Satisfaction Guaranteed - Bliss in Hills

A few FAQ's to understand this blog better. 

What is a Brevet?
A brevet is a non-competitive cycle ride on a fixed route to be completed within a specified time. It is not a race.

Why 'Bliss in the hills' ? 'Inner Peace' .. 'Inner Peace'
I hope you can spot more reasons to the 'why' below:

Bliss at Kalpeta Control

River crossing Bliss just before Iritty

The Chikki Bliss

Training Plan:

Preparation for this Brevet started many months ago and I strongly relied on commute miles to work as a key training. Each day riding about 56kms rain/shine. One specific training was an over nighter at nandi with 4 repeats between 11pm to 4AM. But just a little over two weeks to the start, I caught pneumonia and in a pretty bad state. It was none other than Major Srinivas who put me on the expressway to recovery. So all my training plans down the drain and with some mild cough persistent a couplet of days before the start I wasn't so sure if I should even make it to the start point. This ride was supposed to have been attempted last year but had to cancel for an emergency. So not riding it this time would linger for many months until I attempted the same. So I managed to prep the bike a day in advance and it was almost ready for the road trip. A long brevet checklist was followed and I managed to pack most of the necessary stuff and the rest went into the backpack that was to be dropped with the support car and we'd get to see the same only at the halfway point at Kalpeta. Here's the Rubie all set to roll for over 1200kms. 

The start was delayed by 20 mins. Dodged crazy city traffic which is the norm. Once we hit Nelamangala we turned onto the Hassan highway. Menacing cloud cover as we head towards Hassan. But luckily no heavy rains and we did away with some super fine drizzle. A comfortable reach to Belur. Relished the packed/parceled fried rice from the earlier dinner stop to propel us to the next leg, Belur to Balupet. It was midnight when we were crossing the section Attempted to rest at a temple early hours of the morning but sleep wasn't a choice due to mosquitoes and tiny tree frogs. The roads were road bikeable with surprise patches appearing all of a sudden. Soon we reached the turnoff at sakhleshpur highway and we stopped for Tea and masala bun. The rest of the bunch feasted on boiled eggs either to recuperate for the climbs or prepare for the ones that lay ahead :). 

A rolling terrain via shanivarsanthe, sowmvarpet. Targets/milestones were set for every next town as per cue sheet so reaching the same was a priority made easier rather than look at the entire route or the distance. Breaking things down to smaller goals felt way better. We didn't spot any wildlife but many curious people as they see lycra clad, colorful riders wondering 'motorbikes struggle at places and these guys are on cycle'. The silence, low traffic, good tarmac turned out to be a very good combo for that 'Inner Peace' that I mentioned earlier and this was the start of project "Transformation Bliss". 

Sowmvarpet/shanivarsanthe road

Towards Madikeri beautiful Twisty roads

Opendro checking to see that the group is intact

We reached Virajpet by late afternoon and the idea was to head to Iritty and clear the downhill section and the next target was to clear the panamaram mananthavady and Kalpeta to rest. The night was dark with orchestra by crickets and it looked like it had just rained a short while ago as we were still riding on wet roads. Periya climb was a long and steady one. All the while we could hear what sounded like rapids beside the valley and the clouds had cleared so a view of stars boosted confidence that we could expect a rain free climb. Post the climb we stopped for the pics at the control. The Hotel Highway served meals and i was content with the same. However, the next section was to be the worst when we expected a fast descent. We struggled hard to figure a path to ride and utilize the downhill but my vision was distorted by intermittent fogging and the headlight from oncoming traffic only amplified the effect. Putta and I rode much slower compared to Opendro who just rode way faster and was more like on a second recce mission on bike. After this dreaded descent, we started riding towards Kalpeta. By Panamaram Putta started struggling due to some issue with food served at Periya. Opendro too seemed to have issues with bowel movement once at Kalpeta. I felt fine as my engine seemed to have just burnt any food ingested. The pace got way slower and Opendro and I had to take a quick call whether to slow down for Putta or ride like mad men to make it to control. We decided on latter as he could rest at Kalpeta. It sure felt bad to drop Putta at that time in that condition but reaching control was just too tight. The speeds at which Opendro pulled we made it to the control 2 mins to closing time. The sight of familiar faces was truly welcoming and they soon took our bikes so we could then get refreshed and catch up with some sleep. After a refreshing shower and change of clothes i just hit the bed for a 3hr sleep. Precious time and precious little sleep. By the time I woke up I got to know that  Putta had been rescued by organizers as they had to find him about 8kms away from Kalpeta in the dark. I managed to get more packs of Enerzal from Putta's stock and stuffed in the Decathlon's handlebar bag. Batteries replaced, we were now ready for the second half of the journey. We bid adieu to organizers and Putta. He was now to just get rest and take a bus back to Bangalore. 

