My first 200 km: A date with a cyclone

I knew it was going to test my limits. What I didnt know was what my limits were!

I got my new Bergamont Vitox 7.2 on October 1 2012. I'd been riding to office for a couple of months then, and the new bike was a step towards some serious goals.

For a while, a long ride was playing all the while in my mind. I'd done a couple of 40 km rides - but that wasnt exactly setting anything on fire. The urge to just escape and be on the road was building up to a level where it wasnt controllable anymore.

So on 29-Oct, I just decided I was going to do it this week. Nov 1 was a holiday and the final plan was to ride on 31-Oct and rest during the holiday. This Anjaneya temple and I have a special connection, so I'd decided I was going to ride to the temple. 31-Oct being a working day, I wasnt confident of getting company and add to that a cyclone that was crossing South India, I was to ride solo. 

Prep

The night before, I packed the essentials - 

• The toolkit and patchkit went into the wedgie 
• My HTC and my office Blackberry were charged fully
• The old Sony Cybershot that was till now forgotten was suddenly needed - the battery was charged fully, and the memory card emptied - my wife wanted me to capture the rising sun; little did she know that it wasnt exactly going to be sunny!
• Hand pump, a cap, my HTC charger, a box of mixed dry fruits and some biscuits, 5 Electral packs, spare T and shorts (saviors), and couple of ziplock covers, one of them with cash in it - 2000 bucks went into the bag I borrowed from my wife.
• My Sony wire-free walkman (first generation) was fully charged and loaded with Ilayaraja hits, Kishore Kumar hits and some assorted songs.
• My Quechua rain jersey, the clothes I was going to wear that day were all laid out on the dining table.
• My bike was all prepped on Monday itself. 45 PSI in both tyres, a full body wash and lube - all done. Front  and rear lights both with blinker options, the basic Sigma BC509 cyclocomp were all mounted.
• Loaded myself with carbs and sugar - through rice, bread, pastries, sweets etc the previous day.

As for my training prep, in anticipation of a long ride soon, I rode to office for two weeks (22 km to+fro) on the big ring and never below 3x5, and was timing myself everyday - I did sub-20 one-way consistently for over 4 days. This was my idea of miracle stamina building.

The downers

I had a weekend bout of mild fever, blocked nose and dry cough, I thought I'd recovered sufficiently - went on a paracetamol overdrive for a couple of days.

I had a blood clot in my right heel from a barefoot trek in Wayanad the previous week - it had almost vanished, but felt a little too soft now.

And the last bit of discomfort came from the left leg, which I bruised and had around an inch of skin peel off during a cricket match on 27-Oct.

But these were niggling stuff. Nothing worth stopping a ride.

The Plan

Start at 4:30 AM, tea at Attibele, breakfast at Shoolagiri, rest for 30 mins, ride to the temple non-stop. Finish the darshan, change clothes if needed (laughing out loud now thinking about all this), rest for 30 mins, start back, since it was going to be uphill on the way back - make it 10 mins of rest for every 10 km, lunch at Shoolagiri, rest for 20 mins, snacks and tea at Attibele, refreshments at Varthur and then end at home. 

So overall, it was to be an approximately 10 hour journey in all if I maintained an average of 23-25 kmph.

So with this heavyweight prep and awesome planning, I went to sleep - well, atleast tried to. I had set the alarm at 4:00 and went to sleep at 11 PM, but woke up a hundred times in between. First thing when I woke up for good, gave myself the pampering of a hot shower. I looked out of the balcony and it was all cool and dry. Perfect.

I went to get dressed up and all set, and then I look out of the balcony once more. It had started raining!

Cyclone Nilam - I had completely ignored her in my plan!!!! The B$$ch! The scorned lady was going to haunt me all day.

The Start

A drizzle wasnt going to drown me. So, I carried the bike down. The drizzle was stronger now. I waited outside the gate of my apartment, waiting for the rain to subside. It was 4:45 AM now, already eating into my schedule. The first thought that came to me was "Blisters". 

I waited and waited. It wasnt going to slow down, so I woke the guard up (heh! I had to wake a guard who was supposed to be guarding!), and headed out. And immediately resented it. The drizzle was a full blown shower now, and in minutes I was drenched - Quechua could help only so much.

It was 5:30 AM.

There is nothing more irritating on a ride, than wet shoes, soggy socks, dripping gloves and wet underwear.

The first slight thought of quitting came - but I told myself it was too soon to lose. So I rode on till I was far enough from home to make returning meaningless. The morning cabs were on their way for pickups, and one of the Tata Sumos splashed all over me. Now wet underwear had sand in it too. 

The first leg: Bangalore to Hosur

I rode non-stop to Attibele. As soon as I got fully drenched, the rain subsided and it was a drizzle again - irony. And there was no wind. So the ride was a breeze - there were no street lights and the blue daze of early morning was heavenly. 

30 km, 6:40 AM - Attibele Mayura Bakery. And I wasnt even out of breath. This was going to be good! I was not too wet. Had a masala bun and tea and started at 6:55 AM. 

