Saturday, June 5, 2010

BJ22 - Day 22 - Sat June 5 - Kishangadh (Ajmer) to Jaipur

BJ22 - Day 22 - Sat June 5 - Kishangadh (Ajmer) to Jaipur

7 am/12.30 pm/12.30 pm/105/23/30%/2420 /5L /30-37-39-40

A nice and easy end to a great tour

tail wind, light decline and cloud cover made for an easy ride into
Jaipur - pretty much just sat and pointed the handlebar in the right
direction - fast paced cruising - resisted temptation to just sprint
the whole way - need get a good fix on low co2 issue

excellent roads - 6 lanes and good shoulder - food and branded water
easily available

good sleep - was refreshed - kept up good food and water discipline -
had restocked the munchy bad the night before

had an evening flight booked from delhi, amongst a few other
combinations - decided to dismantale cycle and take all the parts on
the flight, except the frame, which was anyways bent - cycled to the
bus stop - booked a taxi - dismantled the cycle with the help of a
nearby cyclewallah - wrapped that up in a double bedsheeet picked up
from a shop in the city while riding in

the jaipur delhi road is a bad one - 4 lane and lot of traffic
congestion - work going on to make it 3 lane with a service road - the
road journey took a little over 5 hours with a bit of speeding up by
the driver towards the end

just landed in bangalore - temp 25 - feels like a hill station - all
paramaters fine - no aches pains bruises - feeling nice and refreshed

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Friday, June 4, 2010

BJ21 - Day 21 - Fri June 4 - Bhilwara to Kishangadh (Ajmer)

BJ21 - Day 21 - Fri June 4 - Bhilwara to Kishangadh

6 am/9 pm/9.16pm/140/12/60%/2315 /10L /30-41-41-43

a tough day and a great evening ride

slept well - refreshed - saw low air in rear tyre - pumped - went for
7km before a flat - one puncture - repaired - glass shards had
penetrated the tyre bruise - as soon as i put back the tyre, heard a
hiss - 2nd puncture - repaired - as soon as i out that back, againd
heard a hiss - changed tube with backup - as soon as i assembeled the
rear assembly, heard the deadly hiss again - 1.5 hours lost - walked
to raila 5 km away - got the rear tyre changed and and small puncture
repaired - saw a small thorn in front tyre while checking - as soon as
i took that out, the hiss started - got that also repaired - new tyres
are nylon and wide treads, so small pebbles and glass dont stick in -
finally started the ride at 11 am

absorbed heat wile sitting and doing nothing - my heat loss works the
best when cycling - could sense heat loss issue - for the next 2 hours
took bell6, electral water, low speed and frequent tea and rest breaks
- heat loss got activated just in time for the peak heat cycle - in
rajasthan its short and hard from 1.30 to 3.30 before starting to go
down - heat loss was in peak shape then and all ok

the first 90 odd km till nasirabad was strong cross wind - had to
sailboat - at times it was so strong that got the feeling that it
might sweep off - at one point had to get down and walk due to strong
cross - the wind had turned warm by 3pm, just like the gadak ride but
gadak was far hotter

the best patch was the last 35 odd km of the ajmer bypass - starting
6.30 pm - beautiful patch - temp had gone down to 37 approx - nice
sunset - arid landscape with intermittant sand - a few hilltops on
either side and front but far away - a charming feeling

thot will find acco on the bypass but didnt find anthing good - rigged
up for night ride at 7.30 - nightfall began by 7.45 and dark only by 8
- nice road - nice shoulder - medium traffic and slow moving - very
comfortable - entered city outskirts at 8 - 7km ride to city centere -
enquired about hotels - very comfortable night ride into city too -
had a very safe feeling about kishangadh - people also friendly and
and more cultured - very less staring compared to other small cities

overall have found truckers to be pretty disciplined - maintain a
steady line and speed and honk a lot - especially the very long trucks
and those carrying protruding stuff almost always honk even if safe
margin - had changed the direction of my cycle pump some ten days
back - so that the rear end is visible from behind - looks like the
back of a sten gun - found a perceptible difference in the margin
being kept by truckers - seen them change lanes also, not happening
earlier - not sure if real or imagined but have been getting a far
greater margin frm truckers - riskiest are cars - cut close,
abberrant speeds , come on to shoulder while overtaking and dont even
honk

overall flat roads - some rolling a little before nasirabad - terrain
getting more barren - more sand - difficult to find roadside shady
trees - intermittant farms - farmers seem to have bought in soil from
outside - boundries made with sand dunes, cactus trees , broken down
thorny branches

