Sweet Revenge and a bit of training for the big bash!

A lot has been happening on the bike since my Anchetty ride.

Having taken that failure in spirit, I still couldnt get it out of my system, and I had to miss all the longer rides to keep the balance within the family.

So I signed up for the Sira 200 km brevet, which would do for a while as my revenge for the Anchetty failure.

Cutting the long story short, for want of space for other updates, I did it. It was a tough one, since my back ache (of which I have a nice long history) acted up again, and my fellow rider from my apartment Thenappan, had to keep spraying Moov at every single halt. I almost emptied the new spray I bought, numbing my back to finish the ride just under 13 hours. It was by far the slowest 200km I have done - but that didnt matter. I finished in time, and the feeling was Sweeettt.

No clicks during the ride, and I remembered after we ended the ride that I should take one for posterity :)

Thats Thenappan and me. Pain in my lower back still showing in my face :)

Training for the Kanyakumari Expedition

Oh yes! I am doing my dream ride, starting the 09th of August. A separate post will follow soon, but for now, I am training as much as I can, doing a lot of rides, attending a week's conditioning bootcamp, cycling workshops etc. Will it suffice, I will know in a few days. But Boy am I pumped up or what!!!

So we are 4 from my office, and one of my biker friends - so in total 5 who will be riding, and 3 of my buddies from office have graciously accepted to be our support system. I am also supporting a charity for kids, and this is the marquee fund raising event for this year in my company. So a lot riding on the ride, so to speak!!! :)

Did a 85 km, a 130km, and a few 40+ km rides after the Sira brevet as training rides. Did my first 8km run during the conditioning camp and a lot of such small sweet achievements. All of that in a different post soon.

I've had loads and loads of fun the past two weeks. Some photos to save some of those moments :)

L to R: VK, Atul, Ram, Shasti, Thenappan. VK, Ram, Shasti, and myself ride to Kanyakumari.

Halfway mark, around 64km done, not a sweat broken :)

Sun takes a little bit of toll, but the face is just the "get me beer" face.

So, its an eventful life. More about it sooon.

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 :) 

Guest Post: Mr Solution shares his emotions

I've been riding with many different people now, and have been inspired by the passion of many.

One such person who took to biking like fish to water is Shastisulochan Subburaman. I call him Mr Solution, for work related reasons.

The man is riding to office on his bike for over 5 months regularly now, and its been a pretty consistent sight of his Rockrider 5.0 in the bike parking area.

I wanted to hear his perspective of things, how biking has added or removed things in his life.

So what follows is the verbatim account of his feelings, in his own words, but before that:

Thanks a lot Shasti for sharing this with me and allowing me to share it on my blog.

Now over to him:

Cycling... When I hear the word cycle or cycling too many things flash in my mind making me nostalgic… here are a few… 
My first cycling experience came probably when I was studying 6th standard. Yes!! Yes!! 6th std is too late to start learning cycle but then it was considered as a perfect age to start. Those days the cycles having supporting wheels were considered as hi-fi cycles and they were owned by only rich people and we used to stare at kids who were owning one. I used to rent a cycle, it used to cost me Rs.2 / hr and my dad was willing to spend those money on that as I was learning a new stuff. Slowly I became expert in riding cycles, by expert what I meant was riding cycle fast and doing some tricky turns but still not tumbling down, riding without holding the handlebars etc etc. I used to ride my friend's cycle and my friends used to appreciate me for my riding which motivated me to get a new cycle, I insisted on getting a cycle with my dad but then since my school was near my dad did not want to get one. 

We shifted to a new house a bit far from my school and I knew that I will get a cycle to commute to school. I insisted with my dad this time and got one. Those days the Hercules / Hero cycles were famous and my dad bought me a Hercules cycle and I was damn happy and out of the world for two reasons 
1. One I don’t have to hop on to any of my friends cycles while returning home. 
2. Secondly can do some stunts(riding without holding handlebars) in front of girls with my own cycle. 

