A sabbatical from the 'fun' rides most of this year, I couldn't decline the irresistible offer for a weekend ride. This starts with a casual meet at Wheelsports Marathahalli. The most important component for this ride to become a reality would be the 'license' to ride from the home ministries. With both my leave and license (partially approved), Shyam and I waited for Kiran's confirmation.
Thursday - The anxiety attack as usual prior to the ride. However, this time I did manage to get twice as many hours sleep than usual. Next, the bike. Due to a nasty crash during the Nandi race, the rear derailleur had gotten entangled in the rear wheel and the hanger was broken. This had been ordered by Happy Earth Enterprises but this would take a few weeks before this bike can be brought to a riding condition. Wheel at one store, frame at another, my bike wouldn't see the tarmac anytime soon. Over the last couple of years I've had my eyes on a carbon candy that caught my attention at Wheelsports Chamrajpet. Seriously considering an upgrade wasn't really on my mind until the candy was built up with Tiagra 10speed groupset and then shifted to the Marathahalli store. Every day that I visited, I was tempted just take that bike out for a spin. I finally gave in and asked Kiran (Tusker) to transfer the 105 from the Flite 300 to the Flite 750. Only then did we realize that the right shifter was not shifting down and to add fuel to the fire, the rd cage too was bent as the pulley was hitting the cage when extending. Not so good signs. Also the right shifter wasn't shifting at all. A superb stroke of luck when we found that there was a brand new right shifter available that was then installed. Next, a shiny silver 105 rear derailleur was installed. So effectively it was a brand new bike with only an old left shifter and stem :D. The chain too had to be replaced as it had gotten twisted in the crash.
Friday - The excitement continues as this is one of the rides on my list and somehow didn't see the light of the day. This turned out to be just the opportunity. The right wrist ache continues since the crash but on the brighter side, there are no fractures/dislocations which has been confirmed with an X-Ray. A maiden voyage for Shyam's 'Tusky' (XUV 500) and my Flite 750. We started a lot later than the agreed time. Met at silkboard and we drove to A2B from where we had breakfast and then started the ride. We hired a driver (Yogesh) so the support car could be with us for the duration of the trip. The plan was to catch up with the car every 20-30kms. After a heavy breakfast at A2B, we started for Krishnagiri. The heat was a killer and occasional headwinds didn't assist either. The miles rolled by on this super wide and a descending highway. Next milestone was Dharmapuri. A rolling terrain till Dharmapuri toll. We tried to paceline for a bit and then it turned into a cat and mouse game. Shyam rode strong but he did feel the relentless heat. By the time we reached Thoppur ghat, Shyam was exhausted from the heat and opted to take the car. Tusker and I waited at the tool and once Shyam reached, we started to descend the ghat. It was a quick descent and then Kiran rode strong and was soon a few hundred mts away from me and maintained the pace. The cadence was high and but can't say the same for energy levels. We had one rider down and we were descending to the Salem Flats. Despite the heat, Tusker and I rode with high cadence and I suppose we hit the average of atleast 35kph. There were no cyclocomp to measure as mine was a new bike, Tusker was riding shyam's wheelset and the spoke magnet wasn't swapped from the wheel and Shyam was about 10-15kms ahead and waiting for us at Saravana Bhavan. The lunch was sumptuous and we then continued to ride at a steady pace to reach the Day1 rest stop which was Hotel Estancia just before the 5 roads junction. The dilemma now was whether to continue riding to Yercaud directly or to rest at hotel for a while and then ride by 4 in the evening. I'm mighty glad that we chose the latter. You may be wondering why.
