Yelagiri yorker..!!

Start of an adventure/endurance rides. Ever since Major (Srinivas) got posted to the north, I wondered if I could ever get a 'brave-heart' companion. The initial idea was to ride till krishnagiri and back then it wavered between A2B/CCD and Krishnagiri. We all know how random the plans can get changed. As the hour approached only two contenders remained, Harsha (the Ironman) and I. Chickening out seems to be the trend and so did this trip see its fair share.

My goal was to head out for an endurance ride regardless anyone participating. Harsha, the strong rider that he is, agreed to give me company and decided to ride through the night. The 'drop pin' destination on the maps
shifted from Krishnagiri to Yelagiri. The general public goes T.G.I.F to me it was T.G.I.S (Thank God It's Saturday). Shift ended at 2pm and the idea was to meet at silk board by 10pm. Started to prepare the bike and post late lunch (at 4pm) hit the bed to catch some sleep. Started from home at about 9.40 and reached Silkboard as planned and Harsha was already waiting. A quick chat revealed that he ended up with stitches on his head a few days earlier due to a fall from the trainer. I doubted if this would hamper his performance but he went on to prove otherwise :-D. We started at a steady pace and reached Attibele in no time with my expert guidance on the road conditions as it is my regular training. The aero bars looked enticing and Harsha seemed a little uncomfortable using them as the tiniest adjustments to the elbow can have drastic effects on steering. After Attibele, it was time to look forward to the next milestone, CCD (Cafe Coffee Day) at shoolagiri. What followed next was a steady downhill and with CCD in sight, the speedometer showed spike in the speed. I had a cappuccino while Nagraj gorged on Cold coffee. This was a short break to help us decide on the breaks ahead.

YUMMY .. Coolant for tummy..!!

 

Bikes getting a short rest before the long night ride.

  

  From shoolagiri onwards we saw quite a few places where there was about half a km traffic pile up due to the roadworks. Was it a problem for us.... Absolutely not...!! Being on bikes we just zigzaged our way thru the trucks and buses and soon reached krishnagiri. Another confusion prevailed as to which direction was chennai highway. Harsha pulled out his phone to check on gmaps and indicated we had to continue straight but i was adamant and mentioned that it was to the left and yelagiri is on the Chennai highway. Since co-ordinates were accurate the orientation was where the confusion began. We turned left onto the Chennai highway. It was about 1am and Harsha wanted to top up on omelettes but decided against knowing that i'm a vegan so we with a meagre stock of figs and nutribars. 

The Lone (apart from photographer) Highway Rider..

  
About 20kms short of Yelagiri turnoff, we stopped at a small shop on the other side of the road and as soon as we entered two dogs went berserk. I managed to remove the helmet and called them as if they were pets and both quieted down. Tummy trouble for Harsha so off he went to shed some load before the climbs that lay ahead in the morning. We could've reached Yelagiri by about 4.30 had we continued in the same pace. Instead we started after nearly 40mins of break and stopped yet again for another dose of Tea and biscuits. We overshot the target and stopped at a junction then looking into the darkness something didn't feel right. More dogs..!! 3D surround sound with Dolby Effects..!! Checking the maps we found we overshot the turnoff by just ~2kms. About 8 kms away was another major turn that would lead us to the Salem-Tirupattur highway and we planned to take that road instead. We managed to cross this junction where there was a flyover being constructed and took a u-turn. It is very easy to miss this turn towards Salem-Thirupattur highway as it bears no resemblance to the color of the route marked on the map (like that of a main road) against the real deal. We were happy to see a 10std kid on a hero honda who's dad was a cop and had come to the chennai highway to see him off to Krishnagiri. Mighty glad that he accompanied us all the way to the salem-tirupattur highway. Harsha checked on the google maps just to be extra cautious. We thanked Prabhakar as we were at the base of Yelagiri. We reached in the best possible time to start the climb on a cool morning. The view of the towns below was fantastic and for the initial 3-4 kms taking it easy and continuing at a leisurely pace and at about 9th km I went full throttle as one of the cyclist who was returning mentioned that it was just another km to the summit. Maintained a higher cadence and reached the summit and was ready to capture pics of Harsha finishing who joined me shortly. Here he is in a grand finish.. Bragging rights granted.. Been there done that..!!

