Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Yelagiri yorker..!!

Start of an adventure/endurance rides. Ever since Major (Srinivas) got posted to the north, I wondered if I could ever get a 'brave-heart' companion. The initial idea was to ride till krishnagiri and back then it wavered between A2B/CCD and Krishnagiri. We all know how random the plans can get changed. As the hour approached only two contenders remained, Harsha (the Ironman) and I. Chickening out seems to be the trend and so did this trip see its fair share.

My goal was to head out for an endurance ride regardless anyone participating. Harsha, the strong rider that he is, agreed to give me company and decided to ride through the night. The 'drop pin' destination on the maps
shifted from Krishnagiri to Yelagiri. The general public goes T.G.I.F to me it was T.G.I.S (Thank God It's Saturday). Shift ended at 2pm and the idea was to meet at silk board by 10pm. Started to prepare the bike and post late lunch (at 4pm) hit the bed to catch some sleep. Started from home at about 9.40 and reached Silkboard as planned and Harsha was already waiting. A quick chat revealed that he ended up with stitches on his head a few days earlier due to a fall from the trainer. I doubted if this would hamper his performance but he went on to prove otherwise :-D. We started at a steady pace and reached Attibele in no time with my expert guidance on the road conditions as it is my regular training. The aero bars looked enticing and Harsha seemed a little uncomfortable using them as the tiniest adjustments to the elbow can have drastic effects on steering. After Attibele, it was time to look forward to the next milestone, CCD (Cafe Coffee Day) at shoolagiri. What followed next was a steady downhill and with CCD in sight, the speedometer showed spike in the speed. I had a cappuccino while Nagraj gorged on Cold coffee. This was a short break to help us decide on the breaks ahead.

YUMMY .. Coolant for tummy..!!

Bikes getting a short rest before the long night ride.
  


  From shoolagiri onwards we saw quite a few places where there was about half a km traffic pile up due to the roadworks. Was it a problem for us.... Absolutely not...!! Being on bikes we just zigzaged our way thru the trucks and buses and soon reached krishnagiri. Another confusion prevailed as to which direction was chennai highway. Harsha pulled out his phone to check on gmaps and indicated we had to continue straight but i was adamant and mentioned that it was to the left and yelagiri is on the Chennai highway. Since co-ordinates were accurate the orientation was where the confusion began. We turned left onto the Chennai highway. It was about 1am and Harsha wanted to top up on omelettes but decided against knowing that i'm a vegan so we with a meagre stock of figs and nutribars. 

The Lone (apart from photographer) Highway Rider..
  
About 20kms short of Yelagiri turnoff, we stopped at a small shop on the other side of the road and as soon as we entered two dogs went berserk. I managed to remove the helmet and called them as if they were pets and both quieted down. Tummy trouble for Harsha so off he went to shed some load before the climbs that lay ahead in the morning. We could've reached Yelagiri by about 4.30 had we continued in the same pace. Instead we started after nearly 40mins of break and stopped yet again for another dose of Tea and biscuits. We overshot the target and stopped at a junction then looking into the darkness something didn't feel right. More dogs..!! 3D surround sound with Dolby Effects..!! Checking the maps we found we overshot the turnoff by just ~2kms. About 8 kms away was another major turn that would lead us to the Salem-Tirupattur highway and we planned to take that road instead. We managed to cross this junction where there was a flyover being constructed and took a u-turn. It is very easy to miss this turn towards Salem-Thirupattur highway as it bears no resemblance to the color of the route marked on the map (like that of a main road) against the real deal. We were happy to see a 10std kid on a hero honda who's dad was a cop and had come to the chennai highway to see him off to Krishnagiri. Mighty glad that he accompanied us all the way to the salem-tirupattur highway. Harsha checked on the google maps just to be extra cautious. We thanked Prabhakar as we were at the base of Yelagiri. We reached in the best possible time to start the climb on a cool morning. The view of the towns below was fantastic and for the initial 3-4 kms taking it easy and continuing at a leisurely pace and at about 9th km I went full throttle as one of the cyclist who was returning mentioned that it was just another km to the summit. Maintained a higher cadence and reached the summit and was ready to capture pics of Harsha finishing who joined me shortly. Here he is in a grand finish.. Bragging rights granted.. Been there done that..!!

