Rickshaw Run reporter Candace picks out some of the best photos from the Rickshaw Run September 2012 and the stories that go with them. 

1. Crashing 45 minutes after launch 

The 1,500-meter descent out of Shillong guaranteed that the Rickshaw Run would get off to a rocky start. But this year UK team, Travels with a Tuk Tuk, took it to another level when they crashed and rolled their rickshaw after 45 minutes on the road.

2. Monsoon sinking sand

It’s no secret that the Indian highway leaves much to be desired in the way of paving, but late monsoon rains and flooding this year had US team the Fly Boys and their convoy getting stuck even more than usual while navigating the roads of Assam.

3. Roadside maintenance (aka breakdowns)

What’s even more common than chai breaks on the Rickshaw Run? Breakdowns. German team Zefant on the Run can boast a fair few. But importantly they managed to cross the finish line in Jaisalmer with their zefant’s trunk and ears in tact.

4. Going incognito - how to blend in driving through rural India

Unsurprisingly, the sight of foreigners rattling across their country in pimped up rickshaws is bound to intrigue the local Indian villagers. Here Nick of the Decapods attracts more than a little attention when they stop along the road in Madhya Pradesh.

5. R. Singh About

Towards the end of the autumn Rickshaw Run ends in Jaisalmer, the final stretch from Jodhpur leads teams through the town of Pokaran, home to a famous Hindu temple that attracts large crowds of walking pilgrims. Many of this year’s teams, including UK team R. Singh About, got caught up in the frenzied excitement. (Although we still can’t quite figure out what Fifty Shades of Grey had to do with any of this…)