1. Heat has been a killer on the highway and on the climb it is only amplified.
2. My drivetrain had a mind of its own. Automatic transmission as if saying 'No Hill assist'.
Checking in to the hotel had its own share of problems (from a rider's perspective). An overcast sky, a swimming pool visible from the room and the mind is easily switches to the nirvana mode. However, I was most eager to test the 750 on the climb and remained adamant to ride to Yercad. Shyam had a rendezvous with his school friends so the ride to Trichy remained the critical task on his wishlist. So considering the heat exhaustion it was decided that he'll be in the support car while Tusker and I started the climb after filling water and enerzal at the base of the climb. Shyam offered his phone to be used as cyclocomp and what a lovely surprise that turned out to be. I stopped momentarily at the start of the climb as he fired up its sensors and every 100mts or so it voiced out the distance/time elapsed/elevation gain. A superb touch to keep the motivation going. A grave mistake turned out to be the selection of cassette, Since my rear wheel was awaiting replacement of broken spokes, I had left the wheel with the cassette. The spare Ultegra cassette however it was a 12-23. This wasn't a big issue as much as the auto shift mechanism. The crank was 34-50T (compact) and I had a hard time keeping the chain at 30 - 23 and it kept shifting to 19 and then i had to upshift to 21 which was stable. The moment I shift to 23, I hear the chain rub on the FD and after a few 10's of meters, it auto shifts to 19 :(. Very very frustrating when i'm happily settling into a rhythm of climbing. Despite these niggles, I managed a 1hr 30 mins timed from base to the last hairpin bend, closely followed by tusker with 1hr 35 mins. I'd love to do the climb again with the right ratios to keep the cadence high but that's a deal for another day. Time to rejoice for the accomplishments of Day 1. It was about 6pm and getting darker. We then decided to head to the hotel for the much needed shower and a sumptuous dinner. Day 2 was yet another exciting day for me as we head from Salem to Namakkal (60kms) and then turn off the NH7 onto Trichy (80kms). The highway ride was good till about 9 after which the heat started getting intense. We stopped at Namakkal for a dose of glucose and some Bovonto :). I must say I never was a fan of Bovonto until this ride. That pretty much propelled me all the way to Trichy with no other food stops except one for a Tea break. The roads got pretty bad so the support car did turn around to wait and pick me up. The roads for about 10kms were broken. Well I'd rather say, there weren't any. Perfect for the XUV "The Tusky" but not the KHS 750. So I gave in and we relaxed for the next 20kms. I was too tempted to ride as the tarmac got better. So we stopped again and started riding. Next stop, Trichy. The familiar sights and sounds of toll gate and traffic soon we entered Trichy crossing the Cauvery bridge. Very patchy with nasty gaps in bridge sections. We stopped for a couple of photos and then headed straight to the School where Shyam studied. Yet another lovely place and soon we rode into the campus where there was a cricket match in progress. Many kids surrounded us with bewilderment and soon the questions followed. How, what when where and the big question WHY!! As we answered them Shyam's classmates too were wide eyed about this accomplishment. Shyam had set out to finish what was planned and what an end to a great trip. I couldn't sleep but Tusker switched to slumber very quick :D. Shyam was awake so we decided to head out for a walk. The hotel (Hotel Breeze) we stayed was adjacent to the main bus stand. A short stroll and we walked into a mall soon the snacks followed. Jigarthanda. Looks like Tusker might've heard our order and he soon asked where we were. With the sound of some calorie load, he soon joined us. Shyam had to leave as he had a reunion planned. We then decided to return the same night so we reached hotel had dinner and then started by 11pm. It was a good thing the bikes weren't mounted as it rained almost constantly till Krishnagiri.
The photolog continues
Thursday - The anxiety attack as usual prior to the ride. However, this time I did manage to get twice as many hours sleep than usual. Next, the bike. Due to a nasty crash during the Nandi race, the rear derailleur had gotten entangled in the rear wheel and the hanger was broken. This had been ordered by Happy Earth Enterprises but this would take a few weeks before this bike can be brought to a riding condition. Wheel at one store, frame at another, my bike wouldn't see the tarmac anytime soon. Over the last couple of years I've had my eyes on a carbon candy that caught my attention at Wheelsports Chamrajpet. Seriously considering an upgrade wasn't really on my mind until the candy was built up with Tiagra 10speed groupset and then shifted to the Marathahalli store. Every day that I visited, I was tempted just take that bike out for a spin. I finally gave in and asked Kiran (Tusker) to transfer the 105 from the Flite 300 to the Flite 750. Only then did we realize that the right shifter was not shifting down and to add fuel to the fire, the rd cage too was bent as the pulley was hitting the cage when extending. Not so good signs. Also the right shifter wasn't shifting at all. A superb stroke of luck when we found that there was a brand new right shifter available that was then installed. Next, a shiny silver 105 rear derailleur was installed. So effectively it was a brand new bike with only an old left shifter and stem :D. The chain too had to be replaced as it had gotten twisted in the crash.
Friday - The excitement continues as this is one of the rides on my list and somehow didn't see the light of the day. This turned out to be just the opportunity. The right wrist ache continues since the crash but on the brighter side, there are no fractures/dislocations which has been confirmed with an X-Ray. A maiden voyage for Shyam's 'Tusky' (XUV 500) and my Flite 750. We started a lot later than the agreed time. Met at silkboard and we drove to A2B from where we had breakfast and then started the ride. We hired a driver (Yogesh) so the support car could be with us for the duration of the trip. The plan was to catch up with the car every 20-30kms. After a heavy breakfast at A2B, we started for Krishnagiri. The heat was a killer and occasional headwinds didn't assist either. The miles rolled by on this super wide and a descending highway. Next milestone was Dharmapuri. A rolling terrain till Dharmapuri toll. We tried to paceline for a bit and then it turned into a cat and mouse game. Shyam rode strong but he did feel the relentless heat. By the time we reached Thoppur ghat, Shyam was exhausted from the heat and opted to take the car. Tusker and I waited at the tool and once Shyam reached, we started to descend the ghat. It was a quick descent and then Kiran rode strong and was soon a few hundred mts away from me and maintained the pace. The cadence was high and but can't say the same for energy levels. We had one rider down and we were descending to the Salem Flats. Despite the heat, Tusker and I rode with high cadence and I suppose we hit the average of atleast 35kph. There were no cyclocomp to measure as mine was a new bike, Tusker was riding shyam's wheelset and the spoke magnet wasn't swapped from the wheel and Shyam was about 10-15kms ahead and waiting for us at Saravana Bhavan. The lunch was sumptuous and we then continued to ride at a steady pace to reach the Day1 rest stop which was Hotel Estancia just before the 5 roads junction. The dilemma now was whether to continue riding to Yercaud directly or to rest at hotel for a while and then ride by 4 in the evening. I'm mighty glad that we chose the latter. You may be wondering why.
