Everyone needs a hero, right? So here’s a small story about mine. So, the hero’s been around for a while, but never really gotten a taste of adventure. Of what life can be like : on the road. I’ve been meaning to take him out on a jaunt to experience real life… but the timing was never quite right.

It finally happened last Sunday.

So yeah. Before your imaginative mind goes somewhere else : let me clarify. It’s not like I wouldn’t mind a real hero (where are they these days?!). But I think mine definitely walked the other way when I was in college busy adjusting my large black rimmed glasses and acting in Shakespeare plays. He hasn’t been anywhere to be found since.

Therefore, I have to make do. With a bicycle. Okay, no snickering and laughing here. At least it’s better than nothing 🙂

So last weekend, after hatching a plot with a few intrepid cyclists, Shantanu and Pankaj, I decided to join them on an adventure : along with my hero cyclone. Hero’s been doing neighbourhood stints till now without much action.

We started off early morning, my pulse and heart racing : this was my first time on the roads! In response to my sms that I was “really” scared, Pankaj assured me that there’s always a first time for everything. Taking consolation in that, I pedaled furiously till Agara lake where the two fellow adventurers joined in.

From there, we started off towards Sarjapur Road. Now, I thought this was going to be a little jaunt to the countryside, I had no idea that these guys cycle over 60 kms with consumnate ease. Well, I found out the hard way. I was actually rather okay till around the 20 km mark.

Beyond Sarjapur, our destination was this place called Chiktirupati, a temple town. At the 26-27 km mark, I found it easier to just get down from the cycle and walk! The ups and downs were not easy, especially for a novice like me. My thigh muscles pretty much refused to function and every uphill was like climbing Mount Everest. My hero behaved beautifullybut I was finding it hard to sit on the seat by now!

I finally managed to make it to Chiktirupati. By then Shantanu and Pankaj had already finished their breakfast 2 times over. Smartly, by this time, Pankaj made a deal with a local rickshaw fella to get me back home. I guess they knew that I would be in no condition to ride back. Or it would take me at least 4 hours, which meant they would reach after half of Sunday was over.

So there I was, packed up along with my hero in an auto making the long journey back home. It would have been a considerable achievement if I’d managed to ride back but I was just happy the hero got a taste of life on the rough roads. And I’d just done my first long ride!