Cochin Bikers' Club: Evening Fun Ride-Palarivattam-ICT Road- Palarivattam-25th March 2012

I don’t know about Hollywood, but there are exactly 2835 movies in Bollywood which has this ‘lost and found love’ as its core theme. You know, pichile janam ka prem, family reunions, Sita-Gita, Amar Akbar Anthony kind of stuff. But yesterday, on 25^th of March 2012, I felt as if I were living in one such movie where you actually meet a bunch of people and all of a sudden you get an instinctual feel that you are at home; you feel like you already knew them all for ages. 

Definitely a milestone for Cochin Bikers’ Club(CBC) and an inspiring feat for the onlookers, a group of 36 members blazed the highways of Cochin city as part of a get-together event: EVENING FUN RIDE conducted by the Cochin Bikers Club on the Sunday eve of 25^th March. This was not a race event. This was not in support of the prisoners of war in Guantanamo bay or to save the Siberian tiger. This was only a celebration of a passion shared by a minor yet exponentially growing herd of individuals from diverse walks of life and age. None of us orated about it. None of us had this graffiti on our clothes. But the message was loud and clear. We are the vanguards of a revolution; a revolution, which can make the world cleaner, greener and healthier. A revolution that has the potential to solve some of Cochin’s chronic problems (but we can’t do much about the mosquitoes, sorry). 

The Ride Plan:

Well, let the pics speak:

 The route:

View Evening Fun Ride- 25/03/2012 in a larger map

The D-Day:

I was too damn obsessed!. Do you remember how hard it was to sleep the night before your first class trip to Children’s Park when you were in KG? I strongly believe that when I finally fell asleep, I was sleeping on my back with hands spread outwards and upwards as if I am holding the handlebars and I think I was even pedaling!! …Did I go a bit too far this time? Alright, I was not obsessed but I certainly was excited. I could sleep only by 12:30am and I woke up by 4:30 and that too without an alarm. By the time I got fresh and ready, my mom made me a Bull’s Eye. I gobbled it up and packed my bag. My brother dropped me at the bus station by 6:45am. I reached Aluva by 7:15, changed to my shorts in a jiffy and started cleaning up my bike which I had left here at my workplace the previous day. I was expecting Surej here any moment but I had to clean up the drivetrain because it is a direct reflection of how sincere a biker you are. Now that’s one fair way to find out a good biker. It’s never the price of your ride or brand of your accessories; it’s the condition of your bike, the drivetrain in particular, that speaks of your quality.

Surej sets off on his rodeo..

Bike..the real utility king

As it was a Sunday, me and my colleague elaborated the ride plan. Though the event was scheduled at 4:00pm, we thought of riding to Erankulam in the morning, roam around the city, do some window shopping and hit a movie before it gets sunny outside.  Surej came around 7:45, waited for me to finish up and pump up the tires a bit and we set sail by 8:am. Traffic was scarce and the day was bright and dry but had not gotten warm yet. Our ride was very relaxed and we were in fact riding parallel, talking bikes, women, cars and about being very early. Very early, because I had this plan to get Ramzan, the pal at ‘The Bike Store’, Palarivattam, to check my rear cassette as I noticed a slight wobble in it. He said he’d be there at the store by 10:30am but our pace brought us there by 9:00. We decided to calm our rumbling stomachs with some Masala Dosas, our bike trip special from Hotel Brindhavan, Palarivattam.



Surej..tying the 'knot'

Hungry Anyone?

On entering the jam packed hotel, we also welcomed a lot of amused stares due to our biking attire and gears. While feasting on the Masala Dosa, Surej multitasked and booked the tickets for the 11:am show, ‘The King & the Commissioner’ at Cinemax, Oberon Mall.

Having breakfast + getting tickets for the show..Now that's what I call convergence!

We then ditched the idea of waiting at the bike store and went straight to the mall. We kept our bikes in the 2-wheeler parking lot and was not charged for the parking, which made us disproportionately proud.

'Out of sight..but never out of mind'..Its hard to find a good hideout for your precious ride. The 2-wheeler parking at Oberon Mall was good and free of charge too.

