Anchetty Brevet: My best ride so far!

I was still in a slight mental daze for two days after the ride, like a positive buzz that was proving infectious. My body felt absolutely fine, and my mind felt much better than the body. This by far is my most satisfying ride on the bike, just ahead of the Cyclone Nilam ride – and one should note, I did not finish the brevet. My second DNF after the disaster of the 300km I attempted previously – but does that really matter on this route? Hell Not for me!

Mind you, I would be in another world if I had completed it, but the DNF doesn’t rob me of anything in this ride.

This particular Saturday – 01-June-2013 - will be top of my list of rides for a long long time. I had some of the best moments on the bike and off it as well in recent times.

A 122 year record almost breached

Let me start recounting this episode from the day before the ride. Shasti, now my steady ride partner, signed up for this one (his first brevet) as well and was having “butterflies in his stomach” (in his own words) the day before. Well, a lot of us did – just looking at the elevation map of the route and the climbs that were waiting for us.

This was what we were attempting:

https://sites.google.com/site/iiscrando/2012-brevets/june-2013-anchetty-200

Along with Shasti was Thenappan Meyyappan, my apartment mate, a new cyclist. And by now I also knew many of the riders attempting this one, so a lot of familiar faces there.

Sanath (readers might remember him as the one who lent me the light, quite literally, for the 300km ride) pulled out since he had to travel on Sunday, but was enthusiastic enough to volunteer to ride till IISC starting 4 AM! I mean, who would do that knowing they weren’t riding the brevet? Spirit I say, I am blessed to know people with such spirit and energy.

However, if you were reading Saturday or Sunday’s newspapers in Bangalore, one would know that the rains on Friday almost matched the 122 year old record of the most rainfall in a single night. That was around 101.x mm of rain, and on 31-May-2013 we received in Bangalore, around 100 mm.

I had taken the bike to the nearby Shell petrol pump and filled the tyres, and returned home after buying the necessary chikkis and Gatorade sachets et all just before the rains.

And I was prepping the bike when the thunders hit us. Scary is the word. But rain or shine, the brevet was happening and I had to tune myself up for that. I called Sanath and told him not to do the 4 AM thing, I really didn’t want him to wake up and ride in such slush just to see us off.

Wife and kid stayed back (we’d planned to have them at in-laws’) – driving was ruled out; so did my parents – even walking in that rain was ruled out. Eventually we all hit the sack at around 10:30 PM. And promptly at 3:15 AM, my daughter woke us all up with her wails – some nightmare she had; while the others tried to pacify her, I quietly got ready. And by 3:45 AM once again the house was calm, and I slipped out to meet Thens at the parking area. Shasti, and a fellow rider Mrinal met us on the way and we were off at 4AM sharp towards IISc.

Covered the 23+km in an hour, finished the formalities, chatted up with the organizers and then we headed to a nearby bakery for some food. Cheese Omelette Bun it was with tea, and everything was just perfect for the ride. The weather, the people, the positivity.

The Ride:

Ok so you already have the link. But the gist is here:

Route: IISc -> Kanakapura Road -> Art of Living -> Harohalli -> Jawalgiri -> Thalli -> Anchetty -> Denkanikottai -> Attibele -> BTM, Bangalore.

Elevation map:

Distance: 206 km

Time Given: 13.5 hours.

IISc to Harohalli

Start Point with Shasti and all the riders behind

All smiles

 This section was pretty much a breeze, with a small initial scare of having taken the wrong road. Added a couple of km because of that, but the weather was too awesome to feel anything about it.

There were some bad-ass climbs at Mahalakshmi layout, and I had that done with ease. Little did I know what was in store, and I was already elated at my overall form that day.

I had left behind Shasti and caught up with Thens who was ahead (he wasn’t with us for the wrong 2 km). We waited at the Merida junction for Shasti who was already daunted by the small climbs so far.

However, we picked up steam, and maintained an easy pace till Harohalli. I didn’t want to wear us out, especially Shasti and Thens and hence we were taking it a bit too easy.

