Pune to Goa Cycling

 Pune to Goa

Cycling: 21^st to 23^rd Nov 2019

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”

– Albert Einstein

Cycling is a sport which gives anyone who takes to pedaling an enormous sense of freedom. Leaving the stresses of daily life and pedaling away, whether it’s in local lanes of your city or high in the mountains far away from the busy life . There’s little that can beat the beautiful simplicity of a bike ride, which sums up the beauty, joy, freedom and fantasy…., pain and suffering are part and parcel of life while cycling.

This story is about we four…actually the fantastic four ( Javed Pansare, Fareeda Tamboli, Hetav Dave & Myself ).We planned a cycle ride, all were first timers & I was the only one who had done cycling from Dapoli to Goa via coastal route last year, but due to the heavy rains this season the conditions of the roads went from good to worse on the coastal route. Initially we had so much of confusion on planning the route as we weren’t able to decide which route will be better to reach our destination. We all decided to go from the main highway & then take the Ratnagiri route from Karad. Finally, on 18^th Nov Fareeda planned a route & all agreed to it. While the route was now final, we didn’t book any hotel as we decided that we had to cycle for at least 150 kms every day then accordingly we would plan where to retire for the day. We prepared our initial draft of itinerary with the locations and halts which we could take as the break for the day. Also a check-list for essentials that will be needed during this trip. We had a support vehicle accompanied by Dr. Archana Shede, our lifeguard and support team member.

The Groundwork

About 3 months before the event, actions began with we all coming together on our whatsapp group & 1.5 months before the expedition, we started practicing on Bopdev / Dive Ghat once a week & short rides of 40-50 kms on other days. As we all were from a running group known as Free Runners we used to stick to our Fartlek & slow long runs on Tuesdays & Wednesdays respectively. We needed to build our endurance to be ready for such a long duration ride so to check on our endurance levels we planned & went for long rides to Jejuri & Panshet. It helped us in building up the stamina and develop strong legs much needed to paddle for long ride. Days passed and the wait was over. It was finally 21^st Nov !

Our Support Vehicle & Team Asim & Dr. Archana Shede

DAY 1 : 21^st Nov 2019

PUNE TO KARAD – 161.39 Kms

https://www.relive.cc/view/v8qV1nDK776

Our starting point was Jyoti restaurant, Kondhwa. All of us gathered at 4:45 am. Some of our friends came over to wish us luck and bid us adieu for our journey.

Hetav, Fareeda, Javed & Sanjay

We started our journey at 5:10 a.m. The first challenge was to climb Katraj ghat, it was pitch dark but we were equipped for it and were mainly sticking to the white border line on the sides of the road. We scaled Katraj Ghat around 7 a.m., leading us to the main highway; pedaling was easy & we picked up a nice pace on the highway. We stopped on the highway for some thirst quenching intervals and nuts to maintain our energy levels. First target was to reach Satara,

The journey started again after a halt on a down slope. The halt we used, to get some tasty vada pavs and tea from Shreeram , Shirwal.

Fareeda was worried of the climbs as Khambatki ghat was the next but I was very sure that she would do it comfortably being so strong and fierce. We gave her the name of Hill queen as she used to climb Bopdev & Dive ghat effortlessly. We finished the climb by 9:30 a.m. and could see the colours of satisfaction painting every face, moreover the cloudy weather was the cherry on the top.

Satara was around 60 Kms now , the temperature was rising & was getting humid which was making pedaling difficult. We took our lunch break after crossing Satara as it was too hard for us to move forward with the rise in temperature. We being core non-vegetarian but to play safe stuck to a vegetarian choice.

After lunch we took some rest in the restaurant itself & left for further journey around 3 p.m. The next and final stop for the day was Karad which seemed like it would never come as pedaling was harder and tiresome but the weather was friendly & helped us to complete our first day journey of 161.39 kms. Stayed at Hotel Pankaj.

