Why I Chose bicycle touring

    It was June 2013. While on our motorcycle expedition to Leh-Ladakh, we met a German cyclist. He was 60 years old man cycling from “Kanyakumari” to all the way till “Khardung- la” along with his son. During the meaningful conversation we had, he jokingly said that, ” hey…riding on a motorcycle is just like sitting on the wheelchair. Only bicycle journey will let you know your real strength. Honestly speaking, Yes.. Our egos got challenged at that time. And new adventure possibilities showed up. When we returned home, we both were charged up with new adventure possibilities. First and foremost, we bought mountain bikes for ourselves. We were so excited that, what we didn’t realize is the bikes which we bought were way too bigger than our frame size. The bicycle guy wanted to sell out his stuff and so considering our excitement he too did not utter a word about right frame size. Then I realized the main issue. I didn’t know how to ride a bicycle back then. Since I was little afraid to ride a bicycle in my school days, there was no question of learning it back then. So I started watching YouTube videos about bicycle riding which helped me with bit of balancing a bicycle.

    After several nasty falls somehow I could manage riding a bicycle on an open road. Yet I was afraid of riding a bicycle on road considering the kind of traffic we face in city of Mumbai. I remember during those days, before starting up for the day and at night just before going to sleep, I used to imagine myself riding a bicycle confidently on hustling and bustling streets. I believe this technique of visualization helped me to such an extent that finally I could manage riding on Mumbai- Delhi highway too. I remember the day we successfully completed our first single day bicycle ride from my residence in Kandivali to Virar and back. We took highway to reach Virar. Apart from just one nasty fall everything went well. This journey not only boosted my confidence level but also made me less afraid to the fear of falling. Then there was no turning back. Every Sunday we used to start our day with riding to the nearby places like Uttan, Madh, Sanjay Gandhi national park etc.

    I remember after a few months, one day while surfing on Facebook, I came across a video made by one guy named “Pravin Mote” from IIT Pawai Mumbai. The video made by him about his bicycle journey from “Mumbai to Goa” inspired me so much that I decided to take the same route for our first ever bicycle touring. I shared my thought with my husband Avinash. Me being a newbie to bicycle riding he was bit doubtful. But by looking at my twinkling eyes and excitement he finally agreed. Our very close friend Pranay too joined us for our first ever bicycle touring. It was December 2013. My favourite time of the year. Christmas time. Since Avinash had 10 days of Christmas leave, we planned our first ever bicycle ride to my native place “Tarkarli”. It was nearly 550 km ride via coastal highway. We planned our tentative itinerary with total 8 days of riding and a few rest days. I was so excited that I remember having sleepless nights. Since we thought sharing our plan to family members might create a panic, we decided not to announce our crazy plan to them until the time of actual implementation. We bought basic bike repairing tool kit and bike helmets. We were not aware of pannier bags back then and so we dumped our 2 pair of cloths and other basic necessary things in a trekking sack. Tied it to the carrier at the back with the help of bungee cords in a crude fashion. And yes we were all good to go.

    I remember it was past 2 a.m. on 20th December, cold winter night we started our journey. We were supposed to meet Pranay at Kandivali on Western Express Highway at 3 a.m. Trust me riding at night in Mumbai when roads are without traffic is great fun. Except one nasty fall of mine near Vile Parle, we totally enjoyed initial 35 km our ride and reached Gateway of India at 7 am. After a breakfast at the small food joint we got the ferry to Mandava (Alibagh). As the ferry started its journey towards Mandava, my heart was filled with gratitude towards God. I thanked the supreme power for giving me great health and mindset to achieve my dreams.

    Many people ask me a question that how do I manage riding kilometers after kilometers on a bicycle saddle? My answer to everyone is, when you want to do something, you will find a way. I read a quote long time back which says, “when we grow old, we will be disappointed with the things we didn’t do than the things we did”. I want to do things that my heart tells me to do. My plan is to explore possibilities and check out my capabilities. My first bicycle touring changed me as person. This journey made me confident and it helped me to believe in my own potential. I think if an ordinary person like me could do it then anyone can do it.

    I believe nothing can stop us from achieving our dream. We just need to convince our mind to make it real.

Best wishes