Two years back I could have never imagined cycling for 100 to 200kms a day to explore new places. It was quite an uphill task for me. But as you must have heard that ‘cycling is addictive and you’ll never know when you’ll be building up the mileage in your legs. Especially when you have good company of fellow cyclists.
As of result of this, I recently became an SR (super randonneur). For those of you who don’t know what is SR, let me tell you that it is when you complete 200km, 300km, 400km, and 600km long rides/BRM’s in a single year. It was a proud and satisfying moment for me. But like a true cyclist, I was looking forward to the next challenge. So, in a quest to challenge myself I approached ‘Cycling in India’ to organize a special Golden Triangle tour for me and my cycling buddies. I had known them as I had previously done Rajasthan and Kerala cycling tours with them. It is an unforgettable experience. So, without any further thought, I and some of my experienced cycling friends booked our seat for the ‘Cycling tour of the Golden Triangle’
But why the Golden Triangle? It covers three major cities of India, namely Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. We wanted a taste of it as all of us had never ridden here before. They are the most traveled tourist destinations in India. Known for its extraordinary historical sights, majestic mosques, calming temples, and it’s chaotic streets and bazaars. Undoubtedly it is India’s most explored tourist track.
Our Golden triangle tour was a bit different than what it is generally offered. We were going to cycle the entire distance of approximately 950kms in 12 days. At the same time, we were going to keep enough time to rest and explore the local places to truly take in the culture of the area. Our trip was more explorative than the general ‘Golden triangle cycling tours’ It also focused more on cycling. Other people only explored the part from Agra to Jaipur on cycle but not us. Ours was specially designed by ‘Cycling in India’ keeping cycling the complete distance in mind.
So, whichever way you want to do it, it doesn’t matter as I have shared my entire experience day-wise which will be helpful to you when you plan this epic cycling adventure. The route that we decided on had some diversions to truly explore the nearby locations on the journey.
Delhi – Agra – Fatehpur Sikri – Bharatpur – Karauli – Ranthambore – Dausa – Jaipur – Delhi.
Day 1: Arrival in Delhi
It was the month of November which translates into cold weather being not only in Delhi but all places on our trip. It’s the winter season in India. I personally feel winters are ideal for cycling as you get the perfect weather to sweat it out. Anyway, all of us were super excited or this tour as it was going to explore this area for the first time. Our flight landed in Delhi, we checked into our hotel, took some rest, and set out to witness the beautiful sunset at India Gate. It felt like the sun was telling me to go to sleep now, an amazing adventure awaits you. While returning back to the hotel it felt nice to see all our bikes and support vehicles parked and lined up to take us on an unforgettable trip. It was difficult to sleep that night, thanks to the excitement.
Day 2: Delhi to Agra – 224km
The alarm rang at 5 am. I woke up immediately and got ready for the ride. It was going to a long day in the saddle. Hence all of our rides were road bikes except a few on their hybrids. They are ideal for cycling on the highways and can take a little bit off-road too. It was so nice of the hotel staff to make us a simple breakfast of bread butter so early in the morning. Completely kitted all of us headed towards India Gate to witness the sunrise and start our tour.
So, here we were 8 of us drafting behind each other, riding steadily and chit-chatting with each other enjoying the smooth tarmac on the outskirts of Delhi. We were extremely light with our luggage. Thanks to our backup vehicle, all our spares and luggage were in the car. 80 km done out of the 224 km and we decided to take a fuel break. Fueling our system with some tasty North Indian Chole Bhature was so refreshing. I remember, one of us had a puncture at about 150km mark but the mechanic in our backup vehicle fixed it in a jiffy. It was around 2 pm and we decided to stop for lunch. The heat was rising but I didn’t feel it much because of the amazing company I had of my cycling buddies. Lunch was done and with only about 80kms to go for the day we were starting to get exhausted but slowly and steadily we made it to our hotel in Agra at about 7:30 in the evening.