1. Heat has been a killer on the highway and on the climb it is only amplified.
2. My drivetrain had a mind of its own. Automatic transmission as if saying 'No Hill assist'.
Checking in to the hotel had its own share of problems (from a rider's perspective). An overcast sky, a swimming pool visible from the room and the mind is easily switches to the nirvana mode. However, I was most eager to test the 750 on the climb and remained adamant to ride to Yercad. Shyam had a rendezvous with his school friends so the ride to Trichy remained the critical task on his wishlist. So considering the heat exhaustion it was decided that he'll be in the support car while Tusker and I started the climb after filling water and enerzal at the base of the climb. Shyam offered his phone to be used as cyclocomp and what a lovely surprise that turned out to be. I stopped momentarily at the start of the climb as he fired up its sensors and every 100mts or so it voiced out the distance/time elapsed/elevation gain. A superb touch to keep the motivation going. A grave mistake turned out to be the selection of cassette, Since my rear wheel was awaiting replacement of broken spokes, I had left the wheel with the cassette. The spare Ultegra cassette however it was a 12-23. This wasn't a big issue as much as the auto shift mechanism. The crank was 34-50T (compact) and I had a hard time keeping the chain at 30 - 23 and it kept shifting to 19 and then i had to upshift to 21 which was stable. The moment I shift to 23, I hear the chain rub on the FD and after a few 10's of meters, it auto shifts to 19 :(. Very very frustrating when i'm happily settling into a rhythm of climbing. Despite these niggles, I managed a 1hr 30 mins timed from base to the last hairpin bend, closely followed by tusker with 1hr 35 mins. I'd love to do the climb again with the right ratios to keep the cadence high but that's a deal for another day. Time to rejoice for the accomplishments of Day 1. It was about 6pm and getting darker. We then decided to head to the hotel for the much needed shower and a sumptuous dinner. Day 2 was yet another exciting day for me as we head from Salem to Namakkal (60kms) and then turn off the NH7 onto Trichy (80kms). The highway ride was good till about 9 after which the heat started getting intense. We stopped at Namakkal for a dose of glucose and some Bovonto :). I must say I never was a fan of Bovonto until this ride. That pretty much propelled me all the way to Trichy with no other food stops except one for a Tea break. The roads got pretty bad so the support car did turn around to wait and pick me up. The roads for about 10kms were broken. Well I'd rather say, there weren't any. Perfect for the XUV "The Tusky" but not the KHS 750. So I gave in and we relaxed for the next 20kms. I was too tempted to ride as the tarmac got better. So we stopped again and started riding. Next stop, Trichy. The familiar sights and sounds of toll gate and traffic soon we entered Trichy crossing the Cauvery bridge. Very patchy with nasty gaps in bridge sections. We stopped for a couple of photos and then headed straight to the School where Shyam studied. Yet another lovely place and soon we rode into the campus where there was a cricket match in progress. Many kids surrounded us with bewilderment and soon the questions followed. How, what when where and the big question WHY!! As we answered them Shyam's classmates too were wide eyed about this accomplishment. Shyam had set out to finish what was planned and what an end to a great trip. I couldn't sleep but Tusker switched to slumber very quick :D. Shyam was awake so we decided to head out for a walk. The hotel (Hotel Breeze) we stayed was adjacent to the main bus stand. A short stroll and we walked into a mall soon the snacks followed. Jigarthanda. Looks like Tusker might've heard our order and he soon asked where we were. With the sound of some calorie load, he soon joined us. Shyam had to leave as he had a reunion planned. We then decided to return the same night so we reached hotel had dinner and then started by 11pm. It was a good thing the bikes weren't mounted as it rained almost constantly till Krishnagiri.
The photolog continues
Thanks to master shivraj for getting the bike ready quick for the maiden ride
At Mcdonalds near Shoolagiri (Start of our ride)
Right after krishnagiri
Former Mr.Salem
After descending the Thoppur Ghat section
Tuskie and Bikes geting rest
Super before reaching the hotel
Hotel Estacia and the bikes
Yercaud range and the pool view from room
Yercaud lake
Dinner at Estancia
Tusker's Ride
Shyam's ride
Day 2 - Independence Day ride to Trichy
Enroute Trichy (on the Namakkal - Trichy highway)
An adamant rider continues
The cauvery bridge at Trichy
All three bikes packed inside the XUV
Awaiting the return to Bangalore
