Mandar Gadre मंदार गद्रे

Le Tour Pune Goa - 27-29 th Sept 2012.

गोव्याला सायकल चालवत जायचे हा किडा बरेच दिवस डोक्यात वळवळत होता. ४-५ महिन्यांपुर्वी ठरवले की तयारी चालु करु यात आणि मग प्रत्यक्ष किती जण नक्की हा प्रवास करणार याचा अंदाज येईलच.

The group was formed and a daily routine of cycling was decided. Everyone was doing about 25 km daily and 50-60 km on weekends.

As days passed , every one started feeling much better and the confidence level went up.

To get used to the climbs and the distance, the group cycled all the way to khambatki ghat and back to pune (140+) ,once to kamshet and back ( 100+ km ,) and once climbed the bopdeo ghat too. A Sinhgad climb on cycle was also done.

Finally the month of the Sept 2012 arrived and everyone became aware that the countdown had begun . The D-day was approaching fast. In between the गणेशोत्सव was to be taken care of with lots of मोदक to be eaten. भरपुर मोदक खाऊन आम्ही सर्व जण तयार झालो.

Day 1 - 27 th Sept 2012 4am.

The Le Tour Goa Team

Manoj Hardikar.
Prashant Shintre.
Mandar Gadre.
Sanjay Karandikar.
Shilpa Karandikar.
Sunil Ranade.
Geeta Ranade.
Mahesh Zurale.
Rupali Zurale.
Ravi Ranande
Dr.Prasad Joshi
Aniruddha Mahajan
Kiran Garge
Atul Kulkarni

The previous night we loaded our support vehicle with our luggage, 2 spare cycles, pumps,tubes and necessay tools and lots of water.

गणपती बाप्पा मोरयाच्या गजरात team was flagged off on 27th Sept 2012 at 4 am in the morning.

Every cycle had good lights and tail lamps for safety. Most of us were wearing protective safety vests

I had the most powerful light known as Magic Shine MJ808. It is the best. We started and within an hour we were at Katraj top. It was decided that we would be riding in pairs or threes and not alone.

I was riding with Prasad joshi and Aniruddha. They were actually tailing me and utilising my light. We were averaging @ 20 -22 km per hour by then. We crossed the katraj tunnel and took a small break and started again towards khambatki ghat. By 7 we were at the base of the khambatki. We ate लाडु आणि energy bars and started tackling the ghat.

I had climbed Khambatki ghat last year when I had done Pune- Panchagani - Pune -200 km ride. I must admit that with the practice and guidance from my cycling buddies, Satish Apte ( माझे गुरु) , Sanjay Joshi and Col. Hasabnis there was a tremendous improvement when I climbed khambatki this time. I was at the top of the ghat waiting for my group to arrive.

Bhau (prasad joshi) and aniruddha arrived shortly after me.

Soon we started our descend and reached Hotel Virangula, We had breakfast of idli and tea.

We had created a relay system. The group who reaches the designated spot will wait till the group behind them arrives. Prashant and Manoj had already reached there so they left immediately when there breakfast was over. By the time we finished our breakfast Geeta and Sunil Ranade arrived. We left handing over the relay sheet to them.

We reached Satarai by 9-30 to 10. We had a tea at a nearby hotel and proceeded.

We would stop in between to top up water and eat an energy bar or something after @ 1 hour. Bhau and me were pacing nicely and aniruddha slightly behind us. Bhau is a tough guy with the experience by cycling in leh and ladakh.

We took a small break outside Satara and then decided that we will stop at karad. So we were spinning with a good decent pace and suddenly realised karad was just few km away and around 12.-12-30 we were at Hotel Sangam. Again the same relay system. Prashant and Manoj were hogging at food. We ordered our food. By the time the food arrived I ould catch a small nap of 15 min . Bhau and aniruddha and I slept on कट्टा in the garden restaurant of Hotel Sangam. That 10-15 min of rest really helped me to recoup the enegy levels. We ate some pavbhaji and some juice and started from Hotel Sangam. By then we had covered more than 160 km with @ 40 km to be done.

So bhau suggested let us ride for 10 km and take a minute break and carry on. This was a good idea..With 20 km left I started getting impatient and got a downhill and there I broke away from them. I carried on with my pace. In between I was keeping an eye on the speedometer, the distance was reducing 15, 10 and then under ten. And finally I could see the hoarding of Sai International saying Hotel just around the corner. To my surprise it was really around the next corner. I had reached the hotel by 2.30 pm covering exactly 201 km. The hotel is @ 38 km from Karad and 30 km from Kolhapur. The hotel is very nice and they serve good food.

201 km mark .

The day 1 over. The support vehicle was with the rest of the group. The next group arrived around 4pm and the last members by 5.30pm. Everyone had reached safely. By the way, all of us had completed the 201 km in the prescribed BRM time of 13h 30 min.

I must say something about Geeta,Rupali and Shilpa. They were consistent and kept riding at their pace and reached the hotel. Helmets off to all the ladies !

Ravi Ranade had a puncture. We had two spare cycles so he changed the cycle and continued. The support vehicle arrived with the last group and we got our clothes. I had nice hot water bath and relaxed and slept for some time.

