1999 was an eventful year for India. The stories of the Kargil war are not unheard. The heroic deeds of our soldiers fighting for the respect and dignity of the Nation have touched several hearts. Captain Virkam Batra, Yogendra Singh, Manoj Kumar, Keishing Clifford, Saurab Kaliya etc. to name a few. There have also been innumerable movies depicting valor of Indian soldiers in many Indian languages.
In my last 2 cycling trips to Leh, I had covered the route from Leh to Pangong, Manali to Leh but not the stretch that connects Srinagar to Leh. When the idea of doing another one through Kargil came, it was not just the landscapes the terrain that came to mind but the patriotism and valor of Indian Army. The sheer thought of riding through those valleys , hills and passes raised goose bumps.
After few months of delibration, the date was fixed for mid of July. The decision to do a Semi-supported ride with a camper support in case of emergency was decided. The camper was to come from Leh and join us all the way back to Leh. A 8 day ride with a day of rest in between was planned. We kept the plan flexible knowing the uncertainity of weather, terrain and many other factors. And this time the plan was not to rent our cycles but to take our Gravel, Hybrid ones.
Now to the Riders.. who are they?
Tandava - A fun loving and family oriented, open, honest n friendly person, hit with midlife crisis in pursuit of challenges and looking for a week Sanyasa to indulge in self and realize any potential, hence this Manali - Leh ride. Pursuing for a week Sanyasa with friends on this cycle ride with no internet, mobile connectivity is the gist and super excited about this trip.
Satnam (Singh) - I started Cycling in 2009 in Bangalore primarily to be fit and be around with my cycling buddies. I was happy doing some 50 km loops in nearby villages and occasionally go to Kolar, Nandi Hills around Bangalore. Big change came with my buddies Bobby and Dileesh came up with idea of Cycling in Leh Ladakh. In 2017, we did Leh- Pangong Lake with Saurabh. Then in 2018 with Saurabh and did Manali Leh. Besides Cycling, you can find me on the rocks in Bangalore and Badami. He picked up Rock Climbing in 2002 and continued since then. He is also a rock climbing instructor and working towards bringing more people to climbing. By profession, a data scientist and passion is to build data products.
Saurabh - having done many Leh trip more than 20 times as well as many other international expeditions. "Cycling Badmash" as we fondly call him, he started his own company GoMissing which was later taken over by Cox and Kings. He was going to take it as Chill ride this time around.
Mohit - last minute addition to the group, but a strong rider. He hasnt done cycling on the Himalayan passes before, but want to give it a try.
And Myself Dileesh - Engineer by profession, I like sports, travelling and blogging. Also practice the oldest martial art in the world - Kalari. All under the firm belief/ethos that "Limits exist in your mind.. you need to continue challenging them”. I took up Cycling in 2011 years back as part of a goal to get back in shape and have been doing regular weekend rides with Satnam and BWCC friends apart from office commutes. Last year we did Leh - Pangong with Saurabh & mother of all "Manali - Leh". Looking forward to the Srinagar-Leh challenge to push my limits further , enjoy the view of Passes and share camaraderie with fellow riders and experience Patriotism and valor!
Day 0 :
The day started at 2:30am. The bikes were all boxed up. We booked in Air India. The advantage being we can ship our boxed cycles and the baggage limit of 25 Kg is quite ideal. We arrived aroudn 4am at the airport and after an uneventful check-in process we were through for security check. I have to admire the support from Air India Ground staff who helped to take care of the 4 cycle (boxed) with care and dilligence. Through checked-in to Srinagar Airport. Around 930 am we landed in Delhi and caught up with Saurabh who was going to join us in the final leg of the journey. The flight was delayed by around an hour and by the time we landed in Srinagar it was scorchin hot. I mean Bangalore was heaven as compared to Srinagar. Getting the boxes into vehicles was a mess. The taxi driver folks in Srinagar Airport were perched on branches and as soon as they saw us, like eagles they descended and commotion started to get the Boxes loaded. Finally after a lot of tussle back and forth, they were loaded carefully.
