Pioneers Leg 15 · Wednesday 18 November 2026

Lucknow to Ayodhya

Grand avenues, mango and banana smallholdings and a long canal track to the holy city of Ayodhya.

Distance
139km
86.2 mi
Climbing
362m
1,187 ft
Descent
369m
1,210 ft
High point
128m
420 ft

The day's digital “cloth” map

  1. Start
    0.0 km / 0.0 mi
    Taj Mahal Lucknow
    Cold breakfast from 06.15; full breakfast from 07.00. Leave from 07.30 onwards, with time to explore the temples and ghats this afternoon.
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    42.1 km · 26.2 mi to water stop
  2. Water stop
    42.1 km / 26.2 mi
    Morning water and toilet stop
    Refill bottles and stretch the legs.
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    45.9 km · 28.5 mi to lunch
  3. Lunch
    88.0 km / 54.7 mi
    Lunch
    Confirmed lunch stop at the marked location. The crew have lunch ready.
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    30.1 km · 18.7 mi to water stop
  4. Water stop
    118.1 km / 73.4 mi
    Afternoon water stop
    Last stop before Ayodhya.
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    20.7 km · 12.9 mi to finish
  5. Finish
    138.8 km / 86.2 mi
    Park Inn, Ayodhya
    Dinner is on the rooftop at the hotel, with alcohol available. Make the most of this shorter day: head out to explore Ayodhya’s temples and the ghats on the Sarayu before dinner. Dinner 19.00.
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Ride25 crew

Call the crew for a lift, a mechanical or if you are lost. Everyone is also in the ride WhatsApp group.

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Tonight’s arrangements

Park Inn, Ayodhya. Dinner 19.00 on the hotel rooftop, with alcohol available.

Route map

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  • Route
  • Stops
  • Wind, km/h

Elevation

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Wind and weather

Too far ahead for a forecast yet, so these are the conditions on the same day last year. Winds were light, around 2 to 6 km/h, mostly north westerly. Dry, about 16°C early and up to 26°C. The live forecast appears here automatically in the two weeks before the ride.

Typical conditions from Open-Meteo records for the same day in 2025. Check the live forecast on the morning.

Riding notes

  • About 50 km today is on tarmac tracks alongside a canal. Watch for people walking and for livestock.
  • Make the most of this shorter day: go and explore Ayodhya’s temples, including Ram Mandir, and the ghats on the Sarayu before our rooftop dinner.
  • Dress modestly at temples and take your shoes off where asked.
  • The exit from Lucknow is busy: stay in groups.
  • Complete the Nepal arrival form tonight.
  • Target finish 17.00. If you’re behind at the afternoon stop, the crew will ask you to take a lift.

The country you ride through

History on the road

0 to 15 km

Ambedkar Park

You ride past the vast Ambedkar Memorial Park, built in pink Rajasthani sandstone and opened in 2008 in honour of B R Ambedkar, the chief architect of India's constitution.

15 to 110 km

The Awadh countryside

This is the heart of Awadh, the old kingdom the British annexed in 1856, a step that fed the uprising of 1857.

110 to 139 km

Ayodhya

Ayodhya is regarded by Hindus as the birthplace of Lord Rama, hero of the Ramayana, and has more than 100 temples. The new Ram Mandir was consecrated in January 2024. Faizabad, its twin city, was the first capital of the Nawabs of Awadh before they moved to Lucknow.

Look out for

  • Ambedkar Park
  • The canal track
  • The ghats on the Sarayu at dusk
  • The Ram Mandir

Local heroes

Famous faces from along the route

Ayodhya is central to the Ramayana, one of the two great Sanskrit epics. Faizabad was the home of Bahu Begum, the wife of Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula, whose fine tomb still stands in the city.

Call crew leader, Mel+44 7947 765600 Emergency112