The elderly couple rode past beach road on Monday morning in a tandem bicycle, their small travel bags tucked on either sides of the front tube and carrier, and water bottles safely fixed on bottle cages on the lateral tubes.
Tall, sturdy and clad in a shirt and shorts, 66-year old Claude Lemercier seated in the captain’s area and his wife Liliane Lemercier (63), on the stoker’s area, are on their 2,000 km journey in South India.
After flying down from France on January 27, they spent two days assembling the parts of the 22 kg bicycle in Chennai, before beginning their road trip. Cycling from Chennai, they spent a day at Mahabalipuram and a night in Marakannam before reaching the Union Territory.
“Initially, we had planned to travel to Cuba. But, later we decided to come here. This is our first trip to India. We have decided to stay in Puducherry for three days and meet some friends,” said the French-speaking couple.
From Puducherry, the couple will go to Nagapattinam, cover whole of Kerala and then ride to Ooty. “We ride from 7 am to 11 am and check in a hotel by noon. It is very hot to ride in the afternoon. We start in the evening and take rest in the night before beginning the journey next day,” said Claude.
They added that their purpose of journey was to meet people, interact with them, and know their culture and tradition. “This is the sole reason why we chose the road trip in our bicycle. We can stop wherever we want,” they said.
The couple, who has three children, nine grandchildren and also great-grandchildren, started their bicycle journey few years before their retirement. While working as an administrative staff in a hospital, Claude had travelled alone in his bicycle. Though Liliane joined him late, they both have been on the road trip with the tandem bicycle for the past 10 years. Together, they have travelled to Mexico, Morocco, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Spain in this very same bicycle.
“We plan the trip two to three months in advance to get familiarised with the geography and weather conditions. This meticulous planning has saved us from facing difficulties in unfamiliar situations,” they said.
After cycling through different places in south India, the French travellers plan to return home on March 22.
