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I’m mid the Roof Of India rides at the moment, two down and two to go. The June and July rides went well and we’re hoping the August and September rides bring the same success. My base up here, in the Lower Himalayas, is Shimla. It’s become my second home. It’s early morning as I write this and it’s pouring rain. And it has been all night. There’s also heavy fog but that usually clears up during the day. Shimla does tend to be a bit wetter than the rest of where we ride. However, this is the Himalayas and changing weather conditions are the norm. They change from hour to hour and from valley to valley.

When I mentioned ‘success’ in the last paragraph, what I really meant was that everyone finished the previous rides safely. And that we also, the team that is, got through it unscathed. That’s our main priority despite what’s flung at us during the ride. There’s nothing better than sharing that cold beer at the end, maybe more than one. There’s a great sense of achievement as the riding is never easy. It doesn’t really matter If the sun shines gloriously every day. If it does, brilliant. If it doesn’t, we continue anyway. Riding up here has some major challenges regardless. I do remind everyone at the first rider briefing that the clue’s in the name.

We have such great laugh about it during the ride. Any time someone mentions the word ‘Holiday’, they’re quickly reminded that it’s not a holiday, IT’S AN ADVENTURE!

Funny or what?

Joking aside though, the Roof Of India rides are not a holiday. Far from it. We run two support trucks on every ride. One is a very tough and rugged 4WD that carries the luggage and spare parts. And on occasion, beer, and firewood for the remote camping. The other is far more luxurious. It’s a seven-seater SUV with leather seats and air conditioning. It carries the medical kit and a spare team rider. There are times when a rider is utterly exhausted or perhaps the riding conditions are just too much. It could even be the effects of high altitude. They’re able to jump in the SUV as a passenger while our team rider continues the ride on their motorcycle. If it was more than one rider, we can also put the bike in the back of the 4WD. It’s a tight fit but it’s possible. We’ve done it before.

In saying all of that, the Roof of India ride has some amazing tarmac sections. The day we ride from Kargil to Leh is mind-blowing. I can say that without any fear of contradiction. It’s over 200kms of almost perfect tarmac that winds its way through the mountains and over the high passes. At some points, it’s possible to see the road for at least 3kms ahead. Next to no traffic and not a speed camera in sight. It’s motorcycling bliss for hour after hour. Some of the group that rode with us in June this year told me that it was the best roads that they had ever ridden.

And a question they asked was, “Why do we never see or hear about this part of India?”

How do I know this?