Hello to one an all. If you've reached this blog in error and 'your-world' is fueled by petro/diesel heads, then the rest of this trip ain't for you. You might wanna click the 'x' button on the top right corner of this pagebefore you get a sneak-peek into the velo world.
Statutory Warning :: There may be some velo-jargons in this blog which will be is bound to go over your head so just chill ;-)
Becoming a super randonneur was a persistent entry in the 'to-do-list' and the 8 month itch now satisfied with the latest attempt, the Tri-State 600 Brevet that was held on 28th July 2012. Work life had taken a toll the whole July and managing a meagre 3-4 hr sleep every day!! But should I do this... hmm... maybe not. 'Why the sufferfest?'.. that's what you're thinking but in my head 'Why not ride out than lazing in couch comfortably and watching movies'. Did I want to do this .. Heck yeah..!! Just as any other Brevet, I started out partially organized and never completely ready. Two weekends ago I attempted the Brevet 400 in Chennai (documented here). For those of who don't know what a Brevet is, is just a self supported ride to be completed in a specified time span. For the Brevet 600, 40 hours is the limit. The distance of a ride seems to be indirectly proportional to the number of participants. With about 12 riders registered, we were to start from IISc gymkhana gate. I did invite Pradeep Chandar from chennai whom I met while doing the 400 Brevet. Though I had registered, the final confirmation whether I was riding wasn't available until a day before the ride. Sunday is usually a work day and with that taken care by one of my colleague who agreed to cover on my behalf, I was relieved and confirmed my participation to Pradeep who then started the prep work for driving to Bangalore. A supporting velo family I should say as his parents also came along to offer moral support. Very thankful to Pradeep's father who offered to use the Innova to drive to start point rather than ride till there. My preparations only started at 10 at night and finished by midnight. I had 4 hrs of sleep at my disposal with which I was supposed to manage the rest of the 40hr ride.
05:00hrs -- This time my funky alarm tone wasn't there as my mobile's (Nokia-X6) camera glass had broken and the headphone socket wasn't working. Thanks to Dhilip from my office who agreed to swap my phone with his 5800 Xpress which is not so different from the X6. Carried MP3 player wasn't at any point during the ride. Yet another reason to complete the 600 -- my Brevet ID number is B-600 :-). I've got ready in no time and Pradeep soon was waiting. We quickly had curry noodles and protein substitute so we don't ride on empty stomach. Loaded bikes in the dikki of the innova and soon we left for start point. Looked like Pradeep and Driver had a mini tour of the nearly asleep namma-Bengaluru. Thanked the driver and he headed back to the hotel where his parents stayed. Meanwhile we prepped our bikes for the inspection. A must when any part of the ride occurs during the night are, headlight, a red taillight, a helmet and safety vest. We were waiting for Deepak, Rajanikant and Harsha who were traveling to the start point together in Deepak's car. With the bike inspection complete and the brevet card stamped we started to ride. Pradeep and I started with the group as I wasn't too sure of the route for the initial 10kms. In about half hour riding we reached the outskirts of Bangalore, Merida junction and continued to ride at a good pace and confident that Deepak would catch us enroute. Pradeep was happy with the long downhill stretches till the first Control at Sathanur. From Sathanur it was uphill for about 15-20kms till the turnoff to Harohalli-Jigani. As it had been raining intermittently over the last few weeks there was lush greenery all around and some lovely tarmac to complement our rides. Joshua, Vikram and I took the climbs at jigani to reach the hilltop where Deepak, Rajanikant and Harsha were waiting. We finished lunch in about half hour and then headed to Anekal and then to Attibele. This turned out to be a fast paced ride and pace lining worked its magic. After collecting the ATM slips in Attibele, we entered the highway NH-7. From here we had to be extra careful as we had exactly about 1ft shoulder from the passing trucks and buses but it wasn't as busy as I expected. The first stop was at CCD for some coffee and evening snack. A much deserved stop for refueling. This helped in surging through the evening atleast till before Vaniyambadi tollbooth. Then we ended up stopping at a restaurant or more of a dhaba for truckers. The amount of oil in rice (drippin) and the quantity (A heap on a plate) confirmed that it was designed for the hungry truckers :-P. After quite some struggle to finish the plate all of us started for vellore and the target to reach was about 3-4which we did make it on time. As per the velo-gurus prediction the going only would get slower from the halfway point onwards. Velo-Rajani wasn't spared by the wrath of Rajanikant jokes unleashed by Harsha. All had a lighter moment as we stopped for coffee and buns. Sleep deprivation is the single most bummer with such long rides and normally it's caffeine to the rescue. With two climbs on this route the organisers sure must've gotten a fair share of nasty blastings from riders while riding but there has always been a complementing second half as was experienced during the Brevet 300. The first 100km was a test of bones of both the rider and the bike. After the sufferfest one gets to ride through beautiful flat stretch lined with lush green trees. Sublime !!
