24/7. That was what we decided to call our second Ride &
Meet. Why? Because riding is what GEARheads think about pretty much
round-the-clock and quite simply because it was the event date!
Our destination this time was Netravali, famous for its
Wildlife Sanctuary and excellent, curved roads that are a biker’s dream. We started off with a group of around 10
riders who met near the KTC Bus Terminus in Panjim. Riding south, we added one GEARhead from Vasco to our group
at the Cortalim Circle.
Moving on, we had one more stop at Leonora’s in Verna, where
we met with about 10 more GEARheads from Ponda and Margao.
Our group consisted of a variety of bikes including a
Kawasaki Ninja 250R, a Honda CBR 250R, a bunch of Yamaha YZF-R15’s, a small
army of different Bajaj Pulsars, a TVS Apache, Hero Honda Karizmas, one ZMR and
a CBZ Extreme.
It was here that we also got the first glimpse of our group
t-shirts. Some members even went ahead and purchased theT-shirts on the spot and
wore them immediately!
From here, we proceeded onward to Canacona, en route to
Netravali. Our group split up into 2 sub-groups, with a few faster riders
riding ahead of the bigger group that followed.
The roads we encountered were fantastic and most of us had a
great time leaning our bikes into the corners. The superb and uncharacteristic
dry weather added to our confidence in the turns.
Upon reaching Canacona, it was lunch-time so we regrouped
and made a pit stop just before heading into Netravali and filled up on some
Omelette and Bhaji with bread. Not a very grand meal but we had to make do with
what was available and it was still good nonetheless!
After our lunch stop, we set out for Netravali. It must be
mentioned that the weather was perfect up until this point. Here, we faced a
short spell of rain which died down quickly. The roads now being wet meant we
had to exercise caution and go easy on the corner-carving.
We stopped at a bridge, where we lined up our machines for
some group shots. Moving on, we made a stop at the Gopinath Temple to check out
the famous ‘Budbudyanchi Tali’ (Bubble Lake/Pond) where one can see continuous
bubbles rising up to the surface at different spots which strangely increase in
intensity if the viewer claps loudly. And boy did we clap like little children!
After taking a group picture entrance of the temple, we decided to ride back to
Margao via a different route.
Unfortunately, just after exiting Netravali, one of our riders
had a fall that could be attributed to rider error and thankfully no other
person or vehicle was involved.
While a majority of the riders continued onward to Margao,
about five members stayed back with our downed comrade to make sure he was okay
and that he did not need any immediate medical attention. We also checked his
bike to make sure it was safe to ride to the service center for repairs.
Once we were convinced all was fine to move on, we met up
with the other riders in Margao and decided to stop at Kavana to take a
breather and get a bite to eat, which turned out to be a treat from one of our
group administrators, Gauresh Halarnekar, who celebrated his Birthday just a
few days earlier!
Wrapping up on this positive note, we split up and rode home
after a wonderful day of riding and camaraderie. In case you are wondering
about the fate of our member who had that unfortunate mishap, I am happy to
report that a check-up at his doctor revealed that there was no serious damage
done and he is all set for our next ride!
Until next time, Ride Safe!