In the evening again we changed our plans, Karad to Ratnagiri route seemed to be rough & tiring so we cancelled our plan to head for Ratnagiri & preferred highway to Ajra.

Day 2: 22nd November, 2019

KARAD TO AJRA – 150.55 kms

https://www.relive.cc/view/vKv24QBLLo6

We all woke up at 4 a.m. to start our further journey at 5 a.m., got a little delayed as Hetav forgot where he kept his cycle lock keys, finally got the key & then we started our ride at 5:20 am The atmosphere out was pleasant & we could cover a reasonable distance in a short span of time, the temperature started rising dramatically. Halted at a restaurant on the highway around 8:30 am where we had poha & tea, rested for some time. We decided to halt at Kolhapur which was around 25 kms away, reached Kolhapur at 10:45 am, halted under a tree little ahead of Kolhapur & were waiting for Fareeda & Hetav to join as they still had to cover 3-4 kms. Meanwhile, our support Dr. Archana took a detour to meet her relative’s place at Kolhapur. As the sun was soaring we started from there to halt at Kagal, support team found out a place near the highway to relax a little and to freshen up, the next was Tavandi ghat near Nippani. On the way we were blessed with fresh pineapple which probably appeared as the best thing on earth at that point of time. Javed bhai’s expressions says it all ☺

It was around 2 p.m. this Tavandi ghat took every bit of energy from us. The climb was not only tiring but also frustrating because of extreme weather conditions. Took a lunch break at a restaurant before Nippani Ajra link road.

Now the issue was which route we should take, locals were suggesting to take Sangkeshwar route but it was another 10 kms ahead, we spoke with our motorbike rider’s group member about the route which they took to reach Goa & they suggested to take Nippani-Ajra-Amboli route.

It was around 3:30 p.m. when we started for Nipaani Amboli route, the plan was to reach Amboli which was 70 Kms away but the climbing never ended adding more to we-never-catching-a-breath. We spotted place to relax & had sugarcane juice and that was it, we all knew we wanted this really bad!

After that we decided that we should stay at Ajra as it will be difficult to ride in the dark for Amboli. Reached Ajra at 7 p.m., did some stretches & stayed at Hotel Paradise after completing 150.55 Kms of tiring ride.

Day 3: 23rd November, 2019

AJRA TO BARDEZ, GOA – 125.29 kms

https://www.relive.cc/view/vRO7dJympy6

We started at 5:10 a.m., the road was empty, our speed was constricted due to the darkness, suddenly some abnormal noise started coming from my front wheel, got down to find that front wheel quick release lever hub skewer was loose. I was lucky to diagnose it and timely action taken helped , otherwise it could have been a fatal accident. Now the Target was to reach Sawantwadi for quick brunch, Fareeda was not feeling well due to body ache she wanted to have something hot, we halted for tea at road site tea shop, moved from there & again halted for photography at a scenic place with back waters

Reached Amboli Ghat top at around 7 a.m. Took a break for breakfast & tea at a point near waterfall then we cruised downhill without putting any efforts on our pedals for almost 15 kms with mesmerizing scenic view down of Amboli ghat. This was probably the most beautiful stretch of all.

Reached Sawantwadi around 11:15 a.m

We looked for a restaurant named Sadhle Mess as suggested by one of our friend but it was closed & was also vegetarian. All wanted to have seafood lunch then the same friend was contacted & he suggested for a popular eating place Bhalekar Khanawal, we headed to that place & reached there at 11:30 a.m, as all were little tired we went in & occupied our place, ordered various seafood dishes including the favorite crab dish for Javed..

We left around 1:15 p.m. from the restaurant, all suggested to have a break as it was sunny & humid, support vehicle was sent ahead to look for a place where we can settle or rest for the afternoon. Hetav came & said that he thinks his cycle has a puncture, a local guy gave a direction for the local puncture shop at Sawantwadi which was hardly 200 mtrs away. We thought of getting the puncture repaired but to our surprise the person at the puncture shop had no time to get it done & said “aadha ghanta lagega, aage bhi ek dukaan hai aap wahan dekh lo!” , we went ahead but even there luck was not in our favour, the person wasn’t available. After roaming for half an hour I told Hetav lets fill up the air & move ahead we’ll repair it with our repair kit available in the support car.

