Cycling log – August
The rockrider 5.2 I bought has now crossed 415 kms on road.
Highlights: Manchanabele reservoir, a place about 45 kms from Bangalore was explored by 5 of us. We started at 5.30AM and reached the place at about 10AM. Kengeri is the last place where you can find some decent breakfast. Once you reach the place, village folks and sign posts will forewarn you about the potential dangers of getting into water. So, we stayed at respectful distance from the deeps. The lake is about 4 kms long and 0.5 kms wide (according to google maps). One end is a concrete dam while another end is the hill, Savandurga. On all sides of the lake, shrub forests provide a scenic backdrop. The road to the dam is pretty free of vehicles (except for the Mysore road and Magadi road sections) and is well suited for cycling. The terrain has a few inclines but these are easily manageable with a good bike. There is some scope for off-roading at the dam site too. Among us, the majority were first timers in such long distance trips but they finished the trip in pretty good shape. Apart from my rockrider, the Venu, Sandeep, Avik and Ashish had firefox. Two were rented from RR international, Madiwala, Bangalore for Rs.350 a day.
Another beautiful place we went to is Kunti betta / French rocks. This place is about 35 kms from Mysore. I had taken my rockrider in the luggage carrier of a Volvo bus to Mysore so that I could do some cycling there. Along with Suraj, Anil, Preetisagar and Venu, we started on a cool and cloudy sunday morning along the Mysore-Bangalore road towards the spot. A small lake between two small hills, a temple by the side of the lake, shrub forests covering the hills, lots of rocks to climb around, and a road along the periphery of the small like make this an ideal place for cycling, trekking, rock climbing etc. We started at 5.15 AM and reached back home at 2.15 PM.
Chamundi hills is another location for enjoyable cycling. I seriously envy the guys who cycle here every day. My rockrider had its first fall on this hill. It toppled over twice while trying to attempt some stunts but no noticeable damage has been done.
Bicycling to work everyday has been more of a deeper experience. I think I can understand now how it feels to be a minority. I now am trying to learn patience. The traffic is pretty tiring; more mentally rather than physically. But since I first rode my bike till now, I think I have improved and am a better rider than before.
Cycling log:
| .Date | .Distance (kms) | .Description | .Distance Cumulative (kms) |
| 14-Aug-10 | 17 | Decathlon(0)-Madiwala(11)-Jayanagar via Nimhans(6) | 17 |
| 15-Aug-10 | 40 | Jayanagar(0) – Malleswaram via MG Road(14) – Jayanagar via Link Road(12) – Madiwala via BTM (6) – Jayanagar via BTM (6) – 2ndBlock (1) – Jayanagar (1) | 57 |
| 16-Aug-10 | 17 | Jayanagar(0) – Bosch Bmh (8) – Jayanagar (9) | 74 |
| 17-Aug-10 | 21 | Jayanagar(0) – Bosch Bmh (9) – Bosch Kor (6) – Jayanagar (6) | 95 |
| 18-Aug-10 | 19 | Jayanagar(0) – Bosch Bmh (9) – Jayanagar(10) | 114 |
| 19-Aug-10 | 23 | Jayanagar(0) – Bosch Bmh (9) – Bosch Kor (5) – Madiwala(3) – Jayanagar (6) | 137 |
| 20-Aug-10 | 100 | Jayanagar – Manchinabele reservoir (via mysore road) – Jayanagar (via magadi road) | 237 |
| 21-Aug-10 | 64 | Jayanagar – Majestic (10) //// Mysore Bus stand – Roopanagar (10) – Chamundi Hills ( 22) – Roopanagar (22) | 301 |
| 29-Aug-10 | 80 | Roopanagar – Kunti betta (40) – Roopanagar (40) | 381 |
| 30-Aug-10 | 34 | Roopanagar – Mysore Bus Stand (10) //// Majestic – Bosch Bmh (14) – Jayanagar (10) | 415 |
September 1st, 2010 at 11:25 AM
Wow great work Ashwini , good information…Even we friends went to roam around Shimoga. Upto Gajanur-8 kms from shimoga(Tunga Dam) we travelled in Bicycle 15 days back then at the Evening we had the nice time at our great JNNCE campus…