 At the summit .. huffing and puffing..!!

Great food but not so good/polite staff

 Photographer getting photographed ...

System in 'Standby mode'

Harsha remebering dialogue from English Vinglish ... I miss two things about India my mummy and Idly !!! 

Tasty puris with great sambar and aloo curry.

The most efficient machines on the planet that brought us to Yelagiri.

More of landscape capture from my X6.

Wallpaper material

Inner peace.... Inner peace... Inner..... 

Harsha finally getting a hang of the Aero bars..

We headed to the lake but managed to run into the security guard who asked us to leave the cycles outside and didn't agree to let us in with the cycles. A little to tired to try and convince him we managed to get a peek of the small lake from another route and it wouldn't have been any worthy to buy a ticket to check it out. Caught Hotel Surabhi in its morning yawn. The only item on the menu was plain dosa. I went for the ghee roast while Harsha lit up on the sound of Omelete. So omelet's and dosa's and you returned? Nope.. we wanted to wait for pongal and Puri to satisfy the carbs starved bodies :-D. Round 2, Puris and omelete. Round 3 coffee and we were finally full. Harsha did mention that this was the heaviest breakfast. I couldn't say that I had just enough to get back on saddle and coast downhill 12kms :-). We decided to stop every possible photogenic spot and clicked away to glory. After about half hour we decided it was time to hit the highway and soon we reached a junction just before Jolarpet town either to turn right to heads towards Nemily and then continue on the Chennai Bangalore highway or head straight into tirupattur and then on to bargur. The Bargur option seemed like a shortcut. This would've cut a km or two but was not worth it. The roads were a real mess and harsha tried hard to use the aero bars. Trying to find a smooth line on a road as broken and patchy as a teenagers freckled face made it no easy task. The return route was supposed to have been shorter and instead turned out to be 8km longer. In just over 2hrs we managed to reach the Chennai highway and a huge sigh of relief. An uneventful ride till krishnagiri and then we turned into Hosur road. It was about 10AM and we stopped below the flyover to get some rest. Harsha tried hard to brainwash me to hitchhike or take bus back to Bangalore or till Hosur at-least and then continue riding. However, I was wide awake and this wasn't helping him get me think alike. When a rider has rode for miles, rest/food stops become a priority and sleep being the topmost. Every minute of attempted nap proves to be such a relief. One of the best feelings is when you don't have to worry about a time station/control unlike a brevet and one could doze off. My hands on experiment with Harsha's bike had fruitful results with the aero bar tests. The aero bars were soothing for the back and the bike avg just shot up to some intriguing numbers. It was when i looked at my companion when i realized how much effort he had to put in while i was so relaxed. Thanks to Harsha for letting me try his bike. The fit seemed to be nearly perfect so the ride was super comfy. Harsha's bike was lighter in-spite of the aero bars. There goes another hole in the pocket with the next planned upgrade. Home ministry ain't gonna be happy with this decision. With enough rest at Krishnagiri, we started to gaze lazily at the climbs which lay ahead and 'sufferfest' truly was the only word right from the start of any climb from that point on. I hate to admit it but halfway through the climb i see some truck that is going at my pace 10kph :-D.. why not hitchhike..!! But the ride had to be finished with no form of motorized transport as we were 'ONLY' 80kms to Bangalore. Two bikes stopped Harsha for some reason and he didn't understand what they said and when they tried