I was going to tuition during my 12th Standard after school. My school gets over by 5 and the tuition starts at 5.30(on alternate days). That particular day the school got over early and I went home and slept and when I woke up the time was 5PM. I quickly freshened up and by 5:10 I started from home and in the next ten minutes I reached the tuition centre, the fastest I would consider in those days. While I was good in all those, my maintenance of cycle was very poor and I used to get scolding from my dad for poor maintenance. Due to my poor maintenance sometimes my cycle used to give a screechy sound or the chain would have become loose and it would rub against the chain cover which will again make some noise which was embarrassing, but still I would not improve on my maintenance. There was an old man(close to 60 yrs of age) in my neighborhood having a similar cycle but his maintenance was damn good and it always looked new... every week he used to spend at-least 2 hrs in cleaning the cycle and I used to get scoldings whenever my dad sees him cleaning his cycle. I cursed that old man in my heart but he had the last laugh, how??? 

One fine day when I was doing my 12th standard, as usual I went to school by cycle and then to tuition and returned home early as it was cloudy. As usual I left my cycle outside my house and it started raining heavily and I thought of parking it inside(at the veranda  after the rain stops which I completely forgot and happily had my dinner and went to sleep. The next morning around 6AM my dad, was calling out to me loudly as he could not find the cycle at the usual spot where I used to park. The lecture went on for 2 hours and since he had to go for work he stopped with final words saying that ‘No more cycle for you and you walk to school. If you want a new cycle buy it with your own money’. That day, I realized the importance of hard work, money, maintenance etc etc. After that incident I felt guilty and started walking to school even though my dad gave me money for the bus. I completed my school days, went to college in Trichy. I realized the importance of having a cycle only then because whenever I come from Trichy to Madurai during weekend or vacation I had to rely on ‘NATA’raja service (walking, for the uninitiated) to visit my girlfriend, go to my friends house or grandma’s house etc. But still I was ok with that... Then time passed by, most of the houses had TVS 50 / XL replacing cycles and cycle renting shops were becoming less and we started forgetting cycles and developed a passion towards motorbike. 

Completed 4 yrs of college during which I hardly would have had one weeks(in all the 4 yrs) of cycling where as during my school days I was commuting daily on cycle. Got a job and the whole concentration went on appraisals, promotion, onsite, money... health was completely missing here. After nearly 16 years(after my school days) I got a new cycle in November 2012 and when I got the new cycle I remembered my dad’s words ‘No more cycle for you and you walk to school. If you want a new cycle buy it in your own money’. Now I have been commuting to office by cycle for the past 6 months. 

Now, I have a sense of satisfaction that I’m doing some physical work and taking care of my health as well. I was always under the impression that I had good stamina but when I started cycling I realized my level of stamina. I did not get dejected but took it as a motivation to maintain or keep up my stamina level. I went to my native after three months to attend a function of my cousin and they were really surprised to see me and everyone told that "You have drastically reduced your weight" which keeps me motivated. After all, recognition / appreciation is the one which is needed for ppl to perform and sustain performance. Now I feel lighter, relaxed, satisfied and brisk. My food habits have changed, my tummy has reduced considerably, tight shirts have started fitting me , especially I started maintaining my cycle well . At my workplace Anand Devanathan(my colleague) has formed a group and we have some 6-7 regular cyclists ranging from age 25 - 40. When I ride with a 25 yr old, I feel young and that motivates me and when I ride with a 40 yr old I motivate myself that if they can do why not me... Thanks to Anand who insisted me to get a cycle.

Anand used to insist me to take a 200km but I was kind of hesitant because I felt I was not ready for that yet. Then he planned for some smaller rides. The first ride was from Marathahalli - Sarjapur - Marathahalli which is a 30KM ride and I completed it with ease. I made an habit that whenever I eat or if I felt like I ate too much I go for atleast a 20KM ride from Marathahalli - Mahadevpura - Hoodi - Whitefield - Marathahalli. So far I have completed a 75 KM ride to chikka thirupathi and a 80KM ride to Hosur. This gives me confidence that I will be able to take long brevets this year. Nowadays I feel something missing if I don’t commute to office by my cycle(unavoidable situations I will take my motorbike). 

