As saying goes, one gets to "See" and feel the world in a different outlook when traveling by bike. This trip certainly was filled some ups and downs like the rolling terrain to Salem. Looked like a busy weekend for the Cleated Warriors so none of them for company. Major Srinivas agreed give me company. My initial plans were to do Yercaud with another group of 3 agreed who had planned to start by thursday evening but went to pondicherry the same morning instead. Major agreed to leave on friday night and the first good news was we could pack the luggage and keep it in the Vivek's car (Vivek is a friend of Major). That was a big relief and we could rely on this car in case something were to go wrong. After all the preparations we synced up at silkboard and handed the bags over to Vivek and set off to Yercaud. Took it nice and easy till E-city phase 2 and then drafted a truck till Bommasandra flyover when the headlights on Major's bike took a fall. With the traffic maintaining good speeds and the headlight right in the middle of the highway we lost all hopes of retrieving it in one piece. But to our astonishment, a containter truck stopped right before the the flashlight and gurading it till Major could retrieve it. The chances of this happening was second to none. One of the most bike friendly truckers. We waved a joyous thank you to the Driver who acknowledged the same. Then we taped the headlight to the handlebar which will ensure double protection. As we crossed Bommasandra, rain gods started played tricks with us. It started to drizzle and we soon stopped and put on the rain jacket thinking there may be some downpour. 2-3 kms later we realize the drizzle was gone and we were soaked in sweat ;-). A small drizzle were happy tears from mother nature, "Welcome to TN cyclists !!". This was the first ride with the new Ultrafire lights and boy o boy they were a delight. We tried to draft a trailer but he planned to stop after we managed to draft for a couple of kms to refuel. We then continued our journey and stopped for burger at Mc Dee's. Had a sip of coffee and soon we left for Krishnagiri. We covered the initial 68 kms in 2 hours, so a sub 3hr century looked promising. My rotten bit of luck played the spoilsport and at the top of the ghats where there is a downhill for 3 kms I encountered the first flat. Great not a problem, with all the tools required to fix a flat available we soon fixed it and "Click" that's the sound of my shoes cleated onto the pedals :-). Within 20 metres, Tussshhh... tick tick tick... "Click". Uncleated and checked rear tyre again. Damn.. what did I do wrong ? Had another spare tube which I managed to change it in 10 minutes. The tyre levers from icetoolz are hopeless but the rest of the options are awesome. With Major's help we managed to pump it up to 100 and managed to reach the base of the ghats and Tusshh..!!! Yet another one. I felt disappointed at the performance of my bike, but quickly consoled myself 2250 kms without a flat on this Kenda kontender and without tyre liners was quite good. This was bound to happen at some point. We frantically tried to reach Vivek and he was supposed to have started from Bangalore an hour after we started. But he wasn't responding to the calls to his mobile. Since the cars and trucks were reaching speeds of over 80as they exited the ghats, we had to move to a safe location. I walked with the bike for another 250 mts and found a gated farm with lights on. Major thought he could get some rest inside the compound as there was a park bench by the house. The canine truly was on high alert. So Major parked his bike by the gate and lied down outside the compound to relax while I began to fix the flat. Strange part, the suspect "punctured" tube held up well when pumped up off the rim. Installed the new hopelessly short valved Btwin tubes purchased from Decathlon and Major suggested that we should reduce the pressure. So 70-80 PSI was pumped for a 125 rated 26c tyre. I, quite literally was talking to my bike in my head, please don't do this not now not anymore. The sub-3hr century was already messed up and I didn't want to return without doing the Yercaud climb. Hoping the tyres won't give way we managed to get just about 15kms in 25 mins of riding and then tussh.. Luckily we spotted a shop with some nice place for resting and the tubelights on!! There also was a broom to tidy up the place before resting. What a nice gesture by the shop/building owner. Major soon was busy tidying up for a nice rest. He soon dozed off after trying to call for the "support" car. It was 4:35AM and my mechanic role kicked in instantly disassembled the rear wheel and removed the tyre off the rim. This time there was a puncture. The glueless patches worked their magic yet again. After fixing the tube it was time for a deep dive inspection of the rims and the tyre. The tyre showed a gaping hole ~ 2mm. At first I wondered if this was the cause of all the flats encountered !! Taking my chance against the only spare tube that I had, I cut it open and made a patch about 3x2cm and wedged it between the damaged section of tyre and the tube. Still no word from Vivek and we already started planning our return trip either by a KPN volvo or a KSRTC. Major suggested that we could carry the bikes in passenger compartment in train. I was surprised and asked if it was allowed. If we ended up taking the train then we'd take the wheels off and carry the frame separately. Being a member of the "Cleated Warriors" I remember one of my friends maintaining a low pressure on a high pressure rated tyre. You must be thinking the difference must be in 10 or 20PSI but no. My friend rode 140PSI rated tyres on 60 or 80 PSI :-). I'm happy and suprised to announce that it worked wonders. After applying this DIY mini patch and the setting the pressure at 70 PSI I waited for Major to wake up. Till then I kept gazing at the passing buses and trucks and reminded me of my childhood days. Sitting on a park bench in Erode with my Grandfather and getting excited looking at the colourful buses. ( Back in those days I was bored looking at the all RED bangalore buses). Some of the best combinations were the ones with yellow roof and shiny silver like sheetmetal. Black with white stripes and white coloured rims were equally good :-).