to stop me it looked like they wanted a test ride but i declined saying you need special shoes to ride such bike. Not sure how it got translated in their heads. They were making hand gestures that they are going to stop somewhere ahead and wait for us to pass by. Frustrated by this incident we saw those guys once more overtaking us about 10kms into the ride again and didn't see them anymore. Next stop CCD ofcourse ... again!! A couple of Mocachillos later Harsha managed a half hr sleep and we were off. 15-18kms into riding and another stop to drink the malt sold in pots which normally sell buttermilk. I didn't want to try that and was interested only in buttermilk which was out of stock unsurprisingly. We continued to climb then finally switching to a rolling terrain. From Hosur town it was a stupendous ride. You might expect the cloud cover or sudden burst from clouds or even taking a bus or a truck ... but no !! There was some VIP visit and the entire road was cleared of traffic. A smooth rolling all the way from Hosur till Attibele and only after we entered karnataka did we manage to see the convoy of pilot cars, SUV's jeeps and ambulances. Familiar territory, attibele to home. It was about 4pm when we were riding towards Chandapura and here's where there's a twist in the tale. Of the 3 lanes, the middle and the right were occupied by overtaking trucks and a private bus switched to the left most lane and honked continuously. I, knowing this was another crazed driver, moved to the extreme left (white line) and so did Harsha but the bus drive a lot closer than expected and this was downright scary. However, Harsha stood by the driver's side of the bus and warned him and then rode to the front of the bus. The driver then tries to scare Harsha by nearly running him over and finally managed to wedge him against the barricade(dividing the highway and service lane) leaving no room for him to move ahead. The bus then disappears into the service lane of Chandapura flyover. This was the limit and Harsha now determined to teach him a lesson rode hard to find a traffic police while I rode to the top of Chandapura flyover, I managed to see the bus and took a couple of pics. Had I rode back to catch a better picture of the bus/driver he would've fleed in hurry. He managed to overtake me at the end of the flyover and little did he know about the trouble he's going to get into. Harsha in the meanwhile managed to stop the bus in its tracks. Driver refuses to get down and only when he gets angry did the driver get down. Head right into Hebbagodi police station and another ordeal with the cops and driver. Short story - driver and the bus fleet owner have some political backing but our man Harsha is no less either. Finally they manage to let him off for a fine of INR.500. So it all boils down to life's worth - 500Rs. Initially the driver denies he was the one driving the bus and it could've been someone else. When he got to know about the photo evidence, that's it started to stink for him. Then the conductor gave in and said it was a honest mistake. How could a 'nearly run over' situation be an honest mistake when it was clearly intentional? This went on for about 3 hrs. After transferring pics to Harsha's mobile, I continued home as Harsha. It takes courage to even get to the cops or stop a bus. I admire Harsha's courage and standing his ground to make his point. What could've been a better solution to such an instance? Is it worth filing a case and running about the police station/court? Or was it an option to get the DL cancelled (temporarily if that option was even available)? I leave you thinking at this point and suggest you to feel free to post comments.... To any cyclist.. exercise caution on highways.. Better to be safe than sorry.. This doesn't mean you abandon the bike but just put more efforts on riding safe...

