The First Uphill Experiment

Photos:
http://www.orkut.co.in/ExternalAlbum.aspx?uid=17222778662928045236&aid=1238306247&t=18149809776364222809&vid=07790599919232340974&ik=ACGyDXtpmyK8h6sMB2VDcXAD-ET-VHgsew

The Cyclists:
Ankur Bal
☺☺☺

Himanshu Srivastava
A soft spoken intelligent guy with a truckload of patience. Avoids any conflicts and tries to solve all matters amicably. He is well versed in matters pertaining to spirituality and is a genuine believer and seeker. An outdoor person who enjoys running, swimming, cycling, but grossly underestimates his abilities.

Wednesday, 18th March 2009
Delhi-DehraDun (by Car)
Today we have planned to drive down to DehraDun along with our bicycles. We have procured a bicycle carrier for the car which will help us stow our bicycles. I am helped by my wife in getting the bikes on the car carrier. We secure it well with additional ropes and I’m confident that they will last the 250km journey. Himanshu boards an early morning flight from from Pune and is in Delhi by 1130hrs. I pick him and we immediately head for DehraDun. Enroute we discuss & estimate the difficulty level that we will be encountering on the cycling course to Mussoorie. It is difficult to predict how our body will respond to the long stretch of strenuous climb. We take a short meal break at Cheetal Grand, a very popular highway halt. People are intrigued by the cycles mounted on the carrier. I guess it’s a rare site in this part of the world!
We reach DehraDun by 1800hrs and put up at my house. My folks are very apprehensive about the thought of cycling all the way up to Mussoorie. We carry out basic checks on our bicycles, secure the repair kit, have an early meal and then go to sleep.

Wednesday, 19th March 2009
DehraDun-Mussoorie(on Bicycle)
DehraDun is at approximately 2000 feet above Mean sea level. & Mussoorie is slightly above 6000 feet. I estimate the road distance from my house to Mussoorie to be 40km. Thus, we shall be climbing around 4000 feet (=1.2 km) vertically in these 40kms. The weather is clear and we expect sparse traffic on the roads.
As both of us shall be cycling, we hire a local driver for car support. We have a glass of milk and a banana before cycling out towards the hills of Mussoorie. We start riding at exactly 0815hrs. Within minutes we are cruising in the streets of DehraDun along with the regular morning traffic. We immediately become aware of a mild climb that starts in the town itself. Soon we cross the blind school, a suburban part of Dehradun. As we approach the foothills, the climb gets more difficult. Close to the Deer park, a small section of the road offers slope relief, but for hardly a few seconds.
Himanshu is nowhere to be seen & I presume that he close behind. The steep winding road signals the beginning of a tough climb. The struggle to keep the bicycle going becomes very apparent. My first halt is at Shiv Mandir and I get off my bicycle to offer a small prayer. I wait for my companions for over 10 min and get impatient. I call the driver on his mobile as I need to replenish my water/glucose before moving ahead. He reaches the Mandir in no time and updates me of Himashu’s condition. I quickly refill my water bottle; ask the driver to wait for Himanshu and meet me next on the police post few km ahead.
I am back on the punishing trail with the intense sunlight making things more difficult. But as always, there is a silver lining. I've traveled to Mussoorie many times in the past(I did 4yrs schooling in Muss), but this time it feels very different. Until today I’ve commuted on this route in either a car or a bus. Today, the views of the Doon valley & the sparse settlements in the hills are grand. The views of surrounding sceneries from a car and cycle are analogous to watching a movie on TV vs. In a cinema hall!
Our backup car overtakes me with Himanshu seated on the passenger side, and his bicycle loaded on the rear rack. His face looks flushed & very tired. I learn that he gave up at Shiv mandir, the 19km mark from our start point (my house). A light cool breeze offers me some relief against the bright sun. I am now sipping my energy drink very often to avoid dehydration. Within minutes, the road meanders onto a small hamlet and I reach the police post. The guys are waiting for me at the post with Himanshu clicking some nice photographs of me cycling!
Its past 10 o’clock and still over 15km to go. The car guys zoom past and wait for me a couple of km ahead. Normally in plains, my gear ratio is 2:6/2:7. Here I am mostly on 1:3/1:4. Another major difference is that in plains, you can normally ‘cheat’ for some distance without continuous pedaling (coasting). Here the uphill gradient offers no such discount. As soon as you stop pedaling, you halt!
As the day progresses, the tourist traffic starts increasing. Few folks yell out encouraging words to keep me going, some click photographs, others just turn back and pass a pleasant smile. After a couple of short halts I reach King Craig, a junction where two roads fork out to different ends of the Mussoorie mall road. The one on the left leads to Library point and the other on the right goes toward Picture palace.
I take a short break with my car crew and finally proceed for Library point. The last couple of km are steeper that what I’ve been through till now. We decide to meet at my friend’s(Ashish) hotel at Library point. Fatigue has set in, but the adrenalin keeps me going. I cross vertical bends one after another & finally I am at Gandhiji’s statue, a major landmark for library point! My friend's hotel (Hotel Vishnu palace) is just round the corner. As I coast down the hotel parking, I see the car guys offloading our bags. Its 12:45hrs and I check the car's odometer. I cycled exactly 40km (UPHILL) in 4.5 hrs!!! My friend is also out to greet me. He is amazed by our feat and congratulates us. We have a quick photo session and retire to a nice tastefully done room in his hotel.
... (to continue)

Thursday, 20th March 2009
Mussoorie-Dhanoltie(Bicycle)-Mussoorie(Car)

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Friday, 21st March 2009
Mussoorie-SGC(Bicycle)-DehraDun(Car)
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