Randonneur!

Last Saturday, the last Indian qualifier for the PBP, the 600km brevet ride, concluded. The series ran starting from January with the 200K ride and finished with the 600K in April. I haven't written about these rides, at least not here, so here is a summary of the rides.

It all began with the 200K Launch Ride in December. Although not an officially recognized Brevet, it was a warmup for the actual Brevet to come in January. The route took us from Cubbon Park to the very border of Karnataka with Andhra Pradesh on NH-7 and back. Not fully aware of the discipline required for a Brevet, I lost time due to many halts and an eatery who had run out of Idlis! Eventually I wound up in the situation of having to ride 40km in about 30min leading me to abandon the ride. I rode only 163km that day.

Mindful of that failure, I rode the 200K Brevet Ride in January with much more discipline, aiming to ride a 100km straight out of Bangalore without stopping. The route took us from Cubbon Park (again) to slightly beyond Mandya and back to Kengeri on Mysore Road, the distance to be completed in 13 hours. I'm not exactly a fast rider, and the uphill journey back slowed me enough to doubt whether I was going to finish. With no proper lunch, I still managed to speed up at the end to finally reach Kengeri with about 20 minutes to spare.

The 300K in February was along the same route, except it would go all the way to Mysore, up the Chamundi Hills, and then back again to Bangalore. While I had ridden to Mysore, I had never ridden back, and I was looking forward to the challenge. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Starting fairly strongly and reaching the halfway point at Chamundi Hills well in time, my bicycle had a severe mechanical malfunction, and I ended up carrying it to the top of the hill and riding in a bus back to Mysore and eventually back to Bangalore.

I began the 400K in the month of March with an admonition to the bicycle that any failure would not be tolerated. The route this time was to the south-east, from M G Road in Bangalore to Vellore and back. As the route goes, it is all downhill to Vellore, and therefore all uphill to Bangalore, with the most difficult climb being the ascent from Krishnagiri to Hosur. To be completed in 26 hours, this would also be the first brevet ride to include a significant night riding component, especially for riders who rode slowly like me. Making good time to the control point at 140km, we rode the last 60km to Vellore braving horrible headwinds and the heat. Thankfully, the headwinds persisted through the night, though now they were tailwinds, and we found ourselves at Krishnagiri at about 1.30AM. The next control was a 24-hour McDonalds 45km and a steep hill climb away. Drowsy, fatigued, and alone I almost gave up. I rode though, and I have never been more happy seeing the golden arches of McDonalds, as I did at Shoolagiri at 4.15AM when I knew I had made it. The ride back from Shoolagiri to M G Road was tough, but I had practised it the week before, and I finished my 400K at 7.50AM, 40 minutes before the 26 hour deadline. I had spent over 19 hours in the saddle, the most ever till then!

Last Friday's 600K to be completed in 40 hours was the last in the series that I had intended to participate in, and it would be along the same route, except that we would head out to Sriperambudur and then turn back. It started out superbly, but the heat at this time of the year slowly began to slow us down. By the time we reached Sriperumbudur at night 12AM, I had only grabbed a few "power" naps, and had not eaten as much as I should have. By the time it was daylight, I was drowsy, fatigued and the sun's heat getting unbearable. By 11AM, I found myself having to complete 55km in the next hour. Thus, again, I had to abandon for being too slow a rider. That was not the end of the story, since I had to either ride back or catch a bus. Most buses were not willing to accomodate a cyclist, but finally at Ambur, I managed to get my bicycle and me on a bus back to Hosur. At Hosur, I climbed back into the saddle and rode back the 45km to campus. I had only ridden 486km in about 23hours of riding time.

The 400K and the 600K were perhaps the first athletic events I have taken part in that had very serious endurance components. It's been a wonderful learning experience doing all these brevets. From eating at roadside Dhabas, to sleeping on parapets and pavements along the road, to riding in the quiet of the night with the most stars I've ever seen, it's been enjoyable. Except for the 400K where I rode too hard and suffered sore thighs for the next three or four days, most other rides I was up and about the next day. Going to TN, a state whose language I can't speak or understand, on a bicycle and still conversing with the locals as best as I could was a liberating experience.

One of my aims was to complete the series, and if I had done the 600K, I could have completed the 300K in Pune later this year, thus earning my Super Randonneur award. That has not come to pass, but it may still happen, watch this space!