An hour of roaming around, rating beauties and some experiments with photography, we entered the Cinemax lobby. Here Surej got something, with which he believes he could blackmail me for a long long time. Poor boy!

‘The King & the Commissioner’ was a 3hr torture.  It is a movie about 2 severely frustrated teenagers suffering from verbal diarrhea. Due to the movie, Surej suffered splitting headache and I puked all I ate since morning.

We had plans to go to an authentic Chineese restaurant but dropped the idea for the fear of getting late for the ride. So we had our lunch comprising of Schezwan fried-rice and Dragon chicken. I know, the next thing that you would be demanding is a pic of the meal. Sorry, couldn’t get one. We were so hungry that we hardly had the patience for the snap.

It was around 3:30 as we left Oberon Mall and headed straight to the Bike Store, the starting point of our ride. As I was nearing the Palarivattam signal, I decided to cut the lane and move further to the right to turn right at the junction. The Maruti zen which was now to my right began closing in on me. I had no choice but to move more close towards the median. What I forgot was to keep my right pedal up. I kept on pedaling and hence I got too close to the crib at a point that when I down-pedaled the underside of the pedal brushed over the surface of the median and it sheared off a couple of grip-stubs on the pedal. So much for my silly move.

Spotted Raghu on his Merida Matts. On reaching the store, we got formally introduced and all. A very lucky man indeed, he bagged a trek 3700 and this Medira bike with all those accessories and stuffs just for 25,000 bucks. Do some expensive poojas, Raghu, hang a demon head in front of your bikes. Lest no envious eyes fall upon them, mine included.

Raghu, Rintu and Pradeep with Surej, talking bikes..what else?

Reghu's Merida Matts

Ramzan and his best friend, the wrench were working over Pradeep’s GT Aggressor. Those parcel company morons had literally crumbled his shifters while he was transporting the bike. I seriously doubt their expertise and trustworthiness of these movers and packers when it comes to bike transporting. For them, it may just be a cycle. THAT’S OUR BABY, GODDAMMIT!!!

Rintu came all the way from Thodupuzha for the ride. He had his Giant and Francis’s Bike carried in an Omini van. Francis, the youngest lad of our pack, probably 12yrs old is the winner of National Junior Mountain Biking Competition held at Jammu. He did it with is fixed gear Hero bike. Respect and applause, bro.

Big doc,  Alexander sir, a retired pediatrician was one of our venerable senior members. He had this charisma in his demeanor and his unique ‘Specialized road bike’ added more charm to it.

Now that's 'Specialized' baby

Enter Shuhaib, the owner of the bike store and a big biking enthusiast, very friendly and welcoming guy, knows exactly what he is playing at. He is one of the biggest patrons of the club and the backbone of the event altogether.

Every time I paid a visit to the bike store, I spotted a yellow GT aggressor, usually covered in mud from the recent off-road trip. Yesterday I was honored by the rider giving an appearance; Fahad, one of the very active members if I am right. I think he was so much into off-roading that I saw him riding through the heaps of mud over the paths along the ICT road that was yet to be tarred.

It was already 4pm and I just thought of getting out of the shop and I was flabbergasted (no, its not a coarse slang, it just means extremely surprised) to see a whole lot of bikes and bikers. Then I started loosing track and memory of either. Louis, Mathew, Prashant Pillai, Sreeganesh, Shaun, Abhinav, Umesh, Vinu, Justin, Jayarajan, Prashant, Mathew Joshua, Philip, ..I am really looking forward to get more acquainted with all of them. Every biker has at least one story to tell and I just love stories.

Then came Dr. Prashant from Kalady on his ‘Look’, the 7kg, carbon fiber ultraslim supermodel which can easily cost above a Tata Nano. All his attire, and gears and the bike together will give someone a feel that here is a poor chap who lost his way while ‘Tour de France’ing and ended up here.

Prashant with his cool 'LooK'

Charles and his Cannondale are both very professional. Always having this smile while chatting, we can actually read out the passion he is holding for bikes and biking.