Reached the first control at Harohalli with around 40 minutes to spare. With no good breakfast place in sight, we had some cakes and a couple of Badam Milks.

It was around 8:30 when we left Harohalli towards Thali.

The onslaught begins

When most of us saw the elevation map, we were all focusing on the big V, ignoring the smaller sections of climbs before Thali and Anchetty. This would come back to haunt us when our plans to pace ourselves were tested to the hilt.

The “should have” and “if only”s were beginning, and we had to make a rush to Thali. The climbs began around 8km from Harohalli and there were no signs of them getting any better.

We stopped in between for a few snaps and some much needed rest. We entered areas marked as elephant corridors, and we were all excited at the prospects. Long electrical fences, dug outs along the road for stopping the elephants, high rises made of stones packed together, all these were pretty fascinating. Even the distant moos of cows and buffaloes were sounding like elephants to us (:P) Every dark trunk of a tree looked like an elephant lurking. We were kids again.

Thens and Shasti on the way to Thali from Harohalli

Myself and Shasti with our companions

The hills behind us - thankfully we didnt have the climb them yet

Not a soul on the road at that hour except us bikers, the gentle and cool breeze, the rolling terrains, and some nice conversations – made for an enchanting couple of hours.

I was full of mojo at this time, but decided to take it easy, always keeping in mind the big V, but I was losing time by unmounting and walking few of the steep climbs in the current section. I did not bother much as I always knew I can give myself the push when it came to it. Shasti was beginning to cramp a bit in these sections but was keeping up anyway.

We pushed ourselves in the last 5 km to the control, and reached the control 7 minutes before closing time, around 11.45 AM (against the closure of 11:52)

I now realized we were cutting it too close, and we had only covered 88 km. The next control was at 127 km, and the end time was 14:24 Hours. So 39 km, and 2 hours 40 mins. We were yet to have a proper meal in the day and hadn’t an opportunity for a good break.

We were now entering protected forests of Anchetty via Jawalgiri. And some sections were supposed to have steep descends, and I was quite positive about making it on time. My legs were raring, I wasn’t really tired, wasn’t hungry or queasy like the last brevet, so it all looked pretty hunky dory.

The ups and downs and then the downer

We rode at a nice pace crossing Jawalgiri and entering the forests of Anchetty. While we were looking out for the “steep descents”, we were presented with one after another of dreadful climbs. At one point, what would have been steps ideally looked like walls. Though everything was seemingly going my way, I was losing steam and juice. All my rides so far were on relatively flat terrains with a few flyovers and a couple of difficult climbs like the Krishnagiri one thrown in.

A small temple at which we had natural mineral water, Arun's head can be seen

Hint of the terrain

Thats Ratnaveer, just finishing a climb to the temple - which we guys walked!

This was a whole new level of climbing and I think I wasn’t prepared enough. These required more stamina than I had at that time, and more mental strength to not be daunted seeing those inclines I was approaching. The moment I saw anything that looked like a climb, I was feeling pretty depressed. I was beginning to understand climbs and adjust my technique, but some of them were just far too much for me to challenge at that time.

And at one point when riding in the forests, I saw Shasti a little ahead slumping on the road. He was spent. I took a few minutes sitting next to him. I then told the guys to atleast keep walking and not grind to a halt. So we walked a couple of hundred meters.

And then I had to take a decision. It was now around 1:35 PM, and I had around 27 km to go. In an ideal setting this should have been doable. And the downhills were beginning around 12 km from the control. The first 14 km took me around 29 minutes, and I was now looking at 13 km to go with 24 minutes to spare.

The best ride of whatever limited ride-life I have

The descend just started. This section of the ride was the most exhilarating bit I have ever ridden. I had lost all the others, and I decided to give myself a chance. I had to maintain more than 26 kmph, and I was hitting 40 kmph already.

