Ah! quite a catchy title I came up with, but honestly that’s
how it has been. One of the two good things that happened to me due to moving
my base to Pune is cycling. The other thing I would leave unmentioned due to
third party involvement.
So, first question that must be coming to you is what made
me take up cycling? Well, like many other things that have happened to me, here
as well the answer is same, “Abhishek Upadhyay”. Most people reading my blog must be knowing
this celebrity and will agree that this person dramatically influences your
thinking ability and can sometimes make you do things that you would not do or
at-least you would not like to do. For
ex: On a weekend you would like to sleep, but this guy would wake you up and
take you on an unplanned trek and you will not have a chance to refuse.
When I moved to Pune I was told, cycling keeps you fit and
will help you lose your paunch. And within a month I got my bicycle – a Fantom
MTB 6000 with 21 speed gears and disc brakes…Oooo la la!! Who bought it for me?
Yes, correct “Abhishek” is the right answer again. And since then I am cycling
to my office. Nothing has happened to my
paunch as such, but I have saved a lot over petrol :D.
I was at Abhishek’s place for the weekend and it was decided
that we would go for a cycle ride in the morning. I said fine, thinking it
would be just regular round and we will be back even before we sweat as the
weather was really nice and cool.
So, Saturday morning we started, the pro cyclist and the
newbie. Abhishek, bought a lot of cycling gear from his recent trip to Bangalore.
Once he was suited up, I was feeling like an idiot wearing shorts, collared
t-shirt and sandals. Now I am thinking he wanted to test all the gear he bought
and that’s why we went on this ride. Well
anyways we started off and like a good host he asked me, off-road or city ride.
Unaware what was coming, I opted for off-road thinking we would go to some
nearby location and come back. So,
off-road it was.
Starting at 9:30 am from The Parkland, I began following the
pro cyclist. We came to Pune-Mumbai Highway and turned towards the Balewaadi
stadium. We took a by-lane and started our off-road trail entering into
Mahalunge Village. The roads were broken, muddy and covered with overflowing
water due to the heavy rains that continued over last week, but more than that
the village was full of greenery and it was really soothing (who knew what was
coming up, well Abhishek knew). I was enjoying the scenic beauty cycling slowly
as Abhishek was showing all the stuff around. From a distance he showed the IT
park at Hinjewaadi and as we moved further we saw the beauty of nature was at
its best. Hill ranges laden with greenery and white clouds covering the top of
the hills, it was like we were in some hill station.
Moving further we took a turn towards Nande village and we
had already done eleven kilometers. We followed the Mula river for about
two-three kilometers and were pondering that about two weeks ago there wasn’t
any water and now the river was flowing with full force. Though the water was
still muddy but it was a view. I was missing my camera, but had to keep up with
the pro so just kept pushing forward.
In a few kilometers we crossed two more villages Mulkhed and
Ghotawade. Somewhere in Ghotawade we took a left turn towards Mulshi. As
Abhishek was guiding I didn’t pay much heed to what road we were taking. He had
already done it twice. Here was slight up-hill patch and I being the newbie
fell back. But I kept pushing and once we were again on a normal track I caught
up with the pro, my bro Abhishek. Then this guy did what even the enemies don’t
do. He told, the patch that we just climbed up was not even the trailer of what
lies ahead, and he told me with bright, smiling face. It was the “WTF” moment,
but being the good friend I am, I said OK, buddy no problem.
And then came the dreaded moment, the uphill climb somewhere
near Pirangut. I tried, tried my best but I had to get off my bicycle and walk
the next three and half kms with cycle in my hand. Abhishek, trudging slowly
already reached the top of the hill and since wasn’t able to find me behind
him, came all the way down to keep me company. Now that’s what a friend does,
isn’t it?
Well, the reward was coming down the hill, not a single
pedal and we were cruising at a speed 50kms/hr. In no time we crossed Chandni chowk and
reached Bavdhan. We halted for a coffee break and had already done 33 kilometers.
After a sumptuous breakfast and coffee, we started our trail again. Now the
ride was much easier, mostly down the hill.
In another hour, we were home, full of sweat, dirt and a
feeling of achievement. The milometer
showed that we did 47.5 kms in about three and half hours which according to
Abhishek wasn’t bad. He said, hopefully in the second round we could improve
it, as then I would probably not get down my bike as I would be aware of the
uphill climb (huh, I am not going to his place for another month, leave alone
the second round).
All that said, will have to admit, that it was a good
experience. Enjoyed it (in parts).
Looking forward to more.
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