BullAdi

MadrasBulls 3rd Anniversary Bash @ Horsley Hills

Occasion: MadrasBulls 3rd Anniversary Bash
Location : Horsley Hills, Andhra Pradesh.
Dates: 16 & 17th April 2005

Before even going on to gloat about how much fun we had, I would like to thank all the organizers who took time out to make this happen. Especially Ranga – great work man. Thank you all guys.

Now to those who could not make it, have every reason to feel bad because they really did miss out on what was an wonderful ride (beautiful roads – I’ll come to that later), great party (more later), some of the most hilarious moments (thanks to Sherin) and the highlight of the trip – the very delicious walnut topped chocolate cake (had helped my selves with two very big slices :-)Could some one tell me where it was bought from.

Flag off
We started at 5.30 am with Venky leading the pack. We soon dwindled into smaller groups of similar speed range. The sun had caught u with us by the time we hit the highway. It was a beautiful sight to see the early rays hitting the empty tarmac with a scenic background. The empty strech of this beautiful highway is a temptation very few could resist. For the few of the guys the needle touched an all time high. Brijesh who was anchoring did a good job of collecting us back markers.

We all reached Ranipet in time for breakfast. Here was a surprise that one would have never expected. Tucked in a small mechanics workshop were two antique bikes ready for restoration. A Matchless and a Sunbeam. After a good half hour of taking in on these bikes and an informative chat with the mechanic we took off.

Ride from Ranipet to Chittor was un-happening with us burping to the heavy breakfast. After we crossed Chittor the fun began. First- the scenery had changed form lush green to barren lands and dry hillocks. One could really feel the isolation here. And then the road disappears – due to some construction work (a flyover and a tunnel) the tar is replaced with granite and white dust. These 100 meters of offroading did not do any good to my already sore back muscles, but FUN it was. Immediately after this the road sweeps into a long curve with a sheer drop of 60ft on one side and a ragged rock cliff on the other. From here the riders had to make do with 60-70kmph due to the frequent check posts and regular settlements and villages. We reached Palamner before noon.

I am sure every one will agree with me when I say that the ride from Palamner to Madanapalli was the best. The roads were well laid and the heat made the tyre grip the road better. The rubbery texture of the road encouraged the rider to confidently lean into a bend. The long ‘S’ curves were easily taken at 80-90kmphby the novice of the riders. The beauty of it was the mile ahead was visible most of the time giving us a longer reaction time window. A truly biking stretch of tar.

The actual climb up the Horsley hills lasted less than 20 minutes but an adrenalin rush none the less.
Reached the destination by 2pm and were greated by a breath taking view of 50 odd bikes parked in the grounds (only to be joined by more later).

The receiving committee made sure that all of us were given the ID tags, the food coupons and the memorable MB anniversary poster. Riders kept rolling in both from MB and RTMC. Every now and then we could hear the rolling thunder coming up the hills and were greeted with loud cheers. The fun started almost immediately with a Frisbee and volleyball (courtesy: Brijesh) and non-stop music (courtesy: Bala). More of the RTMC guys and Wanderers from Hyderabad joined us by evening making the party even better.

Brijesh addressed the gathering and cut the cake (a picture would better explain this). Some “jugadu” DJ’ing with the limited equipment (including a laptop and an i-pod, thanks to the tech’ies from B’lore) set the stage for the dance floor. The dinner was relished and the day ended with all of us lazing around the bonfire.
A good nights sleep and we were ready to ride. Started there at 9.30 the return trip was safe and reached Chennai by 5.30.

PS: My special thanks to Ashwin, MadBull Ram, Shilesh, Vijay & Ganesh for their company enroute.
And to Mani for his rib tickling sense of humor. His jokes shared around the bonfire will be remembered for a long time.

posted by Addy @ 3:45 PM