I would like to make a special mention of my wife who completely supported my decision of cycling. She even prepares me health drinks(Butter milk, Bajra mix etc) before my ride. If you hear / see motivating words / deeds from the one you love, you will turn the world upside down... I'm on course in doing that...

Little bit of guts and lots of sunscreen lotion!

So the ride on Apr 20 turned out to be interesting in many ways...

As usual, the build up was quite happening, with many first timers signing up. The inital plan was to ride a 50+ km loop around Chandapura, get on the highway, back to Silkboard and then back into the city...

However, quite a few things were to change, the least was the number of riders who turned up...

Pre-ride: The drunken-munks

As is the norm now, I sent out the route map, time plan etc and it was being forwarded to many interested riders. We also had our first lady sign up...

On Wednesday Apr 17th, a bunch of guys who'd signed up, were out on dinner with Zdenek Berka, who had come down from Prague on work. The usual suspects Sunil Kulkarni, Ashish Kumar Jha and Srinivasan Venkatakumar (readers havent seen the pics yet of these two guys, but I'll haul them up soon for a ride) were with Zdenek. It had turned out to be a high spirited evening and we all know what happens then - crazy ideas start flowing along with the spirits...

And so the guys got Zdenek interested enough to sign up for the ride as well.

Last minute changes to the route and timings, to accommodate Zdenek, were made. He comes from sub-zero temperature, and any hint of heat during the ride got a lot of unknown variables in the equation for him.

We were 12 of us who signed up. And as of Friday night, everyone was up for it. 

And then most of them got drunk again...So there were a lot of unanswered calls, calls that were cut, phones switched off and so on and so forth on Saturday morning :) Apoorva who was set to be our first lady member, pulled out since she couldnt rent a bike on time. Looking forward to her company the next time.

However, the more disciplined of us ( :) ), did make it. I'd dropped Mrs and my doll at in-laws', prepped the bike up and did my standard pre-ride prep on Friday evening. Woke up at 4:30 AM, had the warm shower, got dressed up and off I was. The weather was just perfect - the sun was just beginning to peek, the birds were chirping and the haze was lifting. I was getting drunk just on the purity of it all.

Ram S met me at the HAL police station and off we were to meet Zdenek at the Marathalli Bridge, who'd already reached there at 5:30 AM in his cab. The good man Ashish got the bike arranged for Zdenek to the bridge, and saw us off.

The two new joinees to the group, Dhruva Kotagi and Jeyanthan were still at KR Puram, and so we decided to move on slowly towards our start point. If punctuality had prizes, Ram and I would be heading for the podium. We reached the start point at 5:58 AM, and decided to wait for the two guys who were rushing towards us.

Ram S trying in vain to wake people up, Zdenek searches for his sunscreen

Zdenek all shiny with the sunscreen, Ram is all geared up for the morning

Thats me, dressed for the occasion, and leaning on Zdenek's ride 

 The first leg

We were all off at around 6:15, I was more concerned for Zdenek seeing all the strays out and about. So we kept him in the middle with Ram guarding our rears (pun intended :) ). The updated route was a round trip to Marathalli via Varthur, a total of around 26km from the start point. This way, we'd cover an overall 40 km home-back-home, and still finish our ride by 8:30 max.

So we headed to our Idly point, the Priyadarshini hotel at Dommasandra. We were all ordering away Idlies while the resto guys swept the muddy floors, and the villagers were gathering for their morning exchanges. Spitting was involved to punctuate their discussions, and right behind the hotel was a huge gutter which was overflowing with garbage and other unconsumable items. What I'd call a less than ideal setting for Zdenek to feel hungry :)

So he politely declined our invitation to try some idlies, and we politely gorged on our steaming idlies in front of him :) As we say in Tamil, I was going to have tummy aches for a couple of days for the sin I was committing. But then, he was going to get tummy aches if he helped me avoid my sin!

Jeyanthan with the water bottle and Dhruva in the middle. Zdenek putting up a brave face amidst all the dust

So Zdenek's breakfast was a bottle of Aquafina, and with that completed, we headed off on our second leg.

