It could be for adventure or for fun. But before you do a long-distance bicycle ride, bear these points in mind.
Have you ever thought of cycling down to nearby places around Mumbai such as Lonavala or Pune or Shirdi or anywhere else? It could be one of the best ways to fill yourself with adventure, release stress, build confidence, get to see nature from closer and get healthy as well. But if you are not prepared, the ride could even turn fatal.
Gideon Israel D’Souza and Johann Daniels are two young 19 year old boys from Mumbai. They decided to ride to Nilshi, a place 50 km further ahead of Kamshet and approximately 175 km from Mumbai. They thought that they were adequately prepared
for the ride but encountered a lot of problems on the way.
“We started from Mumbai at 2am and hoped to reach Kamshet by 9am. But on the way, the air pressure in one of my bicycle tyres became very low and we got delayed by two hours. One delay led to another and eventually we reached Kamshet only in the evening at six,” says Gideon. Gideon and Johann were not carrying enough food and water and had to stop for this.
Gideon says, “This proved very expensive because the moment dhabawallahs saw us with a fancy cycle, they charged more. Water availability was not so much a problem as food.”
He suggests that it’s good to carry high calorie food — anything from cheese sandwiches to jam to lots of chappatis will do. The accommodation tends to be very expensive on the highway. Only if you are travelling for more than a day it’s good to carry a portable
tent along.
Faisal Thakur, a cycling enthusiast who has pedalled to Lonavala and back in a single day, believes it’s possible to cover any destination less than 300 km in a day. “Just make sure that you don’t travel at night because it can be very risky and dangerous.
Always carry a ‘puncture kit’ with you if you don’t want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere with nobody to help you.
Carrying a spare tube is an advantage. Your bicycle will need front and rear lights, at least one rear view mirror, one brake and gear cable each and a mini tool kit,” he says.
For physiological support, Faisal advises one to travel with a group of two or more people. He says, “The tool kit and extra spares can be divided between the group. It’s safer on the highway as a big group becomes a viable source of financial support.”
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