Soon it was daybreak and I could see the dark blue skies and the familiar sounds of rooster waking up the village by the highway. Major woke up in an hour and started feeling cold. So we set out soon to find a coffee stop just a mile ahead and had biscuits and hot coffee. In 20 mins we left for Dharmapuri. I thought the straight stretches of highway where one can see for about a km was before Dharmapuri but this was clarified once we crossed Dharmapuri. For about 6-7 kms it is a straight monotonous stretch where the visibility is at its best. We started maintaining a steady pace on gentle slopes 20-25kph. However the headwinds picked up and we were reduced to maintain 17kph. So what do we do to cover the distance ?? DRAFT. Yep.. we did draft a container truck for a few kms till gained speed and dropped us. I caught up with another truck but there was a delay in Major going full throttle to catch up. Soon the distance increased and I planned to back off. The decision was either both of us draft, else we'd stay close and ride together. The entry to thoppur ghats was promising and I suggested that we have tender coconuts at the ghats out of experience. I used to do regular trips to Trichy. This was really good and we had two each and started to descend. At the base of the ghat there is a hotel beside the petrol bunk BP where we stopped for to recharge. After a nice round of idlis and tea we started for Salem which was~40kms away. There is a gentle uphill after which we managed to catch a container truck registered RJ and we drafted all the way to Salem. 35kms of drafting at avg pace of 48kmph. Max speed touched was about 60kmph. Most of the times the truck was at a pace which we could maintian the draft.As soon as we entered Salem city all bikers and cars that whizzed past had their eyes on us wondering why are they doing what they are doing !!!
Soon we reached the Yercaud turnoff and about a 2-3 kms later guess who shows up? Vivek whom we had tried to reach throughout the night. After a quick chat we stopped at a known hotel for a lime juice and then it was 7 kms to base of Yercaud. Vivek, parked the car at the base and assembled his bike. We started the climb. Major had done this earlier so was aware of this route. He warned that there is only elevation ALL the time. I managed to divide the distance in such an manner that I compare it with the office commute(30 kms one way). The same tragic logic I applied for the 23kms of the climb. with 20 hairpin bends. Be not fooled gentlemen. There are more than that which are unmarked. Every corner would feel like a hairpin because of the elevation profile. Inspired by the lance armstrong's video of 2003 (Lance Armstrong Climbs Luz Ardiden 2003) he constantly is on the hood and off the saddle. That was more adrenaline I could muster to stay off the saddle. After every 50 mts of being off the saddle I would drop to the biggest chainring and ride at 8-9kmph. I aimed at a non-stop ride and the only time I stopped (3 secs) was when I fell but held on to the side cemented wall. I pedaled a little too much but wanted to fallback and maintain left side of the road and Major who was leading but the rear wheel of major was overlapping half of my front wheel so if i turn the handlebar I was sure Major also would bear the brunt of my action. So instead I turned slightly right while the bike was leaning left that imbalance prompted my fall (a controlled fall). No injuries but this was inevitable a cleated fall sooner or later. There was a bus full of schoolkids who were ahead (directly above me) on the parallel road, and a few kids screamed but later they'd stopped and we waved hi-byes and continued our quest of conquering the climber's haven. I've officially completed the formalities of being a cleated roadie scum. The 20 hairpin bends don't sound bad. But the continous elevation gain is certainly going to drive one nuts and the mind will eventually give way and force you to take a break. The last 4kms were the worst pounding which my body took. The heights of exhaustion were such that Major literally started grabbing plants and eating them !!! Initially i thought it was probably some medicine but later realized he ATE them !! There also was a group in an ikon who had stopped to enjoy the view and major did check if they had some for a quick bite and they were glad to give us some chips. We nibbled on them gingerly for 1 km and soon our water supplies were out and now with only 3 kms to yercaud the going got tougher. At the 2 km I almost gave up when Major also slowed down to 7-8kph and i tailed him real close and soon we saw the 20/20 hairpin bend. After this one gets to see the