The Schoolyard

The stretch between Dommasandra and Varthur is home to many international schools. TISB, Greenwood, Oakridge, Indus to name a few. The roads are mostly flat, and this stretch of about 10 km is one of my favourites. Yet to be 'adorned' by apartments, and mostly litter free, the tree covered stretch is a cyclist's dream. Zdenek seemed to enjoy himself here without reservations, and we quickly covered this peaceful stretch to reach our tea-point - Mayura Bakery at Varthur.

On the way is the Hanuman temple, with the huge statue in open air, and just behind Hanuman is Shiva in one of his intimidating poses. I took pleasure introducing Zdenek to our monkey-superhero and the God of Destruction.

Bright as noon, yet cool as it should it be

The foursome

With my buddy

One for the records

And one more for the records

The last leg

It was the last stretch, Zdenek was tiring a little- afterall it was back on the saddle after two years for him. The others were holding pretty fine, and we were off without much delay.

Dhruva and Jeyanthan split at the Shell petrol pump at Ramagondanahalli (tongue-twister practice). The three of us headed to Marathalli. I'd called up Zdenek's cab to be ready and woke up a sleepy Ashish to collect the bike in 20 minutes.

The ramp on the Marathalli flyover took out the last ounces of energy Zdenek had for the morning - Aquafina can only do so much. But he did survive pretty well, aided by a little bit of guts and lots of sunscreen :) He shot off into the waiting cab, Ashish took the bike back; Ram and I headed to our respective homes.

I'd covered 42 km in all and was home by 8:30 AM. A short, perfect ride - and I was glad I didnt break much of a sweat. Ram had a great ride too, and he seemed eager for more. He was glad of the visible increase in his stamina levels.

Picked up a light injury on the left shoulder on Sunday, and hence skipping the bike commute to office. Planning a longer, more demanding ride soon.

Until the next one, ciao.

Chikka (Small) Tirupati - Big Achievements

It has been a good eight months, and I have been commuting to office everyday on the bike now.

I am now at a place where I want to inspire as many as possible to take up biking as a mode of transport or atleast recreationally. Where better to start than from the office.

So slowly, all my conversations with close friends started having a mention of biking. I'd make bizarre connections and relate a topic somehow to biking.

And slowly, I caught the interest of people. A lot of my friends have taken to biking, a couple of them as a mode of transport, and have seen tremendous changes in their life. Ofcourse, this was expected.

And so I wanted to take the next step of getting rides organized, and continue the momentum and not let people lose interest. We've done a couple of nice rides, posts about which will follow.

This post however, is to recollect a super ride we had on 06-Apr, braving heat and fatigue, and the truly surprising and inspiring attitude hidden in people - biking is one of those things that brings it out of them.

The pre-ride build up

The ride was planned to Chikka Tirupati. A total distance of around 75 km in a longish loop.

7 guys including me signed up. They all get a mention here:

1. Anand Devanathan - thats me - Bergamont Vitox 7.2

2. Shastisulochan Subburaman aka Shasti - Rockrider 5.0

3. Arun Sundararajan - Rockrider 5.2

4. Ramachandran Subramanian - Olympus God-knows-What

5. Sunil Kulkarni - Herculers Act 110

6. Abhinav Dhareshwar - Maxxit Even-God-Doesnt-Know-What

7. Venkatesh Kulkarni aka VK - brand new, just assembled (but borrowed) Schwin Trailway.

VK, Moi, Sunil, Shasti

So for over a week, we'd been trying to gather momentum, as this was the first 30+ km ride for everyone in the group except me, VK and Arun. Sunil did do an 80 km ride in China, but his first in India.

From whatever experience I have, inputs were shared on the ride prep, bike prep etc. The plan was to start at 6 AM, and try and end by 11:30 AM. Well, as all well laid plans go, this one had to give too! :D

The first leg: Start point Sarjapur Junction to Dommasandra - breakfast stop

Ram and I were on the same route to the start point, so we met up and rode together. We reached the start point at 5:59 AM and ofcourse were the first to reach. The others slowly trickled in. We finally set ourselves in motion by 6:30, and Sunil was yet to join since he was "searching for a few things" still. Thats what being too 'spirit'ed the previous evening does to one. 

