Ride to a X Place - The Story - The Beginning

On one random evening, when we were sitting and discussing next destination...

(Name of person has been abbreviated to keep secret identity)

A : hum log nashik bhi jaa sakte, kabhi nahi gaye hai, kai baar socha but ek baar jaa sakte hain. 

V(thinking) : Finally, a new place, but who goes to Nashik, heard it's a useless place and dangerous Highways, and also he has just said a line, all will forget, and we will end up going Lavasa again.

Two days later,

I am sitting in my room, and I receive a call from unknown number, one thing leads to another and I come to know I have a chotu si relative in Nashik. Well one more reason to visit the place. ;)

Next day,

I found myself searching for areas around Nashik, and come across Saputara, had always heard it's name while I was staying in Gujarat, always wanted to go there, but couldn't ever, and after checking distance and road conditions, the seed of 'riding to Saputara' has been sown in mind.

On next random evening, 

When we were discussing Monu bhaiya's ride to Sandhan Valley, I was too much influenced with it, and wanted to see that place, and suddenly this thought caught up like 'forest fire' in sub conscious. And next few days I kept searching for routes possible to cover all of Nashik, Saputara, Sula, Bhandardhara. When I finally managed to get a route which was manageable in easy two days ride, I

presented my plan to team, not many were ready, but Akshat readily agreed for 23rd June weekend.

So it was final that we will leave on 23rd morning, and meeting was dispersed. Meanwhile next 5 days were an awesome feeling for me, I like to plan things, I like to picture myself taking on those roads, I like to picture myself overtaking trucks on single lane highways, picturing how these new Ghats would be, what it would be like if we have to ride in rain. It builds up confidence and a level of anxiety which keeps you level headed. 

one of the pictures I pictured myself clicking, which did actually come true

Perfecto !!!

And next 5 days, eating, sleeping, working I was thinking about this ride only. 

It's something about long rides, which takes my mind off everything happening around me, it kind of washes off all the worries, and bring a lot positive 'force'.

But I did not want to go with only one more guy, that more of becomes solo ride, and it always take three to tango :)

So an intimation was sent to all riders, with whom I had come in recent contact, and Voila!!! we had our third rider, Vikas. His excitement level was always highest of us all, as it was his first long ride, first ride with gears and all, and first ride with us. Initially there was a doubt in our mind, about how he will cope up, time of travel, fatigue etc, but as we later found out, it was due to him, that we were always high spirited, it was due to him that I clicked many pictures and he kept us pushing "ek baar aaye hain, lets cover most of things we can, fir kab ayenge kya pata".

In next 3 days, we got Vikas  his riding gears, got our bikes long ride ready, and few tips from our management later, we were ready to set on ride on Saturday morning. On Friday night, the 22nd June, I went to bed early, but as happens before every long ride, I hardly slept, made few calls here and there, wished my friend kiddo on her birthday. We were to start on 4:30 am, and it was already 1 am, with hardly any sleep, but I kept thinking, still I am taking rest, no issues, I will be able to ride a fresh, and again I started picturing myself through route, crouching and twisting Antique Blue's throttle full open, letting it's roar pierce through silent valleys and tugging behind Limited :D, and then I would remember we have third guy with us and I will slow down. When sun will rise, I will stop and click few pictures, one from this angle, another from....... and I was lost in my dreams which were about to come true very very soon.....

chanda mama so gaye suraj chahu jaage... 

dekho pakdo yaaro 

ghadi ke kaatein bhaagein..... 

And I suddenly sat up awake to my alarm, it was 3:00 AM, I was supposed to wake up Akshat & Vikas, first called Vikas, and he picked call in 6-7 rings, all sleepy in his voice, but with a sense of excitement and first thing he says to me "yaar neend hi nahi aayi, ek baje soya, excitement ho rakha hai", and I was like "hota hai, mujhe bhi nahi aayi, apki toh first hai :)". Next call was to Akshat, there is something of intuition always before calling him, that he won't pick call on first, and he must be fast asleep with his useless phone either silent or on charging and then we will have to go to his place and wake him up, and as it happened my next 15 mins went in getting Akshat  to pick a call. So after getting ready and placing all the gears and bike with turtle bag, I reached Akshat's place at 4:10 am, we got our clothes at one place, got Limited ready to roll out. Then proceeded to Shivar Chowk, where Vikas joined us in few minutes and after a brief introduction we were to

Start... 

From Left to Right

1. Vikas - Yamaha FZ-S - Newbee 
2. Vyom - Bajaj Pulsar 180 - Antique Blue 

3. Akshat - Yamaha YZF R15 V2.0 - Limited 

And we three started at 4:40 am from Shivar Chowk, just a 10 minute delay from schedule, well we can have fun with that :D. The start was steady, with everyone slowly getting into groove before we hit Highways, which came after 15 mins of ride. And here some instructions were passed... 

I will lead, don't overtake me, vyom will be behind you, keep at speed you are comfortable with, overtake carefully, enjoy the ride and have fun, we will stop at sunrise. 

And hence started our 730 kms ride, which eventually turned out to be mine most amazing ride,...

to be Continued...