Revival...

It has been quite an eventful hibernation away from writing posts. Have been wanting to restart for over a month now, finally I am out of the slumber.

I visited the blog after a long gap and read the last post dealing with my maiden experience of cycling to work. A lot has happened ever since, for better or otherwise. I switched jobs, concentrated on completing a documentary film on our Kullu-Manali-Leh-South Pullu ride which was shown at Girimitra 2010 and well received, and caught up with monsoon trekking after the film (in that order).

It was the last activity which proved to be really awful and has left a void. A dear friend, all of 24 years, met his end in a pond while both of us had gone out for a day hike at Taavli near Kalyan on September 5, 2010. I saw through the day, the long night of formalities and the weeks ahead somehow.

Having lost my buddy, there was no motivation to indulge in any kind of adventure in the weeks that followed. I took to the mountains again on December 25, after a hiatus of 3 months with the endurance testing single day Nali-Chi-Waat Harishchandragad trek, but cycling was off the radar.

Some more treks followed, notably Salher-Mulher, Dhaak, Prachitgad-Kandhardoha, but I was yet to take to cycling.

On cycling, my association was limited to participating in preparatory meetings for an expedition in Sri Lanka (where I could not go ultimately) and local rides in Thane. However, all changed in May 2011 with the arrival of my new love - Trek 4300.

My cycling friends were brimming with confidence post their 1,234-km expedition in Sri Lanka. This, coupled with my new bike, made a lot of things "do-able" and we have achieved quite a lot in the last 3 months and aspire for more.

My first task was to take the Thunder to my brother's place in Alibag, which was done in a respectful 6 hours in spite of the break away from cycling. Thunder, my first love over which the URL to the blog has been derived, continues to be in a good condition.

I am definitely not starting a new blog and entering the URL in the address bar will always remind me of my humble beginnings in the pursuit of this exhilarating hobby.

However, owning a bike like this comes with its set of disadvantages. Biggest of them all is the public gaze a bike costing Rs 25,000 attracts. Many people accidentally end-up tinkering with the bike by changing the gear levers just for fun, while those with sinister objectives also have a lot of potential damage to do. (it has quick releases on both the tyres and saddle. All the 3 items being removed can take me back by around Rs 13,000)

So, now, I am left with this piquant situation. In spite of considering cycling as 'the best alternative' in urban transport, I am reduced to indulging in the hobby only for the rides which assure of safer parking, of which there are a few. So, should I change the title of the blog? Calling it something like "diaries of an evangelist" crossed me, but being an Indian, I have decided status quo to be the best solution.

Btw, as a long-term solution, I have started looking for a deal on a used ungeared bicycle for commutes within Thane for errands. Preferably inside Rs 1,000 :)
Posts on trips I have undertaken and other audacious plans being under works follow.

To work...

The idea of cycling to work had been tickling since last two weeks after reading Anil Uchil's piece. It was all the much important to do it this month itself as I am sitting fully vella at work, serving my notice period. It increased exponentially after meeting Anil over the weekend and the opportunity offered by striking motormen was irresistible.

The decision was made Monday night itself - if I reach home without much of fuss, I am coming to office tomorrow and cycling! We traveled back leisurely last evening, so it was imminent.

A senior from office, who travels in a chauffeur driven SUV to work daily from Thane called up in morning, asked about my travel plans and also offered a lift. Having decided previously, I declined and set off after passing some three hours watching the latest developments in the motormen saga.

The newest accessory - a bottle holder - had to added and the creaking sound of the mudguard on the rear wheel had to be fixed before I embarked on the long ride. Till the way to cyclewallaaah, a screw of the mudguard came off and that chap didn't have the screw. But the irritating sound had stopped after the disappearance of the screw. Tightening the screw of the bottle holder took me to a motorcycle mechanic and I was finally on the road, at 1420 hours to be precise, equipped with nothing more than 1.2 litres of water.

Soon after leaving Navghar signal on the Eastern Express highway, I experienced headwind of the worst kinds. This was something I'd never experienced till now in such a bad way. It was seeming like riding uphill even after lowering the gears and I had no option but to take it as it is.