Mr. Charles Cannondale

We were also joined by Ms. Dominique from France and Ms. Tripti (not sure of the name). They were our rare and precious lady co-travelers. Ladies, in my opinion makes gents more responsible, organized and enthusiastic. Sometimes it is a good thing and sometimes it is bad.

We waited for all the members to reach the starting point. The start off got a bit delayed due to some glitches I don’t know what exactly. Anyways, no frets as we were all busy lining up for media coverage and photo shoots. Prashant on Look and Charles on Cannondale could no longer hold their horses. They did a short ride around Palarivattam in the mean time.

At last, the much awaited moment arrives.  Shuhaib gives a brief talk on the route and guidelines and all, keeping it precise, direct and simple. We set off around 5:00pm

Shuhaib: "this is how we're gonna do it bikers"

CBC takes off!

Just as I crossed over to the main road, a guy in a scooter came nearby.HeI was very curious about the gloves that I was wearing. I felt a bit awkward. Of all those cool bikes and bikers and this marvellous event being held, all he could spot was my dirty and torn mitts? Ah!! Humans!

No time for talktime coz its bike-time

The only way is our way!

After about 15 mins of oglings, cheerings and amusements, we reached the Edapally bypass junction. The green signal on our lane was on. If I were an onlooker, it would certainly have been a real visual treat to watch 36 bikers crossing the road in high speed to evade the red.
Along the way I saw Prashant and Murugan at a fruit stall. I stopped by and had a piece from the watermelon they were having.  

Sleek carbon-fiber cut!

We had very experienced and expert bikers amongst us, both young and old. And one of the coolest things that I couldn’t help trivialising was they all were very accommodating and helpful. Very friendly and always ready to help you out. That’s another great thing, right, that those who know stuffs are happier to pass the knowledge than those who are learning from them. Divakar was experiencing some trouble with the breaks getting jammed or so, which was rectified in no time by subjecting the bike to a spontaneous ICU mass surgery.

Kris Sreekandath’s ride was ubercool. It was a BSA Utopia, a folder bike which is no longer in production. He came all the way from Calicut to join us. Kris, a very energetic senior member, is full of humor and liveliness.

Kris, on 'Utopia'

We took some short breaks for refreshments, chitchat and a couple of snaps. 

Pit stop pile up

Vinu & Justin..done some marvellous rides, the have.

KHS

How can a photographer turn a blind eye towards a beautiful sunset and/or couple

We gathered near the Bolgatty junction for some group photos and to enjoy the sunset view over the Vembanad Lake.

6:30pm. It was beginning to get dark. As some of our members had to part and some had to reach a farther destination, we decided to say the official ciao and continued the ride.

sab line pe khade ho jao!

Surej photography

Adios Amigos..CBC shining!!!

Surej’s Hercules Rodeo has this spring central suspension. This keeps on squeaking in a monotonic irritating shrill as he pedals. First we tried desperately to find a tune and rhythm in it but finally the nuisance overcame us. We are seriously planning to send BSA-Hercules Bike Company a hate-mail for making sub-par machines for the price of professional bikes.

I reached Aluva by around 8:30pm and decided to leave the bike at the workplace and catch a bus back home. As I reached home, my family gathered round me to get the travel log. As always I added a lot of salt and pepper to it and presented the story in such a manner that now they seriously believe that it is a big shame for BBC to miss out such a humongous event conducted here in India.

As I spread my bed to kiss this rainbow day goodnight, the following thoughts gushed into my mind:

36 might not appear to be a handsome number for a club event but this whole event was charted out and implemented in a very short span of time with no formal invites or branding or anything. It is the result of wholehearted commitment and friendliness of a group of very dedicated bike enthusiasts.

So, if you ask me, then yes, getting a response of 36 members, having a very memorable and fun filled comfy ride, meeting all the fellow riders, free refreshments and snacks (man, who sponsored those? Who ever you are, thanks a ton!!) and going to bed at the end of the day with an ear to ear grin of contentment and innocent bliss means the event was a bombastic hit and has made my life more colorful.