However, the till Vellore, it was mostly downhill and then it was a steady climb all the way to Bangalore. Deepak started to ride slower and Harsha rode like a rocket with solid boosters strapped to his back. I was shuffling between the two maintaining visual contact and then decided to push Deepak and let him set the pace as I tailed him till Mulbagal. Quite a busy town where Deepak managed to drop his garmin which was promptly picked up by the Hawk-eyed Harsha :-). Deepak and Harsha stopped for Biryani and I just grabbed a bite of veg puffs and a litre of mango juice to propel me till chikaballapur or atleast I thought it would ...!!
Then the sleep deprivation took its toll on me. I was supposed to be the navigator and somehow missed a turn and we headed 4kms in the wrong direction and battled headwinds on the 4-lane highway. I was happy that we were on highway and disgusted at 2 reasons. Firstly the horrid headwinds and secondly Harsha was enlightened somehow and said this didn't look to be right. So we turned back and then found the correct turn towards chikaballapur. Never had I seen Deepak all charged up but also frustrated that we'd lost a precious half hour because of my folly. From this point on Deepak rode like a monster at speeds averaging 30kph on flats battling headwinds. Harsha was struggling with the btwin lycra and found it hard to stay on the saddle. I was able to keep up for about 15kms after which I dropped then Harsha too dropped but Deepak just kept at it. Truly admire his spirit and sheer explosion of energy. Biryani POWER!!! Never were we so silent on the entire trip except on this stretch until we reached Chikaballapur. I thought the sufferfest was over but the worst was yet to come. The moment we entered the national highway the monster in all of us just woke up for one last endurance sprint and we pedaled real hard. The Average would've been easily over 35kph and some stretches seeing 45+. No-one cared to complain about to horrid traffic as we managed to be a part of the 'road rash' club :-). Soon we caught up with almost all riders. The first one we overtook was Sandeep who seemed calm and composed even after finishing 500+km. We on the other hand were weary tired and panting. Managed to get a breather till we crossed the Devanahalli toll booth and then it was full attack mode again. We overtook Rajanikant (no no not the actor but yet another accomplished rider who is riding this route the second time ... just for fun!!!), who tried to keep up with us and said we still have lots of time My mind went, Nay....!! I'd better keep the engine in full throttle. It was an undramatic ride till Hebbal when we hit traffic and slowed down to get on the ORR. From here the pace was reduced and we rode easily till BEL circle and turned left towards MS Ramaiah college and just about a half km ahead was the finish point. Seeing familiar faces is such a stress buster. Been there Done that !! The joy of achieving a goal is simply indescribable. Now that I'm a Super Randonneur, you might wonder what next? It will be touring mode for the rest of this year. Exploring new territory, meet new people, try different cuisine....With all these thoughts on mind and paper, I sit back at office desk and charting routes for the next adventure.
Until then ADIOS..!!
