Unplanned Trail: Visarjan Lake, Garia

It was a boring Sunday afternoon. I was sitting at home, nothing to do, browsing channels on TV and then I got an energy jolt.
I called up Chris and told him to come over on his bike but didn't tell him of my nutty plan to cycle to Garia!

It was a 30+Km route from Ballygunge To Garia via RSC Mullick Rd. But the real mess was that it started raining and the roads became very mucky. To add to this, the traffic became very unpredictable as everyone wanted to avoid the puddles. We crossed some very important landmarks like Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute(CGCRI) and Jadavpur University(JU). JU is supposed to have the best English Department in the country.


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All this was the additional benefit but the main thing we came to see was Visarjan Lake - Place where idols are immersed. And what a shock we got. We expected a large well-maintained lake but what we got to see was dirty green puddles at the bottom of a crater. They were cleaning the lake for the upcoming festive season.

This made me rather angry because we had suffered a lot for this. We came to the southern end of the city and then took a U-Turn for home, this time via Tollygunge.
Wanting to avoid the traffic of the main road, I took the lead into the narrow lanes and then the real fun began. The lanes were so narrow that it seemed like private land with the land lords allowing us to pass-by. Using only our own sense of direction(which proved pathetic) we kept taking random lefts-and-rights. It was more like a game of follow the leader. Whoever got the lead could decide the next turning. CRAZY!. And we got quiet a few heads turning with the wheelys.

We finally found out that we were near Golf Green and coming onto the main road, managed to reach home.

The Next Ride

If you thought that our first trail was outrageous then be ready for double the explosion because this time we're going bigger.
A 6-7 of us are going via a 40+ KM route to Botanical Gardens, Shalimar. And to add the icing on the cake, we'll be crossing Hoogly on a ferry with the bicycles TWICE!!
We'll first cross between Rajabagan - Padara Ferry Ghat to reach the other side, visit Botanical Gardens and then down Upper Foreshore Road and back to this side crossing at Fairlie Ghat.
It sounds insane but its going to amazing fun. We'll keep you posted on recent updates.


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Please Note:-
We've just put down the basic layout of the trail and can easily make changes. So if any one be interested in suggesting other places to visit, or route/roads to avoid, please feel free to leave comments. They are certainly welcomed.

The Precautions tO bE Taken

You learn when you fail, and our first trip although not a failure, had nearly come to a halt, thanks to a lack of organization and pre-planning. To make sure YOU don't get into the same situation like we did, here are some do-s and don't-s on adventure biking.

Please Note:- This is a general list of precautions with regard to cycling around a city. It doesn't deal with biking in hilly areas or forests.

• Make a detailed inspection of your bicycle's major components, especially parts that may have been damaged during previous accidents.
• Check for air pressure, good braking, and mud-guard stability.- if the mud-guard is rickety and hits the tyres, you may have a very noisy experience. Moreover it will wear out the tyres.(This is where we messed up!)
  
• Once you have a bike ready, you can go for planning your route and destination. If you aren't going to carry a map then be sure to make a list of NavPoints/Landmarks that you should cross. It will keep you on your pre-planned route.
• Try and select a route where small shops come by, in case you need something.
• Now you have a bike and a route, so lets go for the items to carry.
• Wheather your journey is long or short, certain items you must carry at all costs.
  Some spare nuts-bolts, a wrench/screwdriver, cloth to catch you greasy chain in case it falls out, a water-bottle, some snacks, and some cash with change. Besides this carry some band-aid and anti-septic.
  
• You may add other things but try and keep the bag as light as possible.
  
• If you are going in a group as i did then there's no need for everyone to carry all these items. Just two-three would be more than enough.
• Try not to carry valuables and expensive gadgets. A 2MP mobile camera should be enough for photography. Avoid wearing baggy cloths. Wear cloths in which YOU are comfortable cycling, not what mommy suggests! Keep her suggestions for a formal outing.
  When it comes to all this, they may not be wrong, but we ARE right!
  
• Now you're all set to go, so grab that bike, and disappear.

Please do let us know your views about the blog by commenting. And if this blog has inspired you to ride then tell us about your adventure at chirag91@gmail.com. We will surely put it up.

Tyre Tracks: To Nicco

This journey was my first outing in a group(though very small) and it was a very interesting experience. I definitely learn't a lot of do-s and dont-s about venturing out on my own but importantly i had the time of my life.

This was a short(duration) cycling trip i completed with a friend of mine. We had just planned the route a day before and didn't have any particular destination, but after returning home we checked up the map and realized that we had crossed the destination by a good distance.


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We started off the journey from ballygunge(my house) at about 4PM. Taking Bondel Rd. and later C.N. Roy Rd(Chandra Nath Roy) , navigating though the mucky lanes we reached E.M. Bypass(Eastern Metropolitan). This is one of Kolkata s lifeline roads connecting many important residential and commercial centers including Dum Dum Airport. Just entering the mains we found a lake- for much needed relaxation- and had a good time. Check out the pics.

After this we really picked up the pace and did my crazy things. Speeding down the highway, driving on the wrong side, using the fly-overs - oh and this one s the best of all - comming downhill free-hand(dats rite no-hands).
Nearing Nicco it was getting dark so it was decided to keep that as the U-turn point. But from there on everything just went from bad to worse. My friend s bike just started to come apart. A twisted mud-guard, loose brakes, and a loose pedal~! And he never bothered to inform me.

While returning we used the JBS Haldane Rd. by taking a right at Science City. Wasn't any shorter but had to take it as the same route would have made it boring.

And finally we reached back (Ballygunge) at around 7PM. So we completed an 18Km journey in about 3Hrs. If you've taken the pain to go through my rubbish(pretty bad at essays) then please go through the pics & video, they are certainly better.