numerous dhabas - look dingy from outside but neat and clean - good
food - branded bottled water available only intermittantly -used to
stock 3-4 liters at a time

the last 70 odd kms were full of vehicle cleaning shops - small shacks
- with watert compressor - dirty shabby kids hanging arounds
soliciting truckers to stopa and get veh cleaned up - never saw so
many cleaning shops as today - all kids looked full of major enthu

saw 3 nanos with an escort vehicle - with sign painted over of the
great Indian ride - door had the map painted - seem to be doing a
circular route in central India

keep seeing lot of enfield motorcyclisy throughout the tour, with lots
of gear - like on a long road trip

had kept up a strong food and water discipline - having food every
hour - either at dhaba or from munchy bag - starting to keep one set
of packed lunch from dhaba - chana masala from afternoon didnt smell
right - threw away - had chapati and water and then chapatio and tea -
well refreshed even at ride end - ordered food immedietly at
receptionand went out to restock munchy bag for tomm

hotel aarjav palace - ac 600 - nothing fancy but neat and clean -
nice hotel folks - decent and cultured - lies on main road connecting
to highway 6km away

tomm wud be jaipur - shud be a comfortable 100 km to jaipur railway
station - expecting tail winds as road direction is west to east -
winds throughout have been fairly consisent west to east too - hope
the tyre/ tubes hold up - but enough buffer even if replacement to be
done - can also feel a bad stomach bug starting to build up - hope it
holds for a day

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Thursday, June 3, 2010

BJ20 - Day 20 - Thurs June 3 - Chittaur(garh) to Bhilwara

BJ20 - Day 20 - Thurs June 3 - Chittaur(garh) to Bhilwara

10.15 am/5.45pm/6.00pm/75/14/60%/2175 /6L /35-40-41-42

a day of light rides and rest

not good sleep - got sleep early morning - didt feel rested - took a
nap break at bhilwara - started again at 4.45 - felt refreshed - tyre
air low - possible light puncture - filled air to check out- target
was bijainagar, 55 km away - was banking on light tail - wind was diag
head - low speed - wud hv become nighfall - halted at a highway hotel
20 km from bhilwara

lots of temples and mosques in and around chittaur / bhilwara

road good - cross wind / diag head

have been flat roads from udaipur onwards

tyre air gone - cycle shop nearby - got tube changed - used a new tube
from the shop - not using the backup original atas i had - the
mechanic gave a logic about valve type and showed the diff also -
moulded valve vs hand assembled - moulded better and used by farmers
to carry heavy load - not convinced but dont mind experimenting - the
bruise in the tyre seems to be having an impact - hope it holds for
another 2 days

cycling towards ajmer tomm - will take a break near arounds ajmer

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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

BJ19 - Day 19 - Wed June 2 - Udaipur to Chittaur(garh)

BJ19 - Day 19 - Wed June 2 - Udaipur to Chittaur(garh)

9.30 am/6.00pm/6.45 pm/115/18/50%/2095 /8L /35-39-41-43

nice and easy ride

slept till 8am - 9 hrs- like a log - at ac 30 - felt cud sleep
another 9 - decided to catch up on sleep - also the route going
forward wud be easy - flat/ decline with cross/tail - good desicion -
took an hour to get out of sleep mode after riding - but very
refreshed - made for an easy ride - might do the same tomm also

flat/ decline road - good road - 4 lanes with good shldr - rode in the
other side shldr for a little while - makes more sense and safer too -
in any case the sholdr acts as a two way lane for two wheelers

dry landscape - farms on both sides - food bottled water there -
except for karnataka and tamilnadu, branded water available
selectively or in larger towns - regular trucker type dhabas only in
rajasthan - no family dhabas - a little less cleaner than the gujrat
ones - the trucker dhabas are pretty neat and clean,as they always
are, but the small eatries in city and towns are real bad

overall the difference in prosperity levels of states is stark

wind was cross in the beg. and turned tail in2nd half - made for easy
and fast ride - wind direction seems to have changed - seems to be
south to north now - need to see if that continues tomm also

stopped at a dhaba for lunch - roto and subji - prepared from zero -
break became almost an hour - got some packed for next meal - turned
out to be a good idea - had that in a shaded structure - chatted with
the villagers - usual que

