470+ kms and two unfinished brevets later.... Unfinished, well, let us take a look at that.
It was all set to start at 4pm on a pleasant Thursday evening. Myself, Deepak started for the startpoint, which was CCD in Prestige Meridian, MG Road. As usual, we started late, and was rushing through the rush hour traffic. When we reached there, the other riders were just arriving. We had just sufficient time to socialize and introduce ourselves. Just as we were getting socialized, I looked at the clock, and it was already reading 1630. So, I rushed to start along with the other riders, Chiddu and Sohan, with some of the Cleated Warriors (CW) following us. Starting at this time, also means, that you have to wade through the rush hour traffic to get out of the city.
While the planning had started quite a while back, I had been ordering (not exactly) cheap accesories through my favourite online shopping site dealextreme. Online shopping has its own disadvantages. One, the quality, which so far I haven't found a big issue so far. And the other, delivery time. The shipping from China meant that you'll have to order atleast three weeks in advance, and even if you do, there isn't a guarantee, that it'll be delivered on time. Having said, it is obvious that our brevet shopping spilled on to the day of the brevet too, with some last minute shopping at Decathlon. Thanks to all the expertise, that Deepak had gathered from his fellow teammates, we were decently equipped, for a 200K brevet ride, if not for a 1000K brevet.
And so, why 1000K. Well, you see I dont believe in setting lean targets. The goals have to be stiff to keep me inspired. My travel plans for the La Ultra (www.thehigh.in), meant that I'll miss the 600K brevet in July, which also meant that I had to accomodate it in July. The upgrade from 600K to 1000K happended because I am fairly new to cycling, and wanted to do it with known company. Deepak being part of the 1000K, was just another excuse to join the 1000K.
The most important reflective jacket hadn't arrived till the last day, which meant that we had to buy a cheapo alternative from JC road. Also, the bike computer arrived one day earlier than the brevet, so, it had not been tested at all.
To talk about how equipped I was, I had an uncalibrated and untested bike computer. I had decent headlights, with a reasonable mount, which I happened to break the night before. I did a DIY solution with a zip tie to fix the broken mount, which worked fairly well. In fact, all the original functionality was restored except that the mount rotated around the handlebar. On the shorter rides, I hadn't found it to be a problem.
To talk about my physical preparation, my recent biking exploits and the marathon training schedule ensured that I woke up at 4am everyday, with an average of five hours sleep per day. On some days, I would sleep for barely three hours. Remember, I was logging three workouts on dailymile a couple weeks back, including the commute.
Our preparation also included detailed conference calls with Deepak and Sohan (a very experienced randonneur), on what to eat, where to sleep, how to ride and all that. The conference call put our business calls to shame.
And so, we started at 1630, and had to wade through the crazy traffic all along till we reached Yeshwantpur junction. Somewhere along the line, my bike computer stopped working. I had tagged all along with Sohan, and I was about 20 metres behind him, when we reached the expressway flyover. He zoomed ahead on the bridge, and i had no way of communicating with him, so, I followed him. The winds on the flyover was the hardest that I had seen in all my four months of cycling. I also saw Chiddu zoom past as if there is no tomorrow.
Somewhere along here, it rained hard, and we decided to continue out on the rain, of course, with the jacket on. Within twenty minutes, we were completed drenched. My socks were wet giving an uncomfortable feeling inside the shoes.
We had no option to continue, and we stopped to clean our bikes at a roadside bakery. My bike computer had to wait till now, and it turned out that the magnetic sensor had turned inward. No idea, how it could have happened. The rain had taken its toll, and the bike computer had gone out of function. From this point, I had no idea, how much I had covered, or what speed I was riding.
Just as we started, we saw the CW gang zoom by. We quickly exchanged some tips, and started riding in a paceline. My newly installed toe-clips meant that I started a bit behind, and that status remained through the rest of the ride.
About fifteen minutes later, I saw Sohan and Gana stopped on the side, and it was flat for Sohan. Gana was helping him, and I also stopped trying to help Sohan. The CW gang who had already zoomed by, were waiting for us about three or four minutes ahead of us. It was only when we reached there, we realized Deepak was desparately trying to reach us. He must have given some ten missed calls. The gang decided that we'll stick together till the rest of the ride.
From then, it was a paceline formation, with Opendro taking the lead, and myself contributing a bit now and then. Deepak also pitched in when there were heavy winds. With no experience of paceline riding, I found it a bit harder to handle, and was calling easy easy all the time.
A few more stops later, we were still looking for the elusive dinner place, and finally decided, "Ok, let us have dinner here". All of us are tired.
After dinner, it must be some magical energy, the paceline was moving smoothly, with tailwinds also contributing to it. "All in", would be the call from the lead, and Gana doing the sweeping duties would relay it back if there wasn't any gaps.
I was struggling to keep up in the paceline. So, I would attack off the saddle, go ahead, and then come back and join the paceline.
At some point, the backpack on my shoulder was causing me a stiff shoulder, and I told the group that I had to lie down and stretch for five minutes. By this time, some of the riders had already gone ahead. But Opendro, Deepak and gang decided to stick together with me.
