Cycling
It was pitch dark, and I seemed to be the only soul on the road. Ever since the
new Express Highway has been made, there is not much traffic on the old Bombay
Pune highway. There had been a steady trickle of trucks moving in both directions,
but now there was a void, and I seemed to be the only one in existence. I had been
pedalling for 2 hrs now, and there was not much of a moon either. My watch showed 12.10 am.
It had been a sudden whim on which I had set out in the night at 10 pm. As my roommates prepared to go to a movie I had already watched, I just thought I would try to cycle upto Lonavla, around 60 kms from Pune. I bought some snacks to eat, a water bottle and was off on my Hero Swing cycle.
Alone on the roads at night gives one a strange feeling of adventure. I was filled with a
kind of tranquility and peace, which I seldom otherwise experience. And many a time did
the thought come into my mind to quit, go back home and sleep, but it seemed so shameful to
be returning without putting in my full effort, that I kept on.
There was not much to record that night. The moon was soon gone, and I had neither light, nor camera to notice or capture moments. But I would surely remember the lovely grassy meadows on which I rested for some 15 mins, when there were no disturbing truck lights, only the hills and the stars, and the calls of the nightjars for company.
It was a feeling of accomplishment, of another not very normal thing having been added
to my done-list, when I reached Lonavla at 3 am in the night.
I just loaded my cycle and myself on the train for the return journey.
Though I haven't done any cross-country cycling so far, I have done a lot of small small trips, from IIT to Alibag, Mandwa and back, cycling up the Katraj Ghats near Pune, cycling up Sinhagadh Fort, pedalling away to Khandala, to Panshet and a few other places. I have done some solo, and some with other enthusiasts. But whichever way be it, the exertion and the scenic routes really make the trips worthwhile.
