As if cycling in Goa wasn’t awesome enough, you can cycle on the beach too – right on the sand, and right by the sea, with the waves lapping up against your tyres.
Getting to a beach, in Goa, is pretty easy – just go west, until you hit some sand! The great part about Goa is that this, “go west”, part is typically a lovely experience too, especially when you ride through villages and fields, as you make your way to the coast
If you’re in South Goa, one of the best places to start your beach ride is Betul beach, as it will give you the option of riding along a significant section of the coast. Betul is quite a unique location, as you can see the confluence of the river Sal with the Arabian sea. Please watch the video for some tips on how to actually get to Betul beach.
In the video above, I rode 15 km to Benaulim beach, but could just have easily have ridden 30 km to Velsao beach or beyond. When you need to get back home, look for an exit point, and hit the regular, albeit boring roads.
Now as far as riding on the sand is concerned, here are some tips:
- Find a line that works for you
- The sand closer to the water is harder, and easier to cycle on, but if you get too close, it gets really soft … and you’ll find yourself in the drink
- Use an easier gear
- Spinning is better than grinding, you don’t want your stroke wedging your wheels into the sand
- Keep your body loose, a slightly loose grip on the handlebars, and keep your weight off the front wheel
- There’s no traffic, of course, but you’ve got to watch out for people who aren’t expecting cycles on the beach
- A fatbike would make things much easier, but I did this on a hybrid with city tyres. Most bikes should do fine, but I can’t speak for really smooth tyres you typically find on road bikes
- At the end of your ride, remember to get the sand out of your components