It was a tiring but satisfying day of cycling 224km. After reaching the hotel, all I wanted is to take a nice bath and eat some food. In no time all of us were off to bed.
Day 3: Rest
Cycling 200km+ yesterday means that we deserved to take some rest today. I always believed that one should do some kind of active recovery after such a long ride. So, as it started approaching sunset, I took a stroll outside our hotel and refreshed myself. It was much needed after lying around for the whole day today. I could catch a glimpse of the Taj Mahal as our hotel was close to it. All of us had dinner and slept early because the real exploration starts tomorrow.
Day 4: Agra to Bharatpur via Fatehpur Sikri – 60 km
Early to bed, equals early to rise. This translates into successful sightseeing of the Taj Mahal during sunrise as we started our ride from Agra. One of the best times to visit this amazing monument is during sunrise. Ticking this from our bucket list, fully refreshed we started pedaling towards Fatehpur Sikri. Now we started entering the rural roads and the experience of cycling through them early in the morning is an unmatched one. Passing through the mustard fields and millet farms we stopped at Fatehpur Sikri – a historical monument from the 16th century Moghul India. It is a perfectly preserved example of an imperial court. It felt good to explore this monument in the early hours of the day. We had a nice healthy breakfast there and left for Bharatpur – our destination for today.
On the way, we were supposed to be passing through Keoladeo Ghana National Park. It is known for the diversity of exotic birds present here boasting a whopping 360 species of the same. I myself could spot so many beautiful birds flying right above us. Cycling through this sanctuary with trees on both sides of our road was amazing. I wished this road never ended. No wonder it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We actually had a lot of time left today. We had reached our hotel during lunchtime itself. Some of us decided to rest for the day while I decided to explore the Lohagarh fort until sunset. The beautiful gardens, fountains, and overall the atmosphere here was quite pleasant. While returning back to the hotel, I had the mouth-watering Rajasthani Kachori. As I walked back to the hotel, my heart was pulling me back to that Kachori stall, but a heavy dinner was waiting for me. After all the next 3 days are going to be back to back century rides 😉
Day 5: Bharatpur to Karauli – 103km
We had entered Rajasthan, – the land of Rajputs. I had always admired them for their architecture and grand style of living. As I was getting ready this morning, I was excited to see their magnificent artifacts that I had only read and watched about in the movies. Today we were going to explore Karauli. It is famous for its pale red stone architecture and various magnificent monuments like the City Palace, Timangarh Fort, Kaila Devi Temple, and other historic structures. Our day started early and with a small breakfast break in between covered the 100 odd km swiftly. The lunch was simply delicious at the hotel. We had a proper Rajasthani thali here and I must say that even a hungry cyclist will find it difficult to finish it alone.
After such a heavy dinner, an afternoon nap was mandatory. Later we set out for local sightseeing of Karauli district’s architecture. This ancient city has some amazing stories to tell. While speaking to a local, I understood that this holy city is popular for its mythological linkages and ancient stories. It was amazing to see how friendly the locals were. We just didn’t realize how time passed away interacting with locals at the historical monuments nearby. I was mesmerized by the culture of the area. I wish we could stay here for some more time. The day ended with tasting a delicious Rajasthani cuisine after being awestruck at the cooking demonstration of various cuisines of India.
Day 6: Karauli to Ranthambore – 115km
As I was putting on my shoes in the morning, I realized we have already finished half of the tour. Man, time is passing too fast, haha. Anyway, today was an exciting day filled with adventure. We started off from Karauli to Ranthambore – the land of Tigers. We were unaware of a surprise waiting for us on the route. Once we covered about half the distance, we had breakfast and our tour guide said let us take a small diversion, there is something special to see. We said, it’s ok, anyway we were ahead of time and all of us hopped on to our bikes. To our surprise, we were taken to view a deep gorge just a few km inside the road. I must say, the view was simply spectacular. It’s like the Grand Canyon of India. All of us sat there for a good half an hour and soaked in the view. Simply superb.
