Day 1 - Port Blair Cruise

 After a sumptuous breakfast, we prepped for the day’s ride. Cycles shipped from Chennai were all assembled and ready to roll-on, thanks to the cycle doctor Rajashekar. Some of them had shipped their own bicycles, I chose to rent and hence picked up a hybrid one (Merida hybrid crossway). All bicycles were brand new and was glad to get a right size for me.

We flagged off from cellular jail, port blair. Local cyclist Prasad joined us today as mentor cyclist.

Route was port blair round trip, distance of 55 KMs(strava recording not accurate). Cellular jail to Chatham jetty point – jetty ride - Bamboo flat – Mt. Harriet – jetty point – lunch – Tirang point – Chidiyatapu via Carbyn’s cove beach. 

Ride was a cruise in well paved roads very close to the sea. It was fulfilling feeling to pedal in-between sea and greenery
             

Enroute Mt.Harriet is a viewpoint of lighthouse, scenic view imprinted in our old 20 Rs. currency note. 

Mt.Harriet was quite an ascend, elevation gain of 350m in 4 KMs. Chidu reached the peak first & came down to check on me and ascended again (his usual norm). I used all known techniques (cycling plus psychological), to keep me going. It was evident when some brevet cyclists started to roll-up/hopped on to motor bike, like at work, different skills are required for different type of rides – stamina for brevets, stamina plus techniques for mountain biking. I rolled-up short distance but did a good ascend ride with Chidu’s constant push, a great start to brush aside my feelings of being among elite riders.

As we rode on with our bikes into the jetty, observed the discipline and streamlined on boarding and off boarding of different vehicle categories without any co-ordinator. buses(at times more than one), cars, two-wheelers all onboarded seamlessly without any chaos, hard find in mainland.

Post lunch (rice, rajma & vegetable curry) we pedalled all the way to Chidiyatapu, halting at Tirang point wherein Nethaji first hoisted our national flag. We passed through the lovely carbyn’s cove beach. Dr. Amritha ensured that her fellow doctors/cycling mentors aka babysitters (in her own words) are riding along with her after taking a wrong turn along with Prateek (fresh graduate from college).

At Chidiyatapu I stood still, lost in nature, my feet in shallow water, observing patterns cast in sand by the tireless waves, salute to this unspoilt beauty.

Post sunset by sea we returned to port Blair in the support vehicle, as its not advisable to ride post dark. Andaman being east of mainland, day starts early, fully bright by 5 AM and ends early, pitch dark by 5PM.