Saddle Sore ride which is 1600 km in 24 hours is very close to my heart. In 2009, I did my first Iron Butt Association ride on Hero Karizma.
After I did my Saddle Sore ride on Hero Impulse with Salakha on 20-May-2014, it became more famous among female riders in India. Earlier in December 2011, Rider Chithra Priya did a saddle sore ride on her Honda CBR250R. She was the first Indian woman to do so.
Since I did the Iron Butt rides I got many enquires about the rides, rules, verification process, which bike to use, eligibility, etc.
Shubhangi Manjrekar, Shalaka’s friend and a biker from Mumbai was very keen to do the saddle sore ride. Shalaka has given her reference. So, we met in Pune and decided to do the ride together. At that time, I had 2 Hero Karizma ZMR. It’s a 223.5 cc sports bike.
We decided to start the ride on 11-June-2015. For this Shubhangi came to Pune one day before the ride at Shalaka’s place. The starting time was 10 PM.
Our friends came to Shell Petrol Pump, Warje to support us for the ride. Hi, Hello, Bye Bye, Ride Safe, Be Safe, etc with friends delayed our schedule for 30 mins.
At 10:28 PM I started the ride and Shubhangi started at 10:29 PM. As I did the same ride on the same route, I was aware where we have to stop for fueling and after how many kilometers. We started at night because this as the first long-distance ride for Shubhang which was 1000+ km. At the starting of the ride, everyone is fresh and energetic. So we thought to cover the night in that mode.
Our first stop was Konduskar Auto Centre, Kolhapur, which was 231 km from Shell Petrol Pump Warje. We reached at 01:20 am the next day. We halter for 10-15 mins, washed our faces, and started the ride again.
The next stop was at Veerabhadreshwar Petroleum, Haveri which was 275 km from Kolhapur. At 6:10 am we reached there and planned to take a bigger halt. After refueling, we halted there. The petrol pump attended was quite curious to know who were we as we were different from their regular customers.
We were expecting some tea nearby, but it was too early for the nearby shops. We planned to stop again for the tea on the highway. But unexpectedly the attendant asked us, Bhaiya chai peeyoge… There was a big smile on our faces. Of Course and a big thankyou be said before having it. We thanked the attendant we started the ride again.
Our next stop was the U-Turn point, which was Raja Rajeshwari Service Station, Neleamangala which was 319 km from Haveri. We reached there at 10:21 am. On every fuel stop, we do the fuelling then documentation and take a break. Without proper documentation, the ride is of no use. We were happy, I can see the face of Shubhangi. Her smile was showing her excitement.
It was the time when the petrol pump has maximum customers. I was like riding with a celebrity. When Shubhangi removed the helmet, most of the people including the petrol pump attendant started staring at her. She is tall, beautiful and has long Curley hairs which were quite attractive. We halted there are around 15-20 minutes, till then she was the center of attraction at the petrol pump. It was not an easy task for Shubhangi. People don’t expect a girl riding a bike with complete riding gear. It was an unusual view for all. After some time, some curious people started asking random questions. We were tired, I replied a few questions but the query started increasing. Our motive was to complete the ride on time. Saying a sorry to all we started the ride again. Then we decided Shubhangi won’t remove the helmet in the crowded place. So far we have completed 825 km.
We were on time as per our schedule. The next stop was Sri Narahari & Company, Haveri which was 326 km from Neleamangala (Bangalore). At 3 pm we reached there. After documentation, we halted for a small tea break. On every halt, we were updated our schedule to Shalaka. She was aware of our current location.
At the time of fueling, I used to tell Shubhangi to take a long break. Her long means max 20 mins. But she was full of energy. She was more concerned to finish the ride than taking rest. I was concerned because this was the first long-distance and continuous ride. But unexpectedly she was beyond my imagination. I asked her many times, are you sure this is your first endurance ride?
The ride was about to complete, few hours remaining. We were excited and a bit of nerves. Shubhangi was riding ahead. She suddenly gave the left indicator and signal to stop. Without any planned reason, so I got curious. The reason was quite funny. She saw an omelet stall. We were hungry, she ordered one omelet pav and I ordered half-fry pav. Then she told me that she loves egg the most. From the morning she saw a few omelet stalls but did not stop due to the schedule. Now as we were before the schedule, she can not stop herself having an omelet. It was too delicious. When the stomach is empty anything you get to eat is like a gift of god. But seriously the roadside foods in India are always delicious.
After eating her favorite food, Shubhangi got more charged. We started for our next destination which was Anand Highway Service, Kolhapur. At 6:15 pm we reached there. A small break with tea was enough for us.
Now we are moving towards our final destination. During our ride, we clicked a few photos, shot a few small videos on GoPro too. I have more pics of Shubhangi than myself because I m a good photographer than her. She is more photogenic. I clicked her more because this was her first endurance ride. She needs to keep more memories.
We are moving towards Pune and we were aware that our friends were waiting for us at the Shell Petrol Pump. The last 100 km was the toughest one. We were keen to reach Shell Petrol Pump. It was tough because our patient-level reduced.
Finally, we reached our destination, my timing was 09:40 pm and Shubhangi’s time was 09:39 pm.
It was a very happy moment for both of us.
Shubhangi was riding the Red-colored Karizma ZMR and I was riding the white. She left in love with the bike for two reasons. She did her first endurance ride on Hero Karizma ZMR and she liked the durability of the machine. Without any issues on the bike, it was quite easy for her to complete the ride successfully.
Now, the second part was to submit the documents. I have done this ride before so Shubhangi gave the responsibility of submitting her documents to me.
The documents include starting and End witness, Route Map, Petrol Receipts, Log Sheet, and some pictures of the ride.
The current email id to submit the documents is ibaindiaapplication@gmail.
To know more about the saddle sore ride check the link: http://www.ironbutt.com/
The next day after the ride, Shubangi came to my place, we submitted the documents and Shubhangi went back to Mumbai.
Saddle Sore or Bun Burner certificate, we can not buy it, we have to earn it. There are no commercial benefits by getting this certificate nor anyone gets a biker tag or hence biker proved after getting this certificate. This is just for personal satisfaction. I did something different.
We have seen fraud cases in many fields, but for the first time, I heard something different. As per Iron Butt Association, India is the first country where people are making fake certificates. It’s not necessary to have an IBA or any similar organization to prove yourself a biker. The love for the bike and riding makes you so.
It was a shameful moment for every genuine IBA record holder.
To know more, check the link: https://forum.ironbutt.
IBA instantly banned India for such rides. Due to this, our certificate was on hold. The hold was for an undefined duration. So we planned to submit the documents to another organization, which is similar to the Iron Butt Association.
Long Distance Riders (LDR), website: https://
For 1600 km in 24 hours, its Full Throttle ride.
We submitted our ride documents at LDR to Mr. Jack Powis, President of Long Distance Riders at jackp210@aol.com.
Within 2 weeks our ride got certified. We got the certificates.
It was a happy ending for us. I wish to do more rides with Shubhangi in the coming years.
