Auroville Offroading

This plan was made in one week, when four of us decided to do some moderate level cycling and enjoy some good european food in Auroville. Okay its the other way around, Food exploration with a little bit of cycling. A friend of ours, also an avid MTB cyclist- Eric, booked a couple of huts for us for the weekend and the location was picture perfect for a weekend getaway. It was basically a hut which had beds, lights and even fan inside!

Stay in Auroville


We started off right on Sunday morning all fresh after a stretching and a 5 km jog. It was a chill foggy morning, the way it is there in the hill stations!
Me, Karan and Nobal, starting off our ride!


Through paddy fields in Auroville


Since we were on our own, we got out of Auroville. It is easy to get out: when the red sands turn brown means you are out of Auroville. We took some village roads nearby and started exploring the places based on Peter's memory of the visit last time. We stopped for numerous photos as we were just chillin out...

Lotus and Lillies


Amazed by the water Lillies


With numerous photographs we also took numerous breaks. Since it was post monsoon, the climate was good with water all around and sahdy trees all green. Saturday afternoon was well spent with lazy cycling all around!

Mine and Peter's Bike resting on the ground


Suddenly, all the happy stuff goes dirty! the Sun comes out of nowhere and the climate becomes hot as hell! The route which Peter wanted to take had been recently ploughed by the farmers and hence it was impossible to go! I tried to go a few meters and ended up messing up my bike. Anyways, the RR looks cute when its dirty.

Deciding which way to go!


Me cycling in the Sun


My bike getting dirty


This venture into the mud pricked a small hole in my front wheel. It was a small thorn which I noticed while cleaning the bike in the nearby streams. I stopped in a village nearby and started fixing it. The villagers were very friendly and surprised.

Fixing the only flat of the trip


Me fixing the flat in a nearby village


After a nice ride in the morning, we got back to our huts, took another bath and went out for lunch. (We had delicous breakfast in the Auro bakery). We went to Tanto's Pizza which was the main Pizza join in Auroville. The pizza was okay.considering I've had some better Pizzas in Chennai. But yes, cook there tells me that they have a traditional oven which has the Fire and pizzas baked in the same level rather than the modern ones where its done in seperate compartments.

Fresh and happy out of a muddy session


Riding on lonely roads


Enjoying Tanto's Pizza for Lunch


In the evening, we went for shorter rides around Auroville in the red sands. We found a small incline over there and we went up and came flying downhill 5 times just to enjoy it! After a day at work, we called it a day off with a few drinks in the some bakery there

having a drink after a tough day's ride


The next day we had the similar morning routine. We went inside the forests for a short 5 km run followed by breakfast some items we parceled from the Bakery earlier.

Breakfast at Auro Center


After a few rounds around Auroville, we headed to Roma's Kitchen, another nice place serving Indian food as well. 

Waiting for Lunch at Roma's Kitchen


Our plan for the afternoon was a 70 kilometer loop where a person by the name Patrick was to accompany us. I have to tell something about this guy. He is a 60+ year old who absolutely loves his bikes. A MTB rider to the core, and throughout our stay in Auroville, we heard somethings like this from our friends
Eric - "Patrick is gonna kill you guys"
Dominick (The Triathlon winner) - "The old man is crazy! he will kill you guys"
Peter (CTC) "Last time when I went with him, he is surely a tough rider"

After our lunch, when we went to his place, it was the way we pictured a hard-core MTB guys' place. He had a seperate garage for all his bikes, he had two huge dogs who liked to lick all the sweat, he was having his lunch in his proper team jersey, and prepping for the ride. I was totally impressed with his garage. Although he may seem to be very less of a technology person, but he had all the top end bikes!

Patrick's Garage


All of us checking out our bikes


Patrick's stable


Patrick's Titanium bike!


Checking out Patrick's Ti Bike with no front Derailleur or front brake, deore XTRD.. That is some kickass bike!


After all the drooling over high end MTBs, all the final adjustments were made and we head out into the roads. Patrick used MTB cleats and all of us were finding it very hard to even match his cadence. Moreover, even in bumps and speed-breakers, he never seems to stop pedalling. This type of riding was new to me and really inspiring!

Making final adjustments


Finally on the road


Riding happily on tar roads unknowing of what lies ahead


All of us so happy on tar roads


The starting 20 kilometers were going fine through the Tar roads and all of us were doing well. But we though about it too soon as the moment he went off the tar road, almost every second we wished he'd slow down! Though the places were through some beautiful eucalyptus fields and sandy trails, but Patrick's speed ensured that we don't have a single second to slow down even for a photograph. the guy is very strict on his timings. The only person who was able to match his speed was Peter and we 3 were slowing down and pushing too hard to catch up. Finally we were around 3 kilometers from the road when we gave up! Patrick didn't have lights so he sped away home. But the 4 of us decided to take a break as we were almost dead tired!

