouldn't!! But then, this is the kind of riding that
separates the diehard bikers from the pretenders and anyway, I have always wanted to travel. Moreover, thanks to the meticulous planning that goes into 60kph trips, I had one month to get ready. To collect all my personal and trip essentials. And of course to psyche myself up.

20th June, the D-day. One kick, a shift of gear and it was "bye, bye city life". Finally, we were on the road, a group of four; me, Allwyn, Gaurav and Zenosh. Outbound Mumbai - inbound Delhi; our base camp where the rest of the 60kphers riding to Ladakh were going to link up.

Cyclonic winds, torrential rains & the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway!!! "Oh, Lord, have mercy!",
was the silent prayer on my lips. After all, riding on this traffic-choked highway even on a normal day itself is akin to riding into hell. And here we were; battered by the winds, soaked to our skins, riding blind with the proverbial miles to go before we sleep, ahead of us.

We were joined by Amol (a 60kpher from Ahmedabad) at Baroda, 400 kilometers into the ride. Here onwards the riding became more pleasurable as Amol guided us through the interior roads of Gujarat. The traffic was much lesser and the scenery all around was superb. And once in a while the sight of a smiling child, a farmer working in his field waving at us, reaffirmed the home truth, "A stranger is just a friend you do not know". The bike, the road, the people and nature at its basic best. I was in seventh heaven. At peace with myself & the world.

Then we were out of Gujarat and in Rajasthan - a desert state where the vistas are of shrubs along the highway and endless horizons of sandy stretches thereafter. Roads in Rajasthan are obviously a rider's delight. But then, we were riding through a desert and riding on one of India's busiest road corridors. Ajmer to Jaipur, the traffic really picked up. And to make things even more challenging, we were caught up in a sandstorm; as if riding in energy-sapping 43 degree Celsius temperatures wasn't challenging enough. We halted at Jaipur for the sandstorm to settle down, but it was hopeless. My patience was slowly eroding. I had hoped to be amidst the green fields of Haryana by now, enjoying a sunset. And here we were, behind schedule, still miles away from Delhi. And just when we thought that the worst was over, the heavens opened up. Heavy downpours accompanied by gusty winds and almost apocalyptic thunder and lightening.

Looking back at it now, the ride was a bit like playing a video game. We mortals, fighting against the forces of nature.

We finally reached Delhi at 1 A.M. where some of the 60kph riders were waiting for us at the entrance of the city.

Next day, was a rest day, but we did anything but rest because our Bullets had to be serviced. And while the Bullets were getting ready all of us did the last bit of shopping. Tents, gloves, thermals, luggage carriers, etc.

This is the other side of biking that is usually left undiscussed or is highly glossed over. That even the romance and abandon of travel has to be backed with logic, foresight and at times exhaustive planning.

Next...
No dinner, freezing cold and the endless rain throughout the night; morning dawned with most of us feeling a little dizzy...(read on)


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