Monday, November 28, 2011

Brevet.200.Bike.vs.Rider.vs.clock...!!!

The Saturn-V rocket that launched me into the cycling scene was the Brevet 600km in April 2011 and there has been no turning back since. I yearned to complete the rest of the Brevet series 300 and 400 to obtain the bragging rights of a "Super Randonneur' but I was only able to complete the Brevet 200. Time has come with the new season of Brevets 2011-2012. 

25th Nov 2011 --  Status update, Rainy evening and chilly night in Bangalore. I for one was busy taking headcount of the representation from Cleated Warriors. I'm not a consistent cyclist who churns out a huge mileage everyday. Though there was hardly any preparation for this ride, the spirits were high for finishing under 8 hours. Helios, Zeus and Aeolus had planned otherwise. 

26th Nov 2011 -- I get a message from Mitsunaga (Which I got to know later as I hadn't saved his number earlier) asking if I'll be riding as it was raining. Was I going to miss this opportunity? Certainly not !! Informed Mitsunaga of my departure to the rendezvous at Gymkhana grounds near IISc. Put on the rain jacket and all the necessary equipment for one of the epic rides yet. The brevet cards were already filled in and were put in a plastic cover to keep it safe from the rains. Kudos to the efforts of the Brevet organizing team.The morning drizzle forming a superfine spray ever so gentle was so soothing that I felt teleported to the start point. There were already a few riders who got the Brevet card stamped as this was the first control and the first batch started by about 6:15 and about 20 minutes later I left with the second batch and assumed the role of navigator. I held Mitsunaga's Brevet card and mine in a pouch and kept the cue sheet it in the other.


This certainly was an exploratory ride as the only direction that I haven't used as an exit from Bangalore is the Magadi stretch. The roads certainly were good for most of the trip except for some stretches (~15kms) where the roads didn't exist. Met the CAM buddy Kishan who was on MTB. Hats off to all those riders who attempted the brevet on an MTB. Certainly is a tough one I did find the route a challenging one on a road-bike. The near-empty roads, far from the bustling city traffic the roads became quieter and more enjoyable. First target was the control at Magadi fort where we had Alex waiting to mark our Brevet cards. Next stop Tiffany's Maddur. We kept overtaking folks on our roadbikes and not slowing down as we were confident that they will beat us on the trails which is their home turf and the Road bike begging for mercy!! I must admit the Kenda's plus the Mr.Tuffy liners did make a difference in rolling (slower) but they certainly were victorious over the bad roads.

The challenging terrain was worth every bit and soon enough we crossed Huliyurdurga and proceeded towards Koppa and passing by NSL sugar factory quite a nice aroma to some extents and a km later the stench of rotting sugarcane waste hits you right on your face to return to reality :-P .



Roads got road-bikeable and we soon reached the Chandrappa circle after the small climb at manchinabele. Got the brevet cards stamped. Some bananas and a cup of tea later we left for the 3rd control which was Maddur Tiffany's. We maintained good speeds till we reached Tiffany's as it was the point where we stopped for lunch. Downed a couple of plate of idlies. Just as we were about to start for Bangalore, Tiffany's started filling up as riders slowly trickled in and settled down for a luncheon. Surya stayed till Mahalakshmi layout and then lost him amidst the heavy traffic. It was pretty much Mitsunaga , the cue sheet and I to figure out the best route to the finish point. With the help of Mitsunaga soon we reached the yeshwantpur metro and then it was a smooth ride till the finish at IISc gate. Second rider to reach the point at 6:10pm. First rider to finish was Vishal who reached at 5pm. 


Randonneuring isn't for all. Its for the brave hearted and a die hard attitude to not give up until the last of the efforts to finish have been exhausted. Three more rides keep me from the Super-Randonneur for the year 2012. Hope all goes well... Until then. Adios..!!! 
 Surya Prakash and I against the backdrop of Manchinabele dam.

