Amidst the Brevet season when all the eyeballs are fixed on the riders who are creating some incredible benchmarks in every ride and overwhelming us with their quality of riding, few of us were planning to do a relatively longer ride which is not at all time bound like brevet and we could do little bit of things which otherwise we cant do in a formal brevet. As the idea coined the hunt for the destination started atleast a month ago. We started with a probable destination as Shimoga and then somehow it changed to Coimbatore and when it did not work out we looked for Coorg and Chikmagalur. After lots of exchange of ideas finally we boiled down to Chikmagalur via Hassan. Initially our plan was to travel by bus along with our bikes on board up till Chikmagalur and then we go around the place and explore. Just a couple of days before the ride, we thought, while we can ride on the highway why to take bus and go up to Chikmagalur ! Well. Change the plan - anyway its a plan and it is meant to be changed. So change it. We decided, we will ride from Bangalore up to Chikmagalur and there we will go around places. From the beginning we were around five guys who were about to set out for the tour. Five became four towards the end and then to three. At the last moment a fresh entry made it back to a decent four member team. Bikes were decking up, list of things to carry were visited and re-visited again and again to heat up the excitement of the 'Journey'. All set to go ! So far what did not change for once also was the date of the tour. Incidentally last whole week I was quite disturbed with my health and came under the weather and got to know about the similar things with other team members also later on. I was under medication and somehow was not feeling too hopeful about to kick start but never lost hope and with a huge amount of inner desire I took the last dose of my medication just 5 hours before the journey and till then I was not sure whether I can make it or not. After that I sleept for barely two hours and miraculously when I got up, I was good to go ! Yes we are on the mark.
We were set out to start from IISc at 4 in the morning of a sleepy saturday - 13 th july 2013. When I reached IISc 'S' Block hostel, found that only one member is up and running to make others get ready, one is sleeping and the other one is yet to reach the campus. However we managed to start from the campus by around 5.15 with full 'josh' and packed with all stuff we need on the way. I was on a Rock Rider 5.2 with slicks, Hari Krishna ( whom I will be referring as HK ) on Rock Rider 5.0 with semi slicks, Sreekar on a Rock Rider 5.1 with slicks and Hari D K ( whom I will be referring as HDK ) on a Trek 3700, were all looking composed. HK, who has made a huge wave within the cycling community with his DIY Kick Ass Light ( KAL - we call the device ) is certainly the charm of this ride. Sreekar is also a good ride freak who has participated in last couple of brevets. HDK is not into brevets and other events and he enjoys the joy rides at his own pace. I'm a newbie in a long ride and so far has attemted only one 55 k Golahalli brevet this year and unfortunately DNF'ed. never mind. I wanted to try the long rides. So here we go. We set our pace at around 13-15 kmph which seemed to be doable by all of us. As soon as we left the campus stopped for hot tea around the corner of yeshvantpur fly-over.
Then the ride starts. Took the right turn on the bridge in front of Metro cash n Carry and head towards Nelamangala. We decided not to go up on the expressway and stay on the side lane as it will save our energy and at that point of time not much of traffic also. We reached upto jalahalli toll gate within no time and at that point we saw a problem in Sreekar's bike. HK examined and declared that the problem is with the left crank nut thread which holds it with the horizontal bar across two sides and he tighten the nut with his tool kit and it was under observation for few more kilometres untill we reached closer to Nelamangala junction. But it came out again and we decided that it will not be good idea to continue with this and Sreekar will drop out and go back to city to fix the problem and take a bus towards Hassan and join us back asap. We took a detour towards Nelamangala town where you get famous Benne-dosa. The shop was just opened and we jumped on the readily available katte idli and waited for benne- dosa which were under preparation. After having a good breakfast we said good bye to Sreekar and headed towards Hassan.
