Cycling to Ramanagara

On 19th June, I had been on a cycle expedition to Ramanagara- The hideout of Gabbar Singh. It's about 45 Kms from Bangalore on the Bangalore-Mysore Highway.
Actually this plan was setout by Sandy(Sandeep). I'm a cycling enthusiast and I was excited over this plan. But, the saddest thing was... I couldn't find even a single guy with cycle in our friend-circle.
I was wondering... though India tops the world in terms of cycle sales, why do the people over here look down on cycles? Especially the bangaloreans think they have to ride cycles only till they become old enough to get a 2-wheeler license. And once you are into work, riding a cycle is something like a sin.
But, one thing is for sure. The vehicle of future is The Cycle.
So, on that cool cloudy sunday, we both set out at around 7:45 from Deepanjali Nagar. With not much stops in between we reached Ramanagar at 10:30 am with aching legs and base(thanks to our small and uncomfortable seats). We wasted most of our time in searching for a decent Veg hotel to have our breakfast. Finally after a quick breakfast, we set out on a narrow winding road leading to the Ramagiri betta or the Ramadevara betta popularly known as the Sholay gudda.
We reached there at around 12:00. The rocky hill is surprisingly covered by thick forest. The plants and trees growing even on a handful of mud in between the cracks in rocks give a clear picture of the Struggle for existance. After having a tasty nap under a tree, we climbed on top, visited the temple and headed towards the highest point on the hill. Steps are carved on a dangerously steep, big rock leading to the highest point.
While getting down, we chose not to use the well defined path. It was fun finding our own way crawling beneath the boulders and through the thorny bushes.
It is said that this forest is an habitat for the Sloth bear and Leopard. Due to our bad luck we were not able to find any :( .
Stopping in between for a brief Lunch at Kadumane, we reached Deepanjalinagar(our starting point) at 5:30. I stay nearby, but poor Sandy, he had to cycle may be an hour more through the Bangalore traffic to reach his home in Koramangala.

Click here for photos.

Highlights:
1) Mysore Road and its traffic - both were in their worst condition.
2) A guy travelling in a car, stopping us and enquiring about our trip.
After a brief talk with him, we found out that he is also a great cycling enthusiast who had been to Kanyakumari on Cycle. He was very happy to know about our cycling expedition and encouraged us a lot.
3) Body pains which we enjoy. It makes us feel that we have done something.