The superb team of organizers. Kudos to you guys to make the stopover a luxury

We proceeded towards Peravoor and then turned towards Gudalur section. Here's where the scenery changed yet again. Beautiful misty mornings and winding roads through many plantations. We stopped to have tea and finish the cream buns purchased last night at Virajpet. The lady at the stall offered sweet appam. We gladly loaded our tummies for the long and arduous (so we thought) climb to ooty.The ride was beautiful and the roads were very good. Once we reached Gudalur we stopped for lunch at a hotel specializing in Parota. Hot and delicious, we also managed to pack a couple of them so we didn't have to stop enroute for another break till mettupalayam. Soon we were joined by Chidu, Deepak and Major. We bid adieu and started the climb at our own pace. My intention was to listen to music during the climb and mp3 player was sitting snug in the bag and remained there for good. Opendro and I had a chat for the entirety of the climb and before we knew it the climb was over. It passed through some beautiful eucalyptus forest. 

Gudalur to Ooty section

The Eucalyptus forest

Enroute Gudalur - Major and Opendro enjoying the twisty roads

Deepak and Chiddu mashing it to Gudalur

My tourer

Putta's Sidewinder

Deepak Mhasavade's fully equipped Tourer

We reached Ooty comfortably and now had the task of reaching Kotagiri. Many reviews from cyclists was that it was very steep. Nah. Not even close to what i had on mind. So that took another short while to clear and then it was mostly downhill to Kotagiri. Not as crowded as Ooty and lot of beautiful views all over. If you've been following my earlier blogs then you must be missing the climax. Yeah.. where is a flat  Mr.Flat Pandian :D. 10kms to Kotagiri the front tube decided it didn't like air anymore.  Time to remove the liners from the front one too. Inspected the tyre, put the new tube and pumped it up to bout 60PSI. then coasted all the way to the town where Opendro was waiting on me. Our next target was to finish the downhill stretch to Mettupalayam in daylight. So we quickly took snaps and headed to clear the stretch. The speed was way too good and the cornering was superb with 60PSI. More traction. We were only held up by other slower cars/bus. It was a fast downhill to the base of the clim and we stopped to finish the packed parota to propel us to the next control towards Avinashi. We took it at a brisk pace till Annur and stopped to have a lime soda. Suddenly, Opendro asked about control closing time and it was 8.36. and the watch revealed 8:02. So we had 20 kms to cover in 34mins. So we quickly gulped down the soda and it was back to time trial mode. Heads down and mash at a high cadence. The average would've certainly been >35kph on this flat highway with hardly any winds to disturb our momentum which sure was a saving grace. We did make it about 2 mins to control close. Only after we passed this point did we realize ther still was 20 mins added as a buffer. This was due to the roads switching to a non existent stte at Periya when compared to the recce that was done just weeks ago. We had Tea and continued our journey to Salem. We tried to rest at a couple of bus stops but due to mosquitoes we simply couldn't get any. So we decided to continue riding. The pace was increased and we tried to reach Yercaud base as early as possible so we get to climb in the pleasant morning weather. After having a couple of bananas we started the climb where we noticed a lot of people walking the initial 5-8kms . A steady pace was set and we continued riding. We managed to make it to the Yercaud control well within time. We stopped for breakfast at Hotel Shevaroy. I didn't fill up my tummy even though we'd been informed that it was all down hill till Kuppanur. But there was a nasty nasty surprise. There were some steep walls to climb before the actual downhill starts to Attur. Opendro mentioned that in a car one fails to realize the gradient and we were laughing at the thought of other rides who must have topped up their tanks to the brim considering the "downhill only" sections. Yet another fast and speedy downhill only to be slowed down by a 'Small bus' that wasn't really small. I had to stop to top up air in the front tyre as i felt them very low. While cornering i felt the tyre almost give way. Opendro did agree that it was less so we continued to the base where we had to change the tube due to a flat due to a stone hitting the tube due to super low pressure. Swapped the tube yet again and we continued. It was noon and I didn't want to ride anymore after looking at the road condition from Attur to Uthangarai. It was a sufferfest for the sore back, neck and wrists. After riding for about 5-6kms I had to stop for some cold drink and found Citra. Didn't know that this  was still in production. Refreshed and tired, we continued till uthangarai for lunch. We stooped once more for a power nap for 10 mins which worked wonders. We continued to Uthangarai where we stopped for lunch. Great meals at a small hotel was just needed to replenish and prepare us for the climb to Yelagiri. We started climbing late evening and soon we had drizzle and short bouts of rain as we headed to the summit that was 11kms ahead. The last climb of this journey and we were very excited. An undramatically slow climb but we managed to reach the top and while searching for ATM, we ended up running into Slush. This clogged up the brake pads, soiled the rims and the braking only worsened the situation. So Opendro ot a 20 ltr can to help clean the bike and also top up on supplies before we head down and continue riding to Vaniyambadi where we turn towards Krishnagiri. Enroute we stopped for a power nap of 15 mins  that turned out to be a powerful nap of 1.5hrs :). I simply followed Opendro until we could clear the nasty pothole ridden section. Oh, and did i mentioned that I veered off the road into the gravel due to hallucination? :) I regained control and we soon connected to the highway. We had T and i was now refreshed and took the lead for the next 50kms. This was by far the fastest leg of the journey as we were riding it like a time trial. High cadence workout and It worked perfect for both. 50kms covered in 1hr 40 mins that included 2 breaks of 15 mins. When i gestured Opendro to take over I thought he'd set a relaxed pace but that ws never to happen. He too mashed at nearly the same pace and i only just held on to his wheel and managed to rest on flyovers sections. Once at Krishnagiri we stopped for another dose of Tea and Opendro suggested that we take it slow so we reach just in time when there are volunteers and friends and family waiting at the end control. The only other stop was at coffee day for some Cafe Americano where Opendro had a powernap while i was chatting with some mobikers.

