On April-4 -2009 i got a new cycle- Firefox 'Bad Attitude'. So i booked the Government Guest House for two peole at Nandi Hills for 18th April. I BADLY wanted to cycle till Nandi hill's top.. the Tippu Drop, to test my stamina!. This thought had been doing rounds in my head ryt from my Engg college days!
Myself and Subba were supposed to cycle on that day..however on 16th, Subba fell sick and i decided that i will go all alone!. Through Ramakishore, i came to know about Suresh an Ex-ISRO employee currently working in Bosch. He was willing to join me!
On 18th Morning, i started from my house in BCC Layout, Near Attiguppe, Vijayanagar at 6 AM. I hit the Magadi road-> Okalipuram and in 20 min, i was in Sampige Road bridge, where i witnessed a beautiful Sunrise.
I took another 20 minutes to cycle till Hebbal Flyover where i saw the Beautiful birds flying over the Hebbal lake. I hit the National Highway-7 , the Hyderabad Road.
I waited for Suresh from about 645 AM till 715 AM. He came cycling in his TREK 3700 bike. After some talk abt each others bikes and work, we started off.
The Advantage for us was, for almost the whole trip towards Nandi Hills, we could cycle freely in the Service Road. I easily cycled in my 2nd and 7th Gear combination (front n rear)!
The road was good!, it was quite easy to cycle on. Within 10 minutes we crossed Yelahanka, our discussions abt office politics, went on parallely!
We ate some Seedless Dates in Between as well..
We crossed the Devanahalli Airport Entrance, it was around 830AM. We stopped at a nearby Tea Shop and Had two Tender Coconut's each. That was supposed to be our breakfast after having cycled for about 35km from our respective homes!!
At 9AM or so we proceeded towards Chikballapura, On the way we saw Tipu Sultan's Birthplace and Venkatagiri Kote. At 920AM we were at the Nandi Hills Road Junction. The base of Nandi hills was about 8-9 km from this point. I was feeling a bit tired coz it was getting hotter every moment!
We crossed the railway track, and we could see the Nandi Hills and Tippu Drop from the 6km distance. It looked good!. As we cycled nearer, it was getting bigger and bigger.. i started getting doubts whether i would be able to cycle till the top as i was already feeling a bit tired. Moreover i had cycled over 50 km till now.
My Previous best record was only 30 km, that too in the ULTRA FLAT Roads of Sriharikota, Andra Pradesh where i took a bicyle ride to See the First and Second Launchpad with my Good Friend Abhishek Mandal!
We reached Nandi Hills Base at 10 AM. It was looking Big, really Big.. i mean while trekking we definetly see bigger mountains.. but in this one i would be cycling up..which i feel is a bit more difficult than Trekking up (Mountaineering is a different story!).
I was feelin a bit tired. However, I was also surprised that we were at the base of Nandi hills after only 4 hours of cycling from our respective localities!!!
We had Fruit Juice and started immediately.
The distance would be 10km to the summit, 2km of gradual uphill and 8km of Ghat section. After 1 km of cycling, we saw a famer watering his crops, he was kind enough to give us water for refreshing ourselves. We proceeded untill we got into the Ghat section.
We started, i was in my first gear.. my goodness with 200-300 metres i felt totally drained, and this guy Suresh had immense stamina and was almost 400 meters ahead of me!
Some how i cycled for the next 1km and met up with him, He was waiting for me.
We had 6.5 km more of uphill, and the time was around 1045 AM. We had taken 30 minutes to cycle up just 2.5KM (uphill)!!!
He was also feeling tired, and unlike me he wanted to return to Bangalore on the same day, so we decided that he will return back to Bangalore and i will stay in the guest House at the top. We bid goodbye's to each other and he left for bangalore and reached his home at 245pm. He's got loads of Stamina.
I rested there for ONE HOUR! Coz i was afraid of getting a muscle pull!
I was listening quitely to the chirping of birds and fluttering of Eucalyptus Tree leaves. Occasionally a Car/Bus would pass by. The people in car/bus used to stare at me and my cycle as though they were looking at 'an Alien with a man-made cycle!!!'
I then cycled for another 2km, and that was it.. could not cyle anymore. I got down and pushed my cycle uphill!
There were a good number of Hairpin bends, and the Sun God was merciless, considering that he and i are of the same birth Star (Anuradha/Anusham Nakshatra).
After about 1 km , again there was a level road of 150 meters, i cycled there only to find a huge hairpin bend leading to a 30-40 degress inclined road.. "Goodness me" i thought and i got down and pushed for 1 more km.
Finally, after exhausting all my water filled with Electral and Glucose, i cylced the last 500m to reach the top!
I felt as though my conquest was greater than scaling up Mt Everest. A lady up there came to me and asked "where are you coming from?"
I replied proudly "Vijayanagar, Bangalore".
"Oh my God!!!! ..... Son, Are you Mad and dont you have any work?" she asked.