Making matters worse was the random change of directions. Gusts from sideways were the most dangerous as it changed my track by a couple of feet everytime. But thankfully, the roads were empty.

The pangas with winds continued till around the JVLR junction after which it was a pleasurable ride. This is where I realised the power of the heat. Though the front side of my body (facing the wind) was fine, a simple scrub on the back - between the backpack and shirt - made my hand wet...I was perspiring too much. Stopped at Ghatkopar, the first hydration break.

An old woman (seemed destitute) was resting in the shadow of the lone tree but couldn't quite comprehend things. A fool stopped in front of her on a cycle in this scorching heat, drank some water and went away (cant call it "sped-off) in a nonchalant way. I was not sure whether to offer her some water, as there was hardly any communication between us. Just one person observing the other.

The flight of fancy continued fantastically - heat and headwind being the only irritants - till Suman Nagar. This is the great Sangam of Mumbai - where the E E Way meets the Sion Trombay road. Traffic increased and one more woe was added. I say proudly that every square-inch of space, extending beyond the road onto the footpath, was utilised till about Dadar after which it became peaceful.

Cycling a couple of days after the Maharashtra Day in a Marathi-dominated locality like Parel has its own advantages. It felt like you are entering Ayodhya after the arrival of Ram, the only difference being that the brothers Ram and Lakhsman have started bickering. Dotting the road on dividers, atop buildings and even under construction flyovers are flags of Shiv Sena and MNS. On one particular, the local cadre, who randomly make a switch (issue-based) between the Senas, seemed to have arrived at a consensus. On this divider near KEM, they had alternatively arranged the flags. First the saffron of Sena, then the multiple hues of the MNS to project more inclusive, Sena again. All the flags were of the same height, very neat job.

Safely negotiated the (erstwhile) mill area and got exposed to the cacophony of Mohammed Ali Road. Only word that comes to mind is :chaos! Its a great equalizer in a way : a haatgaadiwalla, biker like me, a motorbiker, activa rider (yes, its a separate category here) and of course the one Yamaha RX-100 (again a distinct clique, found in abundance here) are all at the same level. All depends on how fast you can accelerate which explains why it was frustrating for me. You achieve certain speed and just as the breath is normalising, some dude walks-in on the (arterial) road.

Reached office and parked the bike outside the Press Club. Started the return journey at quarter to eight in evening.

Evening time and Mohd Ali Road was at its best (or worse, depends how you take). Babasaheb Ambedkar Road was no better and the fun of negotiating heavy traffic continued till well past Suman Nagar. Mr Anil Kakodkar and me started from the Club together for the same place (he is the other intelligent resident of Thane). And courtesy the traffic, we had each others' company till Ramabai Amedkar Nagar, after which I never saw his car or the police protection jeep following him.

Normal cycling with a constant respiration was simply not possible as I was riding on the narrow space between a 4/6 wheel vehicle and the footpath skirting which is unofficially reserved for the mo-bikers. Was sweating a lot, but didn't wish like loosing the tempo. So kept cycling and ultimately post Swastik Park, legs began giving the signal. Amar Mahal junction was safely negotiated and I took the much needed hydration break at Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar. Saw a jalebi walla there, immediately ordered for 100 grams which was followed by saunf.

Post water, jalebis and saunf, the ride till Thane was fun. Good breathing, no headwind, well-patched road with decent lighting and moto-vehicles that seldom trespassed (!) into the lane I was riding : it was fun. Of course, there was no need for a halt and I cruised into Thane comfortably.

It had taken me two hours and 15 minutes to return. A shower was most essential.

Matheran!

They say combining work with pleasure is the best thing to do. True, on weekdays it is absolutely true. But on weekends, all the factors in the equation change. Hence, I get a "weekend version" of the adage : its best when you can mix your hobby with social commitments.

That is precisely what I attempted during a weekend in October 2009. Cycle to Dombivali (around 35 km) to meet college friends on Saturday evening, spend the night with them and cycle to Matheran the next day. And I pulled it off well !