Surya Prakash with his Orbea, Mitsunaga by his Bianchi and my Rubie KHS Flite stands 'unsupported'.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

MTB ride - Harohalli Anchetti - Mixed emotions

The saga of adventures continue with this trip. With yet another major overhaul of a weekender to Kodaikanal we finally managed to settle for an MTB ride to Harohalli and Anchetty. Probably a very good time to visit Kodai but very little time to spare and no room for 'unforeseen circumstances' as we were running a very tight schedule. As per the Kodai plan Chidu had the car I had the rack and the tusker-Kiran was ready. All this ain't enough as the approval has to come from the home ministry and more often substantial bribing might be come a necessity for green signal. Chidu's wife nor my mother weren't happy with the decision of an overnight drive then climb Kodai and returning the late night the next day. Another plan kicked to the bushes..!!!

With tusker bailing out the last minute as he had to stay back at office it was finally Chidu and I for the ride. I hadn't got a confirmation about the start time and the meeting place. Luckily, he replied at 5:30 in the morning and I got ready in about 15 mins and left home. Saw Sushant Chandra waiting for his friends at merida junction. I continued as I had to meet Chidu in about 5 minutes just beyond Metro on the Kanakpura road. Considering the weather conditions, I decided to wear sandals. Chidu was on time and we continued to ride on the lovely stretch till we reached Harohalli where we turned left towards Hunsanahalli and Balakrisha, Susanth Chandra planned to head back to Bangalore from that point. Little did I know that I'd be reliving moments of the CAM ride @ Bhagamandala. Superb roads with lush green mulberry farms, groundnut fields and various other crops that failed to recognize. Just beyond a km from the Kanakapura turnoff the roads got better and it looked like they were newly laid and there was a lovely rainbow that had formed. What next ?? Time for the Carl Zeiss to work its magic on my Nokia. To be honest this beats the picture quality of my Nikon Digicam.  As we continued we found village huts/colonies and that took me back 20 years when I remember my grandparents home which had a huge sitout area/ verandah and as you open the door its a tunnel. One just has to turn left or right to enter which ever the room he wanted else head straight for the backyard. Stopped at a Somanahalli kere where Chidu found a Silkwork coccoon. Took some pics and set it on the roadside.  In a few weeks after the morph cycle a beautiful moth probably would emerge. As he is fondly known in the cycling scene in Bangalore as Chidambaram 'Anchetty' Subramanian due to his frequency of visit on this trail, this time around the climate was fantastic and there was never a feeling of dehydration or exhaustion. The longest ever MTB ride for me 194.6kms. 12 hours on the saddle is gruelling for the Gluteus Maximus but the astounding beauty of the landscape, fields and the villages with kids waving by simply kept the mind busy.

Soon we crossed Hunsanahalli and as Chidu Quipped " You'll soon forget the count of how many hills you've climbed" and that did happen. Not being a fan of cosmetics, Chidu got a few sachets of coconut oil to use as a sunscreen lotion - "The Naatu Vaidyam" The rest of it was used to lube the chain. Riding through Anchetty, there are two hairpin bends and about 100 mts after the hairpin bends, there  a rock with black and white stripes and just before the rock on the right there is a clearing or a ledge, "A secret passage" which can be used by the bikers to trek down to the falls. I relaxed on the rocks as Chidu had fun dives into the falls. This was a refreshing stop after a 120kms of ride. The next stop was Denkanikota where we topped up supplies. Just a few kilometers before entering Denkanikotai there was a heavy downpour I put on my rainjacket and we continued. After a half hour stop for lunch we left for Hosur. It was about 6pm and I was thoroughly exhausted as I survived only on Glucose, Mazaa and a pack of good day for the entire trip. From Hosur till electronics city I purely gained energy by following Chidu as close as possible. It was such a relief to see silkboard junction. Just a few more kms and I'll be HOME..!!! 

Back home at 7:45, I did take a look at the odometer and it was 194 and just 6 more kms I'd have done a double century. But all I wanted was to get home to be ready for office the next day. More miles to ride before the end of this year...!!!

Route >> http://g.co/maps/z2rsr
Photolog.