What a horrible reception at the Summit!!!,Grrrrrrrrrr- I thought.
'' No, Aunty, I like cycling", I politely replied and parked my cycle at the Parking lot.
Just then i saw 2 guys in thier Merida Cycles starting thier way back! .. "WoW " i thought!
I went to the guest house to Meet Mr Rajanna, Officer of Guest House Nandi Hills. I gave him the Guest House Reciept for a room for 2 people.
He asked "Where is the Other Person?"
"He could Not Join me" I said
After a moment he snapped "Ohh i know you guys, you will say he cunt join and stuff like that and take the room so that you can bring your girl friend in here when no body is around, i cant give the room to you.. "
I was stunned!! Man is he crazy or what
"Hello sir, i have booked the room and have come from Bangalore cycling, i cant go back today as i am tired ! "
He says "My boy, i have seen many people like you, Now please go away"
He thinks i am lying and i got pissed off!
i flash out my ISRO govt ID card and Say "look Sir, This not the way things should happen, i am Central Govt Employee, you should give me a proper explaination why you cant give me a Room"
He was Stunned "Sir, Sorry ...Sir .. I am sorry.. you can have the room, I was not aware. There have been cases of Suicide by Old men @ Tippu Drop who come here on pretext of staying alone. And also we have got some police cases where youngsters like you come asking for a Single room, so that they can spend the night here with thier GF's "
'My goodness, so thats why he was concerned .. anyways he only did his duty' I thought
'No problem sir, you can call my Parents and ask details about me' I gave my dad and mom's number. He got convinced and apologised to me and gave me a Room without calling up my DAD :)
I had lunch and slept in my Room, under a Creaking Fan from 230 - 430 pm.
430pm, i had a nice bath and walked till Tippu Drop. I sat there silently. Only companion i had was my conscience!
I loved the feeling of silently sitting there with the wind unsettling my hair and watching the eagles, flying below me!
At 630 after Sunset i went to my Room, and meditated for 30 minutes and by 715 had my dinner!
From 745-830pm , i wrote my personal diary. I then went to sleep. It was a chilly Night!
I woke up to my mobile's Alram at 5AM. Refreshed myself for 15 minutes. There was a garden in front of my Guest House, i meditated there from 530-555AM, and needless to say my Mind was @ Peace! I was thinking whether the Oygen level on the hill top was 100% or what? hmm what a pure air!
I left the Nandi hill top at sharp 6AM, and believe me.. i could touch a speed of over 60km. First time i used my 3rd Gear in the front. It was an awesome feeling.. as i went down i felt all the yesterdays hard work was getting paid in this wonderful ride downhill!
I saw the milestone 59km to Bangalore, and i thought i hav a hard task at cycling 68km to my home!
I stopped just before the end of the Ghat section where i could see the Sun Rise between 2 hills, one on the left being Nandi Betta! "Wow man ..what a day its gonna be" i thought!!
I overtook a guy in his motorbike untill i met the End of Ghat Section, i cycled non-stop till i crossed the Railway Track and hit the National Highway-7. The sight of NH-7 was a welcoming,
The roads looked very wide, and service road looked as though the Govt built this 300 Crore Rupees road for me to cycle on it!! I Imagined that the Tax i pay to government went to this road's construction! With this imagination i cycled with PRIDE!
Had my glucose and water , rested for 5 minutes n i cycled NON-STOP for about 35km untill i reached Yelahanka Junction. Here i thought i will cycle in the main road, and did so.
There was an over-bridge after the Yelahanka Junction, i cycled up and speedily came down.. a Service road almost parallely joined this junction ..
i crossed it and was happily cycling when i heard a loud horn behind! i turned back ..only to see a 70km/hr Bus missing me by a FOOT distance .. i felt like being pulled towards the bus coz of Bernoulli's principle!!
"IDIOT", I said to myself
"FOOOL, MORON" the Driver and Conductor of the Bus Shouted in acknowledgment ..
"Its high time that i believe in God" i thought!
Cursing myself, i cycled till Hebbal. Where i had 2 tender coconuts. It was 9AM. Called my home and told my dad that i would have breakfast at home by 1030AM
Sure enough i reached home by 1040AM. It was a very satisfying experience, only that i had a bit of Backache, and of course Buttock ache.
However the enduring journey of abt 140km will remain close to my heart for all the right and wrong(Rajanna @ Guest house for his Girl Frind allegations and A bus missing me by a foot!) reasons
Overall The Summary is
First Day
6AM ; Departed from myu home
7AM: Hebbal Lake
715AM-830AM: Devanahalli
9-10AM: Nandi Hills Base -almost 60km from Home
10AM-1PM: 10km Uphill
On the hindsight if we leave our homes at 5AM, we can reach the NH-07 by sunrise. And Nandi Hills Base by 830AM itself.
The whole trip can be achieved in One day itself. Hope to try it out one day!
Next trip is Manchanbelle Dam and Toorhalli .. Anyone Interested?
