How I lost my virginity!

2007-07-09T02:50:00.000-07:00

Distance: 1500kms

Duration: 3 days
Ride: Solo ride from Mumbai to New Delhi.
Plan: Start early ride all day and take night halts.
Route: Mumbai – Valsad - Surat – Bharuch – Vadodara – Ahemadabad – Khairwara – Udaipur – Chittorgarh – Ajmer – Jaipur – Kot Putli – Gurgaon – New Delhi.
Road condition: NH8; superb all the way.

For months I was waiting for this to happen, there were infinite amount of people out there who told me not to do it or that it’s a total madness or it could kill you! I sure do agree with them that it was an act of madness! There were so many reasons to back that fact; one of the most crucial reason was I was riding all-alone for 1500kms!! My bike was new; I bought it around six months back and did only 3500kms on it. Before this ride I had NO RIDING EXPIRENCE! I had a Hero Honda CD100 before so you can imagine. It was like losing my virginity! (…Once again)

If you ask me when people (and by ‘people’ I mean hardcore riders) were reluctant about this ride o mine, I was bit scared but then I was like ‘what the hell! Let’s do it!’

It was 4^th of June 2007, by far the best Monday of my life! I started from Borivili (a western suburb of Bombay) From there I took National Highway 8. After doing 30 to 40kms on the road for once I thought that India is actually ‘shining’ (it’s the only 100% complete 4 lane tar roller coaster of the Golden Quadrilateral) I started at 6:15AM and took a breakfast halt at 7:30 near Palghar. That is almost 70kms away from the start. From Palghar I took no stops till Vadodara, Gujarat. It was 350kms. All of my rider buddies advise me not to enter the city and take a bypass coz its time saving. But it was 3:30PM and I had done 70% of the target distance! (And I was hoping that I might get good food if I enter the city, which didn’t happen) I had lunch there. The day was mercury rising. After an hour, at around 4:30 I headed towards Ahemadabad, where I was planning to take a night halt. The distance is somewhere around 130kms; and believe me guys those were the longest 130kms I ever had! As it was a hot day and the day full of riding stress plus a heavy lunch was making me sleepy. I couldn’t keep my eyes open!! It was dangerous! I tried counting truck tyres but it didn’t work. Thereafter whenever I was sleepy I used stop take a photo or two, have some water and back on. After such a snail ride I reached Ahemadabad by 7:30PM! Again I went right inside the city and got lost; I asked some autowallah to take me to a hotel. I followed him and end up in a Hotel named Hotel Volga; stayed there for the night.

Then on day two I started at 6:30AM and because I was in the middle of the damn city, it took me half n hour to connect back to the highway. I had to do around 650kms that day, the task was to reach Jaipur and stay there for night. I started well, weather wasn’t that bad. (Still it was above 40°C during the day) I crossed Shamlaji (Gujarat Rajasthan Border) by 10AM. That was the only time I was experiencing a terrain on the route; some turns and steeps. I took a breakfast halt at Khairwara at around 11AM. The covered distance was 150kms. After some chai I again started in next half n hr and reached Udaipur by 12:45. I didn’t enter the city as I planned a late lunch; took a bypass and somehow ended up on National Highway 76!! I thought I was lost coz I had the map in my mind which clearly said NH8 all the way. After confusing 10kms I found a villager, he told me that this is an alternative route it is just 20kms longer. (Phew!) Though that part of NH76 was the most beautiful patch of road I’ve ever experienced. Then on the same road; on the way to Chittorgarh I met some GBC (Gujarat Bullet Club) bikers. They were three guys all with standard 350s from late 90s heading for Ladakh. I was riding with them; we took a lunch halt at Chittorgarh, which was the exact midpoint of the Ahemadabad to Jaipur route. After lunch we slowed down; taking photos; stopping at dhabas for chai. We reached Ajmer by 6:00PM. From there it was once again good ol NH8. The road was getting better and better. Now it was a six laner! Sun was setting and it was just beautiful sight. We reached Jaipur by 8:00PM. I found a hotel and waved ‘bye-bye’ to the fellow bikers. Since it was the longest ride I’ve ever did the end of the day was quite painful, I had to take some painkiller for the back.

On day three it was just 270kms to go so I stated bit late, around 7:30AM. Now all the excitement was getting built up. I don’t know if it was a painkiller side effect or something, I was sleepy. (Again!) For the sake of excitement I didn’t take a stop until I had my breakfast at 9, again a roadside dhaba. Now it was countdown time and it was 180kms to go. Day was hot as hell, I was crossing Rajasthan and Gujarat in the middle of burning summer, highest I experienced was 47°C in Jaipur. But the wonder of a bullet engine was still cool! It was riding fast and smooth. After breakfast I wasn’t sleepy at all, the excitement was keeping me awake. When I was near Kot Putli (around 150kms before Delhi) bike suddenly came on to reserve. I was searching for a good fuel station on the road, but for 70kms I didn’t find any, I was scared of the fact that it might dry out. And it did happen!! Now the journey was on feet! I pulled the bull for around a kilometer n half then a Reliance Fuel Station showed up (Believe me! If you’re riding National Highways, you don’t want to fill up anywhere else than Reliance, it’s all shit) I was back to the rippin road. I crossed Rajasthan border at Kot Putli and entered Haryana. After 10 or 20kms road started to get wider and I could see big DLF buildings, I was already in Gurgaon. The place where I was going to stay was just 20kms ahead and on the same road. The Destination; the target; the glory was just 20kms ahead! I reached there and called almost every buddy of mine! It was “I did it!” moment. I was finally there after a numb butt; a back, which was on painkillers and a tan that I think, will never go off me!

Bombay to Delhi - Solo Ride

How I lost my virginity!