RIDE….ON….
- Ajay Dongre,
Teacher, Electronic Technology
FLASHBACK
For most of
us Cycle is the first vehicle we learn to handle, mostly in childhood. I have
nice memories of my school days cycling escapades in the Suburbs of Mumbai.
There were few students who would cycle to school every day, I was one of them.
Cycle was my priced possession and I would take great care of it. After school
I would go exploring the villages around my home and school. Another favorite
activity I enjoyed was fetching groceries and vegetables from the market; I
think I would have avoided this chore if cycling were not involved J . Those were the fantastic days!
PRESENT
“Kidhar se
ayaa re ? “, “where going man ?” , “Go man go….go fast…. you will come first”,
by now I am used to these questions, invariably in Hindi or English thrown at
me as I pedal on around Goa and little beyond. I love to see the expression on
questioner’s face when I respond to them in Konkani. For some reason when people
see you riding in full cycling gear they assume you are either racing or you
are a tourist. I am neither, I cycle just because I love cycling. I
occasionally participate in long distance (100Km, 200Km) endurance cycling
events organized by our club “Cycling Goa”.
I got hooked
on to cycling again some eight years ago. I say again because, I passed through
typical phase of scooters and motorcycles during college days and little later.
In 2007 I bought a cycle costing 14000/- , my friends laughed at me for spending
so much on a cycle (14000 was a big amount 8 years ago), now my friends realize
that it was a good “investment” and many of them have joined in. Within one
month of purchasing the I made a trip from Ponda to Sawantwadi covering 99Km in
6 hours. On that day as we would say in Konkani “tech disa mojhe cycliche poishe
bholae”. Later long distance cycling became addiction and I would regularly do
80 to 100Km rides.
Cycling has
become very popular in Goa and other cities across the country however, people
are still amused and wonder why would anyone just cycle if there is no race !
only a cyclist will know the pleasure of just cycling around and exploring new
places. Goa is blessed with natural beauty and good roads all across the state
(our highways are best left to motorized monsters). I always loved the interior
routes in south Goa, I had explored a lot of places in south Goa on my
motorbike earlier and when I bought a cycle I revisited these places and the
experience was very different. While riding a bicycle you feel every UP and
DOWN in the road. You also realize you have more muscle sets than you were
aware of, you take in more of the surroundings, your lungs are highly active
and you breathe in more fresh air, you feel exhilarated. Bicycle is a versatile
two wheeler and allows you to take on very narrow roads and pathways and
explore lesser know places, this would be difficult on motorbike and impossible
in a car.
“Bicycle is the only vehicle that runs on true biofuel”
While
surfing the net for more information on cycling I stumbled upon a cycling forum
called “Bikeszone” after registering on the forum I got connected to other
cyclists from India, on this forum I read about people doing century rides
(100Km) which is considered as the first big achievement for any new cyclist.
So I decided to give it a shot and did my First Century in 2010. The route I
chose was Ponda- Cortalim- Chicalim- Zuarinagar-
Casaulim-Majorda-Utorda-Colva-Margao-Chandor-Curtorim-Raia-Ponda. It took me
five and half hours to do this ride. On this ride I took one short break to
refuel on chapatti roles (Biofuel J ) that I had carried. I got my first
taste of endurance ride, doing such rides is not only physically challenging
but also mentally. This ride revealed the subtle beauty of Goa. The route from Casaulim to Colva and Chandor to Raia is a beautiful serene
stretch dotted with lakes and ponds. A lot of migratory birds land on these
water bodies during winter. Beautiful Portuguese styled houses give a unique
character to these places. Very less traffic on these roads, no rush, cool laid
back feel all over. It was very refreshing despite the physical strain.
Ponda to
Chandor via Curtorim became my favorite route for regular rides. Once you cross
Ponda region the terrain changes from hills to flats. The route after Borim Bridge
passes through Khazan land (backwaters). After Amora I leave the highway for
good and enter palm lined narrow road passing through fields and backwaters.