As soon as I started out, another helping of heavy shower. Well, was it a pattern building? Anyway, I couldnt ride in the same clothes anymore. So I took a detour into Hosur to my relative's place. Woke my cousin up who just had returned from Trichy, got a pair of dry socks, shorts and a hot cup of coffee.

The second leg: Hosur to Shoolagiri


7:40 AM - I headed out again. It was just drizzling again. Five minutes into the ride and it was now 'heavy rain'. Wet to the bones once again. I had covers to protect my socks et all. No use now. I stopped, pulled out all the covers, my gadgets were in ziplock already - except my Blackberry which was in the jersey and I had forgotten all about it. I could only get so wet, so screw the protection.

I was in a zone now. It was the weather and me. It was pretty windy, but tailwind. Ah! Tailwinds are big blessings for riders. So I counted blessings instead of cursing the weather. And the ride was now a pleasure. I just had to be careful, visibility was just next to none and the drops of rain were getting heavier as I headed into Tamilnadu further. Before I realized it I was at Shoolagiri.


20km, 8:45 AM - Shoolagiri - McDonalds and other restaurants.

This time I was out of breath since I couldnt breathe properly due to the cough and blocked nose - it had returned after the first leg of the journey. But a masala dosa, couple of hot idlies later I felt way better. The wet socks was playing on my mind all the time, I have had very bad experiences with blisters. So I wrung them, removed a small handful of sand from my shoes, dusted sand off my jersey. Which is when I found the blackberry inside, display filled with water and sand on the keypad.

And this is how it looks now: 

Too late, its on it way to the burial ground. 

Anyway, I removed the battery and SIM and put it in the zip lock. It was back to a drizzle now. The waiter there asked me if it was my bike, and where I was coming from and where I was headed to. I told him, and he asked me "Why? In this rain?". I had nothing to tell him, because I didnt know why myself. I told him, "I'll think of an answer" and came out.

The third leg: Shoolagiri to Krishnagiri

9:10 AM, started again. 9:15 AM - it became a heavy shower again. It was indeed a pattern. But I couldnt care less anymore. So I just smiled, Nilam was a B$$ch anyway. It was all downhill from here, but I couldnt take advantage because of the big drops of rain and the zooming vehicles splashing all over me. I counted atleast 20 cars that splashed on me. They couldnt help it.

The rain had gotten so heavy now, that cars started to pull up. They were waiting for visibility to get better. And my eyes were shutting because of the raindrop hits they were taking. But I couldnt stop. I was beginning to get stupid.

Anyway, it wasnt dropdead difficult.

30 km, 10:40 AM - Reached the temple.

Overall: 96.3 km.

There was a lone autowala cleaning his auto which was a mess now. I looked at my bike, and was getting a bit overwhelmed now. I was out of breath, and the faint feeling of pain in my thighs, sore feet were all surfacing. My bike was a mess, full of sand, even the bottle had sand in its mouth, so I couldnt take a sip till I cleaned it. 

But I was happy. I was happy I made it. I was happy I didnt let the rain make me quit. And I was happy I braved the cyclone. I asked the auto guy to take a snap, he told me he didnt know how to operate the camera. I was mildly surprised and taught him the basics of a camera. He took a couple of snaps, the better one is here:

I went to the lavatory, did the cleaning ritual - wrung all my clothes, changed into the spare set I had in the bag, washed my face which was full of sand now even inside the nostrils. Then went into the temple, thanked God for not letting it get worse. Called home and told them I had made it. My mom started her rants, I asked her to cut it and hung up - poor lady she was flipping what with all the news of the cyclone and images of heavy rains on TV.

Drying Stand

Clouds looming large

The fourth leg: THE Killer Klimbs

The rain had completely stopped when I was inside the temple. There was an uneasy feeling though, and it came true when I turned left on the highway towards Bangalore. It started again and how. This was the heaviest yet, and that is saying something! It was probably just short of hale-storms. And what was till now tailwind - was now a big thick wall in front of me.

And this was when I began losing it. 

Emotions were getting the better of me now. I was deeply disappointed at this misfortune - and the first thoughts of quitting occurred. I stopped, looked above with eyes closed. In my mind, I was telling myself to stop thinking "Why?". Because I couldnt answer it and it was a waste of time.

And I was telling myself - this is what tests people. Its not when things are behind you when your will is tested, its when they are against you. And if I quit now, I had done all this for nothing. It was all about testing myself. And I had quite a lot to prove to myself.

So I got on the saddle and started the drill. I could barely manage 15 kmph now. My jersey was flapping, my shoes were dripping, and my gloves were all squishy. My inners were completely soggy. My legs were burning, my heart was pounding - probably reaching my max heart rate now. There was not a single vehicle in the entire stretch that I could see. I had completely shut out negative thoughts and was going to be calculative about it now.

I re-strategized. I told myself - 5 minutes rest every 5 km. And I wasnt going to look at anything now but my front wheel. I had no mudguards and the front wheel was splashing water on my face, so I couldnt keep staring at it. So I said to myself, 2 meters ahead of the wheel. Just keep along the white line at the edge of the road and I should be fine. The first 5 km was alright. So I decided not to stop. Rode another 5 km, and I was still alright. My legs were giving in, but I managed to put one stroke after another. Thats what it was now, one after another after another.

