Scaling the Sagar

Heat has been drying up the fluids everywhere. The lakes that were, are now just a barren land with a rocky surface having a board displaying the message - “There are crocodiles in this water, swimming is strictly prohibited”. A smile is inevitable at the sight of this, but one rather gasps and pulls out a bottle of water and glugs to satiate that unquenchable thirst.

But one thing that refuses to dry up is the indomitable spirit of the HBC riders as they wade their way even in such a heat, pedaling away to heart’s content.

Yesterday, 10 HBC riders took the mammoth task of scaling the distance to Nagarjuna Sagar Dam. With innumerable rides of 100+ Kms under their belt, this was no big task,  but riding in this heat for more than 60-70Kms is also a monumental effort. So, the riders decided to hitch a hike till midway and then ride their way to the dam, a sane decision that was. Initial plan was to start off at 4:00AM but some delays are just inevitable.  Packed in three cars, they started off early in the morning at 4:30AM at the Kothaguda junction, when most of the souls are happily sleeping in their cozy beds.

Working in an office, I’ve often heard the rant that most of the people haven’t seen a sunrise in ages, thanks to their sedentary lifestyles and packed workload. But here in HBC, life begins much before dawn breaks. As the riders rode in their cars, golden streaks of sunlight broke from the corner of the horizon, as if welcoming these cyclists and guiding them on their way. Picturesque that sight is and can never be caught on a camera. The gushing wind from the rolled down windows was soothing and some riders took this opportunity to get some much needed rest.

The cars stopped midway at the Sai Baba temple and the riders started unpacking their bikes. Some glitches, some fix-up’s and some quick tests later, they all were ready to set off on their journey of ~80Kms. Even though it was barely 8:00AM, the sun was already harsh enough, but thanks to the persistent winds, things were not that bad. All the riders lined up on the ground to do some stretching exercises to shake up their slumber.

The three cars then transformed into side-wagons, laden with all the food and water which these rider would need in the ride. Satish and myself took the lead in Matt’s car with the ration, chasing the cyclists as they constantly clocked 35-40Kmph. Even on sitting in the comfort of the car, we could feel the scorching heat, perspiring, as the AC soon became ineffective. It was a whole different experience sitting in the car and following these riders as one wondered as to what comes upon these cyclists as they constantly shrugged off all such discomfort and kept on pedaling.

Maddy’s bike showed some problems. "Always choose the best pony!”, guffawed Matt, switching his bike with Maddy’s, which was a big respite for him. People on the roads were perplexed at the site of this peloton and slowed down their vehicles to follow them, trying to understand who are these nutcases. These video captures the essence of cycling, the yawning roads and happy cyclists.

HBC Cyclists riding their way to Nagarjuna Sagar Dam

The mercury rose by the minute, scaling upto 47 degrees Celsius.      The riders stopped often, to get some nourishments, and better, soak their bodies with water at places where they could find some bore-well or a dripping tap.  Rations were also depleting as fast as the remaining kilometers. The last pit-stop was when the mile-stone read another 7kms to go. Maddy at this time got off his bike and took some refuge in the side-wagon as Satish took took this opportunity to try his hands on Matt’s bike and scale the final uphill.

Ed had refused to stop in the last leg and reached the dam first as the remaining riders slowly and gradually trickled in.  After a small rest, they decided to ride off to the Ferry Station near the dam, which was another few kilometers away. But this last stretch was both a steep downhill and uphill ride. Crossing the dam, here is a beautiful video of the riders as Satish lead the charge on foot, running abreast with these zipping cyclists:

HBC cyclists crossing the bridge with Nagarjuna Sagar dam in the background

An hour later, in the shade of the trees in the car parking, the riders opened chilled beers and soaked their parched throats. A good, sumptuous protein-rich meal at this point just added to the contentment, as all smiled and shared their moments from the ride. Simple laws of cycling were followed - ‘Ride hard, Eat hard’.

Then the final car-ride to the beautiful Ethipothalla waterfalls in  the lush green wilderness of a no-man’s land. The natural beauty of the falling water enticed these awestruck cyclists to bare it all and take a plunge in those  soothing waters. And soothing it was, cooling down the bodies of these ‘kids’ as they splashed in the water.

It was at this point, our very own Shay Baba, in his heartfelt generosity, gave blessings to his disciples :)

Some of the captured moments in the camera are shared here: (link to the online album)

Looking back in retrospect, one just firmly believes in the core of this all, that most people fail to understand and miss out the whole beauty - “Its not about the bike”
Just Ride!
Sandeep Pathak
Team HBC