Long Classic rides
After doing a Bangalore-Mysore ride with a learner's license, I have been waiting for the driving license to do really long rides on my Classic. Finally, I passed the test and got the license just 2 days before Auroville Marathon in Pondicherry on 14th Feb. I immediately canceled the train tickets and made plans to go to Pondicherry via Chennai and meet some friends also in Chennai.
One of my dear colleagues (now an ex-colleague) got to know about the plan and suggested to take one more along, as the bike was new and I was also new to long rides. Another colleague, Pradeep, who was going to Chennai canceled his tickets and offered to accompany me. We rode one hour each alternately and reached Vellore (en route Chennai) by night and stayed there for that night. Reached Chennai next morning and met some old buddies. Headed for Pondicherry, after picking one more marathon runner from IMSc(a co-cyclist in Goa trip), via the beautiful East Coast Road over-looking Bay of Bengal. Our first impression about Pondicherry was, 'Ah ! back to Goa', with beaches, booze and babes. But, only after entering the Auroville Ashram (Aurobindo ashram owned and maintained by a group of French), we got to know that there was a lot more to it. It seems, they bought some waste land (1000s of acres) and converted it into a self sustainable one with organic farming, cattle sheds, small scale industries etc., Though maintained by the French, a lot of locals are involved in day-to-day activities. The ashram people came up with a beautiful off-road route for the marathon and have been organizing the event for the last 3 years. The marathon route was just great through Auroville forest, most of it covered by tall trees that keep the route shady (though it was very hot and humid, even at 7 AM). There were around 1000 runners, I guess (300+ from Bangalore alone). I started riding back to Chennai, right after the run and reached Chennai by evening. Pradeep joined for the return trip too and we reached Bangalore by next morning with night halt at Vellore.
I quit HP on 19th Feb and took a week's break before joining Blue Coat on 1st March. That week gave me a chance for another long ride, this time alone. I came up with a quadrilateral with a 1500 KM circumference (partially overlapping with the Golden Quadrilateral). Bangalore -> Tirupathi -> Guntur -> Hyderabad -> Bangalore. Visited my home town and my little darling en route. High light of the ride is the 600 KM last leg, from Hyderabad to Bangalore, which I initially thought of doing in two days, but finished in a 6 AM to 6 PM, 12 hour straight ride. Thanks to NHAI, the roads were just great. At many places work is in progress, so, one has to slow down completely. I think, in a year or two, we will have world class roads.
Observations:
* Contrary to the popular belief (or at least my belief), Truck drivers are the most well behaved on high-ways. The vehicles that come from adjacent villages and towns are the most dangerous, with some nuts in front of the wheels.
* Software engineers (and their look-a-likes) and BPO cab drivers are the worst on road, with least tolerance and with their self impressed elitism.
* Safest thing to do on high-ways, when you see 2 vehicles trying to settle scores is, slow down, hum a nice song and let them finish, and then first overtake the looser and then overtake the winner. Of course, you should have at least a 350CC bike for that ;)
One of my dear colleagues (now an ex-colleague) got to know about the plan and suggested to take one more along, as the bike was new and I was also new to long rides. Another colleague, Pradeep, who was going to Chennai canceled his tickets and offered to accompany me. We rode one hour each alternately and reached Vellore (en route Chennai) by night and stayed there for that night. Reached Chennai next morning and met some old buddies. Headed for Pondicherry, after picking one more marathon runner from IMSc(a co-cyclist in Goa trip), via the beautiful East Coast Road over-looking Bay of Bengal. Our first impression about Pondicherry was, 'Ah ! back to Goa', with beaches, booze and babes. But, only after entering the Auroville Ashram (Aurobindo ashram owned and maintained by a group of French), we got to know that there was a lot more to it. It seems, they bought some waste land (1000s of acres) and converted it into a self sustainable one with organic farming, cattle sheds, small scale industries etc., Though maintained by the French, a lot of locals are involved in day-to-day activities. The ashram people came up with a beautiful off-road route for the marathon and have been organizing the event for the last 3 years. The marathon route was just great through Auroville forest, most of it covered by tall trees that keep the route shady (though it was very hot and humid, even at 7 AM). There were around 1000 runners, I guess (300+ from Bangalore alone). I started riding back to Chennai, right after the run and reached Chennai by evening. Pradeep joined for the return trip too and we reached Bangalore by next morning with night halt at Vellore.
I quit HP on 19th Feb and took a week's break before joining Blue Coat on 1st March. That week gave me a chance for another long ride, this time alone. I came up with a quadrilateral with a 1500 KM circumference (partially overlapping with the Golden Quadrilateral). Bangalore -> Tirupathi -> Guntur -> Hyderabad -> Bangalore. Visited my home town and my little darling en route. High light of the ride is the 600 KM last leg, from Hyderabad to Bangalore, which I initially thought of doing in two days, but finished in a 6 AM to 6 PM, 12 hour straight ride. Thanks to NHAI, the roads were just great. At many places work is in progress, so, one has to slow down completely. I think, in a year or two, we will have world class roads.
Observations:
* Contrary to the popular belief (or at least my belief), Truck drivers are the most well behaved on high-ways. The vehicles that come from adjacent villages and towns are the most dangerous, with some nuts in front of the wheels.
* Software engineers (and their look-a-likes) and BPO cab drivers are the worst on road, with least tolerance and with their self impressed elitism.
* Safest thing to do on high-ways, when you see 2 vehicles trying to settle scores is, slow down, hum a nice song and let them finish, and then first overtake the looser and then overtake the winner. Of course, you should have at least a 350CC bike for that ;)