And then came 300K

So many many happenings this year already – I am absolutely loving the pace. There has not been one slow moment yet. New Year was a quiet one with me tucked in bed at 11 and cussing at the lunatics bursting crackers at 12am – ya! I know – I am such a nana!!! – and proud to be one may I add.

Anyway – funfilled( read : complete with workouts and work – yes, both should be fun!) couple of weeks and we were all set for our epic 300K in mysore. So shuveshek has been a bit busy so he was not going to make it this time so it was the three of us who decided to go for gold – Suhas, Ankush and me. Suhas is a mysore boy so he decided that we will all be staying together at his place – no discussion – kapiche??? So, accomodation was sorted.

Suhas was driving home for the long weekend with Sunita ( wife) and Aarav ( kid, superintelligent one at that) so he loaded up the car with our bikes as well and carried them with him on the drive. Apparently the quizzical looks and comments that they heard from the people on the way were pretty epic.

Well, look at it, I am not surprised. They reached on friday afternoon safe and sound. On Saturday morning, after we were done with training, Ankush and me jumped in an Uber and made our way to Satellite Bus Station to board a volvo to Mysore. This is where we decided on our strategy to complete the brevet in 17 Hours. There was a volvo revving up its engine waiting to go as we reached, so we hurriedly bought our tickets and jumped on the bus.

The bus was full so we had to get separate seats and I got to sit next to this lovely and extremely chatty lady. She told me a few stories and then I told her about headspace. What is headspace you ask? This is a new app I have discovered which initiates a newbie into meditation – just about 10 minutes a day. There is an inhibitor by the name of Andy who speaks to you and initiates you into the experience of meditation. I recommend trying it – it helps me calm my mind by being a witness to my thoughts, acknowledging them and enjoying the journey they are taking me on – its not about control, its about focus and just being. But yes, I got my daily headspace in and then the rest of the journey was quiet, introspective and very calming.

Before we knew it, we were at the Bus stop. Suhas was waiting there for us. we jumped into his car and drove back to his place. Sunita and Aarav were waiting for us and gave us such a warm welcome. We then had a quick bite to eat, went and checked on the bikes, got everything all sorted and then headed out for a loiter around Mysore. We went to a local Obattu shop where we got served some delicious Obattu ( sweet roti). After that we went for a drive up Chamundi Hill, which, I must say is maintained really well. We walked around the temple and then made our way to the Nandi statue which was absolutely breathtaking. After spending a fair amount of time on Chamundi Hill we made our way back towards home, stopping at cyclopedia and saying hello to Fariyal and grabbing some burgers for dinner.

By 10:30pm we were all tucked in bed. Surprisingly, no nerves – just calm! Alarm went off at 2:30am. Suhas’s mother was up at the same time. I was heading to the kitchen to make a cup of tea/coffee for everyone but the angel that she is, she took on that role and that of toasting bread for the entire bunch of us. Sunita soon walked out groggy eyed and we all sipped on a cuppa together. We then rushed into our respective rooms to get changed, get the gear on, the bottles sorted, visibility jackets on and head out. 3:30am and we head towards the bikes, 3:40am and we are all seated and riding to the start point – Cyclopedia which is about 3Km away. We reach there soonish and get our bike checks done. At 4:00am we have our briefing and at 4:05am is the official start. There were 22 riders at the start line, of which there were just two of us women.

And with the start away we all went. I think we all rode together for the first 3-4Km or so after which everyone got onto their own pace. Suhas and me realised that our lights were not bright enough so we piggy backed on Ankush’s bright lights to show us the way and this was how we were destined to ride until sunrise – about 70Kms away. A few of the other road bike riders had picked up pace and were racing ahead. One of them, Manikanta – had a 3000 lumen light. I immediately named him ambulance and we tried keeping up with him for a distance trying to use his lights to show the way. But his friend and him suddenly picked up the pace, an unsustainable one and they moved ahead. Now, before we left the house – Suhas and Ankush were planning to wear their arm warmers – but off course, me being the hero that I am had to say, ” come on guys! this is mysore ya – lets not be funny and carry excess baggage” – these were words that I would come to regret and my ride buddies would rub my face in over the next two hours of riding in the dark and in the cold. As we left the city and headed towards Hassan, we could feel the temperature drop and the shivers coming on. So amongst the chatter of feeling cold and not having bright enough lights rode the three of us onwards.

And so we kept going, the route was rolling – flats are fun but rolling makes you strong, and this was the mantra for the rest of the journey – this is making you stronger. Soon, the pitch dark changed to predawn and as we looked up we could see the earth slowly wake up to the rays of the sun – oh! what a glorious sight it was – gorgeous green fields on either side, little water bodies at regular intervals. The sunrise was breathtaking – all the different hues of blue, purple, pink, golden and orange – I could feel my heart bursting with joy! And so we continued.  Now, as per our plan, we were meant to make the breakfast stop at the 70Km mark and stop for a break. However, small towns and sunday morning does not make for a breakfast stop at 7am. And so that was the end of the strategy we had so meticulously planned. New strategy – lets go until we find a decent breakfast spot. We kept riding and soon the crew car with the volunteers & photographers passed by us, cheering us on. We kept going. Around the 80K mark was the diversion we had to take to go towards Hassan. The volunteers were all standing there. We stopped and grabbed a couple bananas each from them and decided that we would now stop at Hassan for breakfast. This was another 40Kms away. We continued going. And before we knew it, there we were. 9:00am, 2 Hours and 50Kms away from the initial strategy is when we stopped for our first break. This was a good 30 minute break – I kid you not when I say that we attacked the food there. And the people there were kind enough to let us have first preference and make way for us as we ordered breakfast, coffee, masala bun and bananas. The helmets came off, so did the cleats and a very dramatic stretching session was underway at the roadside shack once we finished with our meal.

30-35 minutes later, refilled tummies and happy faces were ready to jump back on the saddle and get on the road. This time, with a difference. Ankush and me both put our headphones on and yes, there was some 180bpm music on. We got on the Bypass road and then took the right to make our way towards the half-way point. We rode together for a while but soon the music and the route took over. Ankush took off first. No words were spoken, he got off the saddle and rode away. Suhas and me rode together for a while but then something happened. There was stunning green trees lining either side of the road. The road itself was so well-maintained. Hardly any traffic and then there was a slight climb. I got off the seat and sprinted up the hill and then there was no looking back – it was just the road, the scenic route, the music, the bike and me – all in tune with each other and so I rode. I kept going till I reached the T-junction to turn to go towards the temple. I didn’t know the route so decided to wait for Suhas to catch up, and he did a few minutes later. I then took my headphones off and we rode together. We saw Ankush riding towards us a couple kms down the road and then the three of us rode together to the halfway mark. Ankush had been the first to reach the halfway mark and he told us of the awesome lunch that the cyclopedia team had arranged for the riders. We went to the halfway point, reached there at 11:05am.  Stopped for a bit – restroom break, another quick feed, definite photo opportunity with the riders and the team and 11:30am, we were back on the saddle and on the road.

We had reached the halfway point in 7 Hrs, so now a 14:30Hrs finish looked like a definite possibility. I was feeling strong so I got on the saddle, put on my headphones and off I went. As I tried clipping my cleats in, the left one was misbehaving – it wouldn’t clip in. Now this is going to be an issue is a thought that crossed my mind, so over the next 10Kms I kept trying to clip in to no avail. As I was riding, I saw the other riders coming towards the halfway point. We waved out to each other. Around 12Km after the halfway point, I finally stopped and tried to check the issue with