- I decided to cycle down to Goa from Mumbai, the same as I had done in 2019. I didn’t take the same route but some roads seemed familiar. Cycling down from Mahim to Gateway in rush hour traffic, then getting on the ferry, and the cycle ride to Alibaug is a pretty fantastic way to set out. The roads have improved dramatically from the state they were in 4 years ago, especially the stretches of SH 4 that is part of the route. In Murud (Raigad) I was refused a place in the inn because of the “C” form I had mentioned in the previous post. Luckily another place up the road had no problem. Last time I had missed Harnai, instead going straight to Dapoli. That was a mistake. Harnai is an interesting place. Besides a beautiful beach there is a fish auction that is supposed to be very interesting. There are enough stretches of bad roads and areas where there is really limited places to stay. I stayed in a real dump in Jaitapur because I was just so exhausted. Along the way I caught up with another cycle tourist, then another and another…….There were 49 with YHAI from all over India on hybrid bikes and support vehicles. They were a very friendly bunch and I enjoyed their company for a couple of days. Then, also going in the same direction i came upon Chris and Haz, from the U.K., on their non-fussy cycle ride down the Western Ghats to Kochi and then southeast Asia. We met up somewhere after Ratnagiri and spent the next couple of days meeting up along the way, dinner together in Malwan and eventually spending the night in Porvorim (Goa) at good friend Sylvano:’s place. Next day I headed for home and they spent a couple of days in north Goa. They came here to my place, spent a couple of days and then after breakfast in Karwar we said goodbye. It was pure pleasure spending time with them. Their blog is excellent..
Here is the link https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3d2&doc_id=24772&v=Ai.
Haz also made a very nice youtube video of their Mumbai to Kochi ride https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUKshNwQxp0&t=7s
This coastal route between Mumbai and Goa is spectacular for cycling. There is a lot of climbing, stunning views, completely un-commercialized beaches, very little traffic, and a feeling of remote rural Maharashtra. For navigation I got some good advice from the YHAI guys and locals. Although I love the magic of GPS I use it very little for navigation these days. Part of the way arrows had been painted on the pavement, remnants of some previous event. Thanks to whoever- sometimes that was very useful. The second day of my tour, from Murud to Harnai I have rated as probably my best day of cycling ever. The countryside was beautiful, roads great, no traffic, What more can you ask for? The route I took this time had 4 ferry crossings and in total took me 6 days. One thing I did differently this time was from Malwan, instead of going down through Vengurla, I took a beautiful road east and caught NH 66 at Kudal. From there it may be a boring 4 lane road but sometimes that is nice too. .
