CAM - Bhagamandala Kasargod Jalsoor

Having only heard about the CAM rides and intimidated by signature of some members in Bikeszone forums, I thought I'd give it a try. I registered and soon my brother, inspired by the pics of last years CAM ride to Kasargod, said he'd give it a shot too. Voila, two seats booked two weeks prior to the ride. This was no race but to me it was more a mind over matter. A sound always heard in my mind " Do justice to your MTB u roadie scum"!! And so the Saga of the two day tour started. 6th of august approached real fast and I had redefined laziness by packing up just a couple of hours before the ride. I was to ride on my Trek 4300d and a rental bike for my brother. The plan was to load the bike on the canter (Tata 407) which would leave for Bhagamandala even before the bus starts. Reached the drop point exactly at 8:30pm on 6th and loaded the Trek on the canter . Ramesh (my brother) was so excited that he decided to create .. yeah you heard me right.. CREATE 3/4th from an old jeans lying around. He was ready with lycra and a dry fit tee but I convinced him that it was purely a roadie attire :-P. . Within an hour all the riders made it and managed to start by about 10pm. This trip was filled with a whole lot of "Firsts"


1. First long ride on the Trek 4300d.

2. First trip on the Brand New Ultra luxury bus.

3. First long tour on bike for my brother.

4. First ride in the rain with the new jacket from Decathlon. (Continuous drizzle or heavy rain). 

My brother and I had chaat for dinner. The bus stopped next at cafe Coorg which is just  before kushalnagar. Got down for a quick breather. The weather had gotten a lot colder compared to Bangalore. Reached Bhagamandala by 6 and we had about an hour to freshen up at Hotel Mayura Cauvery Yathri and ride to Kasargod. Unloaded the bikes from canter and they waited as the riders got ready. I was wondering, when was the last time that I never bothered about the rain or running helter-skelter for shelter. Probably that time would date back to the glorious school days. Things have changed a lot and the IT industry adding that extra few pounds to upset the BMI and a few inches to the waistline and make your friends say " You've changed a lot" or "You look different" when they literally mean you fat pig.


Plan was to have breakfast enroute but then it was decided against as it started to drizzle and soon it turned to heavy rain. Had two rounds of hot upma/uppit/kharabath and kesari bath. As soon as it stopped raining we headed towards panathoor. The ride map displayed some serious downhill for  DAY 1. Didn't have the need to pedal for almost 20 kms. No smooth tarmac this downhill. Mind at full alert to find out the smoothest path to glide over the potholed trail. One had to stay on the toes to maintain a low centre of gravity all the while until the beauty of waterfalls or cascades make you stop the bike though you may not intend to do so. Also got a chance to stop at a hydel powerstation. Just around the panathoor border my brother's bike ( Act 110) had a flat. Depressing, as we would lose time but good for my experience in fixing flats. Fixed the first flat in 20 mins and then realized that there was another flat. Disassembled the whole thing again and fixed the other one too. This held for about 5 or 6 kms and then the pressure dropped again. This was frustrating because I wasn't sure of the tube size and to wait for the canter truck to arrive and fix the flat would take longer. So called Vikrant (CAM Organizer)  and in about 20 mins he was there with a Btwin MTB. Quickly loaded the ACT 110s on the car and started off to the lunch point at Kanhagad. It kept raining intermittently. Vegetable pulao or peas pulao bundled with curd rice was really good combo. This is the point where quite a few riders boarded the canter as they didn't want to waste more time by riding and miss the beauty of the Bekal Fort. By this time Mohit and I were only riders and we took the climbs with finesse and I was delighted. Then we hit the West coast highway the NH-17 which was as rough as a teenagers face!! Then after some quick doses of sprint we hit the most horrible stretch for about 3-4 kms. I'd say that there wasn't any road, but the Trek made its own way thru the puddles, potholes, mounds of muck and gravel. There is a teeny bit in my brain which rumages about the investment incurred on a bike like this. And to this day I stand corrected - "Worth every PENNY". Mohit and I raced against the clock and reached the Bekal Fort entrance, believe it or not, at exactly 4:30pm. A sigh of relief when Kishan mentioned that it closes only by 5:30. Great, now we have an hour to relax and enjoy the view, which we did. A lot of snaps followed in the drizzle. 