Goodnight Rainbow Day. Goodnight to my family which is now richer with 34 new members.

Bike commuting-Busting Misconceptions

“My work got more sedentary and hectic. I got too lazy to workout or couldn't find a suitable time slot even if I wanted to. I started getting that ‘lifebuoy’ around my waist and all. It was my emotional state that bothered me more. I was getting more and more depressive; loosing focus and temper most of the times. Work began to get compromised. Moreover, relationships began to get compromised! Deep from my heart, I always wanted to break away. Become a free bird.

I want to get my old self back. I want that good old outdoor-ish, fun-loving, adventurous, nature-loving, healthy and happy person back. But I just don’t know how. “

Is this your story that I am telling? Well, this is not just yours. It was mine too.

Life is only a process. It’s our perspective that defines it. When you get the perspective right, life suddenly becomes happy and meaningful.

I am neither a fitness freak nor a professional sporting person. Not only is my workplace far from home, the roads are not that perfect too. I am not a very rich person and I am not as crazy as you think. I mentioned all these personal stuffs here because all the taboos and misconceptions regarding Bike Commuting have to be shed in the very beginning.

Though I was using bikes regularly during my school days, the whole idea of biking took a backseat as I grew older. For the past 10 years, I had not even looked keenly at a bike. Cars and motorbikes ruled my roads. I wanted to reach my destinations fast, whether needed or not. I was so much into cars and motorbikes that I was reluctant to walk even a mile. All these times it never occurred to me that biking is going to revolutionize my life. It was then that one of my colleagues got a bike. He began to ride every day to work. I was not impressed. We began to have heated arguments and very long debates on biking. So I thought of Googling it up and this was my keyword: “Cycling demerits”.  

Based on my research, I had listed out the “Disadvantages of bike commuting”. But today, as I know that there are not really disadvantages but misconceptions, I decided to rename and define my list as follows:

The Misconceptions I had about Bike Commuting

1.       Not suitable for long distance travel- I live 16kms away from my work place, which I believed was too far away.

2.       Will get all sweaty after a bike ride- I am going to my workplace. How will I be able to work with all that sweat and stink?

3.       Takes a lot of time to reach the destination-Even if I decide to bike I would never reach there in time since I am living so far away.

4.       Safety issues- You will agree with me if I say that the road is where crazy people hang out. Most of the times it is not an exaggeration. A mild hit on the handle can knock you over.

5.       Repairs and Maintenance- What if I get a flat tire on the way? What if a crucial part gets damaged?

6.       Weather will be a problem- I live in a place that gets heavy rains for 3-6 months around a year at least. I won’t be able to bike on those months. Sometimes the summers are too hot too.

7.       Health complications- A lot of people get back aches, knee joint problems, neurological injuries and so on due to biking. I just don’t want to be one among them. Using bikes on a long term basis will certainly give you trouble.

8.       Expensive- It would cost a fortune to get a decent bike. That doesn’t end there. I will have to shell out humongous amount of money for accessories as well.

As I was going through the demerits I could see that majority of the demerits were actually not because of biking but due to improper biking or due ignorance and negligence. So I went on with my search and all the forums and websites out there helped me out to come to a buying decision.

The first thing I did was to understand my need and purpose of biking. As commuting with small trips on weekends was my priority, I opted for a hybrid bike. Then I went through some models and brands and checked with my local bike store for the availability, price and performance of these bikes. I also consulted my other biking acquaintances. I fixed a budget and then shortlisted the bikes of my liking within that price range. The next part was the toughest. I analyzed and compared each component of these shortlisted bikes (See it here). By this time I had become a big fan of biking and I wanted to know everything technical and practical regarding it. So this exercise not only helped me choose a bike but also made me a bit more wiser regarding biking as a whole.

So..This is how I busted my misconceptions:

1.       Distance: Today, I ride 16kms each to and fro daily to work and back home. Trust me, I have been doing this from day one. Initially I had planned small sessions as training runs. The day I bought the bike I decided to ride 5 or 6 kms and transport the bike in a pick-up van the remaining distance. But I got so indulged in the process that I didn’t care about the distance. I biked all the way to my home (18kms). I broke a lot of sweat but there was no muscle pain or fatigue or cramps or anything. I had mild tenderness on my butts for a couple of days and after that there was no problem at all.

