I was pretty certain my cycling days were truly behind me. My Trek was ‘Rusting in Peace’ (or so I thought) in the basement parking and every time I glanced it, I was reminded of a long overdue task in my ever growing task list – “Post Bike for Sale in Quikr”. She was an expensive bike with a few hundred kilometers under her belt and I never could get myself to dispose her off for cheap. But one thing I was certain, I wanted her to go just the way she came in – on all two’s. So off she went to RR Cycles Ganganagar for a ‘Bike Spa’. A couple of days later I got a call form RR informing me that the restoration was complete and I may come and collect the bike. I told Aditi (my daughter) to tag along. She was turning 10 this August and we had promised her a new bike. So we arrived at the outlet and I was thrilled to see my ride restored to her former glory. I took her for a quick spin and realized she rode just the way she did 7 Years back: when I biked her out of the showroom for the very first time. We then went to their adjacent shop to pick a bike for Aditi. After checking a few models, we settled for a Schwinn gearless model – less hassle maintaining. I settled the bill and we decided to bike back home, a short but busy 4 kilometer route. Aditi had never biked on public roads and this was going to be her first. I was a bit nervous and so was Aditi but we decided we will take the risk. And so we peddled amidst the busy and bustling Bengaluru traffic with curious onlookers staring at this father & daughter duo. It took us about 30 mins to get back home and Aditi was all excited and eager to share her recent adventure with her friends. And I knew right way that my Trek was going to Stay.
Ride to Cubbon Park
The newfound excitement of biking fortunately lasted the week and the following weekend me and Aditi did two trips to Cubbon Park – one was a Saturday morning ride (which included a pit stop at Samrat Chalukya to devour their tasty Masala Dosa and refreshing Coffee) with her apartment buddy and the other was an early Sunday evening ride. Cubbon Park is a pleasant 8 kilometer ride from my home and in my opinion one of the best routes for leisure cyclists. You will be passing through the beautifully canopied NEW BEL Road, Sankey Tank, Bangalore Golf Course and Vidan Souda. The second trip was a bit longer since we decided to pay a surprise visit to her cousins in Langford Town, about 2 kilometers from Cubbon. Between the two rides we managed to put a little over 35 kilometer under our belt that weekend and Aditi was clearly looking forward for more. I included all this here to provide a backdrop for my ride to the top of Nandi the following weekend.
Nandi Hills is a 53 kilometer drive from my home to the base and another 8 kilometers to the top. Most cycling enthusiasts would consider biking the entire stretch but I was clearly out of form to attempt such a feat. I feared I would expend all my energy getting to the base, with no energy left for the climb up. So I decided I needed to get my bike to the base and then peddle to the top. I figured the best way to do this was getting a bike rack installed on to my misses’ hatchback. A rack also opens up options to explore biking tracks outside the city and if I went for a multibike rack, I could saddle Aditi’s bike as well and bring her along on those rides. After looking at a few options online and asking around, Suresh (my boss from work) suggested I pick one up from Decathlon (he had one installed on his car and vouched for its stability and functionality). So off I went to Decathlon and picked a rack with option to mount 3 bikes. Decathlon staff installed the rack in few minutes and I was all set.
I planned to leave home by 6:00 AM Saturday so I can be at the base by 7:30 AM and then pedal to the top. Unfortunately some last minute work at office kept me busy and it was around 1:30 AM when I got back home. I assembled my biking kit which included cycling shorts, shoes, helmet, gloves, water bottle and my sunglasses; hoping I could swiftly hop off my bed in the morning and head out. But fate had different plans. To my utter disbelief and frustration, I was unable to locate the key to unlock my bike (I had only one key). At midnight I found myself scrummaging the entire house (taking care not to wake up the inhabitants) but in vain. I finally gave up and decided to give it another go in the AM. Morning came and Aditi joined me in the search without any success. It finally dawned on me that the key might have slipped out of my pocket during my earlier ride to Cubbon Park. With a heavy heart I decided to saw off the lock and after struggling for almost 30 minutes and with a little help my apartment security friend I managed to cut it into two. However I lost precious time in the process and my Nandi plans had to wait a day longer. I decided to complete the feat the following day. Meanwhile I used the time to get a replacement lock and this time opted for the number lock mechanism. Saturday night I repeated my kit assembly routine, set the alarm to 6:00 AM and hit the bed. You have to give it to these alarms for their punctuality: 6:00 AM and it promptly started buzzing. I managed to pop one eye open, hit snooze and burrowed back inside my blanket. After repeating the ritual a couple of times, I realized the alarm wasn’t giving up. So around 6:30 AM I dragged myself out of bed, got done with the morning rituals, downed a glass of water and a banana and headed out.
