Just 12kms -Swalpa Cycling!!

Plans brewing over weekdays isn't something new and with so many being cancelled at the last minute, i only worried about getting some mileage prior to the big day. So the commutes on the single speed started. I couldn't replace that for mountain terrain training but something is anyday better than nothing. Spinning higher (cadence) just kept the muscles in a state so they could spin atleast to some extent on the day of the sufferfest. It started with Putta and I thinking about a ride from Bangalore to Ooty, staying there for a day and returning by Monday morning.

Ze Participants Finally :  5 participants ready for a mundane monday :). I wonder if it could've gotten any better. Really? A monday? Oh Yeah!! Bring it on !! Who? 

Kiran aka Tusker >> Non-stop on an MTB with hardly any rides that might give him a chance to consider seeing the summit. 
Putta aka Tiger or BlackMamba >> Conquer the toughest the south has to offer.
Anantha aka Dreamer >>   Music on, pistons on !!
Krishnan >> The beedi body cyclist aiming for a non-stop.
Finally me Gans/Gana >> Music on and aim to finish non-stop hopefully taking less than the first attempt (1hr 45mins). 

Ze Plan: Rendezvous at Jayanagar (my house) at 11.30 on Sunday. Krishnan and Putta were on time but tusker waiting for Anantha turned up only by 1. Ended up watching the documentary Haute Route 2012. Motivation for the mind.

Ze Automobili: Mahindra Scorpio with Thule roof rack and Saris bones 3 rear rack. 

Ze start: We managed to start only by 1.30 as we struggled to get the Saris Bones rack installed/setup and we got it nearly right. 

 All hands on deck to get the rack righly fit

Until we hit the mysore road, with every undulation on the road, all heads turned back checking on the rack and mind was content knowing the rack held up very well. I managed to get a few hours of sleep that evening so i was good for another 8hrs. The first stop was for a coffee and Anantha hadn't had dinner so this was a short one at a CCD after before Mandya. A little beyond Maddur I took the wheel and there were talks of taking the outer ring road, and it was a good thing we didn't as the roads were nearly empty. My second time with scorpio and very impressed with the overall package. The body roll as mentioned is evident and since it was loaded with bikes for a good cause, i think it was lesser than when the vehicle is empty. 

Drove through Bandipur, spotted many deer, peacocks, boar and some tamed elephants. Langurs and some bird resembling myna absolutely weren't scared of vehicles and refused to move from road. So we had to navigate around them for a safe passage. We made it to thepekadu at about 7-7.30 and stopped for a short break as Putta wasn't feeling well. Ended up puking and thats attributed to the constant body roll. I think i'd put it this way, the body roll in this one is more like a gentle rocking, enough to put the passengers to sleep :). Kiran took over and we headed to masinagudi. Thanks to Putta we had a contact who guided us to the Greenpark Resort about a km to the right after the police station. (lane opp to Masinagudi bus stand). The place was good for stay and great for someone considering riding up to ooty early in the morning and possibly a repeat in the evening for the not so sane minds :D. 


While the bikes were being umounted, we requested for breakfast be prepared and hot puris and idlis with sambar and chutney. I wondered what was the best before a hard riding session. Anything oily and high in carb. So 3 puris and a lot of potato gravy (sagu) was the fuel needed for the climb. We managed to unload the bikes and prep them for the ride ahead. Started at 09:00hrs and took it an easy till the base. 

 At Thepekadu for a short break

 

 

Loaded Scorpio

As one descends from masinagudi towards the base and climbs for short stretches, Tusker felt the pinch and did look worried. Accompanied him till the base with the mighty kalhatty looking down upon us. Krishnan, Anantha and Putta had switched on the nitrous and started the climbs already. As soon as we reached base, i informed tusker that i'll time my climb and do a non-stop may not be a fast one. My playlist:

1. Naan Nee (Madras 2014)
2.  Downtown Abbey cover  - Repeated atleast thrice on the climb
3. Many songs from collection soulful Arjit like Tose Naina and Samjhaawan
4. The cinematic orchestra - the flight of birds
5. Ludovico Einaudi - Primavera, Divinere

Spinning at a steady pace and matching the tunes whilst sipping gatorade lime every km was bliss. This is my first and only ever climb where i was disappointed as the number of hairpin bends kept decreasing. Skeptical, nuts, crazy, weird isn't it. !! Well but i was ready for another climb at the same pace but time constraints ensured that we descended on time to reach home by 10-11pm. Krishnan blitzed kalhatty at 1hr.29mins and i managed a 1hr.33mins. Now the wait and watch game began as to whose head would pop up around the apex of the last curve and lo behold it was Tusker on the new Polygon MTB, followed by Anantha and then Putta. A serious feat by Putta considering his first climb, tusker and his will power proven as he did a non stop climb too an an MTB that i probably would never even think of attempting. Anantha ended up with some  mech issues so he had to stop to correct before restarting the pace and the chase to putta and tusker. How can this end without some selfies or groupies. So here goes:

