Heat Lock – Pune 2021

Another year, another lock down. The Covid-19 air closed towns once again in India. Staying put in my home town of Pune, Maharashtra, the partial closure of the city muted the noise across town.

Well, the chain has to move the wheels when trails mumble the ride song!

With temperatures rising and dry grass waving across local hills, the loose trails made for fun times. Hitting the good old ‘PMR trail’, doing runs down rock slabs at noon summed up the heat lock months in Pune.

As the monsoons approached it was time to get the rain jackets and waterproof bags out!

Pedalling the big rig up my backyard trails is a decent warm-up, especially during the monsoons. Once on the hill, enjoying the rain, chilling under trees and hiking with the bike on my back is what monsoon rides are all about!

With muddy tires getting washed in heavy downpours, sunlight still hiding in the dense clouds, Pune’s monsoons are plenty sticky!

Coming up next is my yearly escapade to the big mountains in North India – in Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh! The Ladakh MTB Festival and the Manali MTB Festival are on the cards next!