Result - Water on the Nikon S220 screen and the next thing and the only thing I can see is solar eclipse instead of a photo preview on the lcd. Yaikes..!!! At about 6:30 a few riders wanted to complete the Day 1 riding so the ones who had headlight were the lead of the convoy and I stuck by Mohit whom I had to abandon after 20 minutes due to a fault with the vbrakes on his schwinn Searcher. But after about half hour he caught up and rode with us. Just about 2 kms from the Speedway Inn. there was this valley shaped highway which dipped at almost 15 degrees giving the advantageof speed to make the same 15-20 degree climb. The major problem was that the climb was littered with pebbles and it was hard for quite a few riders. Pradeep mashed thru on this Act 110 and so did my brother. I was off the saddle ever since the climb started and didn't stop till I completed the 200ft of climb which lasted for about 100-150 mts. An immense sense of acheivement. A mini celebration on my mind and a pat on my back. 2 more kms later we arrived at the Speedway INN where we parked the bikes in the basement. An hour to get fresh and head for dinner. With the tummies satisified with the South indian meal, and a deep slumber. 




Surprisingly my brother was awake the next morning, a lot earlier than I,  but was just sitting idle :-). He mentioned that Vikrant had called requesting that we be ready and present at the basement by 6:30am. We were one among the last bunch to make it and lo behold what do we outside.. any guesses ??




Rain.. rain and more rain. This time I tried some DIY stuff. Here's what I did ...try spotting. 

I had managed to find some loose plastic sheets at the ground floor of SpeedWay INN and my mind immediately went to work. Checked with the hotel receptionist for an insulation tape but got the transparent packing tape. Couldn't get better. 15 minutes of carving, cutting taping and the result is the above waterproof shoes. Mine weren't really shoes. It was more of a hybrid from sandals and sports shoes. Hmm..i know you're confused. Let me put it this way, my shoes (reebok's) can be compared to a convertible car. 


Using the copy of printed maps I managed to ask for directions time and again to ensure that we're on the right track. Had to head towards Mularia which was the breakfast point. Kharabath and kesari bath. In the Bengaluru terms it was Chow-Chow bath. My brother left early and I started about 20 mins later. Had some more sprint sessions after a relaxed ride for 8 kms or so. Caught up with my brother only to realize that he doesn't have the bag which had the essential toolkit and some spares. No way to return to find the bag so had to forget that it happened and just tried to enjoy the beauty around. The river flowing and following the course alongside the road on the right with only tall trees separating me from the banks. On the left were again tall trees and some stretches were simply breathtaking. At one point I had a glimpse of a black swift (car) which popped up around a curve and just 50mts behind was a stream of water and puddles on both sides. This driver drove right thru the centre line and made the most beautiful sight. Water splashing in both directions ever so perfect and that moment reminded me of a scene in the Pixar's movie CARS. Venkat has managed to capture half the beauty with the Swift driven by Vikrant but the one I saw had a beautiful backdrop. Just half the beauty captured  ::

Just one of those picturesque moments which could just be captured only in mind, which otherwise captured in pixels does no justice to the true beauty that lies within. I managed to reach Jalsoor by about noon and it still was drizzling. Slowly the rest of the riders and at last the second sweeper truck arrived. By the time the last few riders made it to the finish line it started pouring cats n dogs. Next stop was lunch at Suliya. Meals + an extra treat of ice-cream.
Once the batteries recharged, the conversations started and then some conflicts arose while deciding whether to play  Baasha (Tamil movie) or The flying scotsman or fast n furious 5 or Life cycles. Majority opted for the Life-cycles, unfortunately the dvd player didn't support divx/mkv. Baasha's intro song was played and a hullabaloo broke out which prompted the movie switch to "The Flying Scotsman". Quite an inspiring movie. Reached Bangalore at 10pm and then I rode home from silk board and my brother took a rickshaw. Would have to be better prepared for the next CAM ride or any such organized rides. All in all this is the best trip on the bike in my life yet. 




Been There Done That !! 

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to RIDE before I sleep,
And miles to RIDE before I sleep


Day 1 - Route and Elevation - http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=wlcwyukypumsltrr
Day 2 - Route and Elevation - http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=skgmosytiqwrevtf
Link to the pics - My Photolog.

