Three Bromptoneers Ride
It was long since pending to do a group Brompton ride near Mumbai with the two other regular Bromptoneers - Mahandra Kumar and Piyush Shah.
Mahandra is a role model for adventure cycling in India and was one of the first Indians to cycle around the world. Riding with him is a treat of stories of his adventures! Piyush has set out on a different path altogether and is in the process of giving up most of his possessions and living a nomadic life. And to top it all, our final destination of this ride is The Nest Farms, brainchild of Rajeev Lamba, who happens to also be a Bromptoneer - the fourth Bromptoneer of this adventure who did not ride :). More about Rajeev and The Nest Farms later.
Our journey is split into five sections:
- Part 1: Our journey started at Kelve Beach, where we visited the two Kelve Forts
- Part 2: Next, we rode to Mahim Fort and Shirgaon Fort
- Part 3: From Shirgaon, we rode to Satpati and crossed over the Banganga river to ride ahead to Tarapur Fort
- Part 4:From Tarapur, we rode to Dahanu and stayed overnight at the Nest Farms
- Part 5: On our return journey, we stopped at Dahanu Fort and then rode back to Kelve
Click on the links above to read about each part of our journey! For a quick tour, see the video below:
Quick Tour
The above playlist consists of five videos for each of the five sections of our ride.
Route Maps
Onward Journey Route:
Return journey route:
Credits
- Thanks to Mahandra Kumar and Piyush Shah, my co-riders and Brompton owners for the great company and conversation!
- Thanks to Rajeev Lamba of Nest Farms for hosting our overnight stay and excellent hospitality including yummy food cooked with vegetables from the farm, and an evening full of adventure stories and music!
- Thanks to Shri for the amazingly innovative album "Just a Vibration". The following is a review of the album by The Guardian:
There’s a lengthy tradition of brass bands in Indian music, from the great musicians of Rajasthan to the rousing revivalism of the Bollywood Brass Band. Now it’s Yorkshire’s turn, as the Hammonds Saltaire community band from Huddersfield team up with Shri Sriram, the percussionist, bass-player and composer who mixed Indian influences with drum & bass in Badmarsh and Shri.
Here he sets out to rework Indian classical and street music styles using what he calls the “very unusual, cross-cultural combination of brass band, sitar, brum kit and bass”. Sitar and brass band work together remarkably well on the grand title track and the slinky Neck to Neck, while on the slow and drifting Tanpura the sound of the Indian drone instrument is reinterpreted on brass.
An entertainingly varied set that would make great film music, with the Yorkshire players on impressive form.
- Thanks to Brompton Bicycles for making an amazing folding bicycle that makes riding such a great pleasure!
