So, my
first brevet on 17-Nov! This
was my dream ever since I started cycling regularly once again after college,
which is since June 2012.
If you are
wondering what this is all about, please read this:
I had done
my first mad 200km on 31-Oct, alone in a cyclone (that rhymed :) ). But this is where I would be
against a clock, and this would also expose my level against other riders.
I had
registered as soon as the page opened. My jersey number turned out to be B-999.
How cool is that! And that’s going to be my number forever.
This brevet
was being organized by Arvind Ganesh and team of the BBC (Bangalore Bikers
Club).
The route: Bangarpet Brevet Route Map
The cue
sheet: Brevet Cue Sheet
I was super
excited ever since I registered and after an initial scare of the possibility
of my wife’s travel to Korea on 18th which finally got postponed to
the week after, I was keenly looking forward to this. I couldn’t think of, talk
about or plan for anything else…
The
Prep
I had
everything the rules had mandated, but the reflective jersey. After some
frantic search and shopping on 16-Nov, I was all set.
Last minute
checks on the bike, and the same routine and pack as for my first ride – it
worked in a cyclone, it should work anywhere. I did away with the spare set of
clothes as I expected a nice warm ride.
I had
called Sanath Kumar who stayed near my place about the reflective vest, and
we’d agreed to meet at Basavanagar bus stop to ride together to the start
point. Sanath’s son Manoj aged about 17 was also riding the brevet. This was
getting cooler! Finally I slept at 11:30 PM.
Had the
customary warm shower as soon as I got up at 3:50 AM, dressed up, looked out of the
balcony and it was all nice and perfect.
Met Sanath
at the bus stop at around 4:40 AM. Rode about 10 km to the start point, and
reached by 5:15.
Arvind was
just setting up stuff; signed the waiver, which effectively says (I think, I
didn’t care to read it) no one is responsible for my death in case, and I was
mad enough to do this by my own will and I was signing it in full
consciousness. I signed it, got my bike check done, brevet card, cue sheet etc
and it was about 5:55 AM.
About 70
riders were starting, good mix of newbies like me and regulars. Fair share of
MTBers, so I was happy. My colleague Jagadeesh also joined us in time, so I had
this comfort of knowing some of the people in person.
 |
| All set and grinning - I'm the one at the extreme left (not in the car ofcourse) |
The
first leg – Start point to first control at HDFC Hosur
The air was biting cold. Temperatures were at
13/14 degrees the previous nights. So there, an idea of what we were going
through.
Numb hands
already, I started off briskly to get warmed up as soon as possible. The route
was scenic, and I did enjoy the sunrise this time around - absolutely heavenly.
I rode
pretty comfortably to the first control, chatting up with a couple of riders and generally soaking up the morning crispness:
Distance:
33 km
Time: 7:20
AM.
Took my ATM
slip, and then headed to Anandha Bhavan restaurant.
One masala
dosa, one vada, one plate pongal and one shocking bill of Rs 90 later, called
up Sanath and Jagadeesh – they were just reaching the Hosur border. So I
decided to continue and not wait for them.
The
second leg – Hosur to Bangarpet control
I was
familiar with this route till Bagalur - that is around 10 km from the
restaurant. It was mostly flat or downhill. A slight headwind was actually
making it quite pleasant. I switched my music player off, and the silence was a
much better energizer than I credited it to be.
I caught up
with a few riders who passed while I was hogging my breakfast. Soon I was
riding alone, and this was a very refreshing stretch. The cue sheet mentioned a
left at Malur, but I was about to take an incorrect left at Malur Industrial
area.
This is
when I met a group of roadies, Shreeju, Sohan and Manjula (I knew her name only later). Thankfully I was
stopped before I took the wrong turn and we continued towards Malur.
Just before
the fork where we were supposed to take a right to Bangarpet, I stopped for tea
and the others passed. After the sugar syrup and a Perk later, I headed towards
Bangarpet. I passed Manjula who was taking it easy, and couldn’t see any
others.
I was
riding alone for some time, and then there was Purushotham in a white jersey
riding a Merida
It was
around 10:45 now, and we had around 9 km to the next control. The 15 min break
actually worked in my favour and we rode briskly to the ICICI ATM at Bangarpet.
At the left turn to the control, near the Asian Paints shop, I lost sight of
Purushotham and didn’t find him at the control either – what happened here is a
mystery he can answer later J
Distance:
Around 101 km
Time: 11:30
AM
Caught up
with Karthick at the control and had a quick introduction. After drawing our
ATM slips, we had our fill of tender coconut and continued towards Kolar.
The
third leg – Bangarpet to the Emerald Isle Control
Around 5 km
from Kolar, Karthick had stopped for a break and we agreed to meet at the
Coffee Day many of the riders had mentioned. We assumed it was immediately
after the ramp to the elevated highway. So I carried on, and at the ramp caught
up with Shreeju, Sohan and a couple of other riders (I’m yet to find out the
names).
The
distance reading was around 115 km, and the next control was at around 153 km.
And the entire stretch was on the highway to Bangalore
This was
quite easily the toughest stretch of the entire ride. The legs were beginning
to seize and the face was beginning to burn. Now this was going to be a test.
And I was looking out for the Coffee Day that was supposed to be around 3-4 km
from the ramp but never came to sight.
I stopped a
couple of times after every three km to give the burning bum some rest. I could
muster about 19 kmph max and though wasn’t exactly struggling, I couldn’t meet
my expectations.
