Yelagiri-on MY terms

I was back from the US, and wanted to go for a long ride on my bike. Once the itch had set in, a plan began to form in my mind and the only thing left was execution. However there were some obstacles that had to be dealt with. Sometime in the middle of the week, i got a call from some of my old friends, and they wanted to go on a day trip. I was game for it, as long as i was getting my bike along. As D-day came closer, a lot of people chickened out, and mainly because they had something else "suddenly coming up". I had made up my mind anyway, and was definitely not letting some spoil-sports ruin my ride.
With one day left for the ride, another friend showed immense interest, and i was taken in. Thought that some company would make my ride more interesting. But after all the planning, this friend also chickened out, and on the morning of the ride, when i had to pick him up. Could not let this ruin my day, could I.... so off i went.
I had been to Yelagiri before, but then it was in a car, and i had promised myself that i would do this route on my bike someday. Well.. someday had come. I started at 7:30 in the morning, and was surprised at the traffic, especially since this was a saturday morning. All the way upto Hosur the road was pretty choked, and this did limit my speed. Things took a turn after Hosur though. The open roads were going to be just pure bliss. I did make a photo stop before the wide roads started. I knew that once i started enjoying the roads, i would be very reluctant to make any stops. So after some clicking, it was time to roll.
Was planning to go at a sedate 80kmph or so, and was doing that until a Qualis overtook me, after Krishnagiri. The vehicle was pretty full with some family that included a lot of kids, gawking at me and and my bike. I thought i should give them something to cheer about, and set about trying to overtake the Qualis. It was a nice healthy competition. Neither of us took unnecessary risks, but did manage to keep up a good speed. Most of the time we were doing about 100-110 kmph. One stretch i managed to go upto 120. This went on for more than 50 km, until i decided to take a break. It was about 70 km since my last break, and i was getting real thirsty too. The heat was getting pretty oppressive.
Now that a quick pace had been set, going slow was out of the question. I was too hooked up on the speed factor. The turn at Vaniyambadi came soon, and i knew i was pretty close to the hills.
The ghat section of 14kms was true delight. There was hardly any traffic here, and so i could let loose again. There is nothing more fun while riding, than being able to take on the ghats, and not miss any turns!!
Was in Yelagiri by 10:15. Breakfast was a long drawn out affair. After stuffing myself with enough food to keep me going till lunch, i was ready for the return journey home. Started off by 10:45. He..he.. this was turning out exactly like my dad predicted. He knew that i was interested in the ride and not as much in the place.So, he had predicted that i would be back home for lunch...
Another shutter-bug break presented itself about 4km into the ride. The view from the hill was too good to pass without spending some time here. Finally managed to get away by 11:00. Now i was really in the mood to test my bike's endurance. So, once i cleared the ghats and was back on the highway, i rarely went below 100kmph. It was great to be dong those speeds. The only problem was that a lot of the localites were using the wrong side of the road. Looked like most of them were Americanising themselves!! It was very irksome, when i was doing good speeds, and had to slow down, because there was some moron coming the opposite way, treating the road like an extension of his living room. Since, these guys were so into the american driving style, i took it upon myself to introduce them to some choice american slang too!!
After the turn at Krishnagiri, i got involved in two ego-building races. The first was with a Qualis, where my ego took a beating, but not without a fight. The next was with an Esteem, where i got myself a chance to boost my ego. He he.. a bike leaving them behind, is a tough pill to swallow for many four-wheelers.. The rest of the ride home was pretty uneventful, with the usual traffic jam from Hosur. Still managed to reach home by 1:30, and just in time for lunch with dad..
Looking back, i had done pretty good time.I had d0ne 350 kms in six hours, with a 30 minute stop for breakfast. Also, the stretch from Hosur to home did take me about an hour and a half, the morning and afternoon combined. So that meant i took about 4 hours to do around 280 kms, at an average of 70 kms per hour. That was pretty neat, if i may say so. And that was all because it was on MY terms... this definitely means a lot more solo rides in the future.