The rain suddenly stopped. It was like that, just gone. I had now done around 14 km in around an hour, and the Kurubarapalli climb was starting. The headwind was like a cyclone on dope! I was literally pushed around, and even standing up off the saddle wasnt helping. Suddenly, I remembered the dry fruits in my bag and I began to crave.

5 minutes later, I found a rock by the side of the road, a good place to sit. So I stopped, sat down, and started munching. There were a few vehicles now that the rain had stopped, and couple of truck drivers/cleaners waved at me. I smiled and waved back. I took a couple of snaps - here they are. My legs were numb now, and I had lost feeling in my fingers. I couldnt hold the dry fruits - it was chill out there, must have been between 15-20, I remembered seeing 22 degrees in my phone at the temple.

Tired legs

I stretched, but I knew I was never going to be warmed up enough. So I thought, numb is good - you wouldnt atleast feel the pain. So I got back on the bike - and now I realized what it meant by "I just couldnt move". I just could not move. Anger was the prime emotion now. I couldnt lose non-rain time, and my legs werent helping. I realized I was choking. C'mon, I cant shed tears now! Thats the worst I could do to myself. It was then that I saw my cricket-match wound was bleeding again. It was cream socks, so I saw the red spot. I had when I tried spinning, rubbed my legs against something and re-kindled that wound. I didnt know because the whole leg was numb. 

So, the test was only getting difficult. I did a few squats much to the amusement of some drivers. I was smiling at them again, and their amusement was suddenly giving me a little bit of energy. I thought "I must be looking funny, lone rider doing squats by the road". And the anger subsided. I stood up, started pedaling putting the gears at 2x4. I was doing 8 kmph. Below 10 for heavenssake! But I was pedaling and "moving". 

Pushed around, pushed back, I crossed this climb and did the next 5 km. No rain yet - this was good news. I stopped again, stretched. The chill was getting to me, and I was wiping my nose every 10 seconds. I could sense my throat getting sore, but that was the least of my worries. Another 11 km to Shoolagiri.

A few more km and thats when you hit Chinnar. THE deadliest climb on my return journey. And it started raining. Not too heavy, but it was raining nevertheless. I was around 300 meters into the climb, when a truck passed me so close and so slowly - I could touch it. And thats when I realized I could hang on to it. And the devil in me started talking too loudly. I wanted it, I told myself I needed it. Drafting wasnt going to help me because it was making it worse with water splashing from the wheels. Just when I was beginning to get carried away, I stopped. It was a reflex action, the angel in me had woken up with a jolt. I waited till I lost the truck in the following descend, around 800 meters from there. And I started walking - it was better than hanging on to the truck. I got over the crest, got back on the saddle. And I told myself, this is my only stretch off the bike. 

With some good music and with energy kicking in from the nuts I had before, I reached Shoolagiri. Got into Coffee Day and had the most delicious hot chocolate in a long time. The rain had stopped again. 

It was around 1:30 PM. The most difficult climbs were over. 

The fifth leg - Shoolagiri to Hosur

I'm going to let you have a guess. I started at 2:20 PM with no rain. So what happened next?

2:30 PM and it started raining again. But this stretch was not too steep. So I managed an average of 20 kmph, and reached Hosur at 3:50 PM, a stretch of 20 km. Then I headed into Hosur back to my aunt's place by 4:00 PM.

A change of clothes, a hot cup of coffee later, I answered all their questions. Why, what nonsense etc.

It was around 4:45 PM, my aunt wouldnt let me go. She called my mom and the ladies got too serious about it. I had to wait till the rains stopped, which was by 5:00 PM. I told my aunt, wait till I get on my saddle and the rains will start. And because it came true, she must be thinking I have supernatural powers!

The last leg: Hosur to home

Anyway it was too late for her to stop me. I reached Attibele in 20 minutes and with the turn into Sarjapura road, I lost the headwinds. It was flat now, with a slight drizzle and I managed to reach Varthur by 6:30 PM. 

A small stop for tea and the rain was battering down by now. But it was the last stretch of 11 km to home now, and I couldnt stop for anything now. Return traffic was blocking roads everywhere, and I had to weave through it. Thankfully much of the traffic was standstill, and I had an easy run. Reached home at 7:20 PM.

My mom was over the top now, and my wife just reached home from work after me. The ladies were at it for sometime, and my dad was forced to make a few comments too. But I was too numb to feel anything even inside. They calmed down after some time, and I was surprisingly okay for a while.

My daughter slept early thankfully and I hit the sack by 10 PM. I ran every minute of the day in my mind again. I had done it! 

Against a cyclone and lashing rains, against killer climbs, headwinds on dope and splashing traffic, against my fever, my bleeding leg, against everything that could be thrown at me that day, I did it! In some years when my daughter can understand it, I would tell her all about it and that I finished it. I neednt give her an excuse. 

With the longer detour into Hosur on the return included, the total distance was: 204 km
Thats the only statistic that mattered to me. It was my first 100km and hence my first 150, 200 et all.

With that lingering triumphant feeling, I had drifted into deep sleep.