Delighted to post that I completed the 1000km brevet (Bangalore-Belgaum-Bangalore) successfully with about 7.5 hours to spare. Ride started at 1600 hours THU, commencing with Rain God blessing us with a big shower as soon we left the start point at MG road!
After couple of hours, rain ceased, and when the ride suddenly became rough, I realised that I had a flat. Fixed the puncture by replacing the tube at 2230 on the highway with the headlight. As soon I fixed mine, my ride partner Sohan Sintre checked his tyre casually and ouch!, he had a flat too. Repeat once again. Lost 45 minutes, this put pressure on us for the subsequent three time controls.
From 200KM until 300KM, Varuna the wind God tested us, a strong and unrelenting head wind possibly 20-30kmph. As my fellow cyclist Sundar Rajan remarked, that area is a big wind tunnel! As soon as the Sun went down, the winds stopped and we made to the control point with a few minutes to spare. With time ticking away, big dinner was not an option. A quick bite of puff/sweets/sugary cola at at Iyengar’s bakery was the dinner and we sped to Belgaum that is 100 km away, reaching the second control point (midway mark) with just a minute to spare! Phew, a very close call! It was 1:47AM and and this was the second night without sleep.
Being short of time, did a U-turn and raced downhill from Belgaum to Hubli. The big challenge was keeping the eyes open. A pleasant breeze and wonderful weather was inviting sleep but we were woefully short of time. True test of endurance! As time ticked the sun came and dawn in hills was breaking – A beautiful sight. As I neared Hubli (20-25 KMS), an amazing rolling terrain showed up – climb-up the mountain, climb down, again & again. Made it to the control with 15 minutes to spare. Phew! Never have I encountered so many close shaves.
600 done now and there was a breather in terms of time. The tougher stretches were done. I had the option catching up on some sleep and then head back, but decided to conduct an experiment on sleep deprivation and therefore continued riding back to Bangalore. In the stretch 600-700 I was back in the “wind tunnel” again but this time wind was helping me – tail wind. Sped all the way, and wonderful balmy sun, both sides of the highway filled with large fields ensured it was it was a great ride. North Karnataka is beautiful. 720 done, it was tine for big dinner! Pit stop at Kamat for dinner & quick shower. Changed into a fresh cycling outfit. Felt great.
Back on the saddle, the evening had faded into night, and Mr Sleep was back. But I wanted to push it. And what an experience it was. Until 800 KM I evaded sleep by pedalling furiously reaching the control well ahead of time. And the next stop was Bangalore. 800-900 (2230-0600) was probably the toughest and most interesting. Conscious hallucination is an amazing experience. This requires a separate post!
900-1000 was unforgettable. An amazing ride where I discovered peak performance, a wonderful state of harmony, rhythm, where your body does things naturally – no coaxing, no effort and no pain. Zen-like trance. Truly amazing.
Reached BLR at 11:33 AM with 7:46 hours to spare. Felt wonderful. No fatigue. A perfect state of calm. My younger son was at the finish point and it was delight to see him. We spent the next 5 hours meeting the other riders arriving and had a lovely time. with them.
Then back home to a great welcome! Shower, dinner and good night’s rest. Did a 2.5KM run on Monday to ensure that the muscles do not stiffen up. And it helped greatly.
My longest post ! For the longest ride until now!