A group of monkeys are wandering across the road.
The mountains and the valleys are basking in the golden sunlight of the morning.
A swarm of motorised bikes pass by in high speed.
A faraway village beyond a valley seems to be one with the surrounding nature.
I am riding my bicycle on the winding uphill roads. Tiring. Yet so refreshing.
Sometimes I spend the weekends doing long cycle rides. Memories to cherish for a lifetime.
The Preparation
- Two spare tubes of 27.5 with presta value. These are not easy to find in the market.
- One front light (white)
- Two tail lights (red)
- Three charging cables attached to a multi-port charger. On a multi-day cycling trip, you don't want to run around looking for chargers.
- An identity card, a few banknotes, and a passport size photo in a wallet. A plastic pouch in which to keep the wallet
- Three big bottles. A bottle with a wide neck is useful to pour the electrolyte powder in it
- Two small bottles
- White goggle
- Shaded goggle
- Helmet
- Cap. Wearing a cap beneath the helmet protects the eyes and the helmet from the sweat
- Two pairs of hand gloves
- Two pairs of socks
- Two sets of outdoor clothing. One for each day
- One set of indoor clothing
- A quick dry towel
Part One - Life is a Highway
Time is 5:30 AM. We are gathered at the Dwichkrika shop in Warje, Pune. Everybody is getting ready for the ride. We gather for a photo while it is still dark outside. With the headlamps on and the taillamps blinking, we hit the road.
In the first few kilometers, everybody is at the max energy level.
Traffic on the road is minimum early morning. The more we go further, the more I lag behind others. I do not follow the "Time vs Speed vs Distance" equation. I like to ride at my own pace. I catch up on everybody at the the breakfast place. The breakfast place is overflowing with crowd. This means, we are going to have heavy traffic on the road now.
Have you heard the song "Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts? This song is about automobiles. The vehicles that run on petrol and spit out carbon dioxide. Yet, I like this song. "This is the road and these are the hands".
Would you sit at home thinking, How to ride a cycle on a highway flowing with cars and trucks and all sorts of fast moving vehicles. Or get out and hit the road. A lot of times we think a way too much. Switching off the brain and doing the things is rather so easy.
In a tunnel, the horns of the vehicles are 10x louder.
By the time we reach the Khambatki Ghat, a mountain pass, the morning freshness is over. The uphill sections are tiring. I walk along with my cycle for the last few bends. One rider suffers heavy crams in a leg and has to sit in the support vehicle. In day long exhaustive rides, we tend to focus mainly on riding and dehydration does not get enough attention. Everybody goes through this at least once. We tend to learn by doing, by experimenting.
The Khambatki Ghat has a long uphill section and a short downhill section. We regroup after the downhill section. A road construction work is going on. We want to avoid the under construction road and the traffic and the chaos. So we take a detour via a small village road. By the time we reach Wai, a town at the foothills, tiredness has crept in. Afternoon 11 AM to 3 PM is the most difficult time of the day to ride a cycle on the road. The sun seems to be scorching like never before. My energy level seems almost drained to nothing. Up ahead is a mountain pass to climb. We halt for some food. The plan was to have lunch at Mahabaleshwar, on top of the mountains. But the fatigue gives in.
Part Two - How Far Can You Go
Have you ever wondered, How far can I go? If you'd never try, how could you possibly find out?
The road from the foothills to the top of the mountain is, obviously, mostly uphill. I have driven a car on this road several times. I like driving in the mountains. Today's is a different story. There is no diesel engine or petrol engine to take us on the mountain top. We are the engines. I and Dr. Sanjay have found a riding mate in each other. We ride for about a kilometer and then take a short break. And repeat. This is the only method we could do on a never ending uphill road. Somewhere in between, we are about to give up. The heat and the exhaustion is doing its role. Sarang senses the situation. An empty mini truck shows up. Sarang requests the driver for help. The next moment, our cycles are in the truck and we are comfortably siting in the front. This ride takes us past all of our fellow riders. The driver is taking the empty mini truck to Bhilar, a town where lots and lots of strawberry farms are there. This is his daily job. To transport the strawberries from Bhilar to the Pune Airport. He drops us where the detour to Bhilar is. And refuses to take any money. We give blessings to the good fellow. And continue to ride our cycles.