The landscape of Srinagar was quite different from what I expected. The houses and the mosques looked a lot different from traditional Indian ones. One thing that stood out was the presence of Security forces. Amarnath yatra was in full swing and there were security forces at every 10 meters on the roads. Our stay was at Dilaram Guest house (Hosted by Mustaq bhai). Thinlay (our camper driver) had arrived already in the morning. Although all of us were tired, we decided to assemble the cycles ASAP. In around couple of hours all 5 cycles were assemebled and reday. We took a short spin to Dal Lake, Nishant Bagh and stocked up dry fruits for our trip. Darn I got a flat tyre, but was able to fix it quickly by late night. Sunset was around 700 and there was light until 8pm which helped fixing the tube. With a bit of rest I was sure we will be alll set for the 440 Km ride ahead! After a sumptuous Kashmiri Dinner courtesy Mushtaq bhai, all excited I went to bed and slept peacefully
Day 1: It got hot by the middle of the night. I got up and opened up the window to allow air flow. I slept peacefully thereafter. The morning was pulsated with chirping of birds. There was a large moutnain on the back side of the Guest house which reminded me of the climbs we had to do. Today the plan was to ride until Sonamarg. Climb of around 4000 feet upto an altitude of around 9000 feet. We started teh ride from Srinagar around 7:30am. The first stretch was a peaceful ride along the Dal lake for around 8km. Then we join the highway which takes us to Wayul Bridge where we cross Sindh river and start riding upstream. Our first stop was few kilometers after Kangan. The average speeds were high for a hill terrain as the roads were also broad and in good condition. We took a short break few kilometers before Sonamarg and took time to dip our feet in the free flowing watter. The traffic on the route was insane due to the Amarnath Yatri traffic. The weather was hot and humid.The best part is the scenic hills with the captivating Pine Trees and the chill waters of Indus.We arrived at the hotel slept for couple of hours and had a stroll to the main market where got good vegetarian food. We heard feedback from others that Zojila Pass is closed on few Fridays when the tunnel construction is going on. As we enquired we found out that if we leave early in the morning, it should be all right for us to cross the First pass before the workers arrive. By now we had enough stock fo fruits and dry fruits and any Dhaba on the way would have provided us with the much needed refreshments. The traffic was intense and the security was tight. However we knew as we crossed Baltal the situation would change. Baltal is the base camp for Amarnath Yatra. I met Sharada Aunty who was from Pune and on her maiden Amarnath Yatra. She shared her excitment on the journey and was very happy to see cyclist in this terrain.
Zojila is named mountain pass of blizzards. On the Srinagar Leh highway this is the first pass but also considered one of the most trechearous. This is also the landmark point which divides Leh and Jammu & Kashmir. A transitionary point. During winter the area beyond the pass gets cut off and hence India is building a tunnel which will provide all weather connectivity to the valley. Owing to which the roads in this part was not in good condition either. We flagged off aroudn 7:30 am and I drove straight for 12km beyond Baltal where I tood a breakfast break. The View from Baltal side was simply amazing with the light drizzle in the air. Climbs of this nature are not without broken roads. But after an hours climb, we were at the top of the First Pass. Here I was recolleting my thoughts few months back thinking that I may not be able to make it to the top. With renewed enthusiams we started the climb down hill. The down hill reminded me of Sarchu (in between Manali and Leh). The landscape had completely changed. From the hills studded with pine trees, the high altitude snow capped desert terrain had started. Our destination was Dras. One of the key towns where the 1999 war took place. We had a brief stop at Lal Vaishno Punjabi Dhaba (this is right after Matayen check point on the right hand side) where he served us with Rotis, Kadi, Sabji and Bhurji. After a brief stop over we were on our way and our destination - DMeadows hotel Dras. Overlooking the hotel was Tololing Peak and further away was Tiger Hill. Both of these places were recaptured by India during the 1999 War. The cycles had its share of mud bath and it was time to clean them up. A few hours rest and a sumptous meal was all we wanted. Now that the first pass was over, the thought of moving to the Ladhakhi terrain beckoned. It was a good start and not injury or untoword incidents. Thank god. We were all excited and looking forward for the next leg. Kargil and the onto the next passes.
