A year in the life of Zac the mountain bike

Hi, I am Zac. I am a mountain bike. And I am writing my diary because I am 1 year old now. Not counting from the day when I was assembled, but counting from the day when I was bought. By the way, I was bought by one amateur athlete named ... whatever. Let's talk about me here. I was assembled in Indonesia, with bike parts sourced probably from South east Asia. And then I was shipped to a warehouse in Jaipur, India. From there, I was delivered to that amateur athlete in Pune, India. 

That's me, Zac

 

The next morning, my owner took me to the neighborhood hill. I am fortunate that my home is besides a hill on the outskirts of the city.

In one year, I have been riding asphalt roads of the city, gravel roads outside the city, and some trails on the hills.  Here are some pictures of the places I've been to.

This hill is in between the Bavdhan and Kothrud suburbs of Pune. This is my neighborhood hill. The training ground for my owner.

 

This was a ride on a rainy day. The dirt paths were muddy.

   

A mountain bike can go to places where road bikes can't reach

 

A day in the monsoon when the rain is gone is a perfect day to ride

 

A roadblock

 

 Hero stones of Kondhawale

Kondhawale is a village some 30 kilometers west of Pune, near Paud.  The village temple is just a stone's throw away from the road that goes to tamhini ghat.  Many hero stones are kept in the premises of the temple.

Hero stones of Kondhawale

Hero stones are the memorials carved in memory of a warrior or a person who died in a battle or for a noble cause.  During the medieval period, this was a practice in the regions which are now the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka.  But I've heard that hero stones are found throughout the region of India.

Hero stones typically have three or four sections.  They have to be read from bottom to top.  In the bottom section, a war scene or the incident is depicted in which the warrior or the person died for a noble cause.  If a villager died fighting a wild animal or a gang of thieves while saving the lives of others, a hero stone used to be erected commemorating the noble cause.  The second section from the bottom picturizes the warrior being taken to Mount Kailas, the abode of Shiva.  In the third section from the bottom, the hero is seen worshiping Lord Shiva.  Almost all hero stones have no inscriptions.

100 kilometers ride through Pabe ghat

Pabe ghat is a mountain pass near Pune. This road does not have much traffic. A ride from Pune to Velhe via the Pabe ghat is approx. 50 kilometers. With the return ride makes it 100 kilometers. Riding the mountain pass is the crux of this ride, and not the distance. I've done this a few times. Once an injured lizzard was struggling in the middle of the road. probably it was hit by a vehicle. Sad. My owner stopped and helped the lizzard go away from the road.

  Ghoravadeshwar Hill
This hill is in between the old Pune Mumbai road and the expressway from Pune to Mumbai.  There are ancient caves on this hill.  Walking trails are all over the hill.  Some of those trails are rideable by a mountain bike. 

 

There are no bike parks here in India. And there are no trails specifically for mountain bikes. So mountain bikes go on the same trails where trekkers go. I know my owner knows many such trails around here. He's been to many of those places. But I haven't ridden all those trails yet. That's okay. Like what they say, Apna Time Ayega.