The dinner was a quick one and every one was off to bed. We had decided that we will start at 5 am in the morning on day 2.

Day 2 - 28 Sept 2012 - The hotel served us with toast butter and tea coffee at 4 am in the morning. By 5.30 we were ready to start. After some minor checkup and tweaking we set off.

Again the same group of bhau,aniruddha and me started towards kolhapur. After 15 km we stopped as I needed to put some ointment on the left calf. Ample use of volini was done.

The journey started once again. The road was smooth with some patches of concrete roads. Today the pace was less than yesterday. Soon I met Prashant at the bridge with Manoj. Manoj and me started pacing and he also realised pacing is good so we continued together with Prashant to Nipani. Bhau and Aniruddha were together with Ravi and Atul. At the bridge we stopped for a break to grab some bars and chocolates and saw Sanjay and Shilpa coming.

Sanjay Karandikar

Shilpa Karandikar

Mandar Gadre and Prasad Joshi

Prashant Shintre

Manoj Hardikar with Aniruddha behind

Once again we started and were pacing towards the Satywati Ghat. This one was a good climb. It was similar to New Katraj Ghat and slighly with more gradient. The Sun was bright by now. We kept on going and reached Hotel Kaveri at the top. More than 50% distance of day 2 was covered.

We ate some nice idlees, coffee and refilled water and started towards ajra. We were welcomed with a very rough patch of 7-8 km till the Maharashtra Karnataka state border changed. Then the road was better. Like this we reached the Uttur phata. I used the two downhills to my advantage to relax and take rest.

Prashant at Uttur phata

We had soft drinks at uttur and as we started from there Geeta ranade arrived.She rode all alone from Satywati Ghat to Uttur. We had been there for @ 10 min and did not want to cool down so we proceeded.

Our trio of Manoj, Prashant and me kept on going towards Ajra. We stopped at Ajra junction and ate some good बुंदीचे लाडु. , filled up water, and proceeded further till we stopped at a small mandir to take a break.

Manoj and Mandar

I used the downhill to my advantage and I was ahead of Manoj and Prashant. Suddenly a rocket whizzed by me. That was Sanjay Karandikar . I tried pacing with him for 2-3 km and gave up.

Finally I reached at the turn of Amboli with the board reading "Amboli 10 km ". It had started raining by then.

Today we were clever so we asked the support vehicle to come ahead of others and reach with us to Amobli .

The rain was moderate fortunately not as strong as the monsoon one. For the last 10 km we were riding in rains.

Finally I reached amboli and saw Sanjay waiting for me at a tea stall. There I grabbed some parle G biscuits had tea and we reached the hotel around 2-2.30 pm. Within a short time Manoj and Prashant arrived followed by Geeta, Sunil and others.

Day 2 over with riding of 149 km

गेल्या गेल्या दुपारी मस्त पैकी चिकन मालवणी व पोळ्या उडवल्या व पो्टोबा जरा शांत केला.

रात्री काही जणांनी माफक प्रमाणात मद्यपानाच कार्यक्रम केला आणि त्याल जोड मिळाली ती मस्त सुरमाई व चिकनची.

The hotel staff at Amboli was very courteous and they served us exciting fish, कोंबडी वडे, चिकन तांदळाची भाकरी असे उत्तम जेवण रात्री मिळाले. सगळ्यांना सडकुन भुका लागल्या होत्या त्यामुळे भरपुर वेळ आमचे जेवण चालुच होते.

We dedide that we would start at 6 am the next day to Goa.

Day 3 - 29 Sept 2012.

Every one was ready, but the hotel was not able to give us breakfast so early. So we ate whatever we had like energy bars, chikki etc and started.

After cycle check up , oiling and a tube change for one cycle we finally started at 6.45 am .

The Amboli ghat downhill was awesome.

Amboli

I started my downhill and reached the base in @ 35 min. The road surface is not so good at certain sections of the ghat. I was careful and worried about the possible puncture. So fat no puncture and no problems.

I realized I had come much ahead so I waitied.. Shilap came after some time, we had tea and finished a pack of biscuits. Others were enjoying the ghat and shooting photographs and taking it leisurely.
Soon I reached Sawantwadi and stopped at Shree Renuka for good idlee and tea, I had snacks at this hotel earlier also. This is opposite the Sawantwadi Bus stand.

As I was having my breakfast Sanjay, Shilpa and Prashant went ahead.

So I was on my own and started on my way.. After some time I reached the banda village and joined the highway. Now I realised Goa was in sight.

I met Prashant at a hotel nearby with shilpa and sanjay. Prashant and I started together and decided that now we would ride together till the end.

By now the pace had dropped down. The Sun was shining brightly and the humidity level was high. At 31 km away from Goa, there came a deadly climb.. चक्क शिव्या घालत घालत तो चढ चढला. We stopped there and got some cold water and literally emptied the bottle on my head. and T shirt. I

We started and carried on.. We had realised the distance is now reducing and it was playing on the mind too. Every km passing by, the task was becoming more and more tough. Suddenly we saw the board Panaji 10 km and we shouted with joy. There we met the Goa Randonneurs Mr. Aires Andrade.

Finally we reached Hotel Orion, Panaji Goa at exactly 11.30 am.