We rode on for 10 km, and stopped at a fastfood for breakfast. Sunil rode like a mad man to reach here by 7 AM. The weather was holding. Hot idlies, and a coffee, and some joyful banter later we started towards the destination at 7:30 AM - this was going to be non-stop.

Shades at Sarjapur

So for all the gyaan that I could give about the ride prep, I forgot shades myself! Shades = sunglasses.

And the sun was pretty much in a bullying mood. We were riding east, and it was becoming difficult even at 8:00 AM. I stopped at a local fancy store at the Sarjapur village, that just opened - the guy was dusting and arranging etc. Got myself a vintage, high-end, Rs 110 plastic eyewear - the one you see me flaunting in the pic above.

The fun was far from over. Abhinav had forgotten his, and realized that I cheated him buying just for myself at the photopoint a couple of km later, and so I went back to get another pair for him. Realized I left my purse with Arun, and Abhinav had to come back too. So we bought his pair, and by then the group had taken off.

It was around 10 km to Chikka Tirupati from there and I had some serious catching up to do.

The mad rush

While Abhinav was taking it slow on VK's bike (he did this smart move while coming back to get his shades), I decided to sprint. I rode the fastest 10 km in my ride-life yet, covering the distance in just under 20 minutes. I soon caught up with Ram at about 6 km into the ride, and then VK on the bike shaped object struggling to get a move on - and cursing Abhinav's cheekiness all the way, and reached Chikka Tirupati to join the others who had just settled on a nice small wall just outside the temple. We had just finished 40 km of our ride.

A champion breakfast

A few of us made a quick visit to the temple while others guarded our bikes :). And then we all realized we were hungry again. I was told of a mess run by a karate master and champion, in the vicinity of the temple, by a kind soul in the Bangalore Bikers Club. We quickly located this place and got set on our breakfast. The nameboard was all in kannada, so I couldnt read a word, but if you make it to the temple and want a nice filling breakfast and dont mind an unkempt ambience, please do make it to this mess (pun unintended). The owner has many tales to tell and many experiences to share as well.

The ride to Hopefarm

A quick detour into a villa project nearby to check out Sunil's property, and we were set on the return leg. It was around 10:20 AM, and the sun was beginning to get ominous. A gentle wind tempered things down a bit, but then, this was headwind. So it was a two edged sword for us. Shasti, VK, Sunil and I rolled on, Arun was giving company to Ram and Abhinav at the back. 15 km later, we stopped at a bakery and had our refreshments - this was a longish break, as we also ended up helping the bakery fellows move some machinery around. Ram joined us a few minutes later, with a rather stoic expression and a slow swagger. I half expected him to curse me for getting him into this and crib about the heat etc. He opened his mouth to utter the most delicious words of the break "a couple of more times on this route and it should be easier". I was already a fan. People never cease to surprise me with their grit and enthusiasm, and here was another example. Unfortunately this time I dont have pictures of Ram, but the next ride there will be a feature on him.

Two sugarfilled glasses of juice with crushed ice and we were ready to take on the sun yet again. Arun couldnt take the heat any longer and he shifted gears literally and figuratively. He left us all behind and moved on closer to Hope farm. He thought he was lost when I called him to find out where he was (we missed spotting him when we were busy gulping down our beverages), but he was just a few km short of Hope farm now.

So the rest of us had to get a move on.

At this point, Abhinav was somewhere behind us, having retained his Maxxit. I called to suggest he pulls out if the heat was getting on to him. Suprisingly, he told me he was going to finish the ride no matter what, and asked us to go ahead while he does it at his own pace. I was pleasantly surprised by his spirit - this is exactly what one wants to hear. We respected his decision and got cracking on our final leg.

Chilled beer is the best drink in the world

Thats according to VK  :)

So yet again, his motivation was clear - he probably could even smell and taste it without actually drinking it. And hearing him was enough to get our mouths watering as well. The ride to Hopefarm was the worst leg in the ride, as we were entering city limits again, and traffic and dust was just plain offputting.