I decided to take risks. I was just teasing the brakes and never really applied them. At two curves, I went off the road, on the cobbles and rocks – literally jittering my way through and getting back on the road. This was on the edge riding for me. I knew that I had minimum protection for my knees and elbows, and a fall would definitely mean broken bones. Somehow it didn’t matter. At one place through a village, just next to a lake, I hit around 61 kmph. That was the maximum I think.

I kept looking at the distance gobbled, which was painfully less for me - the intermittent climbs were slowing me down, and I was running out of energy. I reached the T junction mentioned in the cue sheet, which was 4 km from the bus stand near which the control was, and the time was 14:27 Hours. I had lost the battle. Nevertheless, I thought of making it as quickly as possible and then try begging the organizers.

While I thought I rushed to the control, mostly flat sections in the 4km, I actually reached by 14:47 Hours – it was hard to maintain even 20 kmph now. I pulled out an ATM slip at the control and then called the organizers. I was exactly 21 minutes late to the control, and I knew it was pretty much over, but whats the harm is pulling all stops. Ofcourse they sympathised with me, and told me politely to ride the remaining distance for the pleasure of it J

Reality Check

So finally, I had to digest the fact that I wouldn’t be able to qualify anymore. So went back into Anchetty village, found myself a juice vendor, and started sipping fruit punches slowly, waiting for the others to join. 25 minutes and 3 juices later, Arun (who rode with us in the morning and gave me good company for most part) came around the corner, and I called out to him. He and I had a some more juice, and then the folks started trickling in. 40 minutes later Shasti and Shankar Shastry (a very interesting character - a Chartered Accountant + musician: guitarist/composer + music teacher + cyclist etc.), were next to arrive. Shankar had yet another flat, and he tried fixing it. But then seeing us, who were in no mood to continue – he resigned as well. So we went in search of a good hotel for lunch, it was around 4:00 PM now. Thens returned now, having slept on the road just before the downhill stretch!

Found a shabby looking place, the only place that had any semblance of a hotel. Turned out, a family was running it and the lady cooked stuff in her kitchen behind the customer bay. Lunch turned out to be a tasty affair, and quite satisfying – if you left out the dust and heat. I had rice with buttermilk and some curries, an omelette and some bottled water.

Shankar, Arun and myself went out in search of a tempo (we ditched the plan of a bus since there were too many of us already and we’d have to separate). Found one – the driver was ready to come till Bangalore Silk Board for a total cost of Rs 2200. It was around 80km from there, and we were five of us. Not a bad deal, so we didn’t bargain much.

The best return journey ever in a biking trip

This is when the imps in us started waking up. Someone mentioned beer, and lo, Thens, myself and Shankar were pretty excited. Found a wine shop that was open – Shankar and I bought our supplies, the bikes were loaded into the trailer, Arun sat inside (he wanted to sleep), the other four settled beside the bikes.

See the relief???? Shasti and Thens

Our 5 bikes, mine in the extreme inside

Myself and Shankar Shastry - the last ditch effort to reach Anchetty control had taken its toll on me

Our tempo driver - dont go by his looks, he was one of the most gentle people I met that day

The snacks were opened, the bottles were opened and then our hearts opened a little more too. The weather was a gentle breeze, we were covered by greenery and it was a climb from there till Denkanikottai. Beer, friends and gentle breeze – this was probably the best van journey I have had till now, after college ofcourse.

Many more riders had quit at Anchetty, and had taken vans like us and were coming behind us.

Birds of the same feather

We passed rides on the way, and we were pretty impressed with guts and shot at glory. However, they were impressed with beer and snacks I guess ;) So we ended up pulling out the last straws for many of the riders who chose to join us and the others in another van behind us.

We did turn down a few, I knew them from previous rides as good riders and they were on the way to complete the brevet in time. I didn’t have the heart to help them quit, with a few encouraging words (which was all I could give I suppose), we continued and let the guys ride.

Ride back home

After a small event with the RTO at the checkpost coming into Bangalore Highway, we reached Silk Board at around 7 PM. We unloaded the bikes, assembled them, and Shasti decided to take an autorickshaw. Thens and I decided to ride back. Our legs were fresh and the weather as usual was perfect.

