27th November
Hard bed, no AC and the ceiling fan had two speeds, stop and take-off. No bed bugs or at least non that I could feel. Immune, we are now old friends. Woke at 6am, checked my emails. My friend Eric sent me a link to a big bearded guy cycling the world with a stray cat he’d found. His viewing figures were good and he’d published his book after the name of the cat. Splendid. I am on the road at 6.30. I need a cat, or a Guinea pig, monkey, mouse? Suggestions. I once booked Miss World to see me off on an early cycling world ride - what's the difference, Miss World, a cat.
Miss World & Me
In 1985 I set off from London to bicycle around the world in a Guinness record time of 79 days - averaging 171 miles a day, it was never broken. I said to my sponsors SPAR that if we didn't hire someone like Miss World the project wouldn't get into the papers and that was our objective, so we did and I became famous for a short while. Yet, it was galling to think that such a great ride without the help of a good looking woman would have attracted no attention. I don't think anything has changed, except now you might need a cat.
Long slow inclines and still air has replaced the flat terrain of northern India and her glorious tailwind. I use the battery more but still eke out the power on the lowest setting and not even that on the descents. An e-cycle can do pretty much anything for shorter 30km journeys - max you up the hills with relative ease, but over 190+kms as planned for today, power management was the most important consideration.
There is mist in the valley that sticks to the tops of trees as if the start to a secret world. 30kms on I stop at a small village, highway food stations grouped around an intersection. Having chosen one I order omelette, a small coke, a plain unsweetened doughnut and a chai. This follows the three plates of small fried fish the previous night. It seems I can eat anything. My body is a furnace processing and burning food easily.
There are few trucks and buses, mostly the sound of people talking, a man breaking stones beside me, but really just the pleasant hum of people waking up to a milky day and watery sun. At Chaulahi 44 miles into the ride I’m on schedule to reach Butwel before dark. I stop at a cake shop just to get away from being outside
The hills have calmed and I’m still reading 137kms range on my console with 127kms yet to ride so power management is meeting reasonable expectations. The curve of the power band sustained over the duration of the charge is contained with usable parameters. No surges expected, nothing to suggest the battery decreases in power as it depletes.
Finally, I rode 111 miles today and in the hills, hence the brevity, I'm tired and up at 5.30am in the morning to ride to Pokhara where I'll form my own little base camp and assess the best way to get photos of the Himalayas. Meanwhile the mountains made a small start.
Map of the Day
Hey Nick
My nickname is Monkey and I'm following you! Not quite the same as the cat but ya know.. bet Miss World ain't following you 🤣. From the picture of you both you should have been crowned Mr World.
111 miles! Long day. Well done!
Miss World 1983, Sarah Jane...she was in my year at secondary school in Romsey...how about that. All the boys fancied her...hehe. 🥴