 At the summit .. huffing and puffing..!!

Great food but not so good/polite staff

 Photographer getting photographed ...

System in 'Standby mode'

Harsha remebering dialogue from English Vinglish ... I miss two things about India my mummy and Idly !!! 

Tasty puris with great sambar and aloo curry.

The most efficient machines on the planet that brought us to Yelagiri.

More of landscape capture from my X6.

Wallpaper material

Inner peace.... Inner peace... Inner..... 

Harsha finally getting a hang of the Aero bars..


We headed to the lake but managed to run into the security guard who asked us to leave the cycles outside and didn't agree to let us in with the cycles. A little to tired to try and convince him we managed to get a peek of the small lake from another route and it wouldn't have been any worthy to buy a ticket to check it out. Caught Hotel Surabhi in its morning yawn. The only item on the menu was plain dosa. I went for the ghee roast while Harsha lit up on the sound of Omelete. So omelet's and dosa's and you returned? Nope.. we wanted to wait for pongal and Puri to satisfy the carbs starved bodies :-D. Round 2, Puris and omelete. Round 3 coffee and we were finally full. Harsha did mention that this was the heaviest breakfast. I couldn't say that I had just enough to get back on saddle and coast downhill 12kms :-). We decided to stop every possible photogenic spot and clicked away to glory. After about half hour we decided it was time to hit the highway and soon we reached a junction just before Jolarpet town either to turn right to heads towards Nemily and then continue on the Chennai Bangalore highway or head straight into tirupattur and then on to bargur. The Bargur option seemed like a shortcut. This would've cut a km or two but was not worth it. The roads were a real mess and harsha tried hard to use the aero bars. Trying to find a smooth line on a road as broken and patchy as a teenagers freckled face made it no easy task. The return route was supposed to have been shorter and instead turned out to be 8km longer. In just over 2hrs we managed to reach the Chennai highway and a huge sigh of relief. An uneventful ride till krishnagiri and then we turned into Hosur road. It was about 10AM and we stopped below the flyover to get some rest. Harsha tried hard to brainwash me to hitchhike or take bus back to Bangalore or till Hosur at-least and then continue riding. However, I was wide awake and this wasn't helping him get me think alike. When a rider has rode for miles, rest/food stops become a priority and sleep being the topmost. Every minute of attempted nap proves to be such a relief. One of the best feelings is when you don't have to worry about a time station/control unlike a brevet and one could doze off. My hands on experiment with Harsha's bike had fruitful results with the aero bar tests. The aero bars were soothing for the back and the bike avg just shot up to some intriguing numbers. It was when i looked at my companion when i realized how much effort he had to put in while i was so relaxed. Thanks to Harsha for letting me try his bike. The fit seemed to be nearly perfect so the ride was super comfy. Harsha's bike was lighter in-spite of the aero bars. There goes another hole in the pocket with the next planned upgrade. Home ministry ain't gonna be happy with this decision. With enough rest at Krishnagiri, we started to gaze lazily at the climbs which lay ahead and 'sufferfest' truly was the only word right from the start of any climb from that point on. I hate to admit it but halfway through the climb i see some truck that is going at my pace 10kph :-D.. why not hitchhike..!! But the ride had to be finished with no form of motorized transport as we were 'ONLY' 80kms to Bangalore. Two bikes stopped Harsha for some reason and he didn't understand what they said and when they tried