Reached home in around 40 minutes covering 17km. After dinner and a detailed recount, slept 

like a log.

Usually a DNF gives me a lot of pain and frustration, but this one was worth every minute of it. The entire experience is something that will stay with me for a long long time.

This was what I would call, the perfect DNF :) 

300

Disambiguation and Disclaimer: This is not a movie review. Nor are the feats here as heroic as in the movie. This is about what couldnt be. If you are still interested, read on.


Experience they say, is a great teacher. And Life they say, is a great leveler. And when it puts you in place, it puts you in place.

After two amazing 200+ rides that I finished pretty well much to my own surprise and joy, came the opportunity to do a 300 km brevet. By now, the family has warmed up to my newfound passion, and my wife has resigned to my craziness. But then, I had changes in my outlook as well. I was brash, cocky, and I thought I could just get up and do a 300 km. And that too on a MTB with stock knobby tyres. 

And.... I didnt finish. 

So, this write-up, rather than a ride report, is better written as a "lessons learnt" list - for me to refer to when I go beyond the thin line to enter "over confidence" territory.

So here goes:

1. Past glory is exactly that - past!

The first steps in the direction towards disaster were when I did not register and plan in time. While I was in the top 10 to register for the 200 km brevet, I registered in the 50s out of a total 54 registrations. If I had been as diligent and as serious as my previous rides, I'd have jumped into the ride head first. 

But no, I was a veteran now after the unbelievable number of two long rides, and I can afford to come late to the party, its fashionable. Ha!

I forgot to pay the registration free in time, and after begging the organizers for grace - got half a day's extension. So frantically I paid the fee online, on Thursday night for the Saturday ride, and the confirmation came on Friday afternoon. If there was a prize for adding needless pressure on oneself, I was already heading for a podium finish.

2. A fix in time, saves many.

Flats are a part of a cyclist's life. Its only a matter of time. I had a flat in my front tyre on Tuesday after riding in the rain and rolling over some thorns, but I put off the fix. It was 10 minutes' work - but I couldnt find the time.

And on Friday, reaching home beyond 7 PM after a full day of car drive, I frantically rushed to fix the flat and have the right pressure in the tyres. But the nearby petrol pump had the compressor off, and the local bike shops didnt have a gauge. So it was by feel that I filled the tyres. 

My tail lights werent working after the 200 brevet, and I didnt replace it till Friday. I called Sanath up, who stays close and wasnt riding this brevet, and got his lights. He had them nicely packed and I collected it from his mom after fixing the flat in my tyres. Then stocked up on Electral sachets at a store. After all these, I reached home at 9:30 PM, leaving myself very little time for the rest of the prep - which by now is standard.

All this could have been done one at a time, much ahead in time, and it could have saved me all the running and pressure. 

3. There is a reason why you sleep 1/3rd of your life

Sleep is essential. It is critical before a ride. 

After reaching home by 9:30, I had to clean and lube the bike. I settled to do this after dinner, at around 10:00 PM. I finished it at 11:15 - after the ride in the rain, I had pretty much abandoned the bike for 3 days, and I paid the price.

And my daughter was awake, and of all days she wanted to be put to sleep by me this evening. My wife tried all her tricks, but my daughter had the best trick of all - wailing.

So I had to concede and sang some songs, and she soon found out it was better to sleep than to hear me sing in that awful mood I was in. By 11:45 she was asleep. And I went to sleep at 12. I had my alarm set at 3:45, and I woke up miraculously at 3:44 AM. 

Less than half the average sleep recommended, and slightly more than 1/3rd of what I would have liked before a brevet. I woke up in a daze, longing for a few more minutes in bed. This is not how you wake up for a brevet. You jump off the bed and hop on the bike. And badly begun is half sunk.

4. There is even more reason why you "eat" + "properly"

Carbs are important and in a craze I ate everything I thought had carbs in it on Friday. Mistake # 437 I guess. My tummy was in turmoil when I woke up, and mistaking it for hunger again, I had an apple. It did settle my tummy for a while, but too short too late.