Brevet - 200 - A trainer for the next season of Brevets!!!

Tidi..didididididi titin... Tidi..didididididi titin....... tin tin tin ..ti-tin tin tiaon..!!!!! Wonder whats this.. wake up call on my nokia on 26th June. Same enthu and restlessness as earlier rides kept me awake till 1am and got a 3 hour sleep. After basic inspection took my rubie out. First stop CCD @ MG road. Quite a few cyclists had gathered. The brevet form filling session complete in 20 mins and then flag off....1... 2... 3... Go..!!! Here's something strange, although i was 'aware' of the route, I couldn't figure it out when i first went through the cue sheet. Then i just just realised this was the same way i took whenever i have ever been to mekhri circle on the way back home. So now fully confident i led the pack for some time and then Opendro's bottle fell just after Kendriya Vidyalaya. This was not good. Tried to stick the bottle holder frame to the plastic piece which held for about another km before the bottle fell down again but this time emptying itself. 50% of the battery juice now destroyed, I offered to provide backup as I was carrying ~4-5 packs of Gatorade refill packs. ~10 mins lost in trying to correct this Most of the riders had sped ahead now. But what the heck we were on our streamline beauties and could easily catch up with them. Full speed ahead captain...!!! The construction and waterlogging slowed us down greatly. After about 5 kms the roads opened up wide and traffic started reducing ever so gradually. We were clocking about an avg of 33kph and over took most of the riders. Best part we just stopped once on the way for a cake break. Thats when we met Vivek Kubaji for the first time. Two more riders passed us one on BMC and other on Flite 500. They were maintaining good speed. Overtook them a couple of times and finally reached Karadevanahalli toll booth for a long break ~30mins. Then Kiran Cleated Warrior joined us and we agreed to try a paceline on the return journey. This worked for about 10 kms after which Opendro and I maintained a steady average and then stopped for another short break. We had to as we skipped breakfast. Soon Vivek and Kiran joined us and we were off for the next stop at Kamat. A meals and a fried rice to recharge the batteries and then it was a non-stop ride to finish line. ( or was it ?) A funny incident. About 100 mts from kamat, Opendro realizes that he must've left his cell on the table and wanted to go back. He crossed the road with this bike only to return with a cheeky smile. It was with him but a different pocket than the usual. We maintained good speeds on climbs ~40kph and relaxed downhill only to take the next climb at a same speed. Reached the hessarghatta crossing and took left. It started drizzling and we reached a junction where it started raining "Heavily". Opendro took out his secret weapon. A rain jacket and he was safe. I didn't look up the weather report that day so no rain jacket in the backpack. Not worrying about the attire getting wet/dirty the hankey covering my face made the last half a km in a flooded road and heard the welcome cheer..!!! What a way to finish..!!! I did get to test the tight pants (lycra) from decathlon. I was very against buying these just because of the image portrayed to the onlookers. Now I don't care anymore as its my comfort and fitness that takes front seat rather than be consicous and end up with a saddlesore.. :-P All in all a good ride excellent weather to top up the fun. Eagerly await the next season's Brevet to become a super randonneur.

Fuel - Gatorade 4 packs, Britannia cakes (thanks to Opendro for stocking them), Fried Rice.
Time taken to complete the ride :: 9:30 hrs.

Galleria ::
https://picasaweb.google.com/110912564228631849317/Brevet200June262011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P0_M2dcDdM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAekXNfhkT4

Nandi Conquered by Rubie !!