GRT trails resort and then it is straigh thru to the town/city/station. The yercaud lake looked beautiful. What was even more better was the last 5 kms there is a drastic weather change. The mist welcomed us and cooled our bodies. Gluteus Maximus was begging for mercy towards the last few kms!! The only thought once at the top was to head to some hotel as we'd turned to gluttons !! Soon found out from a local that there was Saravana Bhavan nearby and we headed right to that place for lunch.Started with a curd rice and that wasn't enough Soon another curd rice and lemon rice followed. We sat outside and after this long relaxed wait Vivek soon joined us after half hour. This climb certainly is no childs play. Nandi is a cupcake now after conquering this climb. One has to have a disciplined approach to do the climb. Standing and pounding a lot only makes matters worse. Major and I initially did that mistake. We then pounded only at the hairpin bends and then switching to lower gear to maintain momentum. Since I wanted to attempt the climb non-stop I didn't use the camera. Moreover, considering my experience to photography (using mobile) on the move I couldn't even attempt to get the camera out due to the sheer amounts of concentration that is required. A watchful eye is required to understand if there is any vehicle approaching downhill and especially the moronic Motor-bikers who rip the roads. I know it is fun biking uphill/downhill but not the cost of other innocent lives..!! The downthill was constantly on the hood and the brakes. There are two nice spots for photography one is a tree/bamboo covered road and this 50-60 mts stretch is truly a wonderful place to relax and take snaps. There are a lot of monkeys around so be cautious. Maybe Major and I suffered the climbs because we rode all the way from Bangalore and that being a 10hrs on the saddle. Hope I get to take on this famed Nemesis again in a better shape the next time. I thank Vivek in being our support car and helping us get back home in comfort after such an ordeal. What next ??
As I pen down my travelogue by this blog I am looking at the pic below and thinking of ways to repair the same.
1. Carry something to munch on like nuts dates etc.
2. Have enough water/gatorade/enerzal.
3. The tyres should be pumped up to the recommended pressure.
4.Exercise extreme caution while being overtaken or while overtaking (unlikely).
Stats :: Total odo read 248.5kms (ride from blr to yercaud climb and back downhill.
Fuel :: 4lts of water - 4 enerzal packs, 1Mcdees burger, 4 Tender coconuts, 3plate idlis, 2 Curd rice +1 lemon rice yumm.
Kalhatti calling.. :-) Enough words and let some of the meagre pics that I managed to capture tell the rest of story.
https://picasaweb.google.com/108786458769812949648/September32011Yercaud
Soon it was daybreak and I could see the dark blue skies and the familiar sounds of rooster waking up the village by the highway. Major woke up in an hour and started feeling cold. So we set out soon to find a coffee stop just a mile ahead and had biscuits and hot coffee. In 20 mins we left for Dharmapuri. I thought the straight stretches of highway where one can see for about a km was before Dharmapuri but this was clarified once we crossed Dharmapuri. For about 6-7 kms it is a straight monotonous stretch where the visibility is at its best. We started maintaining a steady pace on gentle slopes 20-25kph. However the headwinds picked up and we were reduced to maintain 17kph. So what do we do to cover the distance ?? DRAFT. Yep.. we did draft a container truck for a few kms till gained speed and dropped us. I caught up with another truck but there was a delay in Major going full throttle to catch up. Soon the distance increased and I planned to back off. The decision was either both of us draft, else we'd stay close and ride together. The entry to thoppur ghats was promising and I suggested that we have tender coconuts at the ghats out of experience. I used to do regular trips to Trichy. This was really good and we had two each and started to descend. At the base of the ghat there is a hotel beside the petrol bunk BP where we stopped for to recharge. After a nice round of idlis and tea we started for Salem which was~40kms away. There is a gentle uphill after which we managed to catch a container truck registered RJ and we drafted all the way to Salem. 35kms of drafting at avg pace of 48kmph. Max speed touched was about 60kmph. Most of the times the truck was at a pace which we could maintian the draft.As soon as we entered Salem city all bikers and cars that whizzed past had their eyes on us wondering why are they doing what they are doing !!!
