After completing nearly 2000 kms. in our epic trip, we had travelled from Nashik to Pondicherry via. Belgaon, Tumkur, Bangalore and Vellore. Our next stop was the highpoint of our trip, the BOBMC Rider Mania 2014. With 65 participating clubs and 2000+ riders, this Rider Mania promised to be the largest and most exciting ever.
After 3 days rest in Pondicherry, we were all eager to get back on our bikes and reach the Rider Mania event. The last evening in Pondicherry was spent in packing and getting ready to depart the next day, as the excitement built-up.
We were up bright and early and soon every rider was ready to depart, probably the least time taken to get ready in the morning in our entire journey.
The ride from Pondicherry to Mahabalipuram is on the East Coast Road (ECR). This is an iconic road as it runs along the coast and has breathtaking scenery. Of course, we had to stop for some photos on the way.
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| The calm before the storm.. |
Finally, after 7 days and countless hours of riding, we reached Mahabalipuram for the Rider Mania 2014.
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| Made It !!! |
The atmosphere was simply electric. 65 RE clubs from across the country were participating in the event and each club got a chance to make a loud and big bang entry. There was even an award for best entry!!
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| Beach Parking 101 |
A little relaxation followed and I think the jubilation of our faces shows the sheer relief of getting to Rider Mania. A couple of our club members, who could not join in the ride, also joined us directly in the event.
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| Cheers !! |
After some much needed relaxation, thanks to the heat and humidity, it was time for the events to begin. The first event was Assembly Wars. In this event, teams of 4 persons have to dis-assemble and then re-assemble pre-defined parts of the bike, such as the rear tyre, clutch, headlight etc. The team that does it first wins.
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| Assembly Wars |
This event was the only bike-related event of the first day and this was followed by absolute mayhem with a local band playing traditional upbeat music on their drums and we had a crazy time too. Just imagine, the guy below parked his bike in the soft beach sand, standing on his bike and using his leg to accelerate. It really was a crazy party :)
The evening festivities included beer-guzzling competition, arm wrestling and a rocking music festival.
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| Tailgunner in Beer Guzzling Contest |
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| Arm Wrestling |
Apart from the partying, there was also a Bike Show for customized RE bikes, which featured several unique and customized RE bikes.
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| Best Customised Bike Winner 2014 |
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| Village Theme Bike |
The second day of Rider Mania brought forth the main event, the Dirt Bike Race. This event sees the most serious contenders preparing throughout the year to compete. This was my first experience of seeing an RE exclusive dirt race and it was amazing to see the seasoned riders throwing their RE’s around with such ease.
Taking opportunity of our visit, we also managed to visit the famous Sea Shore temple, which is a world heritage site as well as Krishna’s Butter Ball.
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| Krishna's Butter Ball |
There are many other attractions such as caves with carvings etc. to be seen in Mahabalipuram. The local handicrafts market is also good.
The second day ended with more partying and celebrations for the success of another biker fest.
The 2-day rider mania seemed to get over is a jiffy and very soon we were preparing to ride out for our return journey. The event left memories for a lifetime and to experience the passion of other fellow riders was the cherry on the cake!!
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