Day 45 – Bhimavaram to Tuni

It was hard getting out of bed this morning. The stress of the evening before had meant I didn’t get as much sleep as I would’ve liked. Breakfast consisted of 2 Snickers, 2 Mars bars, a decent portion of chocolate cake, some biscuits and a coke… So not exactly savoury, but it gave me a bit of boost.

Once riding, I felt a bit better. I didn’t push the pace and time passed fairly easily. Having put an extra bottle of water in my bag, I was able to go for longer without stopping; and despite a quick pause to swap bottles over and to pee, I didn’t really take a break for the first 120km (about 5 hours). My contact points (hands, feet and arse) were a bit sore and glad of the rest but on the whole I still felt fresh.

I’d set out aiming for 105miles (170km) – to be honest I didn’t have much choice due to lack of hotels; and considering how I felt last night that was the best option. However once I was stopped, I realised I would be on for a very early finish; riding at a relaxed pace probably cost me about 20 minutes over those 5 hours, but riding through the normal 40km and 80km food stops saved me over an hour. So I decided to set my sights on a longer target and got going.

I had a slight cross/tailwind for that last bit of the day which was brilliant. I was already in a good mindset and that really helped. I can’t think of anything interesting or significant that happened I’m afraid but until the town I’ve stopped in all went really well. Predictably the traffic and signposting was idiotic but I managed to find a place for the night without too much trouble.

Overall I’m really pleased with the ride. My body felt great and I would’ve been fine to do another 10 miles; the next place to stop wasn’t for about 15 though and it would probably have been a bit of a stretch to beat sunset… I’m more than happy to leave India without having ridden at night.

Not a very interesting day to read about I’m afraid but I do have one question. This evening I had to eat a biryani with my fingers (for those that don’t know – it’s mostly rice). Now I’m assuming Asia consumes more rice than any other continent – that’s just a guess but I think I’d be right to say that. So how is it, that one side traditionally uses chopsticks and the other uses fingers..? Neither of these are suitable tools for the job… what on Earth is wrong with a spoon!?

Anyway, I’m still in a good mood; which is a massive change from when I woke up. Hoping to get to sleep fairly soon…

Today’s Ride:
Distance: 120.45miles / 193.8km
Riding Time: 8:11:27
Av. Speed: 14.7mph / 23.6kph