to stop me it looked like they wanted a test ride but i declined saying you need special shoes to ride such bike. Not sure how it got translated in their heads. They were making hand gestures that they are going to stop somewhere ahead and wait for us to pass by. Frustrated by this incident we saw those guys once more overtaking us about 10kms into the ride again and didn't see them anymore. Next stop CCD ofcourse ... again!! A couple of Mocachillos later Harsha managed a half hr sleep and we were off. 15-18kms into riding and another stop to drink the malt sold in pots which normally sell buttermilk. I didn't want to try that and was interested only in buttermilk which was out of stock unsurprisingly. We continued to climb then finally switching to a rolling terrain. From Hosur town it was a stupendous ride. You might expect the cloud cover or sudden burst from clouds or even taking a bus or a truck ... but no !! There was some VIP visit and the entire road was cleared of traffic. A smooth rolling all the way from Hosur till Attibele and only after we entered karnataka did we manage to see the convoy of pilot cars, SUV's jeeps and ambulances. Familiar territory, attibele to home. It was about 4pm when we were riding towards Chandapura and here's where there's a twist in the tale. Of the 3 lanes, the middle and the right were occupied by overtaking trucks and a private bus switched to the left most lane and honked continuously. I, knowing this was another crazed driver, moved to the extreme left (white line) and so did Harsha but the bus drive a lot closer than expected and this was downright scary. However, Harsha stood by the driver's side of the bus and warned him and then rode to the front of the bus. The driver then tries to scare Harsha by nearly running him over and finally managed to wedge him against the barricade(dividing the highway and service lane) leaving no room for him to move ahead. The bus then disappears into the service lane of Chandapura flyover. This was the limit and Harsha now determined to teach him a lesson rode hard to find a traffic police while I rode to the top of Chandapura flyover, I managed to see the bus and took a couple of pics. Had I rode back to catch a better picture of the bus/driver he would've fleed in hurry. He managed to overtake me at the end of the flyover and little did he know about the trouble he's going to get into. Harsha in the meanwhile managed to stop the bus in its tracks. Driver refuses to get down and only when he gets angry did the driver get down. Head right into Hebbagodi police station and another ordeal with the cops and driver. Short story - driver and the bus fleet owner have some political backing but our man Harsha is no less either. Finally they manage to let him off for a fine of INR.500. So it all boils down to life's worth - 500Rs. Initially the driver denies he was the one driving the bus and it could've been someone else. When he got to know about the photo evidence, that's it started to stink for him. Then the conductor gave in and said it was a honest mistake. How could a 'nearly run over' situation be an honest mistake when it was clearly intentional? This went on for about 3 hrs. After transferring pics to Harsha's mobile, I continued home as Harsha. It takes courage to even get to the cops or stop a bus. I admire Harsha's courage and standing his ground to make his point. What could've been a better solution to such an instance? Is it worth filing a case and running about the police station/court? Or was it an option to get the DL cancelled (temporarily if that option was even available)? I leave you thinking at this point and suggest you to feel free to post comments.... To any cyclist.. exercise caution on highways.. Better to be safe than sorry.. This doesn't mean you abandon the bike but just put more efforts on riding safe...