Soon we reached the Yercaud turnoff and about a 2-3 kms later guess who shows up? Vivek whom we had tried to reach throughout the night. After a quick chat we stopped at a known hotel for a lime juice and then it was 7 kms to base of Yercaud. Vivek, parked the car at the base and assembled his bike. We started the climb. Major had done this earlier so was aware of this route. He warned that there is only elevation ALL the time. I managed to divide the distance in such an manner that I compare it with the office commute(30 kms one way). The same tragic logic I applied for the 23kms of the climb. with 20 hairpin bends. Be not fooled gentlemen. There are more than that which are unmarked. Every corner would feel like a hairpin because of the elevation profile. Inspired by the lance armstrong's video of 2003 (Lance Armstrong Climbs Luz Ardiden 2003) he constantly is on the hood and off the saddle. That was more adrenaline I could muster to stay off the saddle. After every 50 mts of being off the saddle I would drop to the biggest chainring and ride at 8-9kmph. I aimed at a non-stop ride and the only time I stopped (3 secs) was when I fell but held on to the side cemented wall. I pedaled a little too much but wanted to fallback and maintain left side of the road and Major who was leading but the rear wheel of major was overlapping half of my front wheel so if i turn the handlebar I was sure Major also would bear the brunt of my action. So instead I turned slightly right while the bike was leaning left that imbalance prompted my fall (a controlled fall). No injuries but this was inevitable a cleated fall sooner or later. There was a bus full of schoolkids who were ahead (directly above me) on the parallel road, and a few kids screamed but later they'd stopped and we waved hi-byes and continued our quest of conquering the climber's haven. I've officially completed the formalities of being a cleated roadie scum. The 20 hairpin bends don't sound bad. But the continous elevation gain is certainly going to drive one nuts and the mind will eventually give way and force you to take a break. The last 4kms were the worst pounding which my body took. The heights of exhaustion were such that Major literally started grabbing plants and eating them !!! Initially i thought it was probably some medicine but later realized he ATE them !! There also was a group in an ikon who had stopped to enjoy the view and major did check if they had some for a quick bite and they were glad to give us some chips. We nibbled on them gingerly for 1 km and soon our water supplies were out and now with only 3 kms to yercaud the going got tougher. At the 2 km I almost gave up when Major also slowed down to 7-8kph and i tailed him real close and soon we saw the 20/20 hairpin bend. After this one gets to see the GRT trails resort and then it is straigh thru to the town/city/station. The yercaud lake looked beautiful. What was even more better was the last 5 kms there is a drastic weather change. The mist welcomed us and cooled our bodies. Gluteus Maximus was begging for mercy towards the last few kms!! The only thought once at the top was to head to some hotel as we'd turned to gluttons !! Soon found out from a local that there was Saravana Bhavan nearby and we headed right to that place for lunch.Started with a curd rice and that wasn't enough Soon another curd rice and lemon rice followed. We sat outside and after this long relaxed wait Vivek soon joined us after half hour. This climb certainly is no childs play. Nandi is a cupcake now after conquering this climb. One has to have a disciplined approach to do the climb. Standing and pounding a lot only makes matters worse. Major and I initially did that mistake. We then pounded only at the hairpin bends and then switching to lower gear to maintain momentum. Since I wanted to attempt the climb non-stop I didn't use the camera. Moreover, considering my experience to photography (using mobile) on the move I couldn't even attempt to get the camera out due to the sheer amounts of concentration that is required. A watchful eye is required to understand if there is any vehicle approaching downhill and especially the moronic Motor-bikers who rip the roads. I know it is fun biking uphill/downhill but not the cost of other innocent lives..!! The downthill was constantly on the hood and the brakes. There are two nice spots for photography one is a tree/bamboo covered road and this 50-60 mts stretch is truly a wonderful place to relax and take snaps. There are a lot of monkeys around so be cautious. Maybe Major and I suffered the climbs because we rode all the way from Bangalore and that being a 10hrs on the saddle. Hope I get to take on this famed Nemesis again in a better shape the next time. I thank Vivek in being our support car and helping us get back home in comfort after such an ordeal. What next ??
As I pen down my travelogue by this blog I am looking at the pic below and thinking of ways to repair the same.
2. Have enough water/gatorade/enerzal.
3. The tyres should be pumped up to the recommended pressure.
4.Exercise extreme caution while being overtaken or while overtaking (unlikely).
Stats :: Total odo read 248.5kms (ride from blr to yercaud climb and back downhill.
Fuel :: 4lts of water - 4 enerzal packs, 1Mcdees burger, 4 Tender coconuts, 3plate idlis, 2 Curd rice +1 lemon rice yumm.
Kalhatti calling.. :-) Enough words and let some of the meagre pics that I managed to capture tell the rest of story.
https://picasaweb.google.com/108786458769812949648/September32011Yercaud
Awesome Gana.. Awesome ride! Even before reading this, I heard about your ride from your partner in crime, Major! The hardcore guy that he is, he came to Nandi yesterday morning after this ride with you. He was all praise to your patience fixing those flats on the way and completing the climb. Kudos to both of you. Nice writeup and photos. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome!! In true warrior spirit, i say... :D
ReplyDeleteSo! Bangalore to yercaud climb and back down the hill= 248 kms? is it?