Shreeju and
group had stopped and I was riding alone for a while. A few riders passed me at
my breaks, and I was beginning to feel a surge of ego. I had to keep up, and
just when I was beginning to fight the demons that were overwhelming me, I saw
Coffee Day on the opposite side – about 11 km from the ramp.
A coffee
shop has never looked more inviting to me than today. All I could see in front
of my eyes was cold coffee, frothing at the mouth and with a big dollop of
cream and grated ice. Just when I reached the café, a van full of Korean guys
pulled up, and around 12 of them queued up ahead of me. Damn! Just by a minute!
It was
around 1:15 and my turn at the counter came at 1:32 PM. I used this time to soak up the air
conditioning and my legs were coming alive again. I ordered a cold coffee and
the first sandwich I saw, washed up while the order was getting ready and sat
down for a slow chew.
I saw
riders passing, but I knew I needed this break. I bought some cold water, prepared
a Gatorade fill, and started at 1:55 PM.
The next
control was 24 km away, and it was time to set some goals and strategize.
Plan-less riding wasn’t going to cut it anymore.
I gave
myself an hour to reach the control. I mashed up the climbs and ensured I don’t
go below 20 kmph.
Time
@Emerand Isle control: 3:10 PM
Distance:
Around 153 km
I was told
at this control that there were 20 guys ahead of me. I tried to remember all
the guys and ladies I saw go past me since morning. I figured there were atleast
10 roadies and 4-5 hybriders. I thought to myself that it wasn’t so bad
afterall. I was one of the early MTBers. Forget how early :)
The
fourth leg – Emerald Isle to Chikka Tirupathi control
A few km
ahead of this control was the left turn to Chikka Tirupathi. I caught up with
Manjula Sridhar, a quick introduction later, I stopped for a coke. Again, was
just giving in to one of the cravings.
This is
when I saw the two riders Praveen and Adiviraj, one an engineer and the other
an engineering student. I had noted Adi in the morning as a strong rider, and
now the two guys were effortlessly pulling ahead. And I knew riding alone was
going to only give me more troubles with my mind. So I quickly decided to stick
with them.
Adi was
having his bum issues as well, and we were off the saddle every few minutes. We had to just let it get numb, after which the ride was bearable.
The roads
were quite flat with generous stretches of downhill terrain. You know how an
aircraft takes off – that’s the sound, well at a much subdued decibel level -
when you shift to the highest gears and start pounding – one of the sweetest
feelings when the bike responds to each stroke and you gather pace. We were
hitting 40+ kmph quite easily at stretches and never below 20. So the average
was picking up.
Reached the
control at the temple at around 4:50 PM.
Distance
covered: Around 184 km.
Chatted up
with Amit who was manning the control and Chidambaram Subramanian who was quite
a strong rider on a MTB, helping Amit man the control and actually doing a
reverse recce to see if any riders were nearby.
He took off
while we were trying to get some pictures in my camera – that’s when I realized
it wasn’t focusing at all. So a casualty in this ride after the Blackberry in
the previous ride.
A couple of
minutes later, we decided to sprint to the finish. Another 26 km, and we had 2
hours and 40 minutes to do it in.
The
last leg – to the end point
We took a
small break for tea and some biscuits at the 11th km from the
previous control. The bum was feeling good - well, numb - the legs were alive, and the mind
was in pretty good shape raring to go. The guys were positive, the bike was
perfect.
It was
precisely 5:34 PM when we hit the road again. And this time, we weren’t
stopping midway. We took turns to pull each other, and were quickly at the
Sarjapur circle. Here is when the traffic was beginning to threaten us.
We weaved
our ways through the traffic, and reached the end point at 6:27 PM. An hour to
spare. Ofcourse I can now see so many places where I could have done something
different so I could’ve finished earlier.
However, it
turned out the way it did and it was just perfect. Had it not been for the guys
for company during the last 50 km, I probably would’ve been much slower. Handed
over the brevet card for homologation, and signed up for the medal. Would
probably take a few months to reach me.
 |
| Finished it. And free ad for my company as well. I should ask for sponsorship :) |
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| I earned the medal, but had to pay for it too :P |
 |
| Finally, a relaxed pose with my bike |
This
feeling at the end point – it was worth all the effort during the day. The
sense of achievement and doing something of substance is something I haven’t
felt often in a long while. This rush alone is worth every penny and every ounce of
energy spent on the bike.
The ride
back home was just a breeze. I called up Jagadeesh to find that he pulled out
after 160 km. Sanath didn’t finish either, but I guess he achieved much more –
bonding over a ride with his son, these rides are something the boy is going to
remember forever. I’m sure they’d do better in the next one.
As for me, a
quick dinner and a really hot shower later, I hit the sack to sleep like my
baby. One of the happiest moods with which I’ve gone to bed. The next target is the 300 km brevet, and I intend to do that on my MTB as well. Life isnt so monotonous afterall :) Lets see what this has in store.
Note: As my
camera died on me, none of pictures taken were good enough. So I borrowed the pictures
taken by fellow riders and organizers, ofcourse without their knowledge and approval. But due credit to them. For the purpose of avoiding further legal damage, I limit to only those in which I am clearly visible.
1 comment:
Good show man! Congrats! I was also a finisher :-) But I rolled in at 7.22PM
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