Trip Statistics:
Total Distance: 320kms
Elevation profile looks like below (Click for a bigger picture). 

Fuel: Coffee, Tea, biscuits, Figs, Puri, omelet's, Tender coconuts, Rice malt (roadside vendor from an earthen pot), Banana's, muskmelon double dose :-D, aerated drinks (unaccounted for).
Total riding time :: 20hrs (Avg 15kph)

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 :-)..

Bangalore-Chamundi-Bangalore....

It has been quite a while since the blog saw some keystrokes. The mania starts 24hrs before the ride date (Oct 27th) and comes as a surprise from Opendro. He has been the best buddy to ride with, ever since I rode with him my very first endurance 600 Brevet back in 2011 April and this was too tempting an offer to resist. Had to cancel my badminton plans for 27th and started prepping the bike for this run. To my mind it was just like a Brevet 300. I wanted to take the outer ring road while Opendro suggested a route via Kathirguppe. Kathriguppe won the bid and the rendezvous point was cool joint in Jayanagar. Why does the excitement kick in early. I can hardly get any sleep the night before and this was no different. Hit the bed by 12.30 and woke up by 4. Your mind at this point probably screaming from a well, heck.. that my daily routine.

Downgraded from an X6 to an M2 from micromax. But love its simplicity. Incoming, outgoing calls and SMS's. That's just about defines a phones purpose. The human mind works in crazy ways and wants a whole lot from something then you might want to check out this site and you sure will go nuts. I sure am going to miss the 5MP camera on the X6. The speaker on the M2 is real loud. Loud enough to wake up even my neighbors next door :-). After the irritating sound of the alarm, I get ready in no time and reached Cool joint signal where Opendro felt the rear tyre needed some more air. So we pumped it up a little and set on our journey to Mysore at 5.40AM.  We took the JC road, KR market flyover and continued on the mysore highway. The road was in tatters and we managed it slow till we reached a little before NICE road junction. As dawn broke we were invited by lush greenery and cool breeze. We set a blistering pace as it was predominantly downhill. This reminded me of my trip last year on Hero Hawk where I rode with a friend till the palace and returned by Bus. And I thought nothing could beat the excitement the way it had happened. The cycling bug bite effect is still profound and I'm happy to have met most of my targets set this year. The prime target being a Super Randonneur. As I eagerly await my set of 4 medals and 1 Super Randonneur medal, there's quite a lot more that can be done in less time and the tightly packed weekends are a pure example. 

Flashback - April 2011 and earlier.....  :: Almost every other weekend trying hard to lay my hands on a Royal Enfield 350cc or looking for a replacement for my car. Somehow make a trip once a month to some place mostly by car. The diesel-head factor was slowly weaning away while the cold air from outside rejuvenated my senses. Change is inevitable and the flash of genius that decided the turning point was when I read my friend's father-in-law do a Bangalore-Kanyakumari and Bangalore-Mumbai on his road-bike. The Hero Hawk served me well for a year as I ended up riding at-least 15 kms every alternate day. Looking at my passion towards cycling, I soon became the proud owner of 'the Rubie' and the very first year clocked 4000kms.

Fast Forward present Day.....
Here I am, already through a set of tyres, a nearly worn out chain and a loose cassette and raring to go full throttle. Opendro and I meet at the rendezvous point and we navigate our way via JC road and then on the mysore road going over KR market. The stretch from the end of the KR market flyover till about NICE road junction is in tatters and if your bones are brittle or you teeth aren't white then you might want to consider riding rather slowly on this stretch. :-P. A suggestion is you may avoid this horrid stretch by taking the outer ring road (nayandahalli/deve gowda petrol bunk) which cuts the misery by half. The better alternative would probably be the Uttarahalli route that joins mysore road very close to the NICE road junction. Once we crossed NICE road the bikes rattles disappeared and the body soon settled down to a smooth rhythm. We picked up pace gently and were able to maintain a higher average due to the cool breeze (caused by speed) and a mild tailwinds. To add to the glory, Bangalore is at a higher altitude than Mysore. Hence the overall profile is a downhill. The first break was for bananas and I managed to eat 2 and stored the one for en-route nourishment. Opendro seemed quite pleased by this decision as he is more aware of my plans.. actually there are none. Ride hard, bonk, curse yourself for not deciding on supplements. But this time I was determined to eat at regular intervals. So the second break just before Mandya I ended up having a Nutribar and after about 10-15kms we stopped for tender coconut. We set a blistering pace and I suspect an average of nothing less than 35kph. We started at 5.40 from Jayanagar and reached mysore by 10.30am. One gets to experience the feeling of the crowd by just looking at their reactions. Some thumbs up... some go Ay!!! ..and others sneer, (in kannada) Cycligey helmetaaa? (a motorbiker riding without a helmet and he was amused looking at cyclists wearing one). A few riders on Royal Enfield's were all thumbs up on seeing us and that put a widened the smug grin on our faces. At one point as we stopped for bananas. Opendro halfway into eating, looked in disbelief. You might be wondering why? The banana didn't get peeled in the normal manner and there was an uneven cut on one side which opendro thought he might have consumed more calories than intended :-). Soon we hit the overhead canal that marks the entry into Mysore but we took the left (ring road) that bypasses Mysore town. 8 kms of headwinds and just a couple of sips left in the bottles. We had to reach the main road soon if we were to recharge our batteries. Soon we spotted a bakery to feast on dil-pasand and mango juice. After about half hour we were ready to take on the chamundi climb. This can be called a prelude to Nandi the gradient is gradual and there isn't any steep section. For a newbie it might be a tough one but for a rider who's climbed nandi, Chamundi climb would be relenting.