I had never cycled so fast as I did on Saturday evening. I had started late and my only concern was to exit the Mumbai-Agra national highway before sunset. The road surface is very good and all I had to do was cycle fast and hard (on higher gears). There had been some showers in the afternoon which helped my cause as the atmosphere was cool and perfect for riding. Adding to the pleasure was the greenery on both sides of the road - the paddy fields had crop ready for harvesting. But honestly beyond this, I wasn't observing around much courtesy the time limit set by nature.

The only thing to be looked out for was traffic and being evening it was bad. At a small village on the highway a Maruti Esteem came to a screeching halt right in front of me forcing me to commit the most awful act - braking hard and overtaking the chap. For a cyclist, it is bad because it isn't only about the physical efforts you will take to regain the speed but about your tempo, breathing pace as well. Frustrated, I showed my middle finger to the carbonivore after overtaking his (stationery) car, something I could have ended up paying a big price for. (and almost did)

Within the next couple of kms, the car caught up with me and the person sitting next to the driver (cant call him as the navigator) hurled the choicest of abuses at me for my brazen act. It dawned on me that this chap is a local and that too from the agri community, infamous for being short tempered. Thankfully, I had cooled off enough to just neglect the abuses and continued riding. I had not given-in to the intimidation and learnt crucial lesson in cycling : the carbonivore can always get back to you!

After exiting, I took the Kalyan-Shil Phata toll road and had to negotiate evening traffic in downtown Kalyan and later Dombivali. Reached Dombivali within two hours which I still feel was quite an achievement.

Used the social gathering part - of meeting friends - basically as resting break for the long day ahead.

SUNDAY

Woke up as planned at 6 AM after managing three hours of sleep and left my friend Mitesh's place in the next 30 minutes, without disturbing any of our sleeping friends. Within ten minutes it started raining heavily (a first for me while riding) and I just loved it. Greenery all around, no room for sweating, early morning mist in the air and good road surface. Waah!

From Dombivali, I cycled tw0-three km on the Shil road after which I exited to take the road to Badlapur constructed by MIDC. The traffic was sparse and the conditions just perfect for cycling. Helping me more was the industrial body's service of yore : building the best roads (infrastructure) to pull investments and doing nothing even as the industry shuns the planned cluster. The wide, well-surfaced, low traffic road passes through barren landscape for almost the entire stretch of the road but being just done with monsoon, it is green. A cyclist just cannot complain. Thank you, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. May you build more such roads before becoming defunct yourself.

Anyways, I took my first break at Badlapur for chai and then took the Badlapur-Karjat road which runs parallel to railway track. Again, the ingredients were the same but road had become narrow (no MIDC here) and there were a lot more villages in between. I reached Neral at around 1015 hours which delighted me like anything. My plans of having breakfast at Neral was on track!

The b'fast break was very long and I left Neral only at 11 AM, under the blissful thought of not knowing what lies ahead!

After cycling out of the village, I took the right turn to head towards my destination : Matheran. Initially cycling on the high gradient was fun and I scaled up till Jummapatti very comfortably not going below the 1-2 gear combination. But the sheer gradient (at times higher than 45 degrees I think) makes you realise the ineffectiveness of your machine. I needed more teeth to negotiate.

It was hot, very humid and I was sweating a lot, making hydration the biggest concern. The lemon-flavoured Mentos and water (very hot because of the heat) came in handy and I somehow managed to continue cycling. Physically, you give up at such gradients and it is sheer will power that makes you move on, really. During breaks, of which there were many, I was indifferent to the looks given by co-habitants on the road like the taxiwallahs and private 2/4 wheel drivers. They were looking at me as though I was some alien with the only difference being that I was on a cycle and not the saucers. A few worthy exceptions also encouraged me to go on.

During the breaks, I probably clicked the most lazy frames ever. The shots are tilted, sometimes shaky and clicked from an angle which represents my then posture : squatting on the tar road, doing a shavasan (!), sitting on the narrow gauge railway track or simply reclining by a board, sitting on the saddle. The photo is secondary, the current posture should not be be changed!

After much efforts I succeeded in making it to Dastoori Naka, the end of the road. I had taken a little less than two hours to do the ten km journey through probably one of the worst roads (gradient-wise, i hadn't encountered such roads in Ladakh as well) but never did I get down and push the cycle. I was firmly on the saddle all through.