The first lot to reach the summit

The state after the climb (Haiyyu.. haiyyu)

Jubilant Warriors

We were considering on visiting Doddabetta but we had started too late to even think of riding 32more kms of rolling terrain (from kalhatty top to dottabetta and back). So all were happy to descend down the same climb. I knew this was gruelling as i'd done it earlier and it was taxing on the shoulders as one has to be constantly on the drops for better braking power. However, the descent was made pleasurable by capturing many videos and pics of some 'pro styled cornering' and a stop for chocolate Tea and chocolates. We stopped for a good half hour relishing the different flavors of chocolates and the Tea was especially very good. I could have tried another variety but i didn't want to lose the taste of chocolate. So Kalhatty again for masala tea anyone? :P. 

Towards the last hairpin putta had a blown tube and a kind mobiker from Palakkad agreed to help putta and carry the MTB till masinagudi. We unfortunately couldn't get more info or a photo as we were riding and Putta had sped away to reach masinagudi early but if he ever reads this blog, A mighty thank you from the Team Cleated Warriors. You are invited to join our pace line during our trainings (whenever we train) and (IF we train) :). 

Putta managed to replace the tube replaced and we scouted a few 100mts to try and look for a place to pump air. We kept getting redirected to cycle store and they failed to understand that it is the bike valve. After a few minutes, we located the puncture repair shop and filled up the wheel (INR10). All of us were carrying pumps that support only presta. Even the polygon had a presta. Soon we reached the hotel and on enquiring, the cook was not available so we agreed to have food en-route bangalore. We stopped at a hotel before Nanjangud. 'Gulp and Thulp' was the motto with protein and carb load with biryani. I stuck to parota and dal so i don't feel drowsy during the drive. The single lane highway with potholed roads was doing no good and almost 95% of the traffic drove with high beam. Very Very frustrating drive till we reached mysore ORR. Tusker took over and i wanted to rest my eyes until we stopped at CCD near Channapatna. A hazelnut coffee to replenish my senses and i was awake for the rest of the uneventful drive till home. 

Something I did forget to mention is that Anantha ended up being late and the reason ?? ...... 

... Chased by non-vegetarian dogs while he was riding to Tusker's house :). When he mentioned this to us on the way to Kalhatty, there was a strange silence for a few seconds and then everyone burst out laughing !! It then dawned upon us that the species of 'vegetarian' dogs hasn't probably been found by Discovery or Animal Planet yet :D. Even more amusing was Kiran considering to do the climb in 3/4ths rather than lycra stating it is 'just' 12kms :).

Lovely roads throughout

 The machine

 High speed corners

 Post ride recovery stretches

The Matrix Stretch

Cleated Warriors attack Yercaud !!

An dose of entertainment long due since the weekends were spent rather as race days or a team ride. All it takes is to ignite the spark of adventure onto similar minds and the ride is on. With the original plan of a ride to yercaud and returning, i was skeptical of attempting this as the rides that i had done prior weren't even close the levels of preparation needed. However, I managed to get off work by about 3.30 and reached home in time for ensuring endurance ride checklist was followed and the bike ready on time. The rendezvous point set to silk board for 6.30, only anantha reached by 7 and we started riding together and the Chiddu later joined us at Attibele. The ride was on superb roads NH44 certain sections had cones kept to warn the traffic that the culvert is yet to be installed but it is easy to miss as there is more than a feet drop between the service road and the new flyover that is being constructed at hosur. We stopped a few times to empty tanks and gaze at the sky. It sure has been a very long time since i've looked at the night sky with so many stars. This gets better when there are no lights around you to distort your vision. 

Bangalore is at 2991ft and we manage to go downhill till krishnagiri at 1607ft and Salem at 938 feet. The Yercaud climb is 20Kms from the base to the last hairpin bend (20/20) and the elevation at the summit is 4634ft so an elevation gain of 3694ft in a span of 20kms. 

