To
welcome 2017 we decided for a small cycle tour around Mussoorie. It was my
first winter cycle tour. Vishal was also riding with me for the first time in
the mountains with his Btwin 5.1. Two more friends were supposed to join from Mussoorie
on the second day. In order to balance three day ride equally, we decided to
start from Doiwala which lies in the middle of Dehradun-Rishikesh highway. On
31st January we reached Doiwala.
On New
Year day we started late around 11:30am. Our route was through Thano &
Raipur. In order to avoid traffic Dehradun was skipped. This route had extra oxygen;
Close Mountain views but also had extra kilometers & up hills rides. We had
lunch at 3pm at Maldevta. From there we took Shahstradhara road to intercept
Dehradun – Mussoorie road. It was a 15km long traffic jam. We could find a wide
passage between the cars which was polluted but smooth trail for two wheelers.
On the way till Mussoorie, we took about 6 tea breaks and numerous small
pauses. For last 5km, road became traffic free. Soon it became worst, when it
started raining, but no worries! we had all the required gears. When it started
raining heavily we halted at a bus shelter and took two shots of Sikkim RUM. It
generated a hot wave inside. We reached Mussoorie bus stand at 9pm. For the
night, we stayed at our friend’s house.
Next
morning, Vipul and Peter (who owns adventure company called Backcountry India) started with us they had their new Btwin MTBs with beginner’s
enthusiasm. Till Surkunda Devi temple
road is largely uphill with small downhill stretches near Dhanolti and Suakholi.
From Surkunda devi onward it’s all downhill. We had two major breaks, at Sua
kholi (for tea pakoda & sweets) and at Dhanolti (for lunch). While
negotiating Dhanolti elevations, snowfall started without any warning. Wind stopped and we started ripping the falling
snow. Crazy people nearby were shouting Bollywood numbers. Second day had many
flavors with Rain, Snow, Night downhill, Uphill heats. During night-downhill to
the Chamba we found that we don’t have complete gears. From elevation of 2400m (Kanatal)
we started descending to 1600m (Chamba). One of us didnt had torch, so we kept
him in the middle and very close by. Vipul forgot his gloves, so his fingers
were chilling and he had to take frequent stoppages. We usually plan a budget
Cycle tour and cost per person per day do not exceed more than Rs. 500. Complying
with that, we found a suitable lodge for the night and adjusted in a room
having 3 Beds.
Third
day was the longest, stretching 100km with 18km of steep and 40km of gradual
uphill. Two steep downhill stretches (18+24=42km) were amazing in the day time.
We started at 8:30am for 18km long downhill ride till Khadi at 8:30am. Uphill
stretch for Agrakhal started immediately after river crossing. We changed our
clothing for uphill. First 5km were very
steep with slope ratio of 1:10 to 1:15 but slowly it reduced to 1:25. We had
tea break at Agrakhal and lunch in Rishikesh at 3pm. Highway between Rishikesh
and Dehradun passes through Rajaji National Park which is known for aggressive elephants. Contrary to that, road was very busy with
traffic. On smooth gradual uphill highway we were streaming in a line for
safety. We reached Doiwala at 4:30pm and Dehradun at 7pm.
Tips:
·
Do not plan for Dehradun-Mussoori road during
peak season to avoid traffic.
·
Don’t forget to keep (-)20deg Celsius gloves for
winter downhill rides.
Gears & Spars:
Pannier
|
Cycling Shorts
|
Multi-tool
|
Warm lower
|
Puncher Kit
|
Cotton T-Shirts
|
Air Pump
|
Warm T-Shirts
|
Tube
|
Down Jacket
|
Break wire
|
Sports underwear
|
Quick Release
|
Socks & Light
Shoes
|
Spokes
|
Buff (for covering
nose & ears)
|
Chain
|
Warm cap
|
Brake pads
|
UV Shades
|
Night Vest
|
Warm gloves
|
Head lamp
|
Wind/water proof
|
Helmet
|
Battery Bank
|
Bungee cords
|
Hygiene Kit
|
Mobile with Strava
App
|
First Aid Kit
|