The usual saga of restless night, multiple alarms and the adrenaline rush got us up early by 4. Soon my brother and I were on the saddle after packing a meagre nutripack. (3 Horlicks nutribar and two bottles of water). This being Ramesh's (my younger brother) first ride I was a little skeptical doing the distance. Nevertheless, the sight of the sheer number of cyclists enroute Nandi hills should've proven an engery booster. But this time around there were very less to be seen and that was a disappointment. When I did the BRM600 (Bangalore Brevet 600km) my brother was very disappointed that he couldn't ride along, to also become the proud owner of this baby....(http://www.rusa.org/medals/medalimage31.html). But now he did realize what each km meant on the saddle. I happened to make this trip solely to time my climb at Nandi. So left my brother waiting at the base, started the stop watch and off I went from the base. All was well till the hairpin bends started. Some of the curves before the hairpins I had to switch to the smaller chainring on the front and back. Continued in this gear for maybe a minute to regain the energy and then switched to a higher gear 2x3..2x4. Once the hairpin bends started, I was almost out of juice at the second one considering that I rode all the way from home and didn't take much rest at the base. Another 2  minute sipper stop and the routine started again. Just before the penultimate corner I thought maybe its not a good idea and i should just head back down where Ramesh was waiting. Then just as I held my head up to relax my neck what did  I see ??? Yes.. the fort.. the entrance to the Nandi..Thats it powered my way through in less than 30 seconds I was clicking away with my Rubie alongside the entrance and also a proof of timing with the stop watch. :-). It was worth all  the effort and I pushed the bike just a little more to reach the ticket counter. Yeah you're thinking that I entered to have a view of the mountain to relax mind and body... Heck no... I just wanted to conquer nandi and enjoy the beauty of the climb and that was more than enough. Time to head back to the base and averaging speeds of 47 I was able to overtake most of the bikes on straights and a Scorpio, gleefully smiling and the stop watch showed 11:30 at touchdown. A surprise trip were a barrage of Bullets...Lol. Nope not in the warzone but Royal Enfield ~ 30 of them thumpers. Imagine them all at once, the sounds were just scintillating and rejuvenating. Always an Enfield enthusiast. If it hadn't been for the cyling bug, there would've been a Bull in my stable now. Another  surprise was as I reached the base my brother and I were contemplating whether to have breakfast ther at the hotel but then decided against and stop before the railway track. I remember stopping there last time for idlis and that was the decided pitstop. As I relaxed for about 20 mins. There were two bikers and their bikes ?? A Suzuki Intruder and I think a black GS1000R. They seem to be very interested in our bikes and had the usual questions(Weight/Price). Bike or Motorbike its the passion that holds man and machine together. The intruder simply had an awesome road presence and so did my KHS Flite. Trip complete as we reached Jayanagar and muscles tired as we reached home by about 12:30pm.

Trip Stats ::
Total Distance from Jayanagar 5th block to Nandi Hills :: 137kms.
Cycle computer start reading :: 787
End reading ::920
Fuel spent :: 3 Nutribars, 4 tender coconuts, 2 Cane juice, 6 Idlis.

Pics at ::  Nandi Ride Pics

2 Days - 600kms.!!! I'm a randonneur....!!

There has been always a group to deny your capabilities and family turns out to be a part of the clan - constructive criticism. After a long hustle at home for a certificate of approval I finally clicked on "Register" for the gruelling Brevet 600K run on April 15th. After contemplating which bag to carry and what things to pack I was almost packed by night of 14th. Though I could've gotten a good 7 hours sleep, I managed to fall into slumber only by about 1AM. at 4 AM the alarm goes off and I wake up all excited. My first long ride on my road bike bought 2 weeks ago. With earphones plugged in and Maroon 5 - She will be loved playing I started my 600km journey that would put my body mind and soul to the ultimate test. The first one to reach CCD at MG road and I just waited for the rest of the Breveters to arrive. Next was Sreekandh from the organizing group met him and got the thought of being rejected for the ride.  With a heavy heart i waited. This is encouraged only for the members who have completed the other qualifiers liek 100'200/300 and 400. I probably was the first one in the group to attempt the straight away.at about 5:30 the other members attempting the brevet filled out the Brevet card and were almost ready, I went up to Rohan Kini to confirm my position in the ride and finally got the green signal. I also understood that there are many who try but fail to complete due to mechanical issues or physical fitness. The only long ride i've been is the blr-mys. After filling up the the Brevet card there was a "feasibility" check to verify that I had headlights + taillights safety vest. Since this is a self supported ride all the accessories had to be carried by the rider. After a pre-ride briefing, I set off with the second batch of guys about  6-8. headed towards domlur and then a right to the inner ring road. Just before sukh sagar I got my first shock, Saw a rider whose Trek road bike had a flat tyre. This gave me jitters but I was all the more excited after pedaling for a few more kms as it is a part of being a randonneur. I had only known "Break fix" in theory i guess it was time to gets a hands on experience.