All the pics of this trip are available here ::
Pretty much anyone in IT domain :-P Facebook
For all others Picasa
Statutory Warning :: There may be some velo-jargons in this blog which will be is bound to go over your head so just chill ;-)
Becoming a super randonneur was a persistent entry in the 'to-do-list' and the 8 month itch now satisfied with the latest attempt, the Tri-State 600 Brevet that was held on 28th July 2012. Work life had taken a toll the whole July and managing a meagre 3-4 hr sleep every day!! But should I do this... hmm... maybe not. 'Why the sufferfest?'.. that's what you're thinking but in my head 'Why not ride out than lazing in couch comfortably and watching movies'. Did I want to do this .. Heck yeah..!! Just as any other Brevet, I started out partially organized and never completely ready. Two weekends ago I attempted the Brevet 400 in Chennai (documented here). For those of who don't know what a Brevet is, is just a self supported ride to be completed in a specified time span. For the Brevet 600, 40 hours is the limit. The distance of a ride seems to be indirectly proportional to the number of participants. With about 12 riders registered, we were to start from IISc gymkhana gate. I did invite Pradeep Chandar from chennai whom I met while doing the 400 Brevet. Though I had registered, the final confirmation whether I was riding wasn't available until a day before the ride. Sunday is usually a work day and with that taken care by one of my colleague who agreed to cover on my behalf, I was relieved and confirmed my participation to Pradeep who then started the prep work for driving to Bangalore. A supporting velo family I should say as his parents also came along to offer moral support. Very thankful to Pradeep's father who offered to use the Innova to drive to start point rather than ride till there. My preparations only started at 10 at night and finished by midnight. I had 4 hrs of sleep at my disposal with which I was supposed to manage the rest of the 40hr ride.
05:00hrs -- This time my funky alarm tone wasn't there as my mobile's (Nokia-X6) camera glass had broken and the headphone socket wasn't working. Thanks to Dhilip from my office who agreed to swap my phone with his 5800 Xpress which is not so different from the X6. Carried MP3 player wasn't at any point during the ride. Yet another reason to complete the 600 -- my Brevet ID number is B-600 :-). I've got ready in no time and Pradeep soon was waiting. We quickly had curry noodles and protein substitute so we don't ride on empty stomach. Loaded bikes in the dikki of the innova and soon we left for start point. Looked like Pradeep and Driver had a mini tour of the nearly asleep namma-Bengaluru. Thanked the driver and he headed back to the hotel where his parents stayed. Meanwhile we prepped our bikes for the inspection. A must when any part of the ride occurs during the night are, headlight, a red taillight, a helmet and safety vest. We were waiting for Deepak, Rajanikant and Harsha who were traveling to the start point together in Deepak's car. With the bike inspection complete and the brevet card stamped we started to ride. Pradeep and I started with the group as I wasn't too sure of the route for the initial 10kms. In about half hour riding we reached the outskirts of Bangalore, Merida junction and continued to ride at a good pace and confident that Deepak would catch us enroute. Pradeep was happy with the long downhill stretches till the first Control at Sathanur. From Sathanur it was uphill for about 15-20kms till the turnoff to Harohalli-Jigani. As it had been raining intermittently over the last few weeks there was lush greenery all around and some lovely tarmac to complement our rides. Joshua, Vikram and I took the climbs at jigani to reach the hilltop where Deepak, Rajanikant and Harsha were waiting. We finished lunch in about half hour and then headed to Anekal and then to Attibele. This turned out to be a fast paced ride and pace lining worked its magic. After collecting the ATM slips in Attibele, we entered the highway NH-7. From here we had to be extra careful as we had exactly about 1ft shoulder from the passing trucks and buses but it wasn't as busy as I expected. The first stop was at CCD for some coffee and evening snack. A much deserved stop for refueling. This helped in surging through the evening atleast till before Vaniyambadi tollbooth. Then we ended up stopping at a restaurant or more of a dhaba for truckers. The amount of oil in rice (drippin) and the quantity (A heap on a plate) confirmed that it was designed for the hungry truckers :-P. After quite some struggle to finish the plate all of us started for vellore and the target to reach was about 3-4which we did make it on time. As per the velo-gurus prediction the going only would get slower from the halfway point onwards. Velo-Rajani wasn't spared by the wrath of Rajanikant jokes unleashed by Harsha. All had a lighter moment as we stopped for coffee and buns. Sleep deprivation is the single most bummer with such long rides and normally it's caffeine to the rescue. With two climbs on this route the organisers sure must've gotten a fair share of nasty blastings from riders while riding but there has always been a complementing second half as was experienced during the Brevet 300. The first 100km was a test of bones of both the rider and the bike. After the sufferfest one gets to ride through beautiful flat stretch lined with lush green trees. Sublime !!