1200 kms in 90 hrs... did I just complete it? I had goose bumps we rolled into the end control. And the best part was that it was a comfortable finish and I relived my first Brevet memories with my brevet buddy Oepndro. I dedicate my finish to this Superhuman Samurai with a never say never attitude. 

My brevet buddy. What a superb ride it turned out to be !!

The finishers from Cleated warriors

End credits:

Major Srinivas -- This ride wouldn't even have seen the light of the day had it not been for your help in getting me recovered from pneumonia 2 weeks prior. 
Putta Narasimhaiah -- Thank you for the timely assistance and the training for BITH with hill repeats. One of the good times where I thoroughly enjoyed the training sessions despite breaking a lot of sweat.
Opendro -- You truly are an inspiration to many and to me this 1200 was more than double the fun and a great learning similar to our first Brevet 600 back in Apr 2011. 
Rajesh (My team manager) -- For approving leaves. Hadn't mentioned the reason behind the same but it sure will be a surprise one when he gets to read this blog :). Thank you Rajesh.
Shivraj (Wheelsports) -- Who toiled long hours on my bike to get it back to glory, the Flite 300 with 2300 groupset. Compact crank with a 11-32 casette. Pretty much the perfect one for this ride. 
Kiran (aka Tusker) -- There's a whole lot more to just this ride as the assistance I've been getting doesn't pertain to this ride or just this bike. 

Organizers --  Saying you've done a great job is an understatement. You were simply superb and the efforts taken to ensure riders are at ease and comfort I suppose is partly the reason for the renewed motivation and energy levels to ride the remaining miles. Kudos folks !! 


Elevation         13887 mts 

Event	Brevet of 1200km
Start	Bangalore, BTM Layout Pizza Hut
End	Bangalore, HDFC ATM, BTM layout
Location	Bangalore
Start Time	30 September 2015, 03:20PM
Time Limit	90 hours
Organizers	Bangalore Bikers Club (601002)

Fuel:                Fried rice, Parota, More fried rice, Bananas, Enerzal/Gatorade in
                       generous quantities, superb meals at Uthangarai and most of                            all, the motivation from fellow rider Opendro. 