Trip Statistics:
Total Distance: 320kms
Elevation profile looks like below (Click for a bigger picture). 

Fuel: Coffee, Tea, biscuits, Figs, Puri, omelet's, Tender coconuts, Rice malt (roadside vendor from an earthen pot), Banana's, muskmelon double dose :-D, aerated drinks (unaccounted for).
Total riding time :: 20hrs (Avg 15kph)

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Roast-Freeze-Roast - Spirited 600 Brevet

Why o Why did I have to do it again? I distinctly remember deciding against this route/ride. A writeup on the experience with "Gnarls Barkley - Crazy" playing in the background... apt atmosphere I say. So here goes the rest of the sweet sufferfest with the meager photos i managed to capture with the 2MP phone cam.

The original plan was to make it a non-stop or a least stop ride and carrying enough food for the entire trip with the 2011 Apr Brevet ride buddy. However, last minute changes were inevitable and that soon changed my goal to a different kind. Finish the brevet about just over an hour to spare was the target. With the bike tune up pending, respite from work at office seemed a far cry. Managed to get the bike ready in about a couple of hours. Lights .. check, reflective vest .. check, Gatorade.. check, pump n puncture kit .. check. Managed to get about 4hrs sleep. Not really a good idea especially when a sleepless 40hrs lay ahead. This event seems to have the highest number of registrations for a 600Brevet in India with riders from Chennai Coimbatore. Met Sundar sir and his Pinarello Dogma which certainly is a beauty. 



At the start control on Kanakpura road What a complementing billboard !!



Chidu with his "Gatoride" Sport1. Yeah this is not a new brand from Decathlon but Chidu's bike  frame all wrapped in Gatorade sachets. Met DeepSan with his tourer (Bianchi Volpe). The start point last year was Gymkhana gate near IISc, Yeshwantpur. This was shifted to kanakpura road so one doesn't have to dodge the city traffic the morning. Instead the route was extended by 6 miles so out and back it was 12 miles to cover up the distance between the old and the new start point. 

Here's the route map of the ride.


Met Sohan and agreed to finish the ride together as this ride that would get him the SR (Super Randonneur) title. A super randonneur is awarded to the one who completes 200, 300, 400 and 600 all in the same calendar year. Riding a constant pace, eating/hydrating regularly became my priorities on this repeat ride. There's a big difference when I rode this route back in July 2012. With two of the toughest climbs at Harohalli-Jigani and Pallikonda-Palamaner and total elevation gain of about 3600 m, this is one tough route !! The bikes just loved the newly laid tarmac on kanakpura road. Vasu was waiting about 10 kms ahead of Sathnur as a manned control. Once all the riders made it through, he would be able to continue to wait at the next secret control before the Jigani climb. As Sohan, Kalpesh and I got our cards stamped it was time to gear up for a tough climb. The searing heat drained the batteries real quick. Sohan managed to capture the riders attention by giving us a lead on ice-cream parlor immediately after the climb. This worked its charm and riders were ready for the treat but had to travel a few more kms after the summit. We soon reached a small canteen and a bakery adjacent to it. I downed a couple of scoops of vanilla. 





Instant energy source but not so healthy to cool down so quick which i learned in another 15kms. Parched throat, an unsound body and I was thinking of dropping off at attibele and head home. However, the superlicious curd rice with the masala butter milk at Attibele sponsored by Sohan were just what was needed to cool the engines and immediately felt better. It was Karthikeyan, Sohan and I who continued from this point on till krishnagiri. Enroute we met Chidu whose rear derailleur broke and that ended up damaging a spoke. While Rafi tried to get it converted to a single speed, it still wasn't such a good idea to continue with a broken spoke as the chances of breaking more spokes is likely in the bad stretches at palamaner. So he planned to take the bus to Bangalore from Shoolagiri while the rest of the riders prepared for the night ride. After a quick shot of cappuccino with Sohan and Karthikeyan, it was a fast downhill all the way to Krishnagiri. We agreed on planned stops after every hour to stretch and nibble on dry fruits. This worked really well and we kept going at a good speed and about 10kms before vaniyambadi tollbooth, we stopped for dinner. Had couple of plain dosas nearly twice the size that is normally served in Bangalore. Washed it down with a soda. This worked its magic till about early morning. About a km before pallikonda toll we stopped to eat. This time it was a truckers dhaba which served fried rice and turned out to be surprisingly tasty. From this point it was 25 kms to the next control and we reached in just over an hour. As we were descending on a flyover, I heard noise similar to running over a metal plate and on looking back, Karthikeyan wasn't to be seen on the highway. As I hurriedly stopped and looked back he was instead lying on the bridging gap between the highway and the service road. Just one of the flavors of riding Brevet caught him unaware. Dozing while riding the bike is life threatening. I did experience the loss of concentration on a couple of occasions but chatting with Sohan time and again kept me going. Listening to music might be a personal choice to stay awake but trying to chat with fellow riders should help to some extent as it proves to be a welcome change from the long monotonous highway rides. There were a few scratches on the rear brake disc and  Karthikeyan seemed unhurt as he quickly regained himself. I remember reading about the memory loss of few seconds when cyclists crash. This did turn out to be scary as the last thing he remembered was seeing a board which indicated 'katpadi 10 kms' and we already had travelled more than 5 since then. A quick bike inspection and we were off to Katpadi. Sriram was just entered Katpadi as we were ready to leave. We waited for Kalpesh and the group size increased to 4. Then we conveyed to Sriram that we would wait at CCD near Pallikonda. The coffee break and a power nap was just what was needed to rejuvenate the weary eyes and the saddle sore. Managed to get a power nap of 25 mins which seemed like 25secs then we were off to see Vasu at Pallikonda tollbooth. We now turned to State highway and entered Gudiyattam. The group got bigger as we were joined by SriRam from chennai. A double bonanza as it turned out to be for Sriram as he encountered two climbs in the same brevet :-D. We rode at a steady pace till we stopped at Gudiyattam for breakfast. Each of us ended up feasting on fresh hot idlis and vada with the typical andhra style 'peanut' chutney. 