However, the reward waiting was big enough to help ignore these minor discomforts. Shasti and I blazed the city roads to reach Bageecha at Marathalli at about 12:20 PM - we'd covered 72 km overall.

Abhinav called to inform that he had reached Hopefarm and was going on to his home which was closer than the restaurant :) He had earned all of our respects and the man deserved something even bigger just for considering riding his BikeShapedObject for over 75km.

Slowly the others trickled in to the restaurant. 

Everyone does things in life to succeed. Some bunch of people do small crazy things, just like this ride. And it does put other things in perspective. For some in the group who havent biked in years, completing this was such a highpoint. And it clearly showed. Perspiration might have had something to do with it, but I thought I saw a glow in everyone's face. 

Arun and Shasti

Moi, VK, Arun and Shasti

Was this all worth anything? Each one had his own reasons to do this, and each one had something change in him. Each one had some memories built, and some muscles as well in the process ;)

We'd done something - the question is Not Why - the question is Why Not?!

Note to self: Very few pictures in this ride. These experiences call for a lot more.

Gentle Lentil

I have had so much cheese and egg in the past two days that I am sure I have added around an inch around my waist this week alone.

So when I went into the canteen today to get something, couldnt bear the sight of sandwiches. Picked up a fruit pack and as I was going to the counter, noticed 'lentil soup'. Wanted just to try it and got a bowl of that too.

When I reached my desk, found that lentil soup is nothing but diluted version of the daal we make in India. I had actually expected it to be anyway. Not bad actually, a mild tasting pretty creamy soup they've made out of it. Gentle yet appetizing.
On a crazy note, Wiki-ed for lentils (recently developed the habit of wikiying for everything).

Check out the interesting facts that I noted: "The optical lens is so named after the lentil (Latin: lens), whose shape it resembles."
Thats a cool one.

"Apart from a high level of proteins, lentils also contain dietary fiber, vitamin B1, and minerals. Red (or pink) lentils contain a lower concentration of fiber than green lentils (11% rather than 31%)." - and my wife calls me health freak to be checking this while drinking the soup.

I'm training for a Marathon

Well, I hope this declaration on my blog will keep me on my toes. I dont want to be laughed at after proclaiming here!

So that gives me something to live up to. There is a marathon at Bangalore in December, details of which I should obtain.

I plan to cycle down to Hosur from Bangalore and back, over a weeknd in November. Should set dates yet, but the training for that will depend on me buying a cycle as soon as I get back, by October.

Keeping Aug 1 as the start date, I have 4 months till Dec 1 for training. I dont have company here, so a major disadvantage since we can push each other if we are more than one.

Anyway, let me see where I head with this.

"Running" Commentary

And so, I've succeeded in running long distances (by my standards) continously for 3 days now. Sat, Sun and Mon.

Yesterday was a very interesting one since it was raining, and no one else was on road. And no one at the park too.

There are few moments that linger for a long while. I completed a super-long run, huffing and panting I reached the spot I had chosen to visit everytime at the park, with the ducks and swans waiting for me, a slight drizzle falling continuously; no other sound except for the birds, and soft music playing on the ipod, the sky a dull grey; i descended the steps to get closer to the water and sat on the wooden plank put up for the anglers. I sat there for 15 minutes just absorbing time and the scenary. Something to experienced to be knowing what it means to have such a solitary moment.

Simply Lovely! Kept me in high spirits all evening, and yeah, I slept like a baby!

Lee Valley Run

This Sunday was a good day in terms of running after a long gap of a month.
But I didnt have the trouble and the mind jitters I had the last time I ran a long distance for the first time!

And it gave me such a high that I ignored basics and kept running. And suffered enough pain on Monday and Tuesday to know better. And today, am hitting the roads again, and the confidence that I am in a better shape is pegging me to try a milestone today. The maximum I've run continously is 4 km, though I claim to have covered around 7 km, its a mix of walk and run after the 4 km mark. Today I aim to do an extra km continuously.

