Moradabad Bypass
There is something about the Moradabad bypass road. Every time I have crossed this 7km stretch, something wonderfully exciting has happened with me. Most of the times, I have crossed it on a motorbike, and so I have written about the overall journey in some post or the other. Like my trips to Nainital, Saat tal, and the other parts of Kumaon. But I think this stretch needs a special mention too. Which is the subject of this post.
Like the very first time I crossed it was on a 100cc Hero Honda Splendor, about 8-year old machine, very badly maintained (all my machines are badly maintained, but run superbly). This was the third bike ride of my life - the first being Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar via the Mumbai-Goa road (same bike), with a pillion; and the other being the more common Delhi - Agra route (again, same bike). I was of the opinion, and I still carry the same to a certain extent, that the machine does not matter much. It is the rider and his style that matters more.
So here I am, riding to Nainital, with Imran and Lalit - Lalit on an LML Energy (I guess 125cc) and Imran on his first bullet - a 350cc Machismo, aluminium engine. All throughout the ride and even earlier, Imran has been saying to us that we guys need to upgrade to a Bullet, and both of us are saying that come on, it is the rider that matters, not the machine and blah blah. So now we reach Moradabad bypass. I am leading, since I always drive a bike at 80-90kmph in daytime, never mind what bike, what conditions and what road. The bypass is quite wide and long, and you can really rip a tinpot. I am on full throttle. Lalit is way too behind. Imran is not seen at all. I am happy to lead.
Suddenly I see a spot in my rearview mirror. The spot grows fairly soon, overtakes Lalit and before I can say 'oh' takes full form in the rearview mirror. Before I can recognize the form, Imran has crossed me and is now ahead of my little motorcycle. And before I can grasp what just happened, he is out of sight. I bring the bike to a halt. Lalit also slows down and stops, thinking there is some problem with my bike. I take my helmet off, and tell Lalit, 'dude, we gotta get this one'.
One week from that time, Lalit has a Machismo 350cc. Two more weeks and I have a 500cc.
The next time I did Moradabad bypass, it has an even better story -- almost a legend in the group now.
This time I am doing it on my own. Imran has a house in Bhavali, about 12km below Nainital on the way to Bhimtal. He calls one Friday evening saying that there is snowfall in Nainital and he and his cousin brother are riding to see the snow. He invites me to join them. I tell him that I am a manager now, and have lots of work to finish before the weekend. He tells me that this is an opportunity I am missing, and I say whatever. So he gets pissed and says goodbye, and pushes off.
I finish my work late night, go home all tired, crash on the bed and completely fail to go off to sleep. By 3am the feeling gets too overbearing. I am still awake and crushed under it. So I get up, pack the bag, start the bike (this time it is the Bullet 500cc) and push off - alone in the dark of the night, on a highway in UP. Madness, I know, thank you.
I ride consistently. Hapur bypass - Gadhmukteshwar - Gajraula - no stoppage. It is like a timeless dark tunnel I am driving through. There is a comfortable numbness set in. I see the morning hue in the sky. Beautiful clouds and the first rays of the sun. Moradabad bypass. About 7:30am. I am still running a constant 80-90kmph. I cross the 7km stretch with glee. I see the tollgate. Does not register in my brain. I am probably at 100kmph now. I see myself approaching the gate. Usually the leftmost side is kept free for 2-wheelers for any such toll plaza. So I assume it will be the same for this one too, and without stopping I push my bike into the leftmost lane.
Crash! ... A sudden movement, and the speedo bar comes down on me. I have no idea why and how, but a bar appears out of thin air in front of me at the height of my chest. There is no way I can just stop at 100kmph. So I go ahead and hit the bar head-on with my torso. The bar, which is probably some cheap metal like aluminium or so, gets ripped off from its base and flies off. Surprisingly I am still holding the balance on the bike. I get bruises, the bike wobbles and spills some engine oil, but overall I am still on track.
Once I get my bearing back, I hear a lot of shouting and sirens from behind. I see a group of sentries from the guardpost jumping on a jeep and trying to follow me. How I manage to get of their clutches is another story, maybe to be told some other time.
This was 6 years ago. Today I am fairly experienced in biking, having done long and streneous rides with groups, pairs and as an individual. I have done rides from Mumbai, Pune and Delhi too. I have many stories to tell about my biking experience, but Moradabad Highway has a very special place in these.