Following is what the route planned with the Check points which were to be reached within a particular time frame.

 I did have company till electronic city then it was pedal to the metal and I headed straight to the first checkpoint. Almost all the riders did stop before Krishnagiri at some point for breakfast but I skipped and reached the 145th km for breakfast at Mufasaa's just after Vaniyambadi toll booth. Reached by about 10AM and relaxed for a while and collected the bill for proof of time @ first time station. Next stop it was the uturn point at 302.5th km at Suguvarchatram. But this time I got two friends for company, Opendro and Harisha. As we maintained a good pace of 25kmph, the chatting and long conversations kept mind off the tarmac and the dreaded slopes in the hot sun. Soon we reached Vellore and it started drizzling, It was a surprise drizzle. As the sun set for the day, the ride just got better. Switched on the taillamps and headlights (headlights were hardly of any use). Opendro had the best headlight Sunfire 900lumen with 18650 batteries.  The cool breeze did give me more energy and one more rider (Shreyas) joined us to we tried to maintain a paceline and it did work to some extent. A few kms before the Uturn  point we halted for dinner. We sat in AC refreshed ourselves and feasted on curd rice. Shreyas by this time had crashed on the sofa and the hotel was almost about to close. So woke up shreyas, back on saddle we left to visit the ATM (rendezvous point) where we were to swipe our card and get the receipt as proof. After taking the receipt we left the station and now headed back to time station 3 which was again 150 kms away ( Mufasaa). After we  travelled about 50 kms we reached vellore and decided to catch a nap for about 2 hours. Shresyas already fell back and he would complete the ride maybe later. His dreary eyes didn't feel confident enough to ride thru the night. Found a string of shops which were closed at Vellore. We locked the bikes and I managed sleep for 2 hours. I woke up and we left vellore at about 3AM. From here it was a nice power through session as Harisha led the convoy, Opendro and I would try to keep up as close as possible. The bad luck was Harisha encountered two flats. One flat on the way to the U-turn point and another flat on the way back to Mufasaa. I had two spare tubes and gave one to Harisha. Since Harisha was maintaining a slow pace Opendro and I sped ahead and there was a gap of a few kms. Then Harisha calls up Opendro to wait, so we took a short break. After regaining energy Harisha sped ahead and reached Mufasaa early. Opendro and I maintained constant pace and reached Mufasaa in the morning 8. Time to give enough time for the muscles to relax and regain the energy. Killer climbs await krishnagiri-hosur. Took the first climb pretty good in the second gear. Top speed acheived was 58.6kmph. Stopped at A2B for sambar rice. Then sambar power is what got me back to bangalore. By the time we reached the CCD @ MG road it was 6:30 in the evening. What a relief it was to look at the Coffee Day. Cheers and a hearty welcome by the Brevet organizing team was rejuvenating. Time to handover the Brevet card and the Time station receipts to the organizer to mark the sucessful completion of the ride.

Route Statistics :

Elevation Gain: 1,925 m
Elevation Loss: 1,928 m
Min Elevation: 60 m
Max Elevation: 930 m

Pics on facebook ::
Set 1 :: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.208294019200542.59757.159290930767518
Set 2 :: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.208527112510566.59842.159290930767518
Set 3 :: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.209026342460643.60087.159290930767518
Set 4 :: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.209080095788601.60106.159290930767518

Mysore -- Hawked n Cannoned !!!!!

Date :: March 18 2011.
Destination :: Mysore
Route :: SH 17 Bangalore - Mysore Highway.
Distance :: 146 kms according to google maps.
Distance as per Decathlon DC4 bike computer :: 143kms

Start kms on ODO :: 286
End kms on ODO :: 429


The saga of trips and adventures continue with the next episode titled Mysore, now added to the arsenal of randonneuring experiences. Finally made up my mind on anyone going against this decision.  I'd saved a 1 liner for them " Yenna Rascala... Ride it !!!