The entire route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/10555502 

Here is a one line synposis of the route

Bangalore — Ring road — Tumkur road – Nelamangala – Chennarayapatna bypass – Hassan – Belur – Belagodu – Balupet – Shanivarsanthe – Somwarpet – Madikeri – Murnad – Virajpet – Iritty – Peravoor – Periya – Thalapuzha – Mananthavadi – Panamaram – Kambalakkad – Kalpetta – Meppadi – Gudalur – Naduvattam – Pykara – Ooty – Doddabetta – Kotagiri – Metupalayam – Annur – Avinashi – Salem – Yercaud – Kuppanur – Harur – Uttangarai – tirupattur – Jolarpet – Yelagiri – Jolarpet – Tirupattur – Barghur – Krishnagiri – Hosur – Electronics city – Bangalore

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

Blr-Yercaud on the most efficient machine !!!

As saying goes, one gets to "See" and feel the world in a different outlook when traveling by bike. This trip certainly was filled some ups and downs like the rolling terrain to Salem. Looked like a busy weekend for the Cleated Warriors so none of them for company. Major Srinivas agreed give me company. My initial plans were to do Yercaud with another group of 3 agreed who had planned to start by thursday evening but went to pondicherry the same morning instead. Major agreed to leave on friday night and the first good news was we could pack the luggage and keep it in the Vivek's car (Vivek is a friend of Major). That was a big relief and we could rely on this car in case something were to go wrong. After all the preparations we synced up at silkboard and handed the bags over to Vivek and set off to Yercaud. Took it nice and easy till E-city phase 2 and then drafted a truck till Bommasandra flyover when the headlights on Major's bike took a fall. With the traffic maintaining good speeds and the headlight right in the middle of the highway we lost all hopes of retrieving it in one piece. But to our astonishment, a containter truck stopped right before the the flashlight and gurading it till Major could retrieve it. The chances of this happening was second to none. One of the most bike friendly truckers. We waved a joyous thank you to the Driver who acknowledged the same. Then we taped the headlight to the handlebar which will ensure double protection. As we crossed Bommasandra, rain gods started played tricks with us. It started to drizzle and we soon stopped and put on the rain jacket thinking there may be some downpour. 2-3 kms later we realize the drizzle was gone and we were soaked in sweat ;-). A small drizzle were happy tears from mother nature, "Welcome to TN cyclists !!". This was the first  ride with the new Ultrafire lights and boy o boy they were a delight. We tried to draft a trailer but he planned to stop after we managed to draft for a couple of kms to refuel. We then continued our journey and stopped for burger at Mc Dee's. Had a sip of coffee and soon we left for Krishnagiri. We covered the initial 68 kms in 2 hours, so a sub 3hr century looked promising. My rotten bit of luck played the spoilsport and at the top of the ghats where there is a downhill for 3 kms I encountered the first flat. Great not a problem, with all the tools required to fix a flat available we soon fixed it and "Click" that's the sound of my shoes cleated onto the pedals :-). Within 20 metres, Tussshhh... tick tick tick... "Click". Uncleated and checked rear tyre again. Damn.. what did I do wrong ? Had another spare tube which I managed to change it in 10 minutes. The tyre levers from icetoolz are hopeless but the rest of the options are awesome. With Major's help we managed to pump it up to 100 and managed to reach the base of the ghats and Tusshh..!!! Yet another one. I felt disappointed at the performance of my bike, but quickly consoled myself 2250 kms without a flat on this Kenda kontender and without tyre liners was quite good. This was bound to happen at some point. We frantically tried to reach Vivek and he was supposed to have started from Bangalore an hour after we started. But he wasn't responding to the calls to his mobile. Since the cars and trucks were reaching speeds of over 80as they exited the ghats, we had to move to a safe location. I walked with the bike for another 250 mts and found a gated farm with lights on. Major thought he could get some rest inside the compound as there was a park bench by the house. The canine truly was on high alert. So Major parked his bike by the gate and lied down outside the compound to relax while I began to fix the flat. Strange part, the suspect "punctured" tube held up well when pumped up off the rim. Installed the new hopelessly short valved Btwin tubes purchased from Decathlon and Major suggested that we should reduce the pressure. So 70-80 PSI was pumped for a 125 rated 26c tyre. I, quite literally was talking to my bike in my head, please don't do this not now not anymore. The sub-3hr century was already messed up and I didn't want to return without doing the Yercaud climb. Hoping the tyres won't give way we managed to get just about 15kms in 25 mins of riding and then tussh.. Luckily we spotted a shop with some nice place for resting and the tubelights on!! There also was a broom to tidy up the place before resting. What a nice gesture by the shop/building owner. Major soon was busy tidying up for a nice rest. He soon dozed off after trying to call for the "support" car. It was 4:35AM and my mechanic role kicked in instantly disassembled the rear wheel and removed the tyre off the rim. This time there was a puncture. The glueless patches worked their magic yet again. After fixing the tube it was time for a deep dive inspection of the rims and the tyre. The tyre showed a gaping hole ~ 2mm. At first I wondered if this was the cause of all the flats encountered !!  Taking my chance against the only spare tube that I had, I cut it open and made a patch about 3x2cm and wedged it between the damaged section of tyre and the tube. Still no word from Vivek and we already started planning our return trip either by a KPN volvo or a KSRTC. Major suggested that we could carry the bikes in passenger compartment in train. I was surprised and asked if it was allowed. If we ended up taking the train then we'd take the wheels off and carry the frame separately. Being a member of the "Cleated Warriors" I remember one of my friends maintaining a low pressure on a high pressure rated tyre. You must be thinking the difference must be in 10 or 20PSI but no. My friend rode 140PSI rated tyres on 60 or 80 PSI :-). I'm happy and suprised to announce that it worked wonders. After applying this DIY mini patch and the setting the pressure at 70 PSI I waited for Major to wake up. Till then I kept gazing at the passing buses and trucks and reminded me of my childhood days. Sitting on a park bench in Erode with my Grandfather and getting excited looking at the colourful buses. ( Back in those days I was bored looking at the all RED bangalore buses). Some of the best combinations were the ones with yellow roof and shiny silver like sheetmetal. Black with white stripes and white coloured rims were equally good :-). 