So when I did it again this last weekend on my 500cc, with a camera crew from a German TV channel, I am not surprised that even this time, the best shots that Tom the cameraman got during the entire ride from Delhi to Saat tal and back are on this same stretch of 7km - the Moradabad Bypass.
Like the very first time I crossed it was on a 100cc Hero Honda Splendor, about 8-year old machine, very badly maintained (all my machines are badly maintained, but run superbly). This was the third bike ride of my life - the first being Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar via the Mumbai-Goa road (same bike), with a pillion; and the other being the more common Delhi - Agra route (again, same bike). I was of the opinion, and I still carry the same to a certain extent, that the machine does not matter much. It is the rider and his style that matters more.
So here I am, riding to Nainital, with Imran and Lalit - Lalit on an LML Energy (I guess 125cc) and Imran on his first bullet - a 350cc Machismo, aluminium engine. All throughout the ride and even earlier, Imran has been saying to us that we guys need to upgrade to a Bullet, and both of us are saying that come on, it is the rider that matters, not the machine and blah blah. So now we reach Moradabad bypass. I am leading, since I always drive a bike at 80-90kmph in daytime, never mind what bike, what conditions and what road. The bypass is quite wide and long, and you can really rip a tinpot. I am on full throttle. Lalit is way too behind. Imran is not seen at all. I am happy to lead.
Suddenly I see a spot in my rearview mirror. The spot grows fairly soon, overtakes Lalit and before I can say 'oh' takes full form in the rearview mirror. Before I can recognize the form, Imran has crossed me and is now ahead of my little motorcycle. And before I can grasp what just happened, he is out of sight. I bring the bike to a halt. Lalit also slows down and stops, thinking there is some problem with my bike. I take my helmet off, and tell Lalit, 'dude, we gotta get this one'.
One week from that time, Lalit has a Machismo 350cc. Two more weeks and I have a 500cc.
The next time I did Moradabad bypass, it has an even better story -- almost a legend in the group now.
This time I am doing it on my own. Imran has a house in Bhavali, about 12km below Nainital on the way to Bhimtal. He calls one Friday evening saying that there is snowfall in Nainital and he and his cousin brother are riding to see the snow. He invites me to join them. I tell him that I am a manager now, and have lots of work to finish before the weekend. He tells me that this is an opportunity I am missing, and I say whatever. So he gets pissed and says goodbye, and pushes off.
I finish my work late night, go home all tired, crash on the bed and completely fail to go off to sleep. By 3am the feeling gets too overbearing. I am still awake and crushed under it. So I get up, pack the bag, start the bike (this time it is the Bullet 500cc) and push off - alone in the dark of the night, on a highway in UP. Madness, I know, thank you.
I ride consistently. Hapur bypass - Gadhmukteshwar - Gajraula - no stoppage. It is like a timeless dark tunnel I am driving through. There is a comfortable numbness set in. I see the morning hue in the sky. Beautiful clouds and the first rays of the sun. Moradabad bypass. About 7:30am. I am still running a constant 80-90kmph. I cross the 7km stretch with glee. I see the tollgate. Does not register in my brain. I am probably at 100kmph now. I see myself approaching the gate. Usually the leftmost side is kept free for 2-wheelers for any such toll plaza. So I assume it will be the same for this one too, and without stopping I push my bike into the leftmost lane.
Crash! ... A sudden movement, and the speedo bar comes down on me. I have no idea why and how, but a bar appears out of thin air in front of me at the height of my chest. There is no way I can just stop at 100kmph. So I go ahead and hit the bar head-on with my torso. The bar, which is probably some cheap metal like aluminium or so, gets ripped off from its base and flies off. Surprisingly I am still holding the balance on the bike. I get bruises, the bike wobbles and spills some engine oil, but overall I am still on track.
Once I get my bearing back, I hear a lot of shouting and sirens from behind. I see a group of sentries from the guardpost jumping on a jeep and trying to follow me. How I manage to get of their clutches is another story, maybe to be told some other time.
This was 6 years ago. Today I am fairly experienced in biking, having done long and streneous rides with groups, pairs and as an individual. I have done rides from Mumbai, Pune and Delhi too. I have many stories to tell about my biking experience, but Moradabad Highway has a very special place in these.
So when I did it again this last weekend on my 500cc, with a camera crew from a German TV channel, I am not surprised that even this time, the best shots that Tom the cameraman got during the entire ride from Delhi to Saat tal and back are on this same stretch of 7km - the Moradabad Bypass.
- Shreekant
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