What started as an exploratory
long ride by our group in 2011 from Chennai to Rameshwaram has become an annual
ritual for Southernriders. After conquering Tamilnadu and Kerala in our
previous rides, it was time to look west in 2014. And what better way to accomplish
that by cycling all the way to Party Capital of India, Goa in time to bask in
the New Year revelries and ushering in 2015!!
The planning for every year’s
ride starts around the months of Sep-Oct and 2014 was no different. A few
discussions and mail chains later we zeroed in on Bangalore- Goa route! It was going to be bigger and better this
time since we had to cover 640 kms in 5 days! Most of us had gone back to our
sedentary lifestyle and were not in a shape to cover such long distance unless
we had to buckle up and start practicing hard. We somehow managed to fit in a
few weekend rides of 70 – 100 kms and tried to accustom ourselves to the
routine of riding 120+ kms in a day. The days rolled by and soon we were into
the last week of December, ready and excited to begin the 2014 Annual ride.
Day 1 (Bangalore – Sira, Distance: 119 kms)
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| Day 1, Getting ready to flag off from Bangalore City Railway Station |
Our plan was to assemble on the
morning of 25th December 2014 at Bangalore City Railway station. The
guys from Chennai had arrived by train well in time. However, the start was
delayed since my bus from Trivandrum trundled into Bangalore only by 9:30 am.
After a quick shower and bite, we checked all our cycles for the grueling ride
ahead. It was unusually warm and by the time we had started, it was 11.45 am
with the sun well and truly shining over our heads, not an ideal time to start
your first day of the ride. Negotiating the Bangalore traffic was a tad
difficult and by 1:00 pm we were out on NH4 pedaling towards Tumkur. Though the
average speed of the group was good, the lack of tree cover on a 4 lane
National Highway was proving to be tough with the 20 kg pannier bags. With
adequate stops for hydrating ourselves we made it to Tumkur by 4 pm and had a
late lunch. After an hour’s break, we had to cover the remaining 50 kms in 3
hrs before it got dark. The temperatures quickly plummeted after sunset and
riding in the dark with the cold wind whistling past our ears was a different
challenge in itself. By 8 pm, the group made it to Sira and checked into a
hotel. Being a holiday and a small town, it was difficult finding a place to
eat. Luckily, we bumped into a roadside makeshift hotel for some delicious Idly’s
and Dosa and quickly retired for the day.
Day 2 (Sira – Davangere, Distance: 143 kms)
The second day’s target of Davangere was quite a
stiff one and we had to pedal the next 143 kms on NH4 to Davangere. We realized
the hard way that traveling in cars on a highway at triple digit speeds might
be fun, but pedaling under the hot sun without any cover made us loathe these
highways in spite of the smooth surface. We started pedaling by 8 am and plan
was to have breakfast after covering at least 40 kms to Hiriyur. The steep
bills at a roadside Dhaba did not deter us and we ate to our heart’s content.
However, the restart was delayed as Ragavendra had puncture and we had to fix
it and start from Hiriyur only by 11:30 am.
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| Day 2: Fixing Ragavendra's Flat Tyre near Hiriyur |
The hot sun and the rolling
gradient between Hiriyur and Chitradurga split our group into 3 different
batches. I kept pedaling and little did I realize that I had left my friends
far behind. By 2 pm, I made it into Chitradurga and waited for the riders to
regroup. Since I had a little bit of time, I decided to check out the famous
Chitradurga castle. Chitradurga gets its name from Chitrakaldurga (or Picturesque
castle), an umbrella-shaped lofty hill found here.
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| Day 2: Chitradurga Fort enroute to Davangere |
The fort has quite a bit of
history from Mahabharata days to the colonial rule. It was a good visit to the
historic fort and by the time I finished checking out the fort, it was 4 pm and
the other riders caught up as well. Since most of us had skipped lunch, we had
a longish supper and were ready to start only by 5:30 pm. We had another 60 kms
to cover for the day and the light was quickly fading. Few of us were unsure
about riding in the dark and we quickly decided to split into 2 groups with one
group pedaling quickly to Davangere to find accommodation and the others to
catch up later. Riding in the dark on a highway with high speed traffic
fighting with us for road space was a nerve wracking experience, but luckily
the cool breeze made things a bit easier and the group reached Davangere safely
by 9 pm. Finding a hotel was difficult as Davangere was a bigger town and the
holiday season meant that hotels were full. After an hour of searching, we
found a hotel, albeit a bit pricey. By the time we finished dinner it was past
11 pm, and we were recounting our experiences for the day and decided that we
need to start early the next day to tackle the highways and hot sun.