The first break was at McDonalds where we had sumptuous dinner. Some fried rice, biryani and protein rich paneer gravy. This was exactly the point when Chiddu's rear derailleur broke and he had to call off the 600 brevet. about an hour later, we started towards Krishnagiri after which we decided to form a paceline which worked intermittently about 20kms beyond Krishnagiri, we stopped for a coffee break which was quite refreshing. We rode along for a few more kms and decided to get some power nap at a truck laybye. The odomos was missing after the earlier break and we mosquitoes ensured they held their territory well. After updating stats on the social network, we left for the toll booth. Chiddu had to change the battery to ensure a safe descent at the thoppur ghats. There was a very mild drizzle right after we crossed the tollbooth which certainly was refreshing. It looks like the road has been scraped away by bulldozers and it was rough as a sandpaper. Anantha and I sped downhill and we waited for Chiddu. We started riding together and the next milestone was the Salem toll booth. We tried stop one more time to catch up some sleep and a closed shop with an open patch under the roof looked ideal but there were too many 'fans' there too :). So we started riding yet again. The next plan was to ensure we eat atleast an hour prior to climb. So we entered the byepass and stopped at Hotel Annapurna. Being the first customers, we did get some great vegetable soup to revitalize the senses and idly vada for the reserves. About 8am Anantha and I started the climb. However, Chiddu had stopped at an lbs to attempt to fix a wobbling wheel due to a loose cone moreover, he ended up with a broken spoke So he managed to fix the same and started soon. Usually i listen to songs on any ride but this time i used the mp3 player only for the climb and it worked its magic very well as i settled into a rhythm, enjoying the scenery and as the numbers on hairpin counts increased, i payed close attention to the weather change. Upto hairpin 10 it is a steady climb and beyond that cool breeze keeps the engine cool as you pound. At about 16th hairpin bend, the scenery changes as you're surrounded by tall trees and some beautiful view all around. A selfie at the yercaud board and the clock indicating 1hr 45 mins, i returned to stop at hairpin 20/20 for Anantha. I relaxed for about 10 mins then i decided to start on the downhill when i met Anantha at the 19th hairpin bend. The weather was pleasant and we decided to ride downhill and wait at the halfway point where there is only one stall serving watermelon, pineapple cucumber and figs. Feasted on those and chiddu soon joined us. We decided to wait at the base at some hotel and we had hot parotas and curry and this sure was enough to keep the tummy happy till the return to bangalore. We decided that it was better to start to bangalore so we could return and get rest. Messaged chiddu that we are starting for bangalore. We reached Salem new bus stand and found that the KSRTC bus was only for evening/night. So we boarded the limited stop Bangalore express and paid 310 for the ticket and lugguage per person. All we could remember is the stops that the bus made at dharmapuri, kaveripattinam, krishnagiri, hosur and finally Silkboard. Took us about 5 mins to unload the bikes and soon we were on our way back home. 

At Salem Toll

Good morning Yercaud

 1.hr.45mins Phew!!

The 'Rubie'

At the 20th Hairpin bend                                       The Victory pose

The final turn

Photo session

A pic to cherish.... 10k kms and counting

At the summit

1 more to go..

 A comfortable finish

Spot Chiddu

2014 - Midsummer night Brevet - Mandya

The work schedule gets more hectic, very few hours in a day to pursue interests. I managed to register on the last day of the close of registrations to this brevet and the idea was to ride with one of the great Brevet riders, Sohan. One great rider with many jewels to his crown but this will be documented in another blog. Surprises to be saved for a later, greater blog. The thought of riding an all nighter during summer was exciting. Usually i'd keep my eyes off any brevet during summer as i don't want look like a penguin post such rides. This was one of the first of its kind where the start was at 8pm and ends at 9.30 the next morning. One of the goals for me on this ride was eat well hydrate in a timely m and ride easy.13.5hrs as the target didn't seem to be a far cry for a rider who's not new to randonneuring.  
Whats a ride without a sudden dose of adrenalin. 3-4hrs before the ride i get a message that there are mechanical issues with sohan's bike so i'm a little disappointed and ready to drop the plan. As he got busy trying to figure out a solution to the problem, i suggested that he try riding the MTB. A crazy idea nevertheless. Whats crazy about riding an MTB you wonder ..  Well, the secret is, it isn't the right frame size. (21.5" and the fit for me was 19.5"). Keen on not wasting anymore valuable time we quickly prepped the bikes and headed for the start point. The beauty of a brevet is that it is never cancelled due to 'bad' weather. Rain or shine you waterproof yourself as much as possible and set off. We reached the start point and finished formalities by 8.50pm. Many had already started and we saw a few on their way. It had drizzled some parts of the city. Looked like weather gods were happy with the turnout for this event. Sohan and I started about 50 mins late and rode with a steady pace till we hit mysore road and then the chatty ride with intermittent breaks ensured mind and tummy both were happy. We reached the control at u-turn point at 2am. Pulpy orange really did refresh my senses and i soon was ready for the return leg. Being a Saturday night, there was hardly any traffic and for some stretches, it was empty with only a moonlit night and the flashlights working their magic illuminating the highway. The weather stayed cool and i settled into a rhythm and was humming different numbers that i would've otherwise listened on my mp3 player had i brought it along. We managed to finish the ride by 8.36AM.