So I reached the start point not in the best of mood and not in the best of shape. Registrations done, I met Adiviraj (read previous brevet report for his introduction) and his friend Dhruva (his first brevet). I was feeling much better that I had company of these riders to look forward to.

After some initial delays since these guys didnt have printed brevet cards for them, we headed off at around 6:15 AM. The setting was perfect - the right chill, windless, and early morning mist. So we rode pretty strongly till we reached the first diversion towards Malur. The fog increased and visibility was probably 10 meters on the highway, but it was amazingly refreshing and fun.

And after the turn towards Malur, I noticed that my front disc was rubbing against the brakes. It was mildly irritating at first, and soon I became too conscious about it. I slowed down considerably, did a few temporary adjustments and rode on till the first control - the psychological advantage is critical. So I put off repairs till I reached the control.

8:20 AM - First control at Malur, Canara bank ATM. 

I caught up with Adi and Dhruv again here. They were pretty strong, and Dhruv turned out to be the mad man. The typical adventure junkie. The sort you should have as your company in a brevet. Only, I wasnt destined to enjoy it much longer.

Notice that I didnt have anything to eat till now, and I decided to skip breakfast and ride on. Mistake #, well, too many coming ahead - forget the count.

So we rode on. And the disc issues resurfaced. I slowed down again, and lost the guys after 20 km or so. I tweaked the brakes again, and rode fast - to find the guys resting around 10 km before Bangarpet. Adi gave me 3/4th of some delicious homemade sandwich (he was eating into it, and just handed it over when he saw me tired and breathless) and a banana. We fixed the front disc issue well and truly now with some tweaking by Adi as well.

Dhruv behind me. I have that resigned look already.

Dhruv and Adiviraj - strong young riders (students)

After joking around a bit, we started again. But I couldnt keep pace. I was struggling already. And I couldnt explain it. 

I was pretty strong early in the mornings on both my previous long rides. But my legs just wouldnt move this time. I was huffing and puffing and lost the guys once again, and this time for good. Which was definitely a good thing for them, because I would have only slowed them down.

I still didnt realize it was because I didnt have a proper breakfast - it was a critical element for me in my previous rides and I consciously chose to ignore it this time. 

An empty stomach fills up your mind - and we all know mind is a monkey - mine went on to be a gorilla.

5. Use your strengths well - do not copy strategies, develop what suits you

In a brevet, you need to pace yourself according to your strengths - very few have the ideal combination of fast and strong - for most people one of these dominates. And you need to heed it, and use it. Many of us do the mistake of seeing others do some things differently and doing them well, and we start emulating it.

So I tried riding fast - but whatever little strength I have is about endurance. At 20-23 kmph, I ride like a train. Anything beyond it, I am a balloon that was just untied, I lose steam too fast and am all over the place.

So with no food since morning, I burnt whatever I had in the system riding like a mad man towards the second control at Pernambut. And around 20 km from Bangarpet, I lost it. I had no fuel left, and I the sun was just warming up. It was around 1:10 PM, and I stopped to rest.

I had a queasy tummy by now, accentuated by all the ORS.

6. Inspiration is everywhere - learn to recognize it; 
6.1 Did I mention? - EAT PROPERLY

At this point, I met Mr Sridhar, professor of mathematics at the Indian Statistical Institute. He is 50+, and he rides 40 km everyday as commute to college and back. 

He had very kind and encouraging words for me, and I started riding with him. We reached the Pernambut control at 2:35 PM, with a good hour to spare. We had no decent place to eat here, and I had two bananas, half a liter of water, one Britannia cup cake. Sridhar offered me some of the lunch he had packed, but I was temporarily full - and in continuation of my mistake, I skipped a proper lunch.

We went ahead for another 20 km, and rested again. I was almost going to puke now, and my legs were stiffening. I had half a cucumber and some water here. 