Anyway as usual the alarm sets off and you must be thinking 6 AM or 5 or maybe even 4:30. Absolutely not, Ajay gladly agreed to start early to beat the midday heat. So 3:00 AM near Banashankari temple was the rendezvous point. A snap of the DC4 Odo at the start ::

But we got to start only by 3:30 and took road towards kanakpura and turned right at the next signal (beyond banashankari veg market) which leads to mysore road. Once on Mysore road it was like a point of no return and all calf muscles in my leg were mooing away to glory. We took no chances and stuck to an avg 20 kph speed limit. I was carrying the BTwin headlight and the tail light. It was very helpful at some stretches there were no streetlights and occasionally  no vehicle on the either direction. Pitch dark and my Btwin battery decided to give up on me. Spare is always helpful and so did it turn out to be waited for about 5 minutes as I had trouble in popping the top cover open. Somehow managed to get it off and replace the batteries and the new ones were a delight.

We stopped for breakfast at Ramanagara where Ajay opted for Idly sambar and I wanted something new and different so Rava Idly. I repented that decision. Why ? Firstly too much ginger and secondly there were TWO  idlys, when i'm used to only 1 in bangalore. ( IF there was no ginger the second idly would;ve disappeared in no time.). As i don't waste food I gulped it down quickly. Here's the hotel we stopped ::

Next milestone Maddur/Mandya. In between Channapatna and Maddur we stopped to empty the tanks and also refuel. There were a group of guys  probably in their early 30's and had quite a lot of questions of the usual stuff. How? when? Where? Why?. Weightlifting test of the cannondale by a few guys and they left happy after hearing the price. Two tender coconuts and banana's we left for Maddur. I simply love the attention I get on a roadbike. The cruise early morning with the click n clack of gears  was a treat to the ears. It was like loading a rifle. The soothing romantics and soft numbers on my phone helped me keep a steady pace. Since Bangalore is at a higher altitude almost 70% of the route was downhill or flat. As we entered Mandya it was about 10:30 and the green fields around kept the air cool as we ate up the miles.

I also got a chance to test the top speed on my hawk on a down slope and could manage only 56 as I had to hold the camera on the other.

I could have touched 60 I vouch. Saw a few paddy fields with herons all over. Beautiful sight indeed.

As we neared Mysore the temperature soared and the speed dropped and we were now averaging about 12. Entered Mysore city and thought of heading straight to Mysore Palace. Traffic police in Mysore are so polite and happy to help. But both of us had growling tummies we headed to a hotel where the waiter seem to have a tendency to mix up what was ordered to what was not. After lunch we left for palace and were disappointed about teh parking. The parking fee collector pointed us to park the cycles out which we were highly confident that it was the safest. So we decided to head back to Bangalore even without entering the palace. But to get a proof of "Been there Done that" here's the snap captured by a pedestrian.

Mysore Palace

Reached the Main bus stand and a Volvo conductor gladly agreed to transport our bikes for a small fee of Rs.35 only. What a comfort traveling by Volvo. In fact the original plan was to stay and return the next day (maybe cycle back via Kanakapura road.) This ride has given us saddle sore to keep the Bums off the saddle for about a week.
But the randonneurs will be back on track soon with a new destination and the distance is sure to raise eyebrows... So only time will tell..... Until then Adios..!!!

Saddle Sore Ride -- Nandi Hills (140kms round trip)

One heck of a week it has been with all work. Couldn't manage to sleep last night as I had been thinking about nandi hills.. the route conditions.. whether my hawk could manage it and all the repair kits that were needed. Ajay and I were the riders. We agreed to meet at Krishna Rao park and headed towards KR Market Avenue road and straight to Windsor manor ...all the way till just a few kms beyond new airport to turn left to Nandi hills. In true 127 hours style Aron Ralston style I switched on music, headlight, tailight and a hankey to cover my nose and mouth.(air filter) The excellent roads were like a cherry to an ice-cream. Stopped on NH-4 to capture some pics. Hardly any stops were made till the base. I was quite confident that the climbs could be taken with stride... A huge blow to confidence when I made the first stop within 10 mins of start of ascent. Someone from Bikezone forums had completed the nandi ride from base to hilltop in under 30 mins..I wanted to finish by 40 but was able to manage by 1hr as I HAD to stop many times gasping for breath. The hairpin bends were full of scrapes on the tarmac indicating some serious stunts by bikers. When we neared the last hairpin bend I did manage to catch a glimpse of a watch tower/doom  which marked the entry to Nandi Hills. A couple of delicacies to the eye were 3 bullets modified as chopper with high profile wide slick tyres with loud exhausts. And 3 Intruders which had awesome exhausts cruising one after another. also saw 2 R1's with REPSOL decals. A foreigner joined the Nandi ride from the base of the hill. He unloaded a lovely bike the innova which looked like merida. And soon left us behind. While we were about 2 kms to the summit he was descending at quite a good speed. This sight just added more namak to thoughts.... I am already in a dilemma whether to opt for a BTsport 1 or Trek. The competition was beaten to the bushes by just looking at black beauty. Hmm couldn't tell you how much road bikes inspire me. There were a few more foreigners who were preparing for an offroad journey but I couldn't spot a trail. Maybe the local guide knows about it. An exhilaration ... celebration with two sweet tender coconuts and our batteries recharged we were ready to descend.. You might be wondering at this point. what ?? you guys didn't enter nandi hills or visit the view points inside?

