Monsoon riding - day 2

continued from here...

...day started a little later than planned. Having found the comfort of a bed, all 5 of us slept a little longer than we agreed to, last night. But we had distance to cover today and the condition of the bikes was not very good. After bidding the inmates of the guest house farewell, we mounted our bikes. Morning was dry and sun started smiling on us from behind the clouds. That was a good sign - we wanted a no rain day today. 1 person was already having cramps in his legs and we had about 70-80 kms to cover. Losing no time, we stated off without having any breakfast. Within an hour or two, it started drizzling which grew into rain pretty soon. The wind chill was making it even worse. But we had to ride. At about 11:00, we made out first pit-stop. We found a market area and decided to have our brunch - the only meal before we hit Pune later in the afternoon. Two of us decided to call rest of the ride off. The first one's bike gave in, the other's body. They hired a pick-up vehicle and post lunch, bid us farewell. The remaining 3 of us, determined on finishing the ride, got our bums back on the saddle. Now we were riding steadier but faster than before. We did stop occasionally to catch our breath, have a sip of water, to take a few photos or just, enjoy the greenery around. A few hours later, we were entering the city. The rain followed us on the hills but didn't find the city interesting enough so it turned its back on us. We bid the rain farewell and started riding towards home. The last 30kms through the city traffic and smoke was most painful. Riding in the city just is so uninspiring! Cursing the traffic and the smoke, we finally reached home, well in time. Still have some time to stretch my legs before I catch my night bus to Hyderabad.

This was a trip of a lifetime. If I say that this was one of the best I had till date, it wont be entirely incorrect. The beauty, challenges, uncertainties, the rain, wonderful people - all made up for a complete package. Somebody said that the journey is more important than the destination. In mountain biking, there are no destinations. There's a bike, a rider and a surface - to ride on.




p.s. - Not too many photos on this trip...was scared to take out the camera too often in the rain. For a change, no people shots and no 50mm :)
pictures from the trip