The other group members were taking rest at someone’s roadside bungalow premises, thanks to the family who allowed us to use their garden area for taking rest. There, instead of repairing the tube we preferred to change the cycle tube of Hetav’s cycle after removing the thin metal wire which had made that puncture.

We started our journey at 3 p.m., the remaining journey was of approx. 48 kms. We were told by one of the family members that after 5 kms the main highway NH 66 will start till then we have to cycle on this rough road. We cruised with our own pace, after riding for around 15 kms the conditions of the road became really bad until we reached Goa check post. Sigh of relief when we saw that board. “Welcome to Goa” , still the destination was quite far & the never ending climbs were still to be conquered.

Our support team found place for a tea break before Pernem – Agarwada climb ,Javed and I reached before Hetav & Fareeda and waited for them to join us for tea & snack. After having tea we took some rest as now we were in Goa that was giving us some relief but the climbs were taking a toll on us, the remaining journey was of 22 kms. After the Pernem – Agarwada climb we met some Goa police officials they told us to take the other route as the straight route was bad due to construction of the road in progress.

Then again we had Siolim – Anjuna hill climb, all were exhausted & also the sun was setting. After the climb we took a snap thinking that this was the last climb.

But there were many more short & tiring climbs up ahead waiting for us which just squeezed off our energy. Our hotel was booked near Arpora junction.

Finally by 7 p.m. our long lasting journey came to an end. Clocking a total of 437.23 kms within a span of 3 days and lots of memories and stories to tell in the near future. Our bikes gave us all the required support and thankfully no breakdowns, welcomed by our bike riders at Goa. 🙂

It was one of my biggest achievements and got through with the support of my family and friends. Nothing seems like an obstacle when there’s always someone who has your back. Such kind of rides requires physical as well as mental strength,

May we conquer some more lengths like these and get through them swiftly. You don’t appreciate things that come easy, so I appreciate it more because of all the hills that climbed 🙂

The fellow riders have their say too…

# Javed : The whole idea of going to Goa on cycle was very exciting, I enjoyed the practice rides, every ride gave me a new high.

It was team game & all were knowing their job perfectly which helped in completing this ride smoothly regardless of the hot weather conditions on 2^nd & 3^rd day.

I enjoyed the speed on slopes of Amboli Ghat, We managed very comfortable stays where we could rest well & start afresh & also the awesome food throughout the trip which made the ride more enjoyable.

I feel very happy about myself for completing this cycling trip

# Fareeda : When it was planned, I was quite excited..& then some doubtful moments along the training period. Finally it ended on a big high to have achieved something unique .

My fellow riders were the best I could ask for. The moments of thrill & exhaustion that we share will remain.

Lot of friends encouraged us, one of them was even there physically in support car all along & others were present in spirit.

We did it because we had set a target & trained hard towards it. Lots of lessons learnt along the way.

One of the best thing that happened this year for me…

# Hetav : I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I’ll cycle someday and that too from Pune to Goa .I last drove a cycle around 25 years back.

I being the least fit, thanks to an injury, and with least amount of preparation (the max I did was 82 kms, which other have done couple of 80ks and a one 100k+), at times I was bit hesitant,

This might not have been possible or would have been insanely difficult without our support – Dr. Archana. she took the most boring task of stopping at regular intervals supporting us. And she had the same zeal and enthusiasm all the way.

When our friends and bike riders who congratulated us at Goa that feeling of reaching Goa by cycling set in.

All thanks to fellow riders and their confidence. Everything went super smooth and perfectly as planned, these are things that makes life worth living!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

And as they say, “Nothing is as hard as it looks” and “All’s well that ends well.”

“When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.”………..Mahatma Gandhi