NOPE .. Absolutely not. This was all a test of strength stamina and endurance. I'm quite happy with both our performances. Maybe if i had to leave head faster I'd have shaved off a few minutes from the 1 hour for the climb but I'd be twice as tired and dehydrated. Anyway,  we did start our journey by about 10AM and I had to be very careful as a few strings from the rear brake cable had cracked at the start of the journey. I totaly relied on the front brakes and the moment i see a curve ahead the braking started. But Ajay zoomed way ahead of me and reach a lot faster than I and waited at the base for a quick dose of refreshment. Thought about the return miles that lay ahead and we had to kill this thought as it was getting our morale down and making us think about our saddle sores. Solution :: Listen to music. This seemed to work great till we hit the NH-7 back again when the heat started to take a toll so the number of stops increased and so did the the tender coconuts..!! I saw a lady on a on a road bike which looked like a fomas road king but it wasn't. Damn.. didn't capture the name yet again. Anyway she just waved a quick hi and was on her way. As Ajay's beast ever so slowly ate up the miles I slowed down as much  as I could to match up. We were at the Nrupatunga circle by about 1:30. A quick round of thank you's  TA TA's we were parted ways and headed home for a much needed nap for the tired body and adrenaline pumped soul :-)

Odo meter :: 140 kms round trip from Jayanagar 5th block to Nandi hills summit.
Route Taken :: Jayanagar 5th Block >> Basavanagudi >> Avenue road/KR Market >> Windsor Manor >> Mekhri circle >> Yelahanka >> Devanahalli >> Nandi Hills.

Average Speed from Blr - Nandi Hills :: 22kmph
Average speed on return trip :: 20kmph (strong headwinds)
Total time taken 9 hours including all breaks.

Fastest ~58kmph by Ajay's Cannondale F9. ( My hawk @ 50kmph)
Cadence :: Some body help me with this !!!!

Fuel consumed ::
5 Tender coconuts
2 Munch bars
1 Center fresh bar.
~6 lts of water
2 plates of lemon rice
5 Idly ( The super soft idlis were simply superb)
About 5 PSI of air by Ajay's cannondale F9 and 10 PSI by my hawk

Jayanagar-Chikka Tirupati ....Half day warmer(11-Feb-2011)!!!!!!!

The cycle "Fever" had set in and hard to fathom the lengths one can go to fulfill desires. So is my case. After becoming a member at Bikeszone forum, I posted a request for a ride to chikka tirupati and the plan for 25th. No reply for a couple of days. Probably because I had planned the ride on a Friday morning. Anyway, I managed to tighten the nuts n bolts that were loose and checked air and also tested the new BTwin mini hand pump. With another 12 hours to spare I managed to get a PM from Ajay from Bikeszone forums that he'd give me company. Alrightie then, spoke to Ajay and we decided to start by 5:15 in the morning. Woke up by around 4:45 and finished the morning chores and was ready by 5:15. Met Ajay who was waiting at the 5th block bus stand. A quick round of intro and we kicked off the ride at 5:30. Quite a cold morning start and we cycled at a normal pace, chatting most of the way and were averaging about 28kmph as per the GPS on my nokia. As we reached Decathlon the cold air started hurting our fingers but the thin faint light gave us hope that dawn would break the night skies and we'd no longer need the torch that was being used as headlight. The first stop was at the deviation to the left at Sarjapur. A quick stop for banana's and a photoshoot session. After 10 mins we were off to the destination which was 11 kms away. The morning sun over the fields was really a treat for our eyes. Butter smooth roads to add to the beauty of the trip. Another half hour of riding got us to our destination. We relaxed for yet another 15 minutes and started the return leg. Stopped on the way @ Sarjapur for breakfast. 3 Idlis per plate for Rs.15. Weaving in and out of the Silkboard - Jayanagar traffic we reached by 10:00 AM. This I consider another prep ride for the big one ahead. Will be posting about that in the next travelogue. Until then ... ADIOS..!!!

