Day 4: Mon 13 Nov 17: Chennai to Pondicherry, 115 km - Total so far: 125 km

24 to 26deg, cloudy but fine

Early start this morning so we could ride the km to the beach and dip our wheel in the East Coast sea. If we’re lucky we’ll make it all the way to the West Coast where we’ll do the same there. After that little ritual it was back to the hotel for breakfast and pack up.

115km (was scheduled as 75km but we decided to ride all the way instead of riding in the bus for part of it) average 24km/h

Along the way Mike got us all Egg Dhosas for pre-lunch snack, very tasty. It’s nice to know when you get up that the temp is not going to change anymore than a couple of degrees. Very comfortable, not sure it’s going to remain this cool.

A fast day mainly on smooth bitumen roads with a nice shoulder. The last 30km was the most interesting, which started with a lunch stop at Auroville - “an international township dedicated to the ideal of Human unity; a place of research into a new society.” A diverse range of people, mainly white female types, in the Visitors Centre Restaurant where we ate our veggie, lentil and rice based lunch. It fueled us nicely.

The ride continued on to a bike shop, run by a young white bloke and frequented by a stack of white people (we guessed students at Auroville) where we sat around talking bikes and other good stuff while Mike (Tour Leader) negotiated to buy a spare bike for the tour. Had a nice coffee and checked out the merchandise. Just like going to a bike shop with a Mate. A great way to kill an hour or so.

It was then only a short and fast 20km ride via back streets to our hotel in Pondicherry. The hotel is a real old classic from the French era.


Getting ready to leave the hotel


East Coast wheel dip

Heading out of Chennai

Coffee shop

Nice and flat

Rest stop


We accidentally rode through a Hindu Pilgrimage



Lunch


Bike shop

Back roads were the best

Through the back blocks

Pondicherry promenade

Fishing boats near Pondicherry

Dr India, who wrote the new constittion


Our hotel


My room







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