was the only one at that dhaba - delibrately chosen as such - clean
one - had a semi nap in the khatia - decent guy - seems to live with
a 5 yr kid - cute kid - was helping dad by serving - poor folks -
cloth torn - charged 50 for 2 plates of veg and 6 chapatis - shud hv
given more - had fridge - must be full of beer - all dhabas have them
- the wine shops and also the slightly bigger kirna stores on highway
have iron grillings

had restocked munchy bag with orange juice and buttermilk for
rerhydration and potass - glucose bikis - yesterday had bot half kg of
tomatoes and finished them on the way - carrying 3-4 kg extra wt due
to munchy bag, electral, petroleum jelly - but dont feel it

ralco nylons really good - didnt know there was so much specialization
in tyres for the reguar cycles - very minor wear and tear till now -
using with hard inflation - saw only a single minor bruise - hope it
holds thru for the next few days - keep cleaning regularly esp for
glass / nails - glass and pebbles make no diff - not able to cut thru
- good one from gulabchand - genetic cycle mechanics

butt abrsaion totally ok by morning - used vaseline mixed with calend
midway also - all the rest of aches and pains also ok - a strange
pain in rt index finger joint for past few days - feels like a
ligament sprain - light one - wonder how that came about

chittaur has a 7km entry - but the same route later goes and
reconnects to the highway - the fort is visible from the entry point
- really long fort - seems to have been well preserved too

hotel padmini - right near the exit point - on highway - ac 1800 -
negotd for 20% discount - on phone, before going in - for direct
approach and offseason - wonder why didnt do that for others esp the
listed ones - good place - lavish feel - good cook - made real nice
alu matar and shahi and shahi paneer - low ghee as i had requested -
the place must have 50 plus rooms - prob only one or two other folks
- thats the case for most of the places that are not right in the city

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Tuesday, June 1, 2010

BJ18 - Day 18 - Tue June 1 - Ratanpur to Udaipur

BJ18 - Day 18 - Tue June 1 - Ratanpur
to Udaipur

6.30 am/5.30pm/5.45 pm/120/12/70%/1980 /10L /30-39-41-43

a tough and beautiful ride - straddling the mewar hiils all through

terrain was hilly starting right from ratanpur to udaipur - all the
120km of it- the road goes right through the mewar hills - lots of
ups and downs - mini ghats all the way - fairly tough - small
hilltops though ensure that there are not very many steeps

different type of hill range - all small hilltops - almost every
hilltop has a hut at top - arid - thorny trees - nice and very dif
landscape

good road - 4 lane but with decent and well marked shldr - water and
food easy - low traffic

cross / head wind throughout

met a cyclo yatri - hindu muslim peace - on road for 6 mths -
travelled through kerala, bangalore - going to ajmer - carrying whole
household - gave some money for yatra - seemed to be enjoying the beer
being available in rajasthan - depends on alms - must be doing 30 km
per day

strange phenomenon on this patch - especially prominent in some
patches - decline and tail wind but cycle doesnt move - feels like
incline - almost as if somebody trying to hold it back - checked
cycle a few times - then realized trucks also slow - while the the
fully laden trucks from other side going up the incline and with head
wind going faster - very strange - took a video for later viewing

average food througout - relaxed on the khatia at dhabas during break
-felt like a tea shoop/ food shop almost every corner

sleep not good - tweaking around with ac - think hv got it right
hopefully - keeping temp at 30

right knee slightly strained - shud be ok by tomm - severe butt
abrasion due to intense ride - shud have used vaselind midway also -
doing strong vaseline plus calendula trtmt - should be partly ok by
tomm - the ride onwards is full plains so shud be manageable

hotel gajraj - ac 1100 - good place -marble flooring

went out in eve to buy supplies/ munchies

tomorrow towards chittoragarh - went the wrong way while choosing
hotel - will need to backtrack a few kms tomm - nh8 is not golden for
the ajmer stretch - nh76 and nh79 - udaipur to chittaoragarh to ajmer
are golden - nh8 becomes golden again from ajmer to jaipur to delhi -
increases the journey by a day - but supposed to be good roads