Through Eucalyptus Farms


There was a point when the tar road gave away to the stream and it had totally covered it up. We had to carry the cycles on top to the other side. This reminded me of the Monsoon Cycling I did in Nagalapuram hills about a month before this trip (Next write-up tomorrow on that)

Underwater Cycling!


After a super-tough cycling loop on a rather chilled out weekend, we headed to Pondicherry to feast ourselves in a French restaurant who served the best mashed potatoes I have ever had! A very nice way to close up on an awesome weekend!

Chilling out at the lobby 


End of day 


the mashed potatoes!

The Mysterious Javadhu Hills

The mysterious Javadhu hills. I say mysterious because nobody knows about it. There were only a few Motor Biking trips to this place by CTC before and the hills were home to a large network of offroad trails with a lot of steep climbs and drops. So after 2 weeks of planning and discussions on Emails, there were 5 of us who decided to take the javadhu challenge with our MTBs!

I started from home realizing I hadn't cleaned the bike off the Auroville dirt (Write-up on Auroville planned for tomorrow). The rear derailleur cable got jammed and gear was not going below the largest rear cog! After a few kms, I tried manually pulling the gear cable and to my luck, the dust came off the cable and the gears started shifting again! It is very essential to lube the cables before every ride!

This was the first ride when I was trying out the Btwin Green jersey and padded shorts. Unfortunately, during the ride I realized that a hat and yellow chappels dont go with the look.

Start Image


The trail was mercyless from the beginning and there were super steep climbs right from the word go. But since we were excited in the morning, we made it through most of the climbs in the gear 1-1 ratio. Though the sand and gravel gives much less traction and once rear wheel loses the friction with the ground, you are gone and you have no other option but to push the cycle up.

Steep Climb Up ahead


But suprisingly, the Javadhu hills are at a elevation of 500m on an average. This made riding through the trails more pleasant than the city as the weather was a bit on the cooler side and Sun had no major role to play in it.

Shady Trails


These mountains have a lots of ups and downs and hence a lot of small valleys and hence a lot of small streams. We had to cross the stream 5-6 times and the everytime the trail passed a stream, there was a fresh climb up ahead!

Stream Crossing


Deep Stream cross


We had gone for a trek to this place sometime back and we knew there was a water-fall. We took the much needed noon break to head over to the Waterfalls to take a dip!

No we didnt ride there!


The waterfall break along the way


After the refreshing bath, it was nothing different. Again climbs nearing 50 degrees angles in cold weather and the body turing hot! The only thing we had to look for is if we stay of the rocks in the trails and take the cleanest possible route that allows max traction.

Push push push


Manufactured for the mountains


Enjoying the scenic views


The nth Stream Crossing


Peter informed us of the Final climb up ahead. It was a deadly climb indeed as we saw one person in a motorcycle struggling to go up! he had an expression of wtf are u doing here on a cycle?? and we said "Thigh POWER!". But no matter what we did, we had to give in to the final one. It was monstrous steep and evergoing! After a while of 1-1 riding, we had to stop due to the excrutiating pain in the legs. And hence started our pushing.

Gear 1-1 Mashing up!


Thats it. Not possible anymore


It was so tough a climb, that we had to take a 10 min break when we reached the highest point. The heart rate was up and running and we had to cool off. There was a mild headache for me with all the pushing.

Pushing the cycle makes you tired as well!


The final climb resulted in an awesome downhill. It shoots up your adrenaline to some levels you would have never known.

A monster Downhill


After lunch in a nearby town, we again got back to the trails, but a two kilometer stretch was totalle covered by the forest. These trails were planned by Peter using Google maps, but turns out it was a bit outdated. what seemed to be a Jeep trail in Satellite view was just a short foot trail with a lot of thorns. We had to carry the cycle the whole of two kilometers and since I had the heaviest cycle of the lot, I developed some pain in the arms as well.

The trails covered by Forest


The Two kilometer of thorny trail


Riding through the Villages


Finally after a day full of adventure and pushing ourselves, we set up camp near a stream with fresh water and started cooking a 5 course meal for dinner. It was a very very cold night and our sleeping bags had to be zipped tight in the tents.

Back to the Car


Nice campsite along a stream


The second day in the Javadhu hills was mostly on the tar road with steep climbs and downs again. We were woken up by some Forest officials who started with their usual measures of pesturing us for some money!

The day 2 Start, mostly road


No more energy


Offroads all the way


The high grass


This was one of the best journeys I ever had with my rockrider. It was a bit too much for it to handle but it was reliable and never gave up on me. Though not as light as the cannondales, this bike was steel and which was somewhat comforting to make up for the lack for a front suspension. This photo was somewhere along the way where we posed one by one with the bikes in the Orange background.

Me with my Rockrider (No laughing at my costume)