Join Independence Day motorcycle rides with these trails

GhodbunderBandraBelapurEvery rider will tell you that one of the best meeting points around town is Fountain Hotel in Ghodbunder Fountain Hotel marks the chowk where you can choose one of the three exits mdash Western Express Highway Vasai Creek Bridge or Ghodbunder Road This is where a couple of years ago Vinayak Pawar a consultant with a human rights organisation met with his fellow riders on Independence DayPawar a Grant Road resident is part of a riders group called Royal Indian Devotes I do the freedom ride because its a chance to get together with the group and celebrate an occasion of national importance together says Pawar 32The group decided to meet at 8 am at Fountain Hotel and head to the flag hoisting ceremony by the promenade at Bandra Reclamation However we reached a little later than expected as it started to pour That is something to watch out for as the rains can delay you he says Even if they were late the riders paid their respects to the Indian tricolour and then finished the ride at Belapur We toured till Bandra as not all riders could join us from the start at Ghodbunder says PawarYou can give your freedom ride a theme suggests Pawar On this particular trip the bikers supported girl child rights an idea initiated by Pawar Pawar gave his biker friends Tshirts with the campaign slogan Beti Zindabad We thought it would be a good way to promote the campaign It is also our way of saying that riding bikes is not just about being macho he saysColabaDaman and DiuIf you wish to do a solo Independence Day ride or just with a couple of friends then take cue from sound engineer Dylan DSilva 31 In 2014 DSilva took Emma thats the name he has given his Royal Enfield from his residence in Colaba all the way up to the coastal town of Daman Ideally you should be doing this overnight as you will need to be on your bike for four hours at a stretch But if you dont mind the intensity of the trip then its ideal he saysThe route is via the Eastern Express Highway and then NH 48 Theres lots to do on the route especially as you hit closer to Daman There is a lot of history to Daman such as old forts and churches The historic sites made me feel that this was a good way to celebrate Independence Day says DSilva The best part about the route he says is that it is straightforward and doesnt require the biker to manoeuvre a lot This way you wont feel the need to stop and take a break too often Once you reach the town however you will tempted to make many pit stops such as the Moti Daman FortBandraManoriVashiresident Atul Vig is a strategist for real estate and a seasoned biker The 32yearold runs a bikers club called Mumbai Wanderers and regularly does freedom rides with hundreds of bikers The idea is that we let go of our individual egos and come together as people It is a feeling of oneness on Independence Day says VigMany bikers may be tempted to head to Colaba and Nariman Point but I strongly advise against it he says explaining South Mumbai is sensitive on Independence Day thanks to more VIP movement in the area and policing is strict Besides these roads are narrow in South Mumbai Instead Vig says you can opt for the suburbs or Navi MumbaiOn this Independence Day trip through the Western Express Highway there were about 1200 of them Keep it simple says Vig Start early in the morning avoid the rush hours mdash even if its on a holiday mdash and potential mishaps The trail can be covered in about a couple of hoursThe other option is to go to Airoli and ride up to Panvel You can also terminate the trip at Palm Beach Road where there is lush greenery on either side Basically you cant go all the way up to Lonavla with a mob like this so Palm Beach is a good choice he saysAndheriPateshwarDr Aparna Bandodkar dental surgeon and motorcycle rider says that she usually prefers to plan long trips around Independence Day Short freedom rides that Bandodkar prefers however are the ones that combine riding with trekking I like exploring our country So I feel the best thing to do on Independence Day is to head to the famous forts around Mumbai says the 33year oldDoing so is not easy though she says as trekking may not be a passion shared by other bikers But should your motorcycle bunch wish to do this she says you can ride down to Pateshwar in Satara district It takes about four hours to get there but it is an easy summit to the rockcut caves and the temple she saysCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates