An accidental Journey Part 3 - Day 2 Ride to Fagu

Cycling Starting Point - Kasauli

Destination - Fagu

Route - Kasauli - Dharampur - Solan - Kandaghat - Sadhupul - Chail - Kufri - Fagu

Cycling Distance - 104 Kms

Car Driving - 104 Kms

Kanav’s Cycle Ride - 80Kms

Major Breaks - Solan, Sadhupul, Koti

Elevation Gained - 2077 mtrs.

The day started early with us planning to leave the hotel by 4:00am. But our car was badly stuck in the parking lot. But finally by 4:30am we were on the saddle enjoying our Downhill ride to Dharampur in pitch dark.

I was quite sure that we would have to ride uphill most of the day and it would take us a good amount of time to reach Solan. But suddenly after a few Kms from Dharampur, the road began to slope downhill and it did not end till we reached Solan. The view on the way was just out of this world with clouds floating along with us. People were getting out of the cars and clicking photographs and we were savouring our ride and the view.

While the quick ride to Solan encouraged us, our confidence was even further Boosted by a few young cyclists from Solan who told us that the downhill shall continue upto Sadhupul from where Chail was about 17-18 Kms only. So me and Abhishek decided to speed things up and see how far cold we reach by 8:30am as our intial target was Solan which we had already achieved by 7:00am.

But simultaneously preeti encountered her first car driving challenge. She had taken another route and was on the Solan Bypass when we called her out for a tea in the Solan Market. She took a detour into the market advised by a passerby. But this detour was an extremely steep climb for the car. The car stopped in the middle of the climb but Preeti recalled a similar incident in Hoshiarpur’s Miraj Cinema and quickly pulled the hand break and released it only after she had put her foot on the accelerator. And now, she was ready for the bigger challenges she was about to face on the world’s most treacherous road ahead.

We were gliding to Sadhupul with almost a Kms distance between each one of us Abhishek - Myself - Kanav. Only 3kms away and at 8:00am, I found Abhishek sitting with the cycle upside down and working on another puncture. I quickly got down and we worked on changing the tube of the cycle. Kanav and Preeti reached soon after and Jay took Sultan to a small trek for him to relieve himself on the nearby mountain. Jay was fully enjoying the trip playing with Sultan. Preeti was introducing him to experiences like working a hand pump, plucking flowers and fruits etc.

Suddenly a man on the motorcycle came and hushed us up by warning us of a few leopards and their cubs just a few meters ahead. The cubs seem to have attacked the motorcyclist. We were apprehensive but did not take the risk and immediately hang up the cycles on the rack and drove out in the car around 3 kms to a dhaba at Sadhupul.

I quickly began my day’s office routine while having breakfast. Kids immediately made friends with the kids of the dhaba owner and started exploring nature. They were plucking fruits and eating them while the local kids introduced them to more varieties of fruits and flowers around. While leaving the place, the kids exchanged numbers and decided to call one another. The elder one, Dhruv, even took his single gear bicycle and rode with us for 2 kms uphill when we left at around 12pm.

While I kept getting calls on the way, Kanav and Abhishek were riding uphill. Preeti in the meanwhile was disgusted with the condition of the car and was still at the Dhaba cleaning it up. She must have spent an hour in total making the car spic and span before starting off. She caught up with Kanav soon and I also was beside him just 8Kms before Chail.

As usual Preeti was exploring the local plants and found walnuts hanging from the trees. She took one as a prize to show it around. Kanav soon gave up on the climb as it was hot and the climb was gruelling. Abhishek had reached Chail by now in a single shot without stoppages and I had still to climb 8 kms which were the toughest part of the climb. The forests around slowly made the climb easier and with another break for a call just 2 kms before Chail, I quickly made up.

As Abhishek had already left for Kufri, we decided to make our way to Theog that day and I did not stop at Chail. Kanav who was coming behind immediately saddled up at Chail to enjoy the downhill. But after a 10-12 Kms from Chail, in which merely 2 kms were downhill, I was feeling exhausted and went to sleep on the roadside. Preeti came with some sweets and momos which I savoured and attended a quick call with Shruti and gave her the required data while working from the forest of Chail.

In a few more kms which were more-or-less uphill only, we reached Kothi where we had a cup of tea and a few biscuits. Here Jay’s love of Dogs was quite evident when 6-7 dogs surrounded Jay and Jay was playing with them. He took a full packet of Biscuits and distributed them to his new friends.

Just 2 kms from Kothi, Kanav had a severe pressure to answer nature's call where he was stung by the Itching plant. He immediately gave up the ride and sat in the car. 

Around 12 kms from Kufri, Abhishek called up, telling us that the last 6 kms climb to Chini Bungla was a killer one and I had an option to come via Car. And he was not wrong at all. The climb came after I had done 90+ Kms for the day and was a really steep one. I took one break in between but by the time I reached Chini Bungla, it was already night.

Jay had been demanding to do some downhill the whole day, and with no traffic on the road, I obliged him. He rode very safely on the downhill to Kufri and I gave him another Km to ride towards Fagu. By the time we reached fagu, It was past 8pm and Abhishek was waiting for us with Dinner.

After a quick dinner we planned out not to ride to jeebhi instead of taking the route to Spiti. Preeti was apprehensive but was with us. Again deciding to follow the same schedule, we went back to sleep at around 10:30 while preeti was still washing our clothes and ensuring that we don’t run out of athletic wear soon.