However, the till Vellore, it was mostly downhill and then it was a steady climb all the way to Bangalore. Deepak started to ride slower and Harsha rode like a rocket with solid boosters strapped to his back. I was shuffling between the two maintaining visual contact and then decided to push Deepak and let him set the pace as I tailed him till Mulbagal. Quite a busy town where Deepak managed to drop his garmin which was promptly picked up by the Hawk-eyed Harsha :-). Deepak and Harsha stopped for Biryani and I just grabbed a bite of veg puffs and a litre of mango juice to propel me till chikaballapur or atleast I thought it would ...!!
Then the sleep deprivation took its toll on me. I was supposed to be the navigator and somehow missed a turn and we headed 4kms in the wrong direction and battled headwinds on the 4-lane highway. I was happy that we were on highway and disgusted at 2 reasons. Firstly the horrid headwinds and secondly Harsha was enlightened somehow and said this didn't look to be right. So we turned back and then found the correct turn towards chikaballapur. Never had I seen Deepak all charged up but also frustrated that we'd lost a precious half hour because of my folly. From this point on Deepak rode like a monster at speeds averaging 30kph on flats battling headwinds. Harsha was struggling with the btwin lycra and found it hard to stay on the saddle. I was able to keep up for about 15kms after which I dropped then Harsha too dropped but Deepak just kept at it. Truly admire his spirit and sheer explosion of energy. Biryani POWER!!! Never were we so silent on the entire trip except on this stretch until we reached Chikaballapur. I thought the sufferfest was over but the worst was yet to come. The moment we entered the national highway the monster in all of us just woke up for one last endurance sprint and we pedaled real hard. The Average would've been easily over 35kph and some stretches seeing 45+. No-one cared to complain about to horrid traffic as we managed to be a part of the 'road rash' club :-). Soon we caught up with almost all riders. The first one we overtook was Sandeep who seemed calm and composed even after finishing 500+km. We on the other hand were weary tired and panting. Managed to get a breather till we crossed the Devanahalli toll booth and then it was full attack mode again. We overtook Rajanikant (no no not the actor but yet another accomplished rider who is riding this route the second time ... just for fun!!!), who tried to keep up with us and said we still have lots of time My mind went, Nay....!! I'd better keep the engine in full throttle. It was an undramatic ride till Hebbal when we hit traffic and slowed down to get on the ORR. From here the pace was reduced and we rode easily till BEL circle and turned left towards MS Ramaiah college and just about a half km ahead was the finish point. Seeing familiar faces is such a stress buster. Been there Done that !! The joy of achieving a goal is simply indescribable. Now that I'm a Super Randonneur, you might wonder what next? It will be touring mode for the rest of this year. Exploring new territory, meet new people, try different cuisine....With all these thoughts on mind and paper, I sit back at office desk and charting routes for the next adventure.
Until then ADIOS..!!
All the pics of this trip are available here ::
Pretty much anyone in IT domain :-P Facebook
For all others Picasa
It was a pleasure aka pain in the ass riding with monsters like you :-) Wishing you good luck for all your future rides. Enzoyyyyyyyyyyyy
ReplyDeletesuperb show buddy.....a long pending one to complete reading it....congratulations and proud of your FEAT/feet.
ReplyDeleteanil s kadsur