It’s a kind of a journey through a fraction of Goan history, Riding past the
400 year old Rachol Seminary and beautiful old houses continuing through open
fields you arrive at Cutorim lake that throws up a reflection of whitewashed St.
Alex church . A halt here is worth it watching Whistling Ducks, Cormorants and Gull
Billed Terns cruising over the waters. My ride turns around at 400 hundred year
old Braganza house at Chandor. The Braganza house is the largest house in Goa
and third largest in India. I never get enough of riding on this route !
Another
favourite route is Ponda to Dabal. A very challenging route with continuous ups
and downs, passing through thick jungle that is rich in biodiversity. On many
occasions I have spotted Gaur (Gavo Redo), wild boar (Raan Dukor) Hare (Soso)
and Jackals (kolo) on this route. Once I even heard a Leopard call. There is a
beautiful trail that starts at Nirancal passing through reserved forest and comes out at
Kodar, this is ideal for mountain biking.
Cycle riding
is not restricted to roads only, on a good mountain bike one can experience the
thrill of off roading. Collem to Dudhsagar, Trails in Mollem Sanctuary, Valpoi
to Krishnapur are some of the wonderfull off road experiences. I discovered a
lot of small off road trails around Ponda on my mountain bike.
A GROUP RIDE TO KARMALI
LAKE
Apart from
solo rides I join group rides on weekends. A group may range from 5 to 20
cyclists. The route is pre planned, often taking into consideration a nice
Bhaji-Mirchi spot for breakfast. On these rides we discovered small hotels serving
very good bhaji and mirchi. We get to interact with people who show great
interest and ask a lot of questions about our cycles; what is the price? Is it
imported? Etc. . On these rides I ended up making new friends and discovering
many more places.
WITH STUDENTS AND
FRIENDS
I remember
one group ride I did with my students to Bondla, half the time I was repairing
their cycles, one cycle’s seat came off, on the other the pedal fell off. one cycle
had a puncture. Two students got really tired so I had to pack them and their
cycles in a rickshaw and send them back to Ponda. However, it was a great
learning experience for all.
“Bicycle is a Curious vehicle, its passenger is it’s engine”
– John Howard
Touring on a
bicycle is a different ball game all together; I have read the stories of
people touring the world on their bicycles. I met one Retired professor (age 63
years) from University of London who has been visiting and riding across India
every year for the past 30 Years. I have also interacted with cyclists from
Bangalore, Pune, Nagpur who have toured India on a bicycle. Someday I too would
like to do a multiday tour of neighboring states if not a world tour
JOHN IRVINE FROM CYPRUS
TECHNICAL, NUTRITION, HYDRATION and
SAFETY
Bicycle is
the simplest human powered vehicle (HPV); however, like any other vehicle or a
machine the cycle also needs regular maintenance and servicing. Most regular
cyclists have learnt the basic skills of maintaining their cycle. The most
important skill that every cyclist needs to learn is changing the tube in the
tire and patching up a puncture. Regular riders know this and they carry, small
pump, spare tube and puncture repair kit on every ride. Since the rider is the
engine and engine needs fuel the cyclist needs to take care of Hydration and
nutrition during the ride, water is carried in bottles or in back packs,
banana, chikki, energy bar, dry fruits can be carried in the jersey pockets. A
cyclist needs to take the extra care for safety. Wearing a helmet, following
traffic rules, being alert and watching out for the stupidity on our roads, for
rides in the early morning and late evenings wearing reflective clothing, using
front and rear lights is a must.
Whether solo
ride, a group ride on road or off road ride and touring, cycling is fun and a
great learning experience, it teaches you to be self reliant, resourceful and
builds your physical and mental endurance. So, Get Out And Ride !!!
“Life is like riding a
bicycle. To keep the balance you must keep moving”
– Albert Einstein