At the Naka, the taxi wallas arranged an impromptu felicitation in my honour. I was served with cool water (read : at room temperature) procured from a tap and also offered biscuits which I politely declined (not because I feared them being spiked, but because I felt a loss of energy to chew them)

After spending a few minutes at Naka, I started the downhill ride, burning a lot of rubber (of my break shoe) and within 10-15 minutes was down. A two hour uphill was covered in 10-15 minutes flat! I was, and still am, puzzled as to what made me attempt the mad ride/climb all alone?

Yeoor

"सुधा भाई ने पाठवले का?" asks a nine-year-old kid as I reach a dead-end on a road in Yeoor.

Acting on orders from the courts, authorities are currently on a demolition drive here, razing illegal structures in the reserve forest. Most such structures (called by the fancy name "farmhouses") are owned by unscrupulous elements through ill-gotten means. Sudha bhai is one such character. Even after being booked under a stringent anti-terror law in the 1990s, Bhai flourished and apparently owns two properties at Yeoor, a tribal hamlet located on a hillock.

Thane has changed over the years and areas surrounding the hill are an integral part of the extended city. Yeoor, with its lush forest, is now a part of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. It also serves as the best getaway to the denizens of Thane city, who come here for the peace and tranquility. A narrow tar road with steep gradient leads up to Yeoor with sharp turns along the way which really test your mettle, especially when climbing down.

To get a first-hand experience of the peace and tranquility, I'll recommend a trip to Yeoor any Saturday night. Many owners give their bungalows on hire, which results in night-long parties with high decibel music being played out. By 2 AM, inebriated youngsters park their cars for a few private moments with their partners in the ghat section while the bachelors prove their presence by testing their car audio systems.

However, Sunday morning presents a contrastic picture. Fitness freaks walk up till the airforce station from Pokhran Road No 1 while many others ride up for a game of tennis in a private club house. Local tribal girls go through their regular exercise regimen of walking up till a community tap, queing up for water and walking back.

Many kids like the nine-year-old I encountered roam around playing sundry games (like intimidating strangers) while a group of city-bred youngsters struggles finding their favourite brand of cigarettes at the two pan shops. Probably, the urge for a smoke has compelled them to walk up till the shop in spite of the hangover.

As for the ride, the short ghat in itself was a very fulfilling ride as it has very good gradients. Heavy traffic comprising of cars and the occassional TMT bus compels a cyclist to follow road discipline and you cannot ride zig-zag from one end to other of the road for an easy ascent. However, the fun is shortlived as within ten minutes (and going down till the gear combination 1-2) you are on the plateau.

Fear of getting booked under Official Secrets Act prohibited me from having a short break after the ghat at the airforce station's gate (ok, this ones an exaggeration but the sentry at the gate is really intimidating). Having lots of time on hand, I decided to explore the place on the bike. After 30 minutes, I descended down.

Overall, its a cyclist's delight. Do go there! (I'd decided to cycle up daily, but haven't gotten started yet)

ही श्रींची(च) इच्छा !!

Please don't take the title of the post seriously, its coming from an atheist.

The title is obviously inspired by similar-sounding statements believers make. The objective of using it here is our jinxed (again, inspired by stereotypes) ride to Titwala.

My colleague Nikhil and me have the ride planned for over two weeks now, but had not been able to venture out for two consecutive Sundays as I wasn't feeling well. On the third Sunday, I woke up at 0550 hours (sharp) and started the preparations. Task(s) at hand : picking up water, some food items, increasing the saddle height and filling air in the tyres.

I completed all the tasks but for the saddle height. I just could not trace a plier required to loosen the seat nut and (like a nut) searched the entire house frantically for over two hours, unsuccessfully.

I was always hesitant for the ride because of the destination (Titwala houses a Ganpati Temple) but gave a (full-hearted) "yes" so that Nikhil gets addicted to long distance cycling. Nikhil cycles 15-km each morning but hasnt yet taken the plunge by doing longer rides. A Dombivili-Titwala-Dombivili ride would be around 50 km and enough to get him started, but courtesy the antics of Abhinav it could not happen.

