Now it is becoming a routine to head for a ride on the weekend. Yesterday night I was thinking about where to go, what are the best weekend places to visit near Pune? But couldn’t think of any specific weekend place. Decided to go for a short ride on Pune-Bangalore highway. To Chandani Chowk, Kothrud and return back.
Started at 5.30am, it was dark, by the time I reached Wakad, realised that Ritesh has completed a couple of solo rides to Prati Shirdi Shri Sai Baba Mandir, Shirgaon. It is around 25km from Pune. So decided to head to Shirgaon.
The weather was nice, it was dark, cool, cloudy, little drizzle in between. It was perfect for a short weekend ride. Heading towards Prati Shirdi cyclists were passing by me. I heard someone saying good morning and I returned his gesture. It’s not very common in India to greet unknown people. But over these days I have realised, it is a nice culture among cyclists to greet each other, wave & give thumbs up. It is very encouraging.
Prati Shirdi Shri Sai Baba Temple – Shirgaon
After 1 hour of continuous pedalling, I reached Prati Shirdi Shri Sai Baba Temple. It’s located on a small countryside road which is approx. 3km from the old Mumbai-Pune Highway. Due to the Covid-19 situation, all the temples in India are closed for devotees. I have been to this temple before, Sai Baba’s idol is an exact replica of the idol from original Shirdi temple which is located in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra & a major pilgrimage site. On the closed doors, I bowed my head & prayed for the well-being of all.
As I was planning to head back home and I remembered Tanmoy’s Starva post. It was from a day before where he had taken the same route to Shirgaon but while returning he took Kasarsai – Hinjewadi – Wakad route. This was a completely new route to me. Few meters from the temple, the road on the right would take me to the same route I came and the left to a new place which I have never seen before. I took a left.
Lone Road – Blowin’ In the Wind
It was a lonely road for some distance. I was listening Bob Dylan – Blowin’ In the Wind. Lush green farms on both side, suddenly thought crossed to my mind, what if some gang comes up from nowhere and loot me? It was an obvious thought as many are jobless & I am hearing such incidences are happening even in residential areas. It was just 6.45am and still little dark. While pedalling I thought this is not new to me, I am a farmers son, have been on such lonely roads before & I can easily protect myself even if something like this happens.
I kept pedalling, spotted a farmer taking his cattle to water, a milkman heading for his daily deliveries, and few passerby and joggers. The bright yellow flowers on the roadside were so beautiful, I couldn’t hold myself back & stopped to take some pictures, then I saw the birds flying high, making a shape, it looked beautiful.
Kasarsai Dam
After 10km ride, reached to Kasarsai Dam, the 1.3km road from Kasarsai village to Kasarsai Dam is rough and bumpy. The dam is surrounded by hills, the serene backwaters are simply magical. During this pandemic situation all the tourist attractions such as boat ride, camping etc. are not available but you can still unwind and relax by looking at the backwaters. During the season many migratory birds can be spotted in this area. It’s an unexplored and offbeat destination and must-visit weekend place near Pune. Best for a weekend cycle ride.
The place is scenic and makes for some stunning pictures, I requested a cyclist from a cycling group to click my picture and he obliged. We spoke briefly and now following each other on Starva.
Solo Ride or Group Ride
On return I was thinking riding solo can also be fun, it has its own advantages, you have no pressure to match the fellow cyclist, you can stop wherever you want, spend whatever time you want to spend at any place but like these advantages there are disadvantages too, riding solo in dark can be unsafe, in the group, there is always someone to hold your back and some more…..
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