Idle Musings of a Super Randonneur...!!

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 :: 
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Vanakkam-Chennai-Velo-400 !!!

 

A brevet isn’t a child’s play. But it’s not unachievable either. Every Brevet ride demands care and attention to great detail if one doesn’t  want to quit due to the inherent Brevet feature known as ‘bonk’!! With quite a few chapters of experience from earlier rides and precious feedback from my team members CW (Cleated Warriors), it was time to put at-least some of that into action. There comes a time when the mind’s fuse just blows out and gives way for excuses. Suddenly the bar gets raised on one’s innovation levels. The excuses become abundant and one gets spoilt for choices. Sounds like mind over matter? With 14^th of July looming around the corner I had to decide if I should travel to Chennai and ride it out in the ‘HOT’ city. After a failed attempt at 1k ride earlier in June, mentally I had decided not to quit at any point. As per the original plan Kiran and I were to attempt this 400. As he was suffering from IBTS, (Hamstring stiffness) it would take longer to recover and if this recurred during this ride then it would spell disaster as we have aimed at completing the Brevet series. Since I had a busy following two weekends, doing the 400 on 14 would give me time to recover as soon as possible and aim at finishing the 600 strong on the 28^th. On Friday I decided to start by afternoon as my colleague was a native of Chennai and planned to stay overnight at his residence and start early morning. After a sumptuous dinner, Bhaskaran and I went for a stroll by the Marina Beach which was just a 2 minute walk from his house. This explains why he works from Chennai often. :-)

Bhaskar and his josh machine with a hint of the bike in rear seat !!

4:00 AM :: The usual siren on my X6 is good enough to wake up an entire dorm. Surprisingly, I managed to wake up just before the alarm rang and then managed to snooze it twice only to wake up Bhaskar. Time for morning chores and was ready in about 15 mins. Truly glad that Bhaskar agreed to drop me till the start point in his car else it would have been a 13 kms ride to the start which is no big deal but gives me the precious extra minutes of sleep. 

5:00 AM :: We overshot the target and take a u turn head back about 3-4 kms to take yet another u turn to come back to the BSA showroom which was the start point. With the bike assembled, it was then time to complete the formalities and get the bike inspected by an independent adjudicator or the RTO officer as I would like to call it. There seemed to be a generous number of participants. ~15. 

Sundar sir at Registration Counter @ BSA Showroom 

 