The road welcomed us with its nice termac and relatively lesser traffic. We are filled with enthusiasm and started going steadily. Road also not so up n down. HK was leading and me and HDK were chating nicely and cruising. We first stopped at the toll plaza to take few photographs. It was cloudy but pleasant. After a couple of minutes break started riding. My bike was rolling pretty good which I never anticipated. Thanks to my friends Nelly,Iggy and Ajay who suggested me to change the original knobbies to slicks and that did the majic and I was very happy. It was rolling rolling rolling. After sometime it appeared to be like I'm always going in between other two and sometime speeding up to HK to have a chat or slowing down a bit to catch up with HDK and I was enjoying that part. This road has a bike lane marking through-out and that felt quite safe because of that and I have a mirror on the handle bar which is very handy to see what is coming from the back. Roll roll roll roll - long way to go man. Play with the surface and speed and terrain and move move move. We stopped inbetween towns to fill water and at every break I took out my favourite energy booster - Chikkis. Almost at ease I reached 55 km mark on my cyclocomp and I was so excited to cross that to create my career's best - hehehe - every mile I added I was bettering my record and that kept me going. Then we crossed 70 km mark and had a tea and then we started facing the much talked about wind on the ride. If you dont experience it, you wont know what it is. For a first time long rider like me will surely not know much about the wind factors and how to deal with it but my follow up with all the discussions in the BBCh community helped me to relate whether it is head wind or tail wind. At this point of time it was head wind and growing stronger as we were proceeding and slowing us down by atleast 3-4 kmph. Then the much anticipated rain started in the form of drizzling. But no stopping for us. I was remembering about the other brevet riders at the same time who are facing the torrential rain day and night on a similar highway in the 1200 km brevet. Cool. If they can do it then let me also try. Ccomp reading is fascinating me. 75-80-85. Heavy rain with really strong head wind. Took a break. Decided another 15 km we will ride in an hour and take our lunch break. Hit back the wet road. Huhhhh its fun. Remembering my school days when we used to play football in the rain and mud - nostalgic. Sharp horn and close passing by of a speeding volvo bus brought me back in real time. I'm going to score a century on the ccomp - I was excited and that kept me going against all the hurrdles and most importantly I was enjoying. Thanks to all the pros who discuss many things about the long rides and those discussions came in handy and ofcourse HK being the most experienced among three of us he kept on giving us very useful tips to tackle the gear ratios and how to negotiate the ups and downs to maintain an average speed - practical lessons - invaluable ! Guys put your hands together now as I'm going to touch the glorious moment of my life to prodly cross a 100 km mark on a bicycle on a highway !!! If my parents learn about this then they will term me as a mad fellow - hehe. I know its not a big deal at all to do a 100 km ride on a bike on a good road. People are doing many many 100 s every now and then. I also aspire to do that someday. But the excitement was for doing it for the first time in life . Its like your first proposal to a girl in your life or first kiss or scoring your first hattrick in a football match or first century in cricket or so and so - it shakes you it moves you. Yeah it did it to me. It was raining. Road was seeming to go insanely somewhere on top of the MontBlanc. Head wind is determined to fail you in your mission. Cyclocomp reading is at 97.68. Mannn. I am counting every RPM. 98.3. I'm just 1.7 km away from the glory. All the odds are with me. But you are no good to knock me off today. I bet. 98.8. I'm composed and not in nervous 90. I could see it. 99.4. I could smell it. 99.7. I can feel it. 99.9. Gap between the Cup and the lips. 100.00. I cant see HK in the front. I dont see even HDK at my back. I made it. My hands go up in the air. As if I was riding with Lance and just beat him in the photo finish in The Tour De France. Does not matter. I did it. I did it for the first time in my life. Like many others. No big deal. But again, yes I did it. For the first time. I'm joyous. Sometime back also I never could imagine this actually I'm doing something like this on a bicycle. Now its reality.
We continued after this and made it to Hassan which was even more difficult than what was done so far. May be I will share that part sometime later along with lots of photographs which I took all the way. I don't want to make this story any longer.
I'm thankful to you to bear with me with this 'sharing'. And we must catch up someday on some road in some ride !