2.       Sweating and clothing dilemma: Sweating is good. It is not just the water that you drank that is coming out. It is also a good excretory mechanism of the body by which a lot of metabolic wastes are flushed out. But that won’t sound like a good excuse to your colleagues or employer, right? So, this is what I do. I carry a small backpack in which I tuck in my well-pressed office clothes and accessories. I wear a t-shirt and shorts while biking. On reaching the workplace, I cool myself off, would take a shower if necessary and then change into my formals. It takes me only about 10-15 minutes for the entire procedure.

3.       Time Consumption/ Delay: Biking is time consuming. But if you look at it in a holistic angle, there are some very good investments going into that time consumed. Primarily, I don’t have to spend an extra hour for workouts. Besides, for me, bike commuting is not very time draining altogether. Earlier, I had to take a bus to the main transit which would take about 5 minutes, then comes 2-10 minutes of waiting for the bus to my workplace. Another 20 minutes in the bus, plus or minus 10 minutes in traffic and finally there is a 5 minute rush to my workplace. Adding it all up, I would take 50 minutes to an hour to reach from home to workplace. I cover 16 kms in 45 minutes by bike and the time is slowly decreasing as I am getting more and more experienced in biking. Another thing that I do is that I take special care to put in 10-15 minutes extra into my commuting time slot. In other words, even though I reach my destination in 45 minutes, I start usually about 60 to 80 minutes early to the commencement of my work time. By doing this, I don’t have to rush to work, can take a rest of 5 minutes half way or whenever I need it and get time to freshen up and change clothes. I even spend some time with people on the way or would stop for a couple of snaps.

4.       Safety: Safety is one of the major concerns that keep a lot of individuals away from cycling. Yes, there is a risk involved when you are biking; just like anything else in life. If that is your excuse for not biking, then you might have to reconsider your decision. Alertness, caution, some preparations, obeying traffic rules, cooperation and positive attitude can make biking a safe and pleasurable experience.

I have listed out the safety concerns I came across as a bike commuter, here.

5.       Repair & Maintenance: A bike is usually subjected to a lot of wear and tear. I travel long distances, so I thought it would be wise to carry a portable tool bag with a puncture repair kit in it. They are not usually very heavy and can be kept in the saddlebag or backpack. Another thing I noticed is that the bike is an amazingly simple machine. It didn’t take long for me to decipher its mechanics. I don’t have any technical or engineering know-how but a lot of sites like parktool.com and youtube helped me to learn some of the basic repairing techniques. I opted for a bike with quick-release skewers for either wheel so that a flat tire can be fixed without much time delay. I also carry a glove and some cloth pieces to prevent and to clean off the dirt and grease that I gather in the process of bike repairing.

Maintaining the bike is another crucial element. A huge lot of trouble, time and money can be saved if the bike is maintained and checked thoroughly for any abnormalities and it has to be done at regular intervals also. I give special attention to my tires (the pressure in it and its overall condition), brakes (the status of the brake shoes and the amount of break that is delivered) and the drivetrain (the chain and derailleurs in particular). I believe that if the bike is very well maintained and if I am careful on the road, there should be hardly any reason why I should get stuck half way on my commute.

6.       Weather: For me, rain is not a problem. It’s just a challenge. A decent rain jacket and waterproof shoes will certainly clear that obstacle. Likewise when it’s too hot, I wear very light clothes, keeps myself hydrated and make sure that my skin and eyes are well protected. Mostly, bike commuters travel by morning and evening. So an extreme of heat or sun is generally not an occurrence.