Pre-requisites for the next trip ::

1. Headlight and taillights.
2. Proper high energy foods.
3. Lime juice (Salted).
4. Extra holder for water bottle instead of carrying it in the bag.


Total distance covered ::

Jayanagar - Chikka Tirupathi :: 37.3 kms
Round trip :: 74.6kms
Fuel consumed :: Bananas + Water + Idlis.

Hosur Hawked - My first Century Ride (04-Feb-2011) !!!

Start time :: 5:18 AM
Start point :: Jayanagar 5th block.
Finish Time  :: 8:45

Breaks :: First at  BETL lay-bye for a quick photoshoot. Next stop @ Bangalore Toll booth. Both for 5 mins each.

Hosur Hawked - My first Century Ride !!!

The Cycling Bug had bitten me hard... when I say hard real hard and this trip marks the first side effect :-P. I was surprised that my mother nodded along with my plan. As usual the thought of the long ride kept me awake late night and I finally dozed off after setting up everything necessary for the ride. A list of items i took include  ::

1. Portable hand pump.
2. A quechcha torch.
3. Puncture repair kit.
4. Extra brake wire.
5. A multi-utility tool from btwin (with torx/allen key and regular bits).
6. Water bottle that came along with the hawk ( 1/2 ltr)
First aid kit ( A little turmeric powder + cotton).

All this in the goodie bag that I got from the cyclothon ride just over a week ago. Set the alarm for 4:00 so I could start by 4:30. Zzzzzz!!!!

Trrrring..!!! My alarm was sounding weird i woke up and then realised that it was my office cab waiting. Informed them it was my week off and looked at the time 3:45AM reset the alarm for 4:15 and due to my head succumbed to the forces of gravity. Alarm went off again and this time it 'was' the alarm tone and woke up, finished the morning chores or .. should i say Early morning chores and was ready by 5:15. Strapped on the new BTwin gloves (nice soft n comfy) and soon i hit the silk board junction. Then it was NH7 all the way. Started cruising on the BETL and just before the toll gate changed my cycle to the main stretch (didn't want to face any condescending questions early morning by the toll gate employees. A smooth ride till old chandapura. Time to reflect on my earlier regular trips to electronics city had made me strong and given enough strength to endure this ride. During the last E-city run I had pain in the right knee but no signs of pain during this trip. Spending some quality time on the bikezone forums did help me a lot. I raised the saddle height after which the ride became more of a pleasure. Got to understand what cadence is all about and better experience at shifting gears at the precise moment so you don't pedal slow stressing thigh and calf muscles or pedal fast n wasting precious energy. Touring is all about utilizing the energy to the optimum levels as distance to cover is more imporant than the time taken. Crossed the bangalore Toll Both after a 5 min break. Little did I realize that the water was Icy Cold.. The first sip and my mind opened up. It was all yellow rickshaw's and tamil hoardings which marked the "Welcome to Tamil Nadu". Plan was to have breakfast at the Hosur Bus Stand but once I reached I didn't feel hungry so I took a quick tour of the newly constructed bus stand (well maintained) and stopped for about 10 mins for another sip. Then off to Bangalore. There were some gradual steep stretches of gradient 5Degrees were to be taken in 3rd or 4th gear. Tried to draft one of the trucks but was able to do so only for about a km. I am not sure whether to call it successful or tiresome. Either I was trying a bit too hard to cope up with the truck getting tired a little to quickly or maybe i was a little too slow on the up slope. Took the BETL tollway again and this time it was mostly down slope to get me in top gear pretty quick. Reached home by 8:45. Marked the completion of the trip by a couple of snaps from my mobile. Enough of the text and let some pics do the talking..