This region is a dense evergreen forest. The air has a typical smell due to the dense vegetation. I and Dr. Sanjay continue the same strategy. Ride for some two kilometers and take a small break. We are the first to reach Mahabaleshwar, the town on the mountain top. Thanks to the ride in the mini truck.
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Pune to Mahabaleshwar Elevation |
I live in Bavdhan, a hilly area. Riding uphill is not new for me. But an ascend of some 1500 meters in a day is not I am used to. The remaining day is for recovery. And loitering around. Food is extra tasty. Some of us call it a lunch. Some call it a dinner. Here we meet the makers of the Sahyadri Classic cycling race. We are fortunate to meet these legends and listen to their words of wisdom.
Tomorrow we are riding the other side of the mountains.
Part Three - A ride I Wish Goes on Forever
Mine and Sarang's alarms start ringing in sync. 5:00 AM. We are recharged from the night's sleep. Today we get to ride the Ambenali ghat. A mountain pass that has far less traffic than on the other side. Right now we are on the top of the mountain. This means, we first go downhill. And then climb uphill.
The Marin San Quentin 1 is built for downhill rides. The night's rest has restored power in the legs. We are descending the mountain. This means, some really fast riding. The only traffic on the road are our cycles and the support vehicle. Sunrise is yet to happen. So if a vehicle approaches from the opposite direction, its lights are visible from a far distance. This means, I get to use the entire width of the road. On a downhill winding road, I do not leave the racing line. The support vehicle tells me to slow down. I tell them, "Let me go at my own speed. See you later". This is a ride I wish goes on forever.
The racing line is a concept from the motorsport. The optimal path around a race course. The racing line makes use of the entire width of the track to lengthen the radius of a turn. So you could go fast on the turns.
I see many nice spots for a photograph. But I do not halt. I ride at the optimal speed. When I reach the base of the mountain, I realise I have to stop somewhere. Where? I stop at one place. It is a junction in a village. I have stopped where the road to the village Umrath starts. Road to the birthplace and the ancestral village of Tanaji Malusare, the fearless Maratha warrior and close aide of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. I came here as if pulled by a magnet. Do we think that we decide how we live our lives? It is like a misnomer, like a solecism. From our Sanchit Karma, our total karmic debt, we have taken a part to spend, our Prarabdha. We are living what we have taken to live. Some have this awakening, some don't. Do you remember The Oracle telling Neo in The Matrix, "We’re all here to do what we’re all here to do".
I call Sarang and tell him where I am. I have gone ahead of the breakfast place. In the interest of time, he comes here driving the support vehicle and takes me to the breakfast place. The breakfast is slightly unconventional. I am used to the concept, when in the mountains, food is not the same what we get in the city. Lowering the expectations is the formula of happiness, Lao Tzu has once said. Two cats are living at the breakfast place. I give some food to them.
Part Four - We Weren't Born To Follow
The energy level is restored by the breakfast. Now we have to climb this mountain. Distance is some thirty five kilometers. And an ascend of about 1,300 meters. Not for the faint hearted.
I do not know how much time I'd take to reach the top of the mountain. The speedy downhill ride has sapped the energy out of me. Now I ride slow and I have to do short breaks. As time goes by, the golden sunlight of the morning changes to white daylight. Likewise, the heat and the exhaustion grows gradually. When legs give up on cycling, I walk for some distance with the cycle. then ride again. The picturesque spots of the morning have vanished now. The brain must be working differently when in easy path and when in difficult path. Today I am not carrying a lot of water compared to how much I was carrying yesterday. I am taking water and fruits from the support vehicle.
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| My must to have photo whenever I am in the mountains |
I am searching for a spot where I could take a photo in my favorite pose. This is a must to have photo whenever I am in the mountains.
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| Topography map of the region |
I and Mr. Ro are riding almost at the same momentum. When I see him ride the winding uphill roads, I am thinking, "Row, row, row your boat, Gently down the stream".
When I reach the junction to the Pratapgad fort, I give up. I find a place to lie down and rest for some time. Traffic on the road is minimal. The support vehicle arrives after some time. I sit in the support vehicle for some time. Then ride again. Then I drive the support vehicle for a short spell. Then ride again.
This is supposed to be a challenge ride. Not an easy ride. Thank you Sarang and the Dwichkrika folks for arranging this cycle ride in an optimal way.
