Pune – Mulshi – Amby Valley – Lonavala
(Lion Point) – Shillim – Pavana – Pune
My first ride with BRC was the first time I rode with a group.
We all collected near at 6:45am near CCD @ Chandni Chowk. As
it was my first time I went about introducing myself to people and realised
there were 2 other newbies with me. When it was time to leave we were given a
talk on the dos and don’ts during the ride. We newbies were told about the
safety gear we need to wear and how we should ride at our own pace and not
worry about riding as fast as some of the others.
At this time I was a little worried and apprehensive about
how I would be able to keep up with experienced RE riders, considering I had
had my bike for less than 2 months. Somewhere I felt that my 8 year sabbatical
from riding would be too much of a handicap. What I did not give myself credit
for was the fact that I had ridden almost 80,000 kms over 12 years before that.
Riding my RE, gave me a feeling of taming the beast. My TB 500 is beautiful to handle and once roaring down the road is like a racehorse. I felt like a jockey riding a horse that knew what it was doing and where it was going.
Getting back to the ride. We started down the road to Mulshi
and our group of 14 riders passed many cyclists and biker groups. A group of 14
RE riders certainly makes the heads turn, in fact many a villager and cow got
startled and nearly jumped out of their skins when an RE throttled while
passing them.
Well the road to Mulshi was quite uneventful, I realised I
had given my past experience too little credit. I found that I was easily able
to keep pace with the lead rider. Just short of Mulshi we stopped to take a
right up a small road towards Malhar Machhi. This was a kick ass route with the
lake to our left and mountains to the right. Small winding roads took us deep
into the wilderness where we had barely any vehicles pass us.
The roads could be called tracks as many patches were more
like off road tracks. Steep winding rough roads is where my TB500 was able to
show what its made of. Roaring up the steep inclines and powering through the
curves was a piece of cake. Here we had many group members who fell far behind
the leading group. We stopped a few times and waited while the other group
caught up.
What I really liked about the BRC riders is that they always
have an experienced rider who trails the group and ensures no one gets left
behind. Though it can be frustrating for the rider, it is a good sign of developing
leadership and sense of caring and belonging.
We stopped on a bridge over a nice stream and had the usual
round of Pics and selfies. The bikes lined on the bridge were a sight to see.
Suddenly we heard a roar of a bike and here we were joined by the 15th
rider.
Now the 15 of us headed towards Lion Point Lonavala. After
crossing Amby Valley the road became beautiful and the traffic picked up. We
knew we were nearing Lion’s point when the fog rolled in and we could hear a
lot of vehicles around the place; however, could not see most of them.
We all
reached and saw a whole lot of heads turn when our 15 REs thundered into a
parking and lined up. It was a fabulous feeling to see my TB lined up with 14
other bikes up in the clouds. I could see many people gaping at our bikes and
looking in awe at the entire cavalcade.
After grabbing some bhajjis and tea our bikes roared back
into action and headed back towards Amby valley. We took a left towards Pavana
and here the road became an off road track once again for the next few KMs.
Soon we hit the smooth roads again and I began roaring down
the mountain once again. It was a great feeling to test my riding skills as I
was pelting down passing one rider after another. My aim was not to overtake
people and go ahead; it was to experience the freedom of riding my RE and
having nothing and no one coming in my way. The feeling of leaning hard into
the turns, dropping gear and roaring out of them has a feeling of freedom and
control that I love.
As I had to reach home early, I parted ways with the group
shorty before we reached Pavana. I turned towards Paud and had a superb ride on
my own.
After my first ride with BRC I decided I would join them and
explore the adventures of riding with a group.
My reasons for choosing BRC over the other groups:
·
A biker group that does things other than just
riding- Social Service, National day events, Etc
·
The focus on safety, helmets and following rules
·
The madness for riding and adventure shown by
some of the riders
·
The Friday meetings that show a sense of
belonging