7.       Health concerns: Health complications of bike riding usually arise due to improper fit and bike abuse. I tried to get the fit right as soon as I bought a new hybrid bike. I selected the right frame size for my height. Then I adjusted the saddle height. I didn’t set the height such that the knees are fully extended when the pedal reaches its lowest. Instead I kept a flexion angle of about 25 degrees. I also double checked that I am not bending too forward and my shoulders and elbows are not stretched out or stressed. Even after fixing it on day one, I had to make some slight adjustments with the saddle height. Getting the fit right is a gradual process, I guess.

After every ride, I do a small meditative self scan to see whether the entire me is alright. I look for any signs of repetitive stress injury or fatigue. I ensure that I am properly nourished and hydrated. I wear padded gloves to protect the wrists and palms.

Along with getting the fit right and maintaining the bike regularly, I am also planning to do some seasonal Ayurvedic treatments so that my body is also kept attuned with my activities.

8.       Expense: There are bikes that are mind bogglingly expensive. But they serve a different purpose. Purpose..That should be the key consideration. Rather than a cheap model under my initial budget, I went for a decent model which I felt was very VFM. A good bike may appear expensive superficially but in the long run you save a lot of money and effort from better performance, lesser maintenance and longer durability. Also you can get relieved from frequent upgrades. Additionally, I didn’t spend a lot on accessories. I just bought some dire necessities in the beginning and slowly identified my exact requirements. This way I could get the precise commodity that I wanted and could also abstain myself from wasting money on unnecessary equipments.

As a conclusive coda, I don’t have to conclude just by saying that biking will take me where I want to go. Much beyond that, it is absolute fun! I don’t have to find additional time for my routine workouts and surprisingly, my work efficiency has also increased. I can feel that I have become more alert and attentive in all my activities. So, it is one less car or motorbike on the road and hence I am reducing my carbon footprint too. A small tribute to my mother nature as well.
The only thing I regret now is for the delay that I made to embrace biking.

Maiden Voyage: Aluva-Vytilla-Aluva circuit via International Container Terminal Road

I gulped a bolt of panic as I missed the first bus to Aluva at 6am on Sunday the 19^th of February. It was certain that I was gonna be late for my maiden bike trip. I was expecting to be dropped at the bus station on my brother’s motor bike. So I took the apparent time advantage to stuff myself up with a couple of dosas.

Dosa for Breakfast. Special Ingredient: Mother's love

Then, I double checked my backpack for my water bottle, a hand towel, a full-sleeved t-shirt, a 3/4^th shorts and my wallet. I didn’t have to worry about the helmet, gloves and goggles as I had already kept it ready with the bike at the starting point, which was Kerala Ayurveda Hospital at Aluva.

5:45am. My mom woke my brother up asking him to drop me. Only then I came to know that his motorbike was in the service station. The 10min jog to the bus station was a fine warm up but I missed the bus in spite of the effort.

Reaching Aluva at 6:40am, I took the shortcut via the railway over bridge. The station had an eerie calm and enchantment during this time of the day. I couldn’t stop myself fro pausing for a quick snap of the Aluva railway station before resuming the jog.

Aluva Railway Station..still in its sleepy lumber

Surej was already calling me as I reached the starting point. I was not surprised to see him all geared up and in wait for me. Alpho, my colleague seemed to be more excited about the trip than we ourselves were. I was very glad to read out the amazement from her otherwise expression-free face. Surej was yelling out as Pradeep our trip mate was waiting for us from 6:15. I changed my clothes and geared up in a jiffy. The bike tires needed a bit of pumping up. So after all the systems check on my GT Transeo 4.0 and Surej’s Hercules Torrent IC,  we started off at 6:45, 15mins late.

We saw Pradeep waiting for us at the Bank junction. It was very easy to spot him. Thanks to the fluorescent green reflector jacket he was wearing. We shared a quick intro, shook hands and set off. I couldn’t get a good glance of his Schwinn Sporterra as he sped off way ahead of us. God! He is fast. Surej gave a weird laugh a declared “Machoo..Pradeep bhai seems to be a professional.”

Pradeep (up ahead) & Surej

The trail overview.

