Today I complete 3 years of my relationship with The Mighty One and the roads…exactly 3 years back on 15-March-2008 I bought a Black-coloured 2005 Model Royal Enfield Electra 4S from Rana Pratap Bagh in Delhi, revamped the look and named it “The Mighty One” and the rest as they say is history…atleast for me!!!
I went for my first bike ride within few days of buying my bike on 21-Mar-08 to Bhangarh in Rajasthan & named it “The Haunted Spookies” Ride and my tryst with the Highways started on that day with a 570 kms long one-day ride, too long for a debut ride but still what a ride it was…
Since then I have been following my passion to the T and have traversed exactly 22,485 kms through 24 Motorcycle Rides and have completed almost 35,000 kms on my bike if I include the City Riding as well…I know these statistics won’t mean a lot to many people but for me they count a lot as I have worked really hard during these rides & have had tonnes of fun on the way and I hope I can keep the passion going till the time I am physically able to ride a Motorcycle…
As I look back now at these 3 memorable years sitting here in Kuwait away from my Country, Family, Comrades and “The Mighty One”, I reminisce about the glorious times I have spent with my Bulls on Parade (BoP) Comrades & my other Motorcycling Friends on the numerous Highways, Thekas, Forts, Hotels, Guesthouses, Water Bodies, Ahaatas and have made a list of my Top-5 Motorcycle Rides of my Journey out of the 24 Rides till now…
Some of you have been part of those rides with me & some of you would have read the travelogues and am sure would be able to recollect about these glory rides of my life…And believe me I don’t mean that the rest of the 19 Rides were no good, it’s just that these rides take precedence over the others in terms of the challenges thrown at me, the fun times I had and the company I enjoyed with my fellow comrades…Read on to find more…
The List is in the order of my preference…
The Mountain Tamers (6th June 2008 – 20th June 2008)
http://themountaintamers.blogspot.com/
This has to be the Numero Uno Ride not just for being a Ladakh Ride which is considered The Mecca for Indian Motorcyclists but for me it was much more than that. I went for this ride just 2.5 months after getting my bike & that was really big for me. I joined Yoga Classes in January to be physically fit for this gruelling ride; that helped me a lot & I would suggest the same to all smoking & unhealthy people like me who wish to ride to Ladakh. I went for this ride with 7 other fellow comrades , only 2 of whom I knew previously & we all had a wonderful time together, I met a Living Motorcycling Legend – Rahul MAT Chauhan who has been to Ladakh on his Bike almost 15-16 times till now!!! I met Sunder & Deepak with whom I also went for the West Coast Ride in January 2009. I witnessed the raw & pristine beauty of Ladakh which cannot be portrayed through any photograph or told through words and one has to be there to witness the sheer brilliance of that place. I conquered “KhardungLa Pass which is the World’s highest Motorable Road @ 18,380 Feet or 5602 Metres above Sea Level. I visited Kargil & Drass which were 2 of my dream destinations since the 1999 Kargil War & visiting both those cities gave me memories worth a lifetime. The Ride was relatively mishap or breakdown free for me except 1 or 2 small incidents and last but not the least I traversed 3400 kms in 17 days of this ride. All in All it was Ride which made me a true motorcyclist just for the fact that at times the terrain on which I rode was unforgivable & I needed buckets of mental & physical endurance to counter those tough moments…
The BoP Mcleodganj Mavericks (8th April 2009 – 12th April 2009)
http://cheguevaraontheroad.blogspot.com/2009/04/mcleodganj-mavericks.html
This Ride was big for the fact that BoP finally conquered Mcleodganj after 2 previous unsuccessful attempts & also for the challenging weather we had to endure enroute Mcleodganj, this ride would always stay on the top of the most memorable BoP Rides in time to come. We rode in constant heavy rains from Delhi to Ambala & that’s some 200-odd kms and that too in the night!!! I met with a horrendous accident at Shahpur & due to God’s Grace got saved after falling down on NH-1 at some 60 kmph speed right in the middle of the road in heavy rains; it surely was one of the scariest moments of my Motorcycling Career!!! We had a whale of a time trekking to Triund & witnessing fresh snow on a Mountain Top where we spent a memorable time together – Camping, Drinking, Dancing & Singing together. Mcleodganj as a place was one of the most-chilled out places I have been to. We also had a smashing BBB Session at Ambala at a shady Highway Bar where we planned our next moves & I am sure Surjit (Sunny) & Diptinder would agree with me. We traversed some 900 kms during this ride.