We dragged ourselves out from that amazing location and reached our hotel in Ranthambore. The roads were quiet and well paved with quite a few ascents and descents. We were told this was once the private reserved of the Maharajas of Jaipur. On reaching our hotel, all of us quickly had our lunch, freshened up, and board our evening Jeep safari into the dense forests of Ranthambore. Of course with the hope of spotting a Tiger. And, guess what we did spot one, resting in all its glory under a tree posing for the camera. At night I told my friend that I was a bit skeptical about should I ride or get into the support vehicle for today. Because I had heard that tigers venture out onto the main roads here. Anyway, I am glad that I pedaled through it.
Day 7: Ranthambore to Jaipur via Dausa – 112km
Today’s destination was Jaipur. We could have simply taken a straight route but instead, we took a diversion to Dausa. This was a must-visit because of the historical importance of this district. We stopped by to visit the Chand Baori at a place called Abhaneri in Dausa. It is one of the largest step wells in India. It was insightful to know from our guide the importance of stepwell during ancient times. Also, an unbelievable fact about this particular stepwell was that it is said to be made by a ghost overnight. It was fascinating to hear many such small stories about the place from the locals. Also, all of this apart, it was fun to see locations where famous Bollywood movies were shot.
Well, I was tired and hungry by lunchtime. In fact, all of us were. We reached our hotel in Jaipur in the evening and refreshed ourselves with a wholesome dinner in Jaipur. The day was over and it was bedtime.
Day 8: Rest
After 3 back to back century rides, we needed a break. Our rest days used to be just taking as much rest as possible. We were even offered a full-body massage at the hotel of which we took full advantage of. It was super refreshing. Felt like a new me. After 7 days of riding, our bikes were being checked and cleaned for one last long ride from Jaipur to Delhi. As I was strolling through the hotel compound, it was great to see our bikes being taken care of. We cyclists love our bikes, they are a major reason for our happiness. The evening was spent sharing photos and experiences of our golden triangle trip so far. I will never forget this cycling adventure. With this ended our 8th day full of satisfaction that we came thus far.
Day 9: Sightseeing Jaipur
How could we not explore Jaipur – the pink city of India. It was a sightseeing day. We explored the iconic Amer fort, magnificent Hawa Mahal, and the Jantar Mantar laboratory during the whole day. I was awestruck by the amazing engineering, architecture, and usage of scientific concepts in all of these monuments. It becomes even more impressive when all of this was done in ancient times. We checked our bikes, had dinner, and ended our day early as it was going to be a long journey tomorrow.
Day 10 and 11: Jaipur to Delhi – 268km and Rest
Today it was time to ride for the whole day again. The type of rides we were used to doing. By now everyone was a bit tired physically. But, mentally we were prepared to complete this last step of our epic adventure. We started during sunrise and reached Delhi at sunset. I must say the road is superb and the route is quite scenic. The next day was going to be a rest day for all of us. Also, a day to celebrate the ending of our amazing Golden triangle cycling tour. It was so nice to see the hotel staff welcome all of us that evening in Delhi. We felt special, like a great achievement.
Day 12: Sightseeing Delhi
Here comes the last day of our tour. Our cycles were neatly packed in boxes by the team ‘Cycling in India’ ready to be shipped back to our homes. How could we not explore Delhi? We explored the historical red fort and the streets of Chandni Chowk for the day. I was craving some sweet street food, because why not? All of us bid each other a last goodbye and finally boarded our flights to our hometown.
If you would like to go on this Golden Triangle tour, I would highly recommend ‘Cycling in India’ to help you plan it out. They did an amazing job at looking after all the logistics and providing us the best experience possible. Golden triangle is one of those routes that you would like to come back to again if you are true history and cycling buff. A memory of a lifetime.
