Chintamani 200 Km. Brevet

November 05, 2016

"Do you really want to get up at 4am? You could be comfortably sleeping till 7:00am". After a little persuasion, I decided against sleeping in and went with by better instincts.

After a quick sandwich breakfast and some last minute checks, I stepped out of the house into the silence of the street. In the quiet of the morning, the bike was noiseless and even the stray dogs had decided to call it a night. After a short ride to Lavelle road, here are the early birds at 5:30 am ready to ride.

Starting at Airlines Hotel on Lavelle Road

All 30+ riders started and with an adrenaline rush, riders were cruising down MG roads at motorbike speeds. Before long, we reached the ring road and headed north on the busy airport road.

A colony just beyond the airport

The first two hours were uneventful and the ride on the highway was smooth sailing. This was a prelude to the following two hours that were in sharp contrast to the initial two hours. After turning right to head east towards Chintamani, the road revealed its inner self with all its potholes and gravel. After over half a dozen diversions, the pace had slowed down to a walking pace and I played it safe by walking the bike on mud road sections.

A tired soul ready for a break

Even road bicycles need a place to rest

My blue Trek chariot (the one with a black bag under the saddle) is also taking a rest. The massive trees were a nice place to rest for both of us.

After a nice lunch under the trees and a brief rain shower, the next 2-3 hours were more peaceful. We passed through the downtown Chintamani with curious looks from the locals, some of whom wanted to know our "Ooru" and where we were headed.

The ride around noon from Chintamani to Kolar was a very scenic route with nice roads and very little traffic. Passing through the villages, I saw students in their uniforms returning from school, people going about their business, and the occasional motor cyclist. The smell of cows drafted along the road with the mild sunshine.

At Kolar, we briefly lost our way and got back on the highway after spending some time near an ATM. I took an obligatory selfie at the ATM.

The Bangalore to Tirupati Highway from Kolar to Bangalore

The remaining part of the route from Kolar to Namma Bengaluru was straightforward, but harder to ride in the afternoon with a somewhat mild to strong sunshine. I quickly ran out of water, even though I had replenished by bottle in Kolar. It was a reminder, that I had to keep drinking to keep cruising. The highway did have some scenic spots.

Pharaoh looks on passing traffic

I returned to Namma Bengaluru hot, dirty, and polluted city with mixed feelings. Back in the heat with the honking donkeys and the mindless rush to get somewhere, I slowly rode back to Lavelle road, where a well organized committee gave a nice and welcome reception.