Sunday date with Ms.Lavasa

The plan was made well in advance, on my cycling trip to Sinhagad. I was searching the map and Lavasa caught my eye. Well, anything which shows green on the map draws my attention cos it means a green belt. And cycling in greenery can be fun.

I zeroed in on this Sunday. I had fine-tuned the brakes, oiled the chain and adjusted the seat so as to make the ride comfortable and eventless.

The plan was simple: Start before sun-rise. Reach Lavasa for breakfast. See whatever is there to be seen. Return home for lunch. Take rest for half a day. Be fit and fine for the week.

Unfortunately was chatting with Suzie till late in the night and could hit the sack only by 1.30. I couldn’t wake up before 6.30 and I was geared up and out by 7. While Sandeep Maheshwari’s lecture on Law of attraction v/s Law of love running in my earphones, Microsoft’s HERE maps was giving me directions. Once out of the city I switched off the maps and GPS so as to save the battery for pics n music later in the ride.

I met Jyoti, with whom I had cycled to Lonavala couple of months ago, on the way. She rode with me for about 5 kms before she stopped and decided to return. That was sad. Company on long rides are not only fun, but essential to keep the spirits up when you hit the wall.

For the next one hour I just rode – the weather was pleasant, roads were more or less flat, the lecture was giving lot of motivation… When I noticed that there were no milestones reading “Lavasa” I stopped to ask a shop-keeper. It was shock when he said that I had to take a deviation 20 kms earlier to go towards Lavasa.

I started the map just to ascertain that I was not being conned. I wasn’t. I had 2 options, go back 20 kms and then ride on to Lavasa. Or I could ride 20 kms ahead to a waterbody, which my map told was Mulshi reservoir.

I chose the second option.

As I rode on, I could see lots of people overtaking me on bikes and cars, most of them couples. I decided that when the time comes, I’ll be riding here with Suzie.

Mom called when I just spotted the water in a distance. The conversation that ensued can be summarized something like this:

“Where are you?”

“Riding to Lavasa”

“When will you be back?”

“By lunch-time”

“Is it a proper road?”

“Of course, full of tourists.”

“Don’t go to lonely areas or jungles”

“Sure”

I had some corn and onion pakoda at a small petty shop. After 60 kms of riding, this simple breakfast tasted heavenly. The maps told me that if I go 15 kms more I would hit a small path leading to Lavasa. On cross-checking with the shop-keeper, I understood that there was indeed a path, but it was not a proper road. It was under construction and leads through hills and forests.

“Just what I needed”, I beamed and registered a mental apology to Mom.

I took the cycle off the road towards the lake. After resting for a while in the cool breeze, I hit the road again.

The next 15 kms had intermittent drizzles. As long as it was not too heavy, I would enjoy the way it kept me fresh…

When I reached Tamhini, I realized what the shop-keeper meant by “under construction”. There was a weather beaten road, complete with pebbles, potholes and boulders disappearing into the hills. It didn’t deter me. I rode on. After some distance, the path was too steep and the terrain too rough to cycle even for a mountain bike; and mine was only a hybrid. So I began pushing…

Little did I realize that this exercise was to repeat several more times during the day.

The hilly stretch between Tamhini and Lavasa was arguably the best ride of my life. Deserted, green, hilly, drizzle, calm, selfies… it was a perfect concoction for adventure. I had my share of speeding downhill, passing through tribal villages, crouching under trunks when it rained heavily… Somehow I made it to Lavasa. For those who want to try it out, this particular stretch of road does not figure on Google maps.

I expected love at first site with Ms.Lavasa. But first sight was a disappointment; I was entering from the wrong side of Lavasa and all I could see was lots of construction work and a dry river. As I rode further I could spot the real Lavasa, the so called modern smart city. To put it in one sentence, Lavasa is just a small township built around a river on the lines of Italian architecture. There were loads of eateries and games for kids and families. I decided that when the time comes, I’d spend few weekends in here. 

After a quick Biriyani, I shopped at Mapro’s for a variety of fruit chews and Crush. This was a mistake – it added some 4 kgs to my backpack (which is quite a lot on such rides) and I had no idea what was waiting for me…

I had done some 90 kms since morning. Stomach full, body relaxed, I decided to start on the last 70 kms home. I asked a passer-by, “Which way is Pune?” He pointed and said, “But you can’t go on cycle. It’s steep uphill.” I had no choice. I had to reach home for the night, so as to be in office the next morning.

For the next 2 hrs, I just pushed the cycle up the hill. It looked never ending, as I could see the road snaking its way up the hills and into the clouds. To make things worse, there were these couples zipping up n down the hill on bikes. It was 6.30 in the evening when I reached the summit, fully drained. I stopped to click a pic at “Welcome to Lavasa”. I could barely force a smile.

Once up the hill, I got a steep downhill descend for 5-6 kms. I just zipped past all those bikes and cars, a childish avenging gesture, after they had climbed past me up the hill. I trusted my repair skills on the effectivity of the brakes, cos one failure on the brakes would send me flying off the hill into the inviting but deadly dam below...

The ordeal was far from over. Pune was still 50 kms away and as I went on, I encountered 3 more hills to be scaled. I guess I must have hiked some 30 kms, pushing the cycle along in the whole day, apart from over 130 kms of cycling. My thighs were crying for mercy and my shoulders felt like it was carrying the earth like Atlas.

I stopped for a mango milkshake just at the outskirts of the city. That was refreshing. But the last 15 kms through the city to reach home was on pure zombie mode – I was just mechanically pedalling devoid of any kind of emotions or feelings. All I wanted to was to reach home and crash on my bed.

By the time I did that it was 9.30 in the night.

The last thing I remember before dropping into a trance like a corpse was making a rule: No more long rides alone. I have to hunt for company now.