My nephew Abhinav was home for a week before the Sunday and has probably misplaced the pair of pliers. He has the habit of picking up odd things and dumping it in any corner of the house (my sister-in-law says sometimes things are thrown out of the window as well).

8 AM : At the end of two hours of frantic searching, I decided to call off the planned ride. Nikhil may have been certainly annoyed but had his thinking hats on. "Get started on the low saddle and stop at the nearest puncturewalla," he advised. Why couldn't such a simple thing occur to me? Anyways, I had lost all the enthusiasm by now and persisted with my decision.

Not in a mood to let the early wake up on a Sunday go a waste, I walked out of home to ride, anywhere. A quick hop and I started to think - where should I go.

The recently acquired infatuation for ascents took me to Yeoor, the best option nearby.

A Plan.....

Cycling on "zero-gradient", city roads has ceased to interest me. There has to be some fun in riding. And the fun element is the long ascents and the ensuing descends. Staying in Thane, I cannot aspire to ride in the vicinity of ice-capped peaks of the Himalayas.

Hence, a solution : we have lot many of the ghats connecting Konkan with the towns on the Deccan Plateau within our reach. Why not leverage on the proximity and launch a concerted attempt at doing one such ghat road every weekend? As it is, there has been an unprecedented slump in trekking activity.

The plan is simple : take your bike to the base village (for example Khopoli if you are doing the Khandala ghat) by motorised vehicle, ride up to the town/village on the घाट माथा and descend down to the base village to take the same route back home. Most of the ghats in Maharashtra can be done over the space of a weekend. In some cases, you will have to leave Thane on Saturday night and do the overnight travel to the base village/town while in many others, we can enjoy the luxury of starting on Sunday mornings.

Immediate ghats that I can think of : Kasara, Malshej, Khandala, Tamhini, Ambenali, Varandha, Amba and Amboli. Logistics is definitely an issue and a bigger one is finding a partner on this adventure.

The search starts.

Thane-Alibag-Thane

The frustration of not having been on a long ride for three long weeks since purchasing the bike had reached its peak and we decided to take complete advantage of the Diwali weekend.

To start with, Mandar and myself discussed some grand riding plans like a 3-day Thane-Murbad-Malshej-Aalephata-Narayangaon-Pune-Lonavala-Khandala-Panvel-Thane ride, a ride to Phansad and chilling off in the park etc but ultimately settled for an overnight stay at Prabalgad's Dakshin Buruj, sans any cycling.


Saturday afternoon - reached Panvel, only to find that Athawale kaka is caught up with some domestic work and cant make it. This left only Mandar and myself and we decided against going for the trek. It was the first instance for me of a trek getting cancelled (change of venues are regular) and I made a disgraceful return to Thane the same evening.


Sunday morning : woke up early (as planned) and took the cycle to Masjid by train. A short ride on the P D'Mello road and I was at Bhaucha-Dhakka, the air filled with the smell (stench?) of fresh catch of fish. After a 15 minute-wait at the entrance, the counter opened and took a ticket. Only the passenger fare of Rs 29 was charged with the instructions that I will have to pay the extra bucks (without a receipt) on the ferry. The bike was comfortably put on the deck and the boat set sail for Revas.

After around 90 minutes we were at Revas, having cut across the Mumbai harbour. A cycle-charge of Rs 10 was paid and the loaders also helped unloading of my priced cargo on to the jetty. (For motorised 2-wheelers, the charge works out to Rs 90. Rs 30 each for loading, unloading and travelling)

The ride starts on the picturesque road, initially the road quality is not so good (may be due to the absence of the bourgeois' farmhouses in the area) but becomes excellent as you join road connecting Mandwa and Alibag. (The Mandwa region has many farmhouses!) Photo ops are immense in this area, especially palm/coconut trees against the backwaters/sea setting. But the cyclist in me decides against a halt for a picture and I keep moving southwards.

Its Diwali time, and all your notions about the believers savouring festive items like shankarpale, chakli, chivda etc (and avoiding non-veg) are dashed at the sites on the Alibag-Revas road. Nearly every road intersection has a mutton shop and the scene is same everywhere : long queues to get their share in the goat's sacrifice. Its a Saturday morning and the locals surely take their weekends seriously.