Since it was our first weekend trip, we wanted it to be kind of a trial run. We were looking for a bike-able road route within 30km range. Eventually we chose to ride an open end trip starting from Aluva, then via the NH 47. We took the entire ‘International Container Terminal Road(ICT)’. On reaching the Bolgatty Island, we decided to ride further to BTH Hotel on the mouth of Durbar Hall Road, via  Shanmugham road and Park Avenue. We stopped at BTH for breakfast. Further, we took the Durbar Hall road, crossed MG road and entered Chittoor Road. From Valanjambalam Junction, we took the South over bridge and reached Vyttila Junction. From here, we caught on a high speed ride along NH 66 to reach Edapally bypass junction. Taking right, we re-entered NH 47. We stopped by to say hello to our colleagues at Kerala Ayurveda Clinic at Edapally. We continued our trip via NH 47 and took a small halt at Ambattukavu for some spicy sugarcane juice. After this point, the group of three waved good byes, Surej and Pradeep riding back to their homes and me getting back to starting point.

The Map 

View Maiden Voyage: Aluva-Vytilla-Aluva circuit via International Container Terminal Road in a larger map

The Journey

Bike riding in the early morning time is mesmerizing. There is this early bird feeling that I get. I feel like I have woken up ahead of the day. Catching the dawn break is another beautiful moment that you get on the way. Even if you have seen sunrise every single day of your life, there is nothing fresher and pleasant than seeing one. It is so full of hope and refreshment. If you listen carefully you can hear yourself saying “Today is beautiful and it is mine.”  I got the 1^st sunrise shot somewhere near Muttom. Surej is a photography fiend. He ditched the idea to carry his equipment owing to the weight. I am sure he would have begun regretting that decision the moment he saw the sunrise.

Sunrise

It was not very chilly though. The wind hitting us had a hint that the day ahead is going to be hot. A hint that we all overlooked. We had marked the Beginning of ICT road as the 1^st rally point. I could see Pradeep blazing through the growing traffic far ahead of us and hoped that he would wait for us there. Surej was finding it a bit difficult to catch up as his ride was a mountain bike and also because he was less gravity-defying than us, in terms of weight. As he overtook me, I noticed that his rear suspension was rocking up and down and this itself was dampening some of the effort he was putting on to pedal. Broader tires with lesser air pressure worsened the scenario.

Surej on his Hercules Torrentz IC, entering the ICT Road, Kalamassery

We couldn’t find Pradeep on reaching the mouth of ICT road. We thought that he might have rode off to take the ICT with max speed and hoped that we would meet him at the end of ICT. Actually, he got the route wrong and had already reached Palarivattom! That gave me and Surej to ride more casually, taking pics and chit chatting along the way until Pradeep catch-up.

Surej..silhouetted by the morning sun

GT Transeo 4.0 & Hercules Torrentz IC

Vallarpadam International Container Terminal Road aka NH 966A. I gattu tell you. If you love road biking, you would definitely love ICT. Yeah, maybe not like those Tour-de- France roads but I am just comparing it with average Indian roads. More than the road itself, I particularly like the scenic beauty of the backwaters, Chinese fishing nets and fish farms. 

No many container trailers in the morning..the road is a red carpet for bikers at this time

This is the real F.A.C.T

Surej riding past the Gypsum hills

Bike Lane :-)

Giving the bikes some rest

Who said we are tired?

The route becomes 2 lane after Cheranalloor and also it become more rough and uneven. We came across a lot of ridges and potholes from here till Bolgatty, the end point of ICT. Still, It was a joyous experience to cover it and would love to do it again and again. I can’t wait till they finish the road works completely. However, riding ICT post dusk may not be a good idea not only because it would be majorly occupied by huge container trailers but the road is not lit as well.

Pradeep re-joined us at Cheranalloor. We spent some time on the bridge talking the one thing bikers talk the most:’ Biking’. We shared stories of our own entry to the biking world, how and why we chose our particular rides and all these. To my surprise, Pradeep offered me his ride for a try. I rode it from Cheranalloor to BTH. Man, those road slicks on his Sporterra were awesome! I could easily reach speeds of 40+kms range on plain roads.

