(July 2012) It is evening, and I'm manning a control on the Huliyurdurga 200km Brevet, a few km from Manchanbele and Dodda Aladda Mara. Most of the riders have passed me by, and I have closed the control. It had looked like rain when I was setting out from campus, so I am carrying a jacket, but it hasn't rained so far. It is said that the organizers are at fault if it doesn't rain on a brevet, but on today's ride I'm not the organizer.
The last rider left a few minutes before I decide to move and pick the shorter of the two routes that will get me back to Magadi Road near Tavarakere. The riders have to take the longer route on which they will first descend and then climb a steep 4% gradient on their way back. The route has been recently tarred, after over a year of being miserably potholed. For the first time on this route, I have been able to take my eyes of the road and look at the scenery, which is gorgeous -- rolling hills with green grassland and a small lake.
As I near Magadi road, the first drops of rain hit me. It's a small drizzle, and I continue riding. After a few meters, I decide to put on the rain jacket. The road is empty, and I pick a tree to shelter me from the drizzle. I unwrap the jacket from the bag and put it on and as I join the road again, I notice some curious onlookers far away.
At Tavarakere, the rain increases. It's no longer a drizzle, but it isn't a deluge either. My jacket keeps out the rain, and while I get hotter underneath the jacket, there is a perfect balance to it, and I get into the flow. For over 10 kilometers, I ride faster than I ever have on that stretch, maintaining a flow in the rain that I have never experienced before. There is wide grin on my face which is echoed by some bystanders on the road. Riding in the rain on an uncrowded state highway is truly enjoyable.
As I near Sunkadakatte and the city, the clouds give up, and the rain stops. Half-relieved, for I do not want to encounter pedestrians and other vehicles in the rain, I make my way back to campus.
The last rider left a few minutes before I decide to move and pick the shorter of the two routes that will get me back to Magadi Road near Tavarakere. The riders have to take the longer route on which they will first descend and then climb a steep 4% gradient on their way back. The route has been recently tarred, after over a year of being miserably potholed. For the first time on this route, I have been able to take my eyes of the road and look at the scenery, which is gorgeous -- rolling hills with green grassland and a small lake.
As I near Magadi road, the first drops of rain hit me. It's a small drizzle, and I continue riding. After a few meters, I decide to put on the rain jacket. The road is empty, and I pick a tree to shelter me from the drizzle. I unwrap the jacket from the bag and put it on and as I join the road again, I notice some curious onlookers far away.
At Tavarakere, the rain increases. It's no longer a drizzle, but it isn't a deluge either. My jacket keeps out the rain, and while I get hotter underneath the jacket, there is a perfect balance to it, and I get into the flow. For over 10 kilometers, I ride faster than I ever have on that stretch, maintaining a flow in the rain that I have never experienced before. There is wide grin on my face which is echoed by some bystanders on the road. Riding in the rain on an uncrowded state highway is truly enjoyable.
As I near Sunkadakatte and the city, the clouds give up, and the rain stops. Half-relieved, for I do not want to encounter pedestrians and other vehicles in the rain, I make my way back to campus.
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