Cycling around pune

This is one of my favorite mountain biking trails. Close to Pune city, it is an all-in-one adventure ride. What I really like is the silence on this trail. It’s a good trail for country crossing running practice as well. The trail starts near Jambhulwadi Valley Bridge on the Pune-Bangalore high way. You can ride on cycle till this point if you are staying close by. Or you can travel by car and park it on the highway service road and ride uphill. If you do not prefer to ride the bike uphill then you can drive uphill and park your car atop the hill. It is safe to park your car here. Once you reach the top of the hill you can take the road to right which leads you towards Khandoba-hill. You can easily identify the Khandoba hill. This trail is entirely mud and rocky road and takes you through lot of ups and downs. This is an MTB trail and not recommended for road bikes. This is the perfect trail to try and test all the features of your MTB, such as, shock absorber...

When it comes to cycling around Pune, the Khadakwasla-Sinhagad-Panshet area is a favorite among the cyclists. Take a ride on these roads and you’ll know why. You’ll find many cycling enthusiasts on this road, in all seasons. The entire road till Panshet is in an excellent condition. It is the best route for road bikes, and also for gearless bikes. On this trail, you can go up to the distance you want; you can plan to cycle from 10Kms up to 100Kms. There are a lot of restaurants, cycle repair shops on this road. Note that the shops don’t start until 8:30 AM. You need not carry lot of water or food with you. Also, expect a reasonable public transport on this road. I usually start this trail from Karvenagar and travel via the Sinhagad road or Warje-NDA road. I prefer Sinhagad road because it is pretty straight and without any climbs. I recommend that you start very early morning when it is dark, so that by the time you reach Khadakwasla or Sinhagad base you don’t face sunlight....

Ensure that you have a really good stamina because this is a tough ride. The Sinhagad ghat trail is a well-constructed road and a good track for MTB as well as road bikes.  Before you attempt this trail, make a note of the following:   Ensure that you have a gear bike.   It’s a tough and a steep climb and not suitable for normal gear-less bikes.   Plan your ride early morning or in the evening. If you decide for early morning then ensure that you start early enough so that you cover most of the patch before sunrise. You may get dehydrated if you have to cycle in the sun because of the steep uphill climb. Carry enough water, chocolate or energy bars (You may need one, you never know J ) You can start this trail from the base of the ghat, that is, near hotel Rayaba. You can park your vehicle at the road side just before the toll gate or opposite hotel Rayaba.   Vehicle parking charges are not availed here (there are parking charges elsewhere)...