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Welcome to chapter thirty-nine of our ‘Ready To Ride’ short stories series.

These are five quick snapshots of what we do, where we ride, the laughs had, and the general shenanigans and goings-on, while riding together over the Himalayas & through South India.

I’m posting these every Friday, and they’re an easy read; a few minutes are all you need.

Enjoy!

Alex Pirie
Founder & Lead Rider

A room with a view – and what a view it is!

They don’t get much better than this, that’s for sure.

You almost can’t stop looking at it.

Almost in disbelief that it’s actually there, right in front of you.

Mount Everest.

Holy cow…
Literally!

Cows are sacred in Hinduism, which is one reason we must avoid them on the road.

If you’ve never ridden in India, you might think that’s easily done.

But those who have will know that cows can turn up in the most unlikely places – sitting in the middle of the road, walking towards oncoming traffic, waiting outside restaurants, or trying to get into shops.

The possibilities are endless.

So, it’s no surprise that hyper vigilance is key.

What might come as a surprise is how familiar the cows here have become with the roads. A quick beep of the horn, and they’ll move aside.

Sometimes, it feels like they know the roads better than we do!

That’s the 2nd Roof Of India ride of the year done…

And what a ride it was!

Huge thanks to all the riders who brought their energy, grit, and determination.

In a world full of scaremongering and constant noise, it can be hard to put your head on the proverbial chopping block – to take a risk, to step forward when it’s easier to stay quiet or still.

But that’s exactly what our riders did – and they got the t-shirt to prove it!

Next Saturday, we’ll begin our August Roof Of India ride, where we’ll be riding the mind-blowing Indian Himalayas for the final time this year.

The climb…

On our Rode To Everest ride, we don’t hit Everest Base Camp until day 12.

There’s a reason for this.

Aside from exploring the Tibetan Plateau, high altitude azure lakes, the ancient city of Lhasa, Potala Palace, and more, it also gives us time to steadily climb in altitude.

It will probably come as no surprise that this is very important when we’re hitting heights of just over 17,000 feet (5,200 metres).

Preparation, altitude sickness tablets, and water are your best friends on this adventure, and whilst we encourage you to stop to take photos, don’t stop for too long. This is when the effects can start to kick in.

We’ve been doing this for a long time, and our team is on hand to help where possible – just shout out.

Why is it a holiday…?

Yes, we spend most of the day riding motorcycles – but there’s much more to it than that.

We also have time to explore the towns and sample the local delicacies. We sit and watch the sunsets while drinking fresh coconut water straight from the coconut, or wake up early for a brisk walk to catch the sunrise over the Western Ghats.

We can swim in the Arabian Sea or in the pools at our accommodation.

We stroll along white sandy beaches – some of which we stay on – and visit secluded coves.

There’s the late nights full of singing and laughter under the stars.

We visit iconic locations like the Grand Canyon of India, temples, jungles, and mountains – and you can’t go far without seeing a palm tree!

We might sound biased, but it’s the perfect motorcycle adventure holiday.

Enjoy the ride.

I’ll see you on the next one.