Day 3 (Davangere – Hubli, Distance: 150 kms)
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| Day 3: Fixing Viswas Flat tyre before Hubli |
The plan as usual was to start
early but again we missed our target and started only by 7:30 am. (Missed our
captain Palani here, who ensured that we were awake early during our previous
annual rides). It was a slightly pleasant day and the country roads from
Davangere to Harihar were a welcome respite to the monotonous highways. After
breakfast from roadside eatery at Harihar consisting of some delicious hot
paniyarams (paddu in Kannada), we again caught up with NH4 to Hubli. Things
didn't go as planned as it was unusually hot during the day slowing our
progress. 3 more flat tyres and one after sunset made things more difficult and
finally we dragged ourselves and checked in around 9 pm at Hubli. Nevertheless
even amidst these hiccups it was an enjoyable day. Viswas had to return back to
Bangalore due to official commitments leaving us without a local guy in our
group.
Day 4 (Hubli – Ramnagar, Distance: 84.4 kms)
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| Day 4: A Jaggery preparation site near Ramnagar, Karnataka |
Started from Hubli at 10 am due
to fatigue from doing 145+ kms on the previous 2 days. Plan was to reach
Kanapur but after discussion with some locals we changed it to Ramnagar about
85 kms from Hubli. The initial 24 kms stretch to Dharwad in the hot sun was
quite sapping, little did we know that things would change and the ghat section
from Dharwad to Ramnagar was a welcome break. The sun playing hide and seek
from tree canopies, the dense forests and the villages of rural Karnataka were
a stark contrast to the highways. Few of us were lucky enough to see jaggery
preparation from sugar and had a litre of sugarcane juice for Rs. 20. Overall a
good day and the push to cross the forest section before dark enabled us to
complete the ride by 6.30 pm
Day 5 (Ramnagar – Majorda (Goa), Distance: 129 kms)
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| Day 5: Finally entered the State of Goa after 4 days of pedaling! |
After cycling 600+ kms we finally
reached Goa. The last stretch of 100+ kms today wasn't as easy as we had
expected. The 20 km stretch from Ramnagar to Anmod was a potholed stretch which
was bone shattering. Thereafter the altitude reduced drastically from 2000ft to
400 ft. in a stretch of 10 kms where we attained speeds of 50+ kmph. All in all
it was an eventful day and we reached our resort in Majorda, South Goa by 4.30.
A satisfying feeling nevertheless!
Each year the ride keeps getting
better. Interacting with people from all walks of life (farmers, day workers,
school students, businessmen etc.) helps us get a different perspective of
life. Most of them of are curious to know as to why we do this; few get
inspired as well to take up cycling. Anyways, for us it was a welcome break and
something to reflect upon and bring some variety to the routine life we all
undergo. This year’s ride was no different as well and the icing on the cake
was celebrating the New Year at Goa! Hope you enjoyed reading our cycling
escapade and keep watching this space for more ride updates
Few more clicks from our ride...
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| Day 4. Southernriders ready to start from Hubli |
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| Day 3. On a Bridge near harihar |
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| Day 4. Our star rider, Siva Sir posing near Ramnagar |
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| Day 5. The famous Zuari River in Goa |
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| Day 5. Some unusual sights on the eve of Christmas |
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| Day 5. Sunset at Majorda Beach, Goa |
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| Team relaxing with a boat ride at Palolem Beach |
Check it out our
gallery for more photos!!!
For those who don’t know, Yonge Street has a bit of history. It once held the Guinness World Record for being the longest street in the world at 1,896 km (1,178 miles), though today, it's "only" about 85 km from Barrie to downtown Toronto. When you throw in some connecting roads, though, the total ride stretches to around 100 km—making it a proper century ride. Yonge Street was originally built by the British in the 18th century as a military road to connect Toronto to the northern Great Lakes, and now it’s a key artery in Toronto’s road system—a symbol of endurance and connection across Ontario.
Then the weather turned on me. What was supposed to be a cool day quickly became a scorcher. I started to feel dehydrated, and my thighs were sending me reminders that they had their limits. Thankfully, I spotted a Tim Hortons and made my first pit stop. (Pro tip: only start a long ride if you know where your next Tims is!)
And then... came the hills. Oh man, those hills. The stretch from East Gwillimbury to Richmond Hill was like a cyclist's nightmare—steep climbs, one after the other. My pace slowed to a painful 10 km/h. When I hit Richmond Hill, it was already 5:30 p.m., and I was way behind schedule for my planned GO train ride back to Union Station.
But, just as I was starting to think I wouldn’t make it, the ride smoothed out. What goes up must come down, right? From Richmond Hill onwards, it was mostly downhill. I cruised into downtown Toronto, rolling into the Harbourfront by 8:30 p.m. I was utterly spent but injury-free, and more importantly, satisfied. This century ride had been everything I’d hoped for—a perfect mix of challenge and achievement.