Another surprise awaited us at the Palamaner climbs. With the uncertainy of the ride or the rider's performance on the climbs looming about, there was mostly silence as the huffing and puffing started. As we neared the last few kms of the climb, we were covered in mist. 
                     (Photo Courtesy - Pradeep naidu)

Making it a great time for recovery as we then entered Palamaner and headed towards Mulbagal after a short watermelon break. Sohan set the pace as I tried to pull for sometime. We kept switching as much as we could. This stretch has to be one of the worst in terms of traffic density and discipline as there is no respect for a cyclist. At the checkpost, there already was a long queue of vehicles and a bus overtakes everyone and blocks the path. Some cyclists even resorted to yelling at the cars as they tried overtaking hardly leaving any shoulder for the cyclist. A huge sigh of relief once we reached Mulbagal. We stopped at the ATM and wanted to leave the town real quick as we sure would pull a big crowd asking the same old set of questions... What .. when .. where from .. where to.. and why.

We couldn't find a good hotel so ended up feasting on coke n cakes n flavoured milk. From here it was 80 kms to the next control. It was about 12.30 at noon and we decided to get some rest. Found a house with a sitout area outside the gate where the bikes got parked under the shade. Sriram managed a 'sound' :-) sleep and karthikeyan slept leaning against a tree. Sohan tried to get some but he couldn't. 




We started after half hour and kept going at 20kph. The next target was Srinivaspur and it was pretty much an uneventful ride till chikballapur. The good part was we had tailwinds to assist all the way to chikballapur which was exactly the opposite when i rode this route last year. Strong headwinds but we managed it because of Deepak. The sight of the NH certainly was so pleasing to the eyes. We took the atm slips and soon checked into Hotel Mayura for dinner. Thulped a curd rice and I was ready for the last leg of the journey. Met kalpesh and karthikeyan who soon joined us and we started at 7.45pm. Just over 3 hours and 50kms to go. The saddle sore finally were getting worse for Sohan and we managed to slow down the pace and take it easy till the finish. Devanahalli, Yelahanka then jakkur and finally Hebbal. Managed to finish at 39hrs 10mins (45 mins to spare). Target achieved. Handed over the brevet card. 
At the finish control IISc gate near MS Ramaiah college.

Bid adieu to the rest of the riders and rode back home at a fast pace till lalbagh then settled into a cruise mode of 25. Never have i rode in bangalore at midnight especially from one corner to another with nearly the entire Bangalore asleep. What a bliss !!!  More action and adventure to follow the rest of 2013 so stay tuned for updates :-)..