The list of finishers >> https://brevetmgr.appspot.com/brevet/may2014-mandya/results 
  

Post ride an idly vada treat awaited at udupi garden. So the tummy that was tucking in slowly popped right out :D

SFS TTT - My re-entry in to racing orbit .. !!

After a year of dormancy in cycling, it was time to get slowly back to form and ride more often. It did start with BBCh ITT and the my results were just as i predicted to be in the average zone. Let me tell you that that the bar certainly has been heightened as Bangalore's racing scene is hotter than ever. Team specialized, kynkyny, wheelsports, spectrum are the usual names on the podium. The ITT being the actual re-entry to cycling and the start of the new season, I managed to ride for the next 3 days to prepare for the TTT. This did wonders in the race today. Two teams formed for Cleated Warriors, 

Team A:
Opendro
Deepak
Krishnan
Ganapathy

Team B:
Anantha
Putta
Chidu
Rafi

The race started just great and some cleat issues for myself, Deepak ensured a not so smooth start. But after about 100mts, we were testing the waters with the average and settled comfortably into a zone. The pace was consistent and the rotation of the lead rider was swift and well managed. Quite often there is a call out from lead rider checking to see if all are in and a confirmatory 'yes' ensured he doesn't have to slow down nor look back. Krishnan did well on the way out but post the u-turn got dropped and the distance between myself and Krishnan slowly increased. As i kept looking back the distance between Opendro and I started to increase. This stretch where this was happening was an uphill, it was a quite a feat to try and catch up, I almost did get dropped and luckily Opendro turned back and asked the Peppercorn express (Deepak) to slow down and i'm glad he did. We continued riding at a steady pace to wait for Krishnan to catch up but after a km, we were back in the race. Then a mini briefing while riding that we'll have to stick together as it has to be minimum of 3 riders crossing the finish line from the team of 4 that is counted. So I had no option but to join the suffer-fest. Opendro, the road runner managed to pull the train very well. Never has a btwin sport1 looked so good with aero bars and the non-stock wheelset. Check this:

First loop done and we were ready for the u-turn and thanks to Mayumi for capturing the video of the paceline. Lap 2 was more of babysitting by Deepak and Opendro as i was riding second and preserving energy for the return. I did manage to pull a couple of instances especially the downhills where the speeds reached 45+kph. After the u turn near Volvo plant, it was disciplined riding all the way back and lead rotations were as frequent as a minute. Deepak had to be limited due to the slowest of the riders in the group, ME :D. The last 1km i heard the familiar yell 'go all out' and so the riding became more vigorous and soon we could see the finish line about 200mts away. I slowed down a bit and dropped back for about 10--15mts as i was out of breath, but after some deep breathing for a few seconds, i felt much better and sprinted to the finish. I owe this to Deepak and Opendro as i would have had nothing left to sprint had I pulled as these two powerhouses in the second lap. My biggest concern was to not end up with a flat as I would jeopardize the team finish!! I did hit a pothole quite hard on the bannerghatta road earlier that morning while making it to the start point. During the second lap, i was yelling out names in my mind, Christoph Strasser, Jure Robic. This was weird as they are endurance gurus and I was supposed to be yelling names like Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan etc.. :D. This was the team A's experience and the team B looks like they had more fun. Here are the team standings:

I managed to see the sprint finish of team B and the timing was quite good considering that it is the first race for Chidu (aka Chidambaram), first ride with the team for Anantha and Rafi returing to racing scene after completing a few Brevets. Right after crossing the finish line, Chidu left the bike on road and lied down flat :D. Putta was all pepped-up and riding strong if only the strategy could've been a little better to align with other members. The dire need for this team to excel is consistent training and that starts with me. Deepak already has set a target for the TTT/ITT. 

Learning from this TTT:

1. No off the saddle pounding. 
2. Follow the leader and look only at the rear wheel and nothing else to avoid distractions. This works as long as there is no sudden acceleration/deceleration from the rider ahead. 
3. The bigger the team 4-5 the better it is for pace-lining. 
4. Consistent training to fare better. 


Some photos from the ride:

Warm up on the service lane near emerald Isle.

Post ride nutrition. Thanks to our awesome nutritionist Mayumi San.

Superb spongecake by Mayumi San :D

Post race report/results/feedback

Husshhh..!!! Things to do after a race :D

No no, I was in deep meditative state:

All of the race participants