When we started, my toe-clips again ruined my start, and I was 100 metres behind to start with. I tried my best in keeping up, but could never close in on the paceline. After one stretch of construction, where we took the service road, and joined back, i lost sight of the paceline.
From here, for the next few hours, I was riding alone. It was a scary experience, with my lights going on an off. My estimate of 10 hours for a fully charged battery went for a toss, with the batteries lasting only 3-4 hours max. And these batteries weren't even fully charged.
When I reached the next toll gate, I was relieved to see Deepak, Opendro, and Kiran waiting for me. Opendro took off as he would miss the control otherwise. By this time, Kiran wanted to turn back. Both Deepak and Kiran talked me into returning. At first, I wanted to reach atleast the first control. Both of them mentioned that I had been pushing and wont be able to continue past the first control, and even if I do, wont make it to the next control in time.
I was in a spot: I had no experience of traveling with bike. I could either join Kiran, who was returning anyway, or continue riding alone for another hour and a half, to the next control, which looked stiff. Just at this moment, one more wave of drowsiness set in, and the decision was clear. I cannot brave sleep atleast immediately. With half an hour nap, I will miss the control.
Kiran and I were trying to find out if we could get a ride to Bangalore. Fifteen minutes in the biting cold, and a few buses later, we got a private Volvo sleeper. We put the bikes in the bottom compartment, and the sleeper also meant that we could stretch. I only remember covering myself with the blanket. The next thing that I know was the cleaner asking us to get down at Navrang. For some reason, he let us continue till Anand Rao circle, and we pedaled our way back home.
So, how do I start the 600K
Just as I was getting down from the bus, I told Kiran, "I shouldn't have returned last night. And guess what, I am registered for the 600K".
The ride back home was spent planning what needs to be mended if I were to start the 600K.
The laundry list included, getting the bike computer laminated to make it water-proof, getting the bike lubricated, shopping for medicines, getting batteries fully charged, etc.
In the evening, I wanted to have a good protein based dinner. Going out to a restaurant was ruled out, as Chandu was held up at work. It was time to try out something new, and I got Indian Salmon fillet from Hypercity, which was marinated in my trademark gravy, and steamed. I never knew that cooking fish was going to be so easy. I can fill in my protein requirements with ease now on.
After unpacking my backpack, and handlebar bag, I set out to preparing to pack. The Gatorade packs were neatly arranged, so that they can be pulled out at anytime if I wanted. In went all types of nuts and dry fruits in separate packs (which I realized was a mistaked later on. All I needed is a trail mix with one pack).
When the packing finished, it was 2230. I lubricated the bike with the wetlube bought at Decathlon earlier in the day. When I went to bed, it was close to 2330. I was just hoping to catch up a couple of hours sleep, but was awake till almost 0100.
The alarms were set at 0200, which when promptly rang, I still needed another 10 minutes to get out of bed. It was almost 0240 when I left home.
It was a hushy-pushy till CCD, MG Road, where I reached by 0330. Sreepathi and another organizer. They patiently answered all my questions, and were gracious enough to give me the directions, and also the phone numbers for all the riders who had already started on time. When I pushed off, it was 0340.
Outer Ring Road, was a pleasure to ride on, being fully illuminated. I was still getting a creaking noise from the drive train, and so, I had to stop and lubricate it. Besides, I had to stop to appease a stray dog chasing me. And I did make a couple of stops, once to check the Brevet card, and another time to check the bike computer calibration. (Later in the day, I would realize that all these stops proved costly).
From the previous experience, I avoid the elevated expressway, and was comfortable riding on the service roads. Seriously, there wasn't any traffic at 0430 in the morning, and it made sense not to take the winds on the elevated express way.
The next stop was the toll gate after Nelamangala, and I stopped to take water. I also muched on a juicy Mysore Pak. The sugars didn't matter, as they would get used up anyway. "Its all downhill to Tumkur", the comment from a lorry driver motivated me to cruise all along till Tumkur.
By this time, I had established contact with a fellow rider, who was ahead of me by one hour. No matter what I did, I could average only 17 or 18, leaving me little room for improvement. Remember, I had lost 40 minutes at the start.
Just a little before Sira, I felt the bike was sluggish. I stopped to check the tire, and found that the rear tire had a flat. The sun was beating down at 1030. Luckily, it was just by the side of a small orchard, and I quickly moved the bike to the shade of a tree and set out to repair the flat. A small glass piece has found its way through the tire, to cause a puncture. The cut was a little wide, and hence I had to patch it. With nothing available, I used the the sandpaper that came with the puncture kit.
Putting back the tire was a big struggle. This is the first time, the tire had been taken off. I took a breath, took a quick shot of Gatorade, and with all the energy boost, managed to get the tire back in. I must have lost somewhere around 30-40 minutes for the puncture. This also meant that I had to average 16 for the next 60-odd kms to make it to the control with half-an-hour to spare.
The next few hours went like a struggle against the clock, with two water stops. For one, I had to walk about 50 metres into a compound, and the Dhaba staff took all their time to give me a water bottle. Luckily, the next one was a free one, at a small house, by the roadside. They were not selling water bottles, and hence it was their own well water filled with all essential minerals. I took the opportunity to get another gulp more.
