People fall in love with beautiful places and engineering marvels all the time, and so did I. The Sigandur Bridge – which was inaugurated in mid-July last year and went viral on social platforms – instantly captivated me. Soon, I decided that I would cycle there to catch a glimpse of the engineering marvel across the Sharavathi river. Now, this meant a journey of 375 km from Bengaluru! My winter plan almost failed, but I managed it by the beginning of March.The 2.5 km long Sigandur Bridge, officially known as the Sharavathi Backwaters Bridge, is a landmark infrastructure project in the Shivamogga district of Karnataka. Spanning the vast backwaters of the Sharavathi river, this bridge connects Sagar to Sigandur in Shivamogga and further to Kollur in Udupi. I set out at dawn on March 5, planning to cover 250 km on the first day and the remaining 125 km the next day. After being dropped off at Tumakuru Road, on the long Bengaluru-Honnavar highway, I was the only one on my bike.Breakfast stop was at Tumkuru. As the day progressed, the sun became worse – especially around noon. Despite carrying a camelback (bag filled with water) and electrolytes, frequent refills became necessary. Beyond Gubbi, the entire BH Road reveals itself as an endless bypass stretch – no trees, no shade – just flyovers, concrete and retaining walls. I cycled through the playlist: from Rajkumar and SPB to Amitabh Bachchan, and pedaled through the heat, well slathered in sunscreen.By the time I reached Tiptur, I was exhausted. After lunch at Arasikere, it helped to take a short rest at a roadside field, before starting again. Kadur and Birur passed smoothly, but Tarikere slowed me down due to road work and chaotic traffic, wasting my precious 30 minutes. I wanted to ride as little as possible in the dark, but it was still 9.30 pm when I reached my stop for the night at Bhadravati.The next morning started early. After Shivamogga, the road changed – rows of trees provided much-needed respite. The ride under the green canopy, accompanied by light music and joyful waves of school children, became one of the most memorable parts of the trip. To enjoy the beauty of the countryside, I opted to reach Sigundur by evening instead of afternoon and slowed down my pace. Luckily for me, most of the Shivamogga-Sigandur route was downhill, the rest was downhill terrain.At the Heggodu stopover, I took a brief tour of the famous theater institute, Neenasam. After having lunch at a nearby hotel, I tried to take some rest in the cool comfort of the ATM, but its air conditioning was not working. Soon, I found myself taking a short nap under the shade of coconut trees.The last 30 km via Genasinkuni brought me to the Sigandur bridge by 5 pm. Families wandered around, taking pictures, but I was drawn to the vast expanse of the 2.5 km structure. Walking back and forth across it, glowing golden with the sweet evening sunlight, felt like a reward in itself.Nearby, the defunct launch – once used to carry devotees and vehicles to the Sigandur Chowdeshwari temple – is a reminder of how the bridge has transformed connectivity. After capturing a video of the ride, I headed towards the temple, refreshed, and completed a serene darshan.As soon as I came out, curious onlookers asked where I came from. “Bengaluru,” I replied – and that was enough to draw a smile, a selfie and a few words of appreciation from the ‘pedal traveller’.At Sagar, I negotiated transportation with a private bus operator – who charged more for the bike than my ticket. After some conversation we reached an equal position. By the time I reached Peenya the next morning, the sun was rising.