One of my apartment-mates has a small pot belly coming out and he is in the same mental state I was, when I came to UK in March. An extremely anxious state to just make the fat vanish. I've learnt that it cant be done in a day, and he realizes that too! Today will be a test for him. After numerous futile attempts, I managed to put mind over matter. And it should be his turn today. It is bright till 9 pm here these days and thats great! Time is on my side and I can probably slow down for him.

And the greatest compliment I received this week is, when my apartment-mates were talking about something, one trying to explain about a friend's activity to the other in conversation, he said "arrey yaar...my friend is thinner than Anand"!!! And that my dears is the GREATEST compliment I can ever receive; to be considered fit and slim! That sure does keep me going these days when I tend to oversleep or just succumb to the comforts of the house! Coz there is a history of everyone calling me fat when at school. Unashamedly posting here, I used to be called "Idly".

Ah! Dare call me that NOW!

Running the Miles...

Finally, I have actually done something continuously and havent been lazy to drop it after a brief stint. Though I do not know how feasible it is going to be when I am back in India.

Yes, I am doing regularly, something that I have always wanted to do. Run.

I jog a little over 2 miles everyday, and its been a slow and steady progress to be running the distance continuously without stopping to walk! I was BULKY when I came here to the UK and right from the beginning of this trip, my aim was to make use of the idle time I get here, without the traffic and the noise and the stray dogs and the dust that are part of life in Bangalore.

And though not ecstatic, I am more than satisfied with what I have done in these months. I have definitely lost weight, and I am not starving! And I have run 4 days a week, every week. Though I would love to make it 7, I was careful not to overdo it when I am not in shape.

My initial aim was to get into running shape, which I lost since I've moved to Bangalore. Its far from the 6+ km I used to run 4 times a week in Hyderabad, during January and Feb 2006, but atleast I am doing much better than eating and sleeping.

I have gained some strength in my legs, and most importantly, I have gained so much in character. I no longer give myself lame excuses for chucking a run, or give myself excuses to walk a bit of the distance.

I am still "flabby", though not fat. I have tyres around my hip and my tummy still sags. I am not supposed to do Ab exercises because of my back problem, and hence I cannot get a firm mid-region very soon. But atleast I am shedding the pounds and I am eating healthy. I am becoming kind of finicky about the calories that I intake, but I think I was expecting to pass through this phase. A more rigorous workout, and a more active lifestyle should get rid of this eating attitude.

I owe a lot to where I stay now. Its a BEAUTIFUL place, with so much greenery and such pleasant surroundings, that I cannot stay indoors! Here are glimpses of my jogging track:

I've always been flabby at the middle

This is Monday morning, a new week and you dont want me whining.

For the past 5 months or so, almost all Mondays I start from Hosur to Bangalore at 6 am.
And many of the times, I come alone and other times I'm accompanied by my dad.

Today was a day when I was driving alone. And these times, I take to interospect and just think about three things that need improvement in me.
As always the first thing that every time seems almost resolved but just bursts into being when least expected, is my anger and my reactions/actions when I am possessed by this demon. Well, my efforts are paying off mostly, so I think I will let it top the list for some more time and continue taking the same efforts.
The second thing, well, is a recent topper in my list and something heavily criticised and pointed out by my girlfriend-now-wife-in-16-days : my laziness.

Actually I never realised I had this weakness, or maybe, I was just too lazy to note that I am lazy ;)
But this is addressed now and is largely overcome.

The third is, all through my life, I've had a soft belly. I have done things sporadically to keep things in check, but of late, it is just growing softer and softer. Though I dont "look" flabby, (I've got fairly huge shoulders to mitigate effects), I am flabby nevertheless and I need to do something. I've never kept resolutions except the one resolution where I resolved not to take any resolutions anymore.

I've got to take up some workout. And I just dont have the drive!
And marriage is going to soften me up all the more. Time to take drastic actions, and for once, low food intake is not in my list!

I am buying a cycle, and let me see how much I am going to use it...Maybe publishing this fact on a blog to the world, will up the stakes!

So what are your top three things?