The West Coast Riders (11th January 2009 – 26th January 2009)
http://thewestcoastriders.blogspot.com/
The second longest ride of my life in which I rode for 3200 kms in the 16 days of this ride through one of the best Highways of our country – NH-17, we completed the entire stretch of this Highway – starting from where it begins at Panvel in Maharashtra to Edapally in Kerala where it finally ends through some amazingly pristine roads, some of which would always remain etched in my mind; specially the one through Maravanthe Beach where we rode right besides the Sea Shore for some 50-odd kms!!! This ride was ultra-special for me as I traversed the Northern-Most Roads of India & the Southern-Most Roads of India within a period of 6 months & I feel extremely proud on this achievement of mine. My Partners-in-Crime were Sunder & Deepak with whom I dream to traverse the Western-Most & Eastern-Most Roads of India someday in time to come. I just cannot describe my strange feelings which ran through my mind when I reached Kanyakumari and thought that I have reached southern-most tip of our majestic country and this is where our country finally ends & the Indian Ocean begins…The Sunset View in a Boat right in the middle of the gigantic Kumarakom Lake also stands out as one of the best moments of this ride. Before this Ride began I had to face some really tense moments due to the Fuel Companies’ & the Truck Operators Strike but due to God’s Grace this ride got over without any single mishap & breakdown…yes none whatsoever. I also attended the Annual Royal Enfield Pilgrimage named Rider Mania at Ooty & those 2 days were strikingly crazy for the amount of camaraderie shared with my fellow Bulleteers from all over India, guzzling endless bottles of beer & dancing on Music across some 7-8 Indian Languages!!! I also accepted the Participation Trophy on the behalf of my Club- BoP & that Ladies and Gentleman is one moment I am never going to forget!!! This was my first & only ride where I rode through South India & I dream to traverse the East Coast as well one day…Inshallah.
The BoP Bikaner Boomerangs (12th December 2009 – 15th December 2009)
http://cheguevaraontheroad.blogspot.com/2009/12/bop-bikaner-boomerangs.html
Riding through Rajasthan is always special on those Majestic Roads through the History-Laced state & if you have a bunch of crazy BoPians with you then one doesn’t need anything else!!! Traversing the divine NH-11 Highway was extremely pleasurable. We also camped one night in the middle of the Desert with some Traditional Music & endless supply of beer to give us company, if you think that was crazy then one had to go through the Tomar Magic in the night – one of the craziest Nights of my life with Sanket Tomar aka Kunwar Ji in full flow singing away to glory with me giving him some percussionary company!!! We also had the pleasure of relishing authentic Laal Maas- a True Blue Rajasthani gastronomical delicacy - one which leaves you in tears & a tough next early morning dump and to enjoy this treasure one has to be really brave!!! We also crossed Churu which is India’s hottest place & after being at Drass (India’s coldest inhabited town) this was a nice combo to complete. I also rode a camel for the first time & that camel race with my comrades which I finally won gave me unbelievable pleasure!!! Being at “The Indira Gandhi Canal” which changed the agricultural fortunes of this Desert State was also a memorable moment of this ride. This was the first BoP Ride where we rode for more than 1000 kms and finally finished at an odo-reading of 1125 kms in those 4 glory days!!! Riding through Rajasthan has always been tremendous & I also dream to visit Jaisalmer, Udaipur & Jodhpur one day as they are still missing from my Motorcycling Resume.
The BoP Jalori Juggernauts (19th June 2009 – 22nd June 2009)
http://cheguevaraontheroad.blogspot.com/2009/07/jalori-juggernauts.html
This was the biggest ride of BoP till date with 13 Motorcyclists – 9 BoPians & 4 of our Non-BoP Comrades. The Ride started on a high note with a BBB Session at Gyan’s place in Panipat which luckily passed off without any mishaps as we were sensible enough not to repeat our Chucklers Fiasco!!! This was also a special ride for us as we had decided to camp for 2 nights in the Himalayas & decided not to stay at any Guest House or a Hotel and had a smashingly brilliant time during both those nights. One was spent at Narkanda on a hill-top in the middle of nowhere with Bonfire, Music, Hukka, Loud Chants of “Jai BoP” and also hot food served right at our campsite. We camped at The Sutlej Riverside during the 2nd night getting high & drunk and eating Chilled Mangoes as Desserts – that was some experience for all of us. Even though our return journey was not the most pleasurable one wherein we had some 6-7 breakdowns & reached home after some 21 hours of starting early morning but still this ride had all our regular ingredients which makes BoP an integral part of my life – Beer, Bullet & Bakchodi and I can’t imagine my life without these 3 Bs!!! Another B was also added during this ride as I talked to my Fiancé Bandita for the first time during this ride & started a lifelong journey of togetherness…what else could I ask for…
Che Guevara on the Road : A Statistical Study !!!!
Life since March 2008 has been one helluva ride & I have had so many amazing moments during these 3 years none of which wouldn’t have been possible without my Royal Enfield Motorcycling Club – Bulls on Parade & all of my dearest club comrades…They have given me memories which I am going to treasure till the end of my life…Thanks to each one of them & I am sure I would enjoy their company in years to come…
I would be conquering many more destinations, traversing many more roads & making many more friends in the future while I would be on the road but these 5 rides would always take a special place in my Motorcycling Repertoire…
Jai BoP…
Che would be back on the road again…
Till the time we meet…ride safe & have safe sex…
Hasta la Victoria Siempre…