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Monday, May 31, 2010

BJ17 - Day 17 - Mon May 31 - Ahemdabad to Ratanpur

BJ17 - Day 17 - Mon May 31 - Ahemdabad to Ratanpur

6.30 am/7.15pm/7.30 pm/125/15/60%/1860 /7L /30-39-42-43

nice and pleasent rides - entered rajasthan

did two rides - with a nap break at himatnagar

nice road - 4 lane with a nice shoulder - low traffic - during the
first ride there were fields on both sides - tree lined too - but not
the shadey variety but the thorny kind - pleasent rides both ones -
road had a overall laid back feeling - one of the best patches

not good sleep last night - room hot due to not using ac - feeling
sleepy in the first ride - all other params ok - electrlyte/ potass
bal almost restored - decided to take a nap break at himatnagar -
slept from 12.30 to 3.00 - like a log - felt very refreshed

started at 3.30 - aimed for shamalji, a religious town right near the
border - temp was 46 stationary but riding temp at 42/43 - roads empty
- heat loss at peak shape - did it at a nice pace - farms becoming
less and less and landscape becoming arid -hill range towards the end
- maybe the mewar hills - stopped at shamalji - rooms available at
hotel mangalmurthy - saw the rooms - nice ones - got info that lots
of hotels there at ratanpur also and falls in rajasthan - 10 km away
so decided to go thr - feeling pretty refreshed at ride end also -
room temp without ac around 38 but feeling much more comfortable today
- if discomfort then will put on ac but keep temp at 30

overall capacity significantly up - not bothered by inclines / head
winds - incline/ head wind tech has got fairly finetuned - much
higher cruising speeds - the ralco nylons are also making a
perceptible diff - stopped at one of the amul factories and half litre
of buttermulk - only unsalted

hotel kingfisher - ac 950 - neat and clean rooms - marble flooring -
beer avlble - lots of folks from gujrat seem to come here for that
since gujrat supposed to be dry state

pretty much flat road / slight decline for first half - 2nd half was
slightly rolling - foothills kind - but overall
decline

wind remained cross / diag tail - will prefer that to a tail - good
for heat loss - tail aids speeds but seems to impair heat loss

continued with bell/ arru a few times a day - first few botls plain
and then with pinch of salt - had a botl of electral at himatnagar and
then 2 botls at ratanpur at ride end - had food immedietly

food was nothing grt today - maintained food and water discipline -
mini meal every 2 to 2.5 hrs - tea break every hour or less - water
intake at just a wee bit above exact - well stocked munchy bag with
juices, buttermilk, buscuits, energy bar,tofee - will restock again on
the way - speed not compromised as cruising speeds are higher - long
range tours will need a diff op rhythm

tomm going towards udaipur 110 km away

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Sunday, May 30, 2010

BJ16 - Day 16 - Sun May 30 -Baroda to Ahemdabad

BJ16 - Day 16 - Sun May 30 -Baroda to Ahemdabad

6.00 am/4.00 pm/4.00 pm/110/14/50%/1735 /6L /30-38-41-44

nice and comfortable ride

good recovery - started early - room temp was 35 - outside temp in
morning was 30 - felt like ac - kept up a good pace througout

most of the route was just 2 lane but with a decent shoulder - first
60 km or so was tree lined - felt nice - some 35 km from ahbad
expressway started - was a nice road - low traffic - traffic picked up
near the city

tea and bikis in morning - kerosine flavoured - kerosine burps - had
nice misa pav - dal bati - uttapa and masala dosa as soon as i checked
in and kathiyawadi lasoniya batata for dinner which was not good

sensing some gap in recovery - seems mostly like nutrient imbalance -
electrolytes - had not taken any electrolytes the first ten days - no
fruits and fresh veggies too - no tomato juice/ chavanprash as in blr
- most likely to be potassium defy plus misc other things - sodium wud
have got replenished but done nothing for potass - decided to have
bananas, cucumber, tomatoes as in between snacks while riding - also
picked up chavanprash, fruit juices and buttermilk - started to have
water with a pinch of salt while riding - rounded that off with 2
botls of electral bottles in evening - planning to continue this
routine - diet will need to be more well rounded in longish tour with
special emphasis on electolyte bal due to loss in sweat and urine -
water intake keeping at near exact values and not overdoing as earlier
to contain loss due to urine

sweat non salty in morning - turned salty as soon as i started with salty water

kept the ride pace easy and at touring pace like in first week - had
started doing hard rides the second week - will keep it easy

continuying with bell and arru to aid recovery

hotel sohail palace - right on highway cum ring road - 750 - nice
place - good vfm

experimenting with not using ac - afternoon room temp at 40 -
uncomfortable - enjoy rides at 45 but lying still at 40 is
uncomfotable and not used to - might have to tweak that piece a bit

tomm will take a halt halfway between here and udaipur - could be
either side of border depending upon pace and accomodation

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