After a 12 km ride, I make my first stop at Chondhi at my uncle's paints and hardware shop. Business activity is slow being Diwali day and good time for a chat over a shared vada pav. I am told my cousin sister is visiting forts on a private tour operator-arranged excursion and paying Rs 10,000 for seven days! (Good business it is, considering that hes carrying ten bus loads of tourists interested in a firsthand look at our "heritage")

From Chondhi, I ride to Kihim (two km) and meet the cousin recently infatuated by our rich heritage. "बाबासाहेब पुरंदरे असणार आहेत", she says. I wonder if the old man would find time at least to shake hands with all the tourists (its wrong to call them by any other name). An Appa Parab or his daughter would also do but how can the operator extract such hefty sums?

From Kihim, I ride to my destination Alibag (around ten km), in time for a late lunch and comfortably placed for a good siesta. The nap extends a bit and I woke up at 1845 hours. In the evening, its another first : visiting a fish market for purchases along with my elder brother who claims to be seasoned in the act by now. (he can identify more species than me and knows the trick of testing the freshness)

They say caste thoroughly breeds in our people. All my brother's friends are stunned at the site of both of us in the middle of the market, scouting for deals. Help is pouring from all quarters : an RCF-employee offers to share a big fish if we are interested, a plumber chips in by advising on which fish to buy and a drunk youngster who is fixing a deal for the next morning offers to pay for our fish! The two Agashes (read Brahmins) are novices in the purchasing and are helped very well. I look forward to the day when this would also happen the other way around and the "others" will get a similar welcome into Brahmins' fortes? For now, the "others" seem to be more inclusive and pragmatic.

For dinner its Karli (very difficult to consume, has to be eaten under expert supervision) and Mandeli, followed by desserts. Long chat in the open terrace follows and I am in bed only at 2 AM.

Woke up in time on Sunday at 0630 hours and within ten minutes leave for Thane on the cycle. Traffic is thin and the air still cold which makes for a perfect setting for riding. The Karle Khind ghat is negotiated easily courtesy the Shimanos without any difficulty and I start the long descent which extends up till Poynad. At Pezari, a fog has engulfed the entire stretch making visibility a concern but a cyclists needn't get worried. The tempo is good and I keep on progressing through Dharamtar, Wadkhal and Pen, finally halting outside a dhaba at Tarankhop which serves as a good drinks break.

I start cycling within five minutes, knowing well that the ride's most formidable challenege : the Hamrapur ascent is just a few km away. Hamrapur is dealt with easily and the progress continues through villages like Jite, Kharpada, Tara etc. I am hungry by 1000 hours and halt for a breakfast at Kshan-Bhar-Vishranti after the Karnala Bird Sanctuary, knowing well that this ones gonna drill a hole in my pocket.

The famed eatery frequented by the carwallahs lives up to the expectations. A misal is Rs 25, Rs 2 extra for each paav and the worst : Rs 15 for a plate of extra usal/rassa/sample (otherwise complimentary). I run up a bill of Rs 46 and the waiter also earns a Rs 4 tip courtesy prompt delivery of lemon (much needed to keep dehydration at bay).

The heat becomes difficult to negotiate and my ass also has a hard time sitting on the narrow saddle which does not have any extra cover. A gel seat cover (Rs 480 at the firefox showroom) is a must buy!

The progress becomes harder but I keep on going in the heat. Next halt is at Belapur CBD below the flyover. Its a deja vu kind of a moment : last time I'd had a short nap after being exasperated due to the heat. This time, I decide against resting and start within ten minutes. The final leg of the ride is unarguably the toughest and a real test. The heat is very much, the road is wide and open (no thrill in cycling) and there is no tree cover.

The next halt is at Airoli for water. The one I am carrying is too hot due to the elements, but has to consumed. I cross over the 2 km bridge relatively easily and find an oasis-like place. A cool shade on the Mulund-end of the bridge with a soda seller's cart. Ten minutes and five lemon sodas later, I start moving Thane and reach home by 1330!

Cycle behaved very well, I saved on time as compared to the ride in the month of May on Swing SE. Only problem experienced with the bike : gear shifting. The chain also came off twice when the gears were lowered. I think its time for a visit to the mechanic.