Soon it was daybreak and I could see the dark blue skies and the familiar sounds of rooster waking up the village by the highway. Major woke up in an hour and started feeling cold. So we set out soon to find a coffee stop just a mile ahead and had biscuits and hot coffee. In 20 mins we left for Dharmapuri. I thought the straight stretches of highway where one can see for about a km was before Dharmapuri but this was clarified once we crossed Dharmapuri. For about 6-7 kms it is a straight monotonous stretch where the visibility is at its best. We started maintaining a steady pace on gentle slopes 20-25kph. However the headwinds picked up and we were reduced to maintain 17kph. So what do we do to cover the distance ?? DRAFT. Yep.. we did draft a container truck for a few kms till gained speed and dropped us. I caught up with another truck but there was a delay in Major going full throttle to catch up. Soon the distance increased and I planned to back off. The decision was either both of us draft, else we'd stay close and ride together. The entry to thoppur ghats was promising and I suggested that we have tender coconuts at the ghats out of experience. I used to do regular trips to Trichy. This was really good and we had two each and started to descend. At the base of the ghat there is a hotel beside the petrol bunk BP where we stopped for to recharge. After a nice round of idlis and tea we started for Salem which was~40kms away. There is a gentle uphill after which we managed to catch a container truck registered RJ and we drafted all the way to Salem. 35kms of drafting at avg pace of 48kmph. Max speed touched was about 60kmph. Most of the times the truck was at a pace which we could maintian the draft.As soon as we entered Salem city all bikers and cars that whizzed past had their eyes on us wondering why are they doing what they are doing !!!


