Brevet 600 a third attempt Eureka !!

After a sabbatical from endurance rides I decided to re-open the Brevet account. The previous two attempts were a failure as i gave up at 400km on the same route. So this certainly was one of the rides where a failure was simply not an option. Another factor in deciding on this ride was to identify my strengths and weaknesses and manage the resources well. There were about 6 registrations in total and only two riders in the end. Putta and I were the only riders at the start point so this felt like a CW special (Cleated warriors Edition). Reached the start point at 2.30 and waited for Chiddu (Organizer) and Putta to arrive. It turns out that Chiddu got delayed as he was assisting an accident victim near Jayangar. We managed to then start by 3.45AM. A nice chatty ride on the outer ring road till we connected to NH4 past yeshwantpur. From here it was an all highway ride and Chiddu sped ahead as he had to attend a cycle rally at Tumkur. Stopped for breakfast at Kamat Upachar and i must mention the awesome pongal that was served. This propelled us for another 100kms and our first control was at Hiriyur. Cloudy skies and nearly empty highways turns out to be a great recipe for such an endurance ride.  

27/06/15  12:06hrs - Reached Hiriyur control with about 4hrs to spare and took an ATM slip as well as a photo by the ATM as a backup. Next stop for control was Ranibennur however our short term goal was to reach Chitradurga for lunch. Soon the headwinds and cross winds started and Putta could relate to the video i had shared a day earlier of a few riders struggling to ride in some nasty crosswinds. I was mentally prepared to take this route without any complaints. Lookup to ensure the road is clear, heads down and just keep pedaling and let the miles roll by. There are so many things to notice during any such ride. Fertile black soil on either side of the highway as we headed towards Chitradurga at many places and look like the new batch of crops have been planted and the seedlings sprouting.  The stuff of geology that i could recall and relate what learnt in high school :D. We stopped at a dhaba but he mentioned lunch will be delayed and only Dosas could be made and we just opted for a single dosa each and headed out to Chitradurga toll. However, a few more kms, we found another dhaba and stopped yet again and this time We stopped before the Chitradurga toll and had some fried rice and buttermilk. A half hour break and putta rested on the chairs to rest his back while i relished fried rice. This is one food that can't be messed up and the only issue is when half cooked rice is served. Else just gulp it down with butter milk or Chaas known in hindi. We reached davangere with some continued bout of headwinds and crosswinds. I was riding strong and Putta even stronger. Enroute we met The 1k gang, Ashok, Anup and Somaskanda. They looked pretty fresh and were on a good speed to make it a speedy return to Bangalore. We stopped 

27/06/15 21:48hrs - The road from turn off from high way till the control was a ride on a bad stretch of road filled with potholes. I rode ahead while Putta followed close. Every single vehicle was using high beam and none to use the dipper. We made it quick at the Ranibennur control and were out of the town in 5 mins. Felt great to be back on the highway. We now were glad that we were out on the highway and had a gleeful smile as we noticed the wind direction and voila Tailwinds. After the two failed attempts i get to ride and experience what it is like to ride in the tailwinds. We were hitting an average of 35 with ease. As we neared Davanagere, Putta was leading and hit a pothole pretty hard and before he could stabilize he hit another. As i followed closely i too ran over the same set. Pinch flat on the front wheel so i got ready to do an F1 style pitstop and it sure was one. Once the front was fixed only then we realized the rear too was flat. So out comes the second spare tube and while Putta manages to get the spare, i've already unmounted the tyre off the rim and taken the tube out. Inspected the liner for any debris, installed the new spare. Both managed to share the pump as we had to take it to atleast 90PSI. This took about 20 mins and we continued with an avg of about 30. The weird part was that my cyclocomp was acting funny as it continued to mention that i was rolling when i certainly wasn't. However this one was perfectly calibrated with the readings on cue sheet. The earlier Sigma 906 despite having it configured as per the manual, the reading was off by 3-4kms for every 100kms. I managed to reset the cyclocomp at Ranibennur so we could guage the distance atleast for the duration of the return or until Hiriyur after which the next control was at Hessaraghatta. I tried a power nap for 10 mins at Guilalu toll booth but a dog ensured that it didn't need guests and simply kept barking and soon mosquitoes joined the bandwagon. To our surprise, there were no shops opened considering it a busy toll booth. Then as we started to leave we found one stall open so we had a few cups of coffee and then continued riding. I thought i felt better but after maybe about 10-15kms the hallucination mode got enabled and the bike lane marker looked more like a pit rather than a line and i then relayed to Putta that i need to get some sleep and he obliged. Found the next Dhaba and i slept for an hour shamelessly as he guarded the bikes. I believe he managed to rest his back but probably ended up with intermittent sleep. I have to ensure that my buddy riders get to rest as much as i do from any future rides. After a refreshing sleep Putta woke me up and it took us a while to get warmed up again. But Putta then blazed right past the slow trucks during the uphills and i was trying hard to keep up. The average till the exit to Chitradurga would've been more than 35kph. Tailwinds continued to keep us company and just as we exited the town, we saw two riders who were doing the 400 Brevet (Chitradurga and Back). Exchanged pleantries and we continued as we wanted to be at Hiriyur as early as possible so we have enough time at hand to take it nice and easy till tumkur and Nelamangala. The pace setting continued and we rode at a very good average till about 5kms to the Hiriyur control when Putta had another flat. So out comes the third spare tube and we swap it out and get going in less than 10 mins. 

28/06/15 08:14 hrs -- ATM slip for confirmation taken and we head out back onto the highway.  Yet another flat for Puttabut this time I suspect it was a badly patched spare that i had brought along. So we again changed tube and while putta was busy refilling air, i got busy with using the pre-glued patch and keep one spare ready. I believe we still had about 30-40kms to tumkur when this happened but post this we saw some sunlight but mostly an overcast sky which made the ride so much more comfortable. The next stop was Kamat upachar right past the Tumkur tollbooth for a sumptuous meals.We loaded up and continued to head to Bangalore. For the first 3-5kms the pace was slow then putta slowly increased it and maintained visual as we drifted apart slowly. On the flyovers i managed to reduce and with downhills he sped away. 

28/06/15 16:35 hrs -- We arrived at Hessaraghatta and continued to ride at a steady pace towards hessaraghatta but there was no party waiting for us. Informed the organizer and we took photos alongside the ATM as the printer wasn't working. So we had finished this ride with 5hrs to spare which is my personal best. I think there is some special connection to the 600 Brevet as my Brevet ID is B600 and my start to randonneuring was with a Brevet 600 and i must've done about 4 of them till now. The other brevets not so much. Nevertheless, i had a great companion for this ride and I'm thankful to Putta for this ride. It was not difficult but it wasn't easy either. So the body is able to keep up with a ride of such magnitude and since i've managed the resources well i think i'm ready for the next installment. Until the next one, it is adios for now. Here are some pics captured during this ride. 

At the start point CCD MG Road

 At the Sira Toll booth

Headwinds continue and we top up on electrolytes

Mostly desolate highway but a couple of close calls with Speeding Volvo's 

Putta selfie or is it !!

The essentials kit for this trip

Lunch at a dhaba right alongside a farm and winds aplenty

Some rest for the machines as we top up on fuel

Overcast skies keeping us company 

The 1k gang (who were on the return leg to blr, Putta and i still had 35kms to u turn point

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 :-)..