Ride your way through three vineyards in Nashik before your a tasting session

To cycling enthusiasts in Mumbai, the dream of pedalling away in the rolling countryside seems so distant that they have to settle for a ride at an ungodly hour to have a semblance of what their counterparts experience in other parts of India and the world. While that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, Mumbaikars who love their wine as much as the bicycle can sign up for a tour that combines the two.

Soma Vine Village

A day-long tour organised by Carvan Trips next weekend will take participants to three vineyards in the outskirts of Nashik, which can be explored on two wheels. "The weather is perfect, and the hillocks and the landscape surrounding the vineyards are covered in green," says founder Sharad Shah. An avid cyclist and certified diver, he adds that whenever he travels abroad, he makes it a point to hire a bicycle and set out on a ride. "Using a bicycle while travelling gives you so much independence. As an eco-travel company, our aim is to promote cycling as an activity that can be combined with travelling," shares Shah.

On reaching Nashik, participants will select a bicycle for the day, and will be briefed about the tour before they pedal away to the first destination. The three vineyards - Soma, Sula and York - are located within a cycle-able distance of each other. "The ride is a fairly easy one, and anyone who is physically active can undertake it. But we also have an option for those who are not comfortable with cycling to proceed to the locations by bus," informs Shah.

Sula Vineyards

With wine in the system, does cycling become a tad risky? "At the first two vineyards, people take part in wine-tasting only, and we don"t encourage them to indulge in a drink. They can, of course, buy a bottle of wine they like from the tasting sessions, and enjoy it when we reach the third vineyard, where the bicycles are taken away," he says.

Because the ride is an easy one and set amidst scenic environs, several participants come away pleasantly surprised at having rediscovered what for most is a nugget of childhood nostalgia, Shah sums up.

Cycling checklist

Carry

'A bottle of water, and glucose
'Snacks
'Medicines
'Change of clothes and a windcheater