Lead up to the ride
Usually trip logs are penned down within a week or two of culmination of the trip, but then this wasnt just another ride. I am referring to Rider Mania- an annual pilgrimage that we crazy riders embark on :) (That said each ride is special and I fondly remember each and everyone of them.) The week long ride that I was going to embark on would start from Delhi
Pay a visit to the mechanic-thorough check up of my Std 350
Saddle bag packed- some spares(tube,sparkplug,chain link,throttle and clutch cables), documents,woolens and some trivial stuff.
By late evening, the excitement levels had reached a crescendo. Never before had I set out on a ride of this magnitude in terms of the sheer distance. Add to it the possibility of riding in the fog. A cursory glance from my window at 5 in the morning confirmed that(heavy fog).
Day 1: Ghaziabad-Gurgaon-Manesar-Jaipur-Bhilwara
Got ready, saddled my steed, called up Saurabh from Royal Beasts. (I was riding with the Beasters, the Bullet club of Delhi). The assembly point was Iffco Chowk off the Gurgaon Delhi expressway.The poor visibility slowed the progress and I caught up with Karan(Beaster) around Manesar(rather he caught me up :D, he does 100-110+ consistently). Even at eight there was no letting up - be it the fog or the cold. Despite the gear and woolens' inside, we were all cold. Stopped for a late breakfast at a dhaba and we were off again. The roads were in great shape as one would expect from the Golden Quadrilateral.
By the time we had reached Jaipur the fog had lifted and the sun was out. The group's speed picked up and we were crusing at 80-100 clicks.
Crossed Udaipur, Ajmer. The plan was to do a night halt at Bhilwara. By the time we checked in the hotel at Bhilwara, it was past 8.
A sumptuous dinner followed by deep slumber- a good riding day given the fog and cold. Covered distance of 400 odd kms.
Day 2: Bhilwara-Udaipur-Ajmer-Ahmedabad-WIMWI
Got up early in the morning, had breakfast; by eight we were on the highway. As the day got on and with the mercury rising,we could no longer do 200kms at a stretch. Had to break at every 100 kms or so to cool the engines down. The plan was to be in Vadodora by nightfall. By evening, we were close to entering Gujrat. The searing afternoon sun had taken a toll on my contact lens and my progress was hampered. Not wanting to slow the group down, I asked them to go ahead. Then it struck me that I could meet my brother at his IIM-A campus. At 7, we were sitting in his hostel dorm chatting away animatedly. (Ofcourse, my folks back in Doon didnt know a word. I was supposedly in my campus at IMT then!!). Was super spending quality time with my bro; we were lucky that his next day was relaxed which is an exception there for the 'fucchas' and my eyes got the much needed rest.
Day 3: WIMWI-Vadodara- Dahanu
To catch up with the group, I left the campus at six. With the heat of Rajasthan behind me, I caught up with the group after Vadodora around eight or so.
As we got closer to Maharashta the arid landscape gave way to denser vegetation with the occasional coconut tree popping up in the eyeline. The plan was to be in Dahanu by nightfall. Its a village some 30 odd kms from our destination-Vikramgarh. The evening was beautiful.
The ride off the NH-8 towards Dahanu was kickass- plenty of curves - a rider's road. We reached the hotel before it got dark without any incident or so we thought. Just as we were unsaddling, a police constable walks up and demands- who are we, where are we headed and why were we "riding so fast" . Apparently a few villagers got "scared" hearing the high decibels levels and had tipped off the police. The constable maintains he had blown his whistle to stop us , but we didnt( who would hear a whistle when you have a horde of 20 enfields thumping away :) After a half an hour long explanation, the constable let us off after verifying our documents. We werent terrorists afterall :) Dont blame them for being vigilant. Republic day was around the corner. Anyway, we checked in, relaxed, gorged on good food and hit the sack.