We started riding on the OMR road towards Kelambakkam where the first control (ATM) was located. I don’t know why but I could sense something was not right and this turned out to be that the receipts weren’t working. Took photos with atm as the background and took right to ride via vandalur zoo which then connects to the trichy highway NH45. The route for some part reminded of the Siva’s road mostly good tarmac and some green cover to keep the mind busy. I initially was riding with the BSA showroom owner. Then I switched to ride with the faster group (Partha, Neville, Pradeep) for a while till the first stop or control after which I was planning to ride easy.  At Chengalpet toll all riders re-grouped for a  tender coconut break.  That’s when we realized that Aditya’s bike had a flat. Soon we got a surprise visit by Premgi Amaren who is the comedian in movie Goa. Well known for his quote “EKSI (short hand on facebook), enna koduma sir idhu”. All riders were at ease as he too had stopped for a smoke and a tender coconut break. Most of the riders had a “brown stripe” on their backs as it had been drizzling ever since we started riding the NH-45.   Soon the drizzle stopped but the climate stayed fantabulous. Partha mentioned that he hasn’t rode in such an awesome weather in Chennai in a long time. Soon we stopped for breakfast and proceeded to catch up with folks ahead. Road-bikeable tarmac and some gentle headwinds and cloud cover to ensure a smooth ride. We were able to maintain a steady average of 28kph.  About 50kms before the u-turn point is when I met Pradeep Chander who was chugging along at a slightly higher average. Somehow caught up and the rest of the route till the U-Turn point was pacelining. Surprised at Sundar sir’s fitness levels. We reached Vedantha college where we found Partha and Aditya waiting to get the card stamped. They said they were waiting for about an hour and there was no sign of vehicle. The indica with organizers arrived after the 10 riders made it to the u-turn point. There were some heated arguments they left in a hurry. 

The pitstop at Vedanta college (U-Turn point).

  

All set to ride back..!!

 

 

Never dehydrate, a key factor on such rides..!!

Bandit Gana rides the highway.. :-)

 

While we topped up water and feasted on glucose drinks, bananas chikki’s, the cards were stamped and a short photo session later we started to finish point(start point).  This is my favourite part as the ultrafire’s worked their magic through the night. I was happy to be leading the paceline sometimes speeding and sometimes slowing down. Dropped the lead and had other riders set the pace and I’d follow along. This worked for about 50kms after which we stopped for dinner. Fried rice and curd for me. The complaining factor simply vanishes as one has food for thought more than food as fuel. We reached Acharapakam ATM control by about 10pm and relaxed there for about half hour.  There were a total of 4 riders , Sachin, Pradeep, Ramesh and I. After this break we were able to maintain a higher average ~30 for most of the trip till chengalpet tollbooth and then it was a non-stop ride till the kelambakkam turnoff.  This stretch of 15kms till kelambakkam was supposed to be tricky or dangerous bit. So we rode a lot slower and stopped enroute to ‘empty the tanks’. A few cops had to do their bit with how what and why’s which were answered by Pradeep and with both satisfied we  headed to the ATM control at the kelambakkam junction. Another round of pics to confirm our presence within the control open and close timigs we now were just about 15-20kms to the BSA showroom.  Reached about 4.5 hrs before the finish time and got the much deserved rest. I had a chance of taking the 6am bus to Bangalore but then found that the bus was cancelled as there were only 2 seats booked. So the only option ws to take the 10am or 2 pm bus and no other bus in evening had free seats left. Pradeep was kind enough to invite me to his house to freshen up and get some sleep before departing to bangalore. This was such a big relief. Respite from all the muddy spray from trucks, my legs were covered in a layer of fine sand as if I had just walked out of a beach. In less than half hour I was fast asleep only to be woken up by 11 for breakfast. I had booked the bus tickets for 2pm. This time the luggage ticket was only Rs.100. But from Bangalore it was 200. A sumptuous or should I call it a mammoth lunch settled in to my tummy. Pradeep’s mother had prepared lunch exactly to a cyclist’s nutrition needs. Never felt away from home as the taste of home food still lingers fresh.  The perfect amount of carbs, proteins and fibre content in lunch was enough to keep me happy till I reached home. With the bike loaded in the bus I was all set to return to Bangalore. The Volvo had a flat near the ksrtc authorized stop and the start was delayed by another half hour. It looked like the tyre was retreaded and here’s the damage. 

 The tooshh.. moment.....

How to load a bike in a volvo

  

The Chennai -Belgavi (Belgaum) Gold class volvo

Over the years I've come across a lot of encouraging and discouraging comments about cycling which almost every cyclist is prone to get a dosage. I maintain my firm belief, its the passion that binds man and machine and cycling is no different!!