Day ride #2423

After several aborted attempts at a weekend ride, thanks to some punctual friends, it looked like another weekend in Bangalore.

The weather though was one for long rides on the tarmac.

Finally, out of the blue a plan with a long time riding buddy materialized. Our planning went something like this

Me: Maga, its a day to be on the roads - not sit in Bangalore lazing around

Him: Yes, that's true

Me: It's already 1 in the afternoon. We'll have at best half a day (12 hrs) for a ride

Him: Yes, 12 hours

Me: It will definitely pour cats and dogs in the evening. It's been raining like crazy these days

Him: Yes! It's meant to be. Rain, ride.

In less than two hours, we were on the road.

The weather, still perfect for miles and miles of riding. We had decided to combine the ride with a small hike up a hill.

In no time, we were on the highway - cruising at good speeds - the ideal ride conditions with us.

We decided to go satisfy our taste buds first at a popular eatery on the highway. This was past our destination for the hike. But we couldn't resist the good food that was waiting for us.

After a quick nibble, we were back on our way to our planned destination. It's a small hill in Ramanagarm, on the Bangalore-Mysore highway.

We started the hike at 5 in the evening, with slightly overcast conditions. We made it to the intermediate point of the climb in good time. Strong, cool winds gave us company while green foliage all around pampered our eyes. We decided to head to the top of the hill and enjoy the view from there. Another 20 mins of quick climb and we were at the top.

The cloud cover began to get really desnse and we could see lightning in the horizon. We were also able to spot rains coming down at a distance. We spent time recollecting some of our experiences from earlier rides in the North East. It just started to drizzle when we started our climb down. Half way through the descent, we took out our rain gear, just in case the clouds opened up.

And open up it did!

It started to pour like crazy. With visibility down to almost zero, we waded our way through gushing waters from the hills. The last few minutes to the bike were like walking underwater in a river! We managed to start our bikes and headed back to the highway.

There is something really soothing about riding - in such demanding conditions - that both of us relish. We could ride in such conditions for hours (and miles) on. Physical exertion combined with activity that demands utmost concentration is the best stress buster there is for me. The next 40 minutes did just that!

In the midst of the downpour, there was a huge traffic jam on the highway! We waded our way to the front of the jam to realize that cars had stopped because of water clogging on the highway! We could see a few cars that had stalled in the water about 50 mts ahead of us. Others around were really jittery about making their way through the water

The two of us looked at each other, and we knew what to do. Go through it! Water was at best knee high and we knew we could make it to the other side. As long as we stayed close to the median on the highway, we were safe. Leaving the other cars behind we started off, riding through 'waves' of water. We made it to the other end, just when enough water went into my exhaust chambers to get me on my foot for some distance. Seeing the two of us make it, some other cars followed us - some without success.

With rains still lashing out like there was no tomorrow, we continues our ride without any further 'action'. We stopped for some hot coffee in between before heading back home.

Despite being a very short ride, it did serve the intended purpose. Enjoy!