Finally!! Pradeep caught up.. :-P

I wonder why there is such a big gap between the 6th and 7th chainrings..?

Pradeeps Sporterra donning Gatorskin road slicks

Pradeep gave us some very vital advises. I was keeping my seat post a bit lower than my recommended height since I was experiencing mild wrist aches. I had to do this since the handlebar could not be raised. He told me that tilting the handlebar a bit forwards will cure this problem. It sounds pretty promising. I should try to do that at the earliest. He also gave us some intel on bike accessories and online purchases. Both I and Surej are not big fans of online purchase yet. But Pradeep has certainly increased our confidence on this regard.  He asked us to check out www.wiggle.co.uk and decathlon.

Talking bikes

Talking bikes contd..

The ICT road is full of such scenic backwater viewpoints

Vembanad Rail Bridge..The longest in India

At Bolgatty junction, 2 guys in a motorbike stopped in front of us and took some photographs. I thought it would come in the front page of a leading newspaper tomorrow. Nothing of that sort happened. We had a small confusion as we reached Bolgatty. Taking right, we could explore the Vypeen Island, particularly the LNG terminal and the beach. But we also wanted to have breakfast as we were starving. So we decided to head to BTH.

Which way to go? 

On the way, we met Vishal, a kid from the locality who was training for a mountain bike event held somewhere at Kozhikode. He kept on asking us: “Are you guys doing cycle rally? I love cycle rally!” It somehow sounded very funny. 

“Are you guys doing cycle rally? I love cycle rally!”

The watchman at BTH was also very curious. He liked Surej’s bike very much. BTH was good refreshment. Good food, neat place, modest pricing. Actor Biju Menon was lucky enough to see us there. We relished on masala dosa. Pradeep also got some sweets for home.

Subhiksha indeed

Pradeep's BTwin Handlebar bag..Ingenious logo,right?

Roadeo Transeo and Sporterra.. tethered together.

The day got warmer as the sun climbed higher. I started to sweat profusely. It was then that we learned a serious lesson. Start as early as you can and get back or rest during the sunniest times. At least that would be of some help for us beginners. Another lesson was regarding traffic rules. We found that being cyclists, we are allowed and sometimes even expected to bend some traffic rules. A policeman at Kadavanthra junction asked us to just pass by and cross over a red light. He observed that we would cause a big jam once the green light is on.

Its gettin' warmer, sonny.

Evading traffic is another fun thing to do. It is at this point that you feel a lot of jealous eyes falling over you. As the traffic was inching forwards in the Vyttila junction, we were tearing the road apart. NH 66 was also adrenaline hungry. The smooth roads, fast motorists and blazing Pradeep far ahead also ushered me into power pedaling. It feels great when a fellow motorcyclist looks with an offended bewilderment as we overtake them.

I hit an 80km/hr here..kasam se!

A curious motorist started asking me questions while we were waiting for the green at Edapally junction. On hearing the price of these bikes he exclaimed: “Wow! That is almost the price of my motorbike. But I understand the cause. Can you tell me where I can get these kinds of bikes? I would like to take up biking myself”. I couldn’t get the lad’s name but I hope he joins us someday soon.

We got off the saddle for a bit at the Kerala Ayurveda Clinic at Edapally. We met Dr. Prajeesh and Baburaj there, refilled our bottles and had a small chitchat on bikes, what else. Prajeesh is yet to get completely convinced. He is checking on us to see how long will we pursue this ‘madness’.

Prajeesh is yet to get completely convinced

The halt at Ambattukavu for the sugarcane juice was literally a life saver. I was getting thoroughly exhausted, mostly because of the dehydration due to increasing heat and also because I was running low on sugars. They also squeeze some lemon and ginger in the juice which adds up as a spicy tinge. In short the drink was energizing and delicious. 

Sugarcane juice break

We rode the remaining 4kms with a new found vigor. I got a call from Surej who was behind me asking to continue to the starting point as he planned to go home directly. So me and Pradeep said kudos. He expressed his wish to get involved in more rides in the future. A route including Perumbavoor and all is already in his mind. So we might plan up something of sort soon.