What we didnt realize, is that we consciously missed a turn towards Vaniyambadi, and went on towards Ambur - additional 5 km. One can argue it is not the best thing to do in the state I was in :P

7. Sun generates heat

Many of us probably learnt this in kindergarten. So this lesson is just a default inclusion.

But what needs to be added is, on a highway at 4 PM with no trees around, 30+ degrees is not a good thing for a rider. You cant avoid the sun, but you can prep against it. I didnt - I had no expendable energy and a queasy tummy. I was collapsing, and grinding to a halt.

Sridhar made me draft him and stay in his shadows - he took the sun on and blocked it for me, and kept repeating this: "you can finish it, just put one stroke after another". Moments like these literally make me choke. These moments re-invigorate belief in goodness of heart and inspirational figures are not just confined to epics and fables. 

Here was a 50+ man, himself fighting his demons, rising to the occasion and helping me. But I let him down. I was continuously dropping back, and at one point, I didnt want to slow him down, so stopped. 

And found myself a bakery to have some Sprite. Immediately after which I puked. Too much gas in an empty stomach. But it did help me, and my tummy felt a lot better.

8. Quitting is easy - so dont do it.

At about 27 km from Krishnagiri, I caught up with Sridhar again. But now I was looking to quit. I could not imagine myself doing the climbs after Krishnagiri - a key mistake was imagining that far ahead when I had to first reach Krishnagiri for that.

And I was collapsing once again - after puking I didnt feel like eating, and now my tummy was fully empty. Just when I was trying to push myself, my rear wheel just made a roaring noise.

It was completely out of place and was wobbling. At around 7 pm, it was completely dark, and I told Sridhar this was the last straw. I assumed this was unrepairable, and only strengthened my decision to quit. Sridhar wouldnt leave me like that, so he saw me off in a tempo. He continued the ride, and I genuinely wished him well and said a silent prayer for him.

Reached Krishnagiri town. Under a bright street light, I sat down to see what was wrong - I just had to tighten a couple of screws, and do some minor tinkering and the bike was alright. So it wasnt that much of a bike repair as it was a mind-repair.

Had dinner at Krishnagiri, found a bus willing to carry my bike and reached Hosur at 10:05 PM.

I slept in the bus for around 40 minutes.

9. Did I mention this as well? Sleep is essential!!

After the dinner and the short nap, when I got off the bus at Hosur, I felt fresh as in the beginning of the ride. I stopped looking for another hike to Bangalore, and started riding. 

I rode non stop from Attibele where I took a 10 min break to empty a bottle of water and catch a bit of breeze.

Covered 40 km in the next 2 hours and 37 minutes. Reached home at 12:37 PM. 

If I had just taken this decision to eat properly and sleep for a short while just before I quit, I probably would have made a fight out of this. But I gave in too easily.

The overall ride distance was 264 km, my longest yet in a day. But 264 <> 300.

I take pride in the fact that I never quit, not easily atleast - but I did that just this the 300 km. Bad prep and bad attitude did me in, and this is the most painful I have felt in the recent past. There were moments on Sunday when I felt like shedding a few tears at this ignominy - not as much about the incomplete bike ride as about accepting defeat so helplessly. 

But there is another day, and there is another ride waiting. And another chance to suffer, and suffer well towards a good goal with good prep. 

And that I will.

Bangarpet 210 km: My first brevet

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:

Rules and Regulations

First Randonnee Tips

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 18^th 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. A quick introduction later, we rode together for sometime. Around 10km from Bangarpet, I was a little ahead of Purushotham, and heard him shout out to me. He had a flat in the rear wheel, and didn’t have a tyre lever and pump. So I gave him mine, waited till the flat was fixed – Karthick Gururaj (learnt his name later), Shreeju, Sohan and couple of other guys passed us, stopping to offer help. Around 15 minutes later, we started again.

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. It was around 12 noon and the heat was beginning to tell on the body. The headwinds were at the strongest. The only good thing was that I wasn’t losing much fluid because of the relatively cool winds.

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 11^th 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 :)

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.