Soon we reached the Yercaud turnoff and about a 2-3 kms later guess who shows up? Vivek whom we had tried to reach throughout the night. After a quick chat we stopped at a known hotel for a lime juice and then it was 7 kms to base of Yercaud. Vivek, parked the car at the base and assembled his bike. We started the climb. Major had done this earlier so was aware of this route. He warned that there is only elevation ALL the time. I managed to divide the distance in such an manner that I compare it with the office commute(30 kms one way). The same tragic logic I applied for the 23kms of the climb. with 20 hairpin bends. Be not fooled gentlemen. There are more than that which are unmarked. Every corner would feel like a hairpin because of the elevation profile. Inspired by the lance armstrong's video of 2003 (Lance Armstrong Climbs Luz Ardiden 2003) he constantly is on the hood and off the saddle. That was more adrenaline I could muster to stay off the saddle. After every 50 mts of being off the saddle I would drop to the biggest chainring and ride at 8-9kmph. I aimed at a non-stop ride and the only time I stopped (3 secs) was when I fell but held on to the side cemented wall. I pedaled a little too much but wanted to fallback and maintain left side of the road and Major who was leading but the rear wheel of major was overlapping half of my front wheel so if i turn the handlebar I was sure Major also would bear the brunt of my action. So instead I turned slightly right while the bike was leaning left that imbalance prompted my fall (a controlled fall). No injuries but this was inevitable a cleated fall sooner or later. There was a bus full of schoolkids who were ahead (directly above me) on the parallel road, and a few kids screamed but later they'd stopped and we waved hi-byes and continued our quest of conquering the climber's haven. I've officially completed the formalities of being a cleated roadie scum. The 20 hairpin bends don't sound bad. But the continous elevation gain is certainly going to drive one nuts and the mind will eventually give way and force you to take a break. The last 4kms were the worst pounding which my body took. The heights of exhaustion were such that Major literally started grabbing plants and eating them !!! Initially i thought it was probably some medicine but later realized he ATE them !! There also was a group in an ikon who had stopped to enjoy the view and major did check if they had some for a quick bite and they were glad to give us some chips. We nibbled on them gingerly for 1 km and soon our water supplies were out and now with only 3 kms to yercaud the going got tougher. At the 2 km I almost gave up when Major also slowed down to 7-8kph and i tailed him real close and soon we saw the 20/20 hairpin bend. After this one gets to see the GRT trails resort and then it is straigh thru to the town/city/station. The yercaud lake looked beautiful. What was even more better was the last 5 kms there is a drastic weather change. The mist welcomed us and cooled our bodies. Gluteus Maximus was begging for mercy towards the last few kms!!  The only thought once at the top was to head to some hotel as we'd turned to gluttons !! Soon found out from a local that there was Saravana Bhavan nearby and we headed right to that place for lunch.Started with a curd rice and that wasn't enough Soon another curd rice and lemon rice followed. We sat outside and after this long relaxed wait Vivek soon joined us after half hour. This climb certainly is no childs play. Nandi is a cupcake now after conquering this climb. One has to have a disciplined approach to do the climb. Standing and pounding a lot only makes matters worse. Major and I initially did that mistake. We then pounded only at the hairpin bends and then switching to lower gear to maintain momentum. Since I wanted to attempt the climb non-stop I didn't use the camera. Moreover, considering my experience to photography (using mobile) on the move I couldn't even attempt to get the camera out due to the sheer amounts of concentration that is required. A watchful eye is required to understand if there is any vehicle approaching downhill and especially the moronic Motor-bikers who rip the roads. I know it is fun biking uphill/downhill but not the cost of other innocent lives..!! The downthill was constantly on the hood and the brakes. There are two nice spots for photography one is a tree/bamboo covered road and this 50-60 mts stretch is truly a wonderful place to relax and take snaps. There are a lot of monkeys around so be cautious. Maybe Major and I suffered the climbs because we rode all the way from Bangalore and that being a 10hrs on the saddle. Hope I get to take on this famed Nemesis again in a better shape the next time. I thank Vivek in being our support car and helping us get back home in comfort after such an ordeal. What next ??


As I pen down my travelogue by this blog I am looking at the pic below and thinking of ways to repair the same.

1. Carry something to munch on like nuts dates etc. 
2. Have enough water/gatorade/enerzal.
3. The tyres should be pumped up to the recommended pressure.
4.Exercise extreme caution while being overtaken or while overtaking (unlikely).


Stats :: Total odo read 248.5kms (ride from blr to yercaud climb and back downhill.
Fuel :: 4lts of water - 4 enerzal packs, 1Mcdees burger, 4 Tender coconuts, 3plate idlis, 2 Curd rice +1 lemon rice yumm.
Kalhatti calling.. :-) Enough words and let some of the meagre pics that I managed to capture tell the rest of story.
https://picasaweb.google.com/108786458769812949648/September32011Yercaud