En-route to Nandi
7:00 AM I was on the road to Nandi. It was a pleasant morning drive with a cool breeze and a slightly overcast sky. I cranked up the radio and settled for some Bollywood tracks from the 70’s. I was at the KIA toll plaza by 7:30 AM, shelled out Rs.130 (two way) and headed further on NH7. Not too far along, I saw an overhead sign suggesting to take left. So I veered left and after a few minutes I found myself driving amidst ploughed fields, cattle on their morning strolls and thatched houses. As you approach Nandi Hills, fields give way to posh resorts and manicured vineyards and the last 2-3 kilometer stretch to the base is lined with eucalyptus trees on either side of the road. You can see the majestic Nandi on your left. I reached base around 8:00 AM and parked my car at a café (Uphill Wharf Cafe-Bar) for some hot coffee and snacks. While waiting for my order to arrive, I chatted up with the café manger and requested if I my car could remain parked in their parking lot for the duration of my ride to which he willingly obliged. I happily rated the café 5 stars on Google Reviews. Breakfast lasted a few minutes and by 8:30 I was on my bike ready to take on Nandi.
The scenery on the way
I pedaled a few kilometers around the base to get warmed up before beginning my ascent – an 8 kilometer ride to the top. Right away I dropped the front gear to 1 and rear to 3. A few minutes on I had the gear at 1 and I frantically started hunting for lower gears. That’s when I realized this was going to be exponentially tougher than I imagined. The next 3 kilometers were excruciating. 4 months without any fitness activity had taken its toll. My stamina was all but gone. Several times I was tempted to turn back. Around 3.5 kilometers into the ascent my legs could take it no more and I got off the bike to catch some breath. My heart was beating so fast; I thought it was going to explode. I whatsapped my coordinates to my wife in the event of an emergency. Gradually the beating returned to normal. I took few sips of water and got back on the seat. A few meters on and I had to stop again. This ritual continued for the next 2 kilometers. I utilized the breaks to snap pictures of the surrounding peaks, the eucalyptus trees along the slopes and an occasional selfie. Even with the steady stream of passing vehicles, one could not miss the tranquility surrounding the place. You truly felt like being one with nature.
By now my legs were getting used to the strain (or going numb?) and I had switched to a combination of peddling and walking instead of peddling and resting. At around the 2 kilometer mark from the top, when I had just switched to walking, an SUV came whizzing down and a small boy stuck his head from inside the vehicle and yelled – BEST OF LUCK! YOU CAN DO IT. A flood of Bollywood movies (read Pehla Nasha, Lagaan, Dangal, Chak De etc.) filled my head and I jumped back into the saddle and pedaled with all my might – for the next 100 meters before switching back to walking. The combination of cycling and walking continued until I saw a signboard that read: Nandi Hills 1 KM. I hopped back on to my bike and this time managed to pedal all the way to the top. The whole climb took me a little over 2 hours.
I stopped at the entrance to catch up on my breath, took few sips of water and headed onward. Once inside, it was like being back in the city: crowded, noisy, littered, chaotic, traffic jams and all the other reasons that drive you out in the first place. I was reminded of a great saying – your destination will keep changing; it’s the journey that counts. I turned back and began my descent. And boy what a decent it was: 8 kilometers of pure adrenaline rush to the head. My bike was easily touching 50 Kmph in some places. The high of fresh mountain air wrapping around your face is indescribable. Even the hairpin bends were fun to navigate. I think it took me all but 20 minutes to reach the base. Once at the base, I stopped by one of the countless grape vendors claiming to sell grapes from the nearby vineyards. I brought what I think was a kilo of grapes, strapped my bike back on to my car and headed back home; promising to return soon.