When I reached Hiriyur control, I had about 40 minutes to spare. I made a few enquiries to get to the ATM. And you know the store with State Bank Atms. Half the time, they aren't working, and when they are working there are atleast half-a-dozen people waiting outside.
When I reached the Atm, a group of three were already trying to figure out if the machine worked or not. And that only meant more crowd gathering. I was lucky to get a spare ATM slip from one of the users, but wasn't sure if I could use it. (It was from a different card). With some struggle, I explained the staff, that i need only a slip, and managed to get it. The ATM didnt have cash anyway. All this cost a crucial fifteen minutes.
When I came out of the Atm, the sky opened and a light drizzle started. I used the opportunity to get into a hotel, and get some Anna Sambar. Also got some Chikki and filled my water bottles with tender coconut water. I wanted to get a photocopy of the Cue card, but as luck turned out, there wasnt any power.
Quickly enquired for the directions and got out on the highway, and when I hit the next toll booth, I looked up the cue sheets. The next control was at 2356, which meant that a nap closer to the control would be costly.
There was an ambulance shed at the next toll plaza. "Illi malko bohudha', (Can I lie down here), was met with a "No problem" from the ambulance driver. I lied down for about ten minutes, and dozed off. It must have been half-an-hour. It did not matter for me, as I still had nine hours to catch up to the control.
Just half-an-hour before this, Karthik, the fellow rider confirmed that he was an hour ahead. I could have caught him (atleast hoped), if I had not rested. But considering the one hour sleep last night, I needed a break, which would help me continue on the ride.
Outside of Chitradurga, there was a steep uphill, and stiff head winds. No wonder, they have placed the windmills correctly here. My riding speed halved to almost 11-12kph. Just then, I stopped and had a mouthful of Figs and raisins.
Not sure where the energy came from, the next half-hour I saw myself riding at blazing speeds, without minding about the winds. This gave me a big confidence boost. As I entered Chitradurga, i checked the cue-sheets, and was trying to find directions. The directions included going through a no-entry. The policeman at the junction also pointed out the same way.
Just as i reached the highway to Davangere, I stopped to fill up my water bottles, and get an extra dose of raisins, which could be my magic fuel.
The scenery on Chitradurga-Davangere Road, was beautiful, with rolling hills, and fields on either side. I was maintaining a constant speed of 25-26kph. However, my aggressive riding position meant that i had to stop once in a while. The average per hour was close to 19, while the required average was 18.
I saw the sun set beautifully, as I pushed along the rolling hills. I turned the headlights and tail lights and continued cruising.
There was a note in the cue sheet suggesting speed breakers. I kept looking for those, and they never seemed to appear. I must have crossed 2 or 3 km from the distanced indicated in the cue sheet. So, I moved along.
Some thoughts about my family came along, and it felt why I was doing this crazy ride. Quickly I got out of that mode, and was thinking, what all games the ride can play on your mind.
SCreeech! I just saw a traffic barricade on my way, at about 10 metres. I stopped abruptly. I was safe, and more importantly, the bike was safe. There were a group of villagers standing nearby. I stopped for a while wondering what happened, chatting to the villagers.
They provided more courage to continue. I got onto the saddle and continued. Soon, I started feeling the pain in the shoulders, and the wrist, and the ....
I was already in a different state, and didnt feel it was safe to continue further. I stopped at the next roadside Dhaba, trying to get a hitch to Davangere. I called Deepak and Sohan telling them I am pulling out. Then I called home, telling that I am coming back.
It was a struggle to find a hitch, and finally, one truck driver agreed to give me a ride till Davangere bypass. I was dozing heavily on the truck for the 20-odd minutes that I was inside. If not, I would have caught the 1000K guys riding in the opposite direction.
After I got down at the bypass, I had to ride about 3km inside. And believe me, that was the toughest 3K I would have done so far in my entire life. Bad roads through the villages, pot holes, and at that time, every building appeared like a bus stand.
Finally, when I reached the bus stand, there was Rajahamsa to Bangalore bus exiting. At first, I was concerned about the bike. The conductor gave me a seat, and put the bike in the rear luggage carrier. My bike got an exclusive ride in the luggage carrier.
I didnt even want to ride from Majestic, so caught a Volvo, and this time, the bike getting a free ride.
And the aftermath...
Do I regret starting the 1000K or the 600K...?
Absolutely not. I might have been a little overconfident or got carried away with the average speed of 15, but you dont understand all that by reading message forums.
I do regret pulling out, but at that time, that was the best decision to make. I might have made it to Ranebennur control, with time to spare. But to ride through the night for another ten hours, was just too risky.
Will I come back for a brevet?
Why not... But will come better equipped, and ensure that I'll be in a group when the sun is down.
When I told Sohan that I will be attempting the 600K. He suggested that I take the shorter ones, 200 or 300 or 400.
When you set your goals, you need to aim high! To know that you can do 200K or 300K and attempt that would be short of a challenge.
As our very own Rajat Chauhan put it,
if you are not pushing the limits,
if you are not living on the edge,
you are simply wasting space.