Day 4: Dhanu-Manor-Vikramgarh
The morning sun was bright and this was the day we were riding for - RMX was to kick off and as we zeroed in on the destination, stopped for one last time for breakfast. The breakfast talk centred on the entry strategy. The newbies of the club(Royal Beasters) were shown how to get the beat right 1-2. 1-2-3-4 Beasters' style. I missed my club here and just watched the guys do their rhythm opening their throttles all in sync. And thereafter we entered Vikramgarh.
By the time we got there, we were a little late and most of the clubs had already made their entry. It was nice to meet folks from RTMC upon reaching the venue. We were all staying in a dorm and it was fun to listen to the stories of the riders. There was a gamut of events spread across the two days(Saturday and Sunday). Events need to be read as motorcycling events and anything else would amount to slander! From assembly wars to dirt track race, from beer drinking competitions to arm wrestling, it was one carnival atmosphere that can be found only in an RM. The last night had the club presentations(basically its what the club is about) and it was good fun participating in the RTMC skit. Great script and acting Deep $hit, Anubami & Co. The message was clear- Caman the Enjaiment all the way.
Day 5: Vikramgarh - Manor - Vadodara -Ahmedabad -Udaipur
Monday morning and it was time time to bid adieu. (I had to get back as soon as possible to avoid grade losses for being absent during classes) I set off early morning with with a couple of Beasters who had to get resume office duties earlier than others. The plan was to cover the entire distance(Vikramgarh - Delhi) in two days with the night halt at Udaipur. That meant we had to do 700+ kms on each of the two days. Being a small group, there were fewer stops and we did good consistent speeds and I say we with a hint of pride. Here I was riding with the two Thunderbirds and my Std 350 kept up throughout and sometimes even setting the pace. It was only when Amy decided to open the throttle after crossing Ahmedabad and went patrang at over 120 clicks did I fall behind. The late evening ride on NH 8 was fantastic. By the time we checked in a hotel at Udaipur it was past 10. We had done over 850 kms in he day. Personally I prefer riding in smaller groups. The bonding that develops is great The discussions over meals at dhabas; you have to be part of a ride to experience it.
Day 6: Udaipur- Ajmer- Jaipur- Fog(40 kms off Gurgaon)
Day 2 of the return leg was another long riding day. There was a stretch on NH-8 that was under construction enroute to Ajmer. We missed the NH 79 turn (which would have been faster) and average speeds dropped because we were no longer on a six lane highway. We reduced the stoppages and we were nearing Jaipur by 4 in the evening. We stopped by for a bite and cup of tea at a dhaba. We could almost smell Delhi from here -250 odd kms to go. We were back on the highway and as the evening gave way to darkness, we still did good speeds though traffic was considerably more given the proximity to Delhi.
As we got closer to Manesar, we encountered fog on our way and that slowed down our speeds to below 40. It was too thick to see the vehicle in front of me. There were traffic jams.(Incidentally that evening had more fog than any of the nights in that week when I find out later). Jaypreet, my fellow rider was going to halt at Gurgaon at a friend's but I had to go all the way to Ghaziabad (additional 70 kms from Gurgaon). I decided to call it a night and stopped by at a dhaba. Told Jaypreet about my decision and he asked me to stay with him at his friend's place. But I didnt want to continue in the fog and he had to be in office the next day, so we parted here. It was super riding with both of you-JP and Amy. Had dinner at the dhaba and the dhaba owner was nice enough to give me a bed behind his counter where I could crash.
Day 7: 40 kms off Gurgaon- IMT Ghaziabad
Next morning when I offered to pay him for the bed, he refused to accept the payment. All the skeptics who talk at length about missing Indian culture, egalitarian values, need to look beyond the cities to get a wider perspective. They will find that the virtues still remain, people are still warm; kindness is not totally gone yet. Anyway, while leaving, the fog was still there at eight in the morning but much lower in intensity. I thanked the dhaba owner for his warmth and saddled my steed and I was off. Reached my hostel at 10 in the morning. Felt surreal to get back to reality.
3000+ kms of hardcore riding.
By far the craziest week of my life!
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