A couple of days prior to the 15th of August, someone floated the idea of an Independence Day ride. A few more riders showed inclination, and soon a sketchy plan was hatched
Bhpian nasirkaka recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
INDEPENDENCE DAY RIDE
Motorcycling has always been associated with freedom. The ride, the rider, and the open country road. Gentle thumping of the engine, wind on the face, greenery all around, and fresh air. And what better way to celebrate Independence Day than a group bike ride?
I am part of a Bangalore-based Triumph 400 group, which has a mix of Speed 400 & Scrambler 400X riders.
The intent was to keep the ride short and sweet, under around 200 km, and look for a location where we could experience a variety of road conditions, including some trails. A place between Dharmapuri and Panchapalli in Tamil Nadu was frozen. This location is a hillock with a moderate difficulty level trail leading towards the top. Bikes can go up to about 90% of the climb, post which there is a small trek to reach the top. Hilltop has a serene temple with a picturesque view of hills all around.
Post all the discussions on location, distance, time, etc, eventually 7 riders confirmed for the ride. This includes two BHPians as well, including @Funny and @ChetanM6. So this could also be termed as a mini BHPian meet and ride.
We decided to meet at 6 am at a pre-decided toll location. One of the riders missed the alarm as it was set for the usual Saturday, whereas the ride day was Friday. So finally we were 6 riders.
The lineup. 5 Scramblers with a lone and daring speed of 400.
The route chosen was a loop as we wanted to avoid repeating the road. Intent was to hit the NH 48 towards Shoolagiri and cut across towards Raikottai and onwards. It was the start of the long weekend, and we grossly underestimated the traffic. Bangalore Krishnagiri NH 48 highway was chock-a-block with the long weekend crowd getting out of town. What did not help the cause was the construction of flyovers at a few locations, which led to bottlenecks and traffic snarls as long as 4 km at certain stretches. All the riders got separated in this maddening traffic and crawled individually towards our first destination, which was Sri Krishna Inn, the breakfast point at Shoolagiri.
The hot and yummy breakfast of pongal, dosa, vada, and idlis, followed by the hot filter coffee, did a lot of good to uplift our mood, which was spoiled by the traffic so far. Here onwards, we stayed together on the beautiful country roads and towards our destination.
The ride towards the destination was uneventful through picturesque winding roads, with fresh monsoon greens all around. We crossed some small towns and settlements en route and arrived at the base of the foothill.
The climb up was moderately difficult, and some of us riders were not very experienced riding on the trails. But together as a group, we moved ahead, helping each other and conquering one bend after the other.
The trail was mostly flat with some loose sections where gaining traction was a bit challenging. Momentum was the key, as stopping midway meant we started sliding backwards on the loose ground. Helping each other, pushing, pulling, we managed to keep moving ahead.
Recent rains had created some waterflow channels and ruts, which were tricky to negotiate. Loose hairpin bends also posed some challenges at places where the inclination was steep, but we kept at it, encouraging each other.
Our bikes could only go till a certain point, post which there was a small trek. This was basically a mix of natural and madmade steps leading to the temple at the top. Trekking wearing riding gear, boots, etc is not ideal fun, but I decided to attempt anyway. Huffing and puffing, with all the gear, we managed to summit. The view from the top was amazing and worth all the effort.
The view of a section of the trail we took to reach the top. After some chit-chat on bikes, gears, etc, we took some selfies at the top and spent some time chilling in the cool weather, enjoying nature.
Coming down is always challenging especially if the surface is loose where control on the front wheel is limited. We were a bit worried but all of us came down the hill without any difficulty.
The return route was via a state reserve forest which included some bad broken roads, some hilly sections, a lake and an elephant watch tower aswell. All through scenic countryside with school kids waving at us and coming back from their flag hoisting ceremonies.
We re-grouped at the lake towards the end of the forest, took some more pictures and decided to ride via Anekal together till the Athibele where the country road meets the highway.
It was a lovely outing, meeting new riders, making new friends, and spending some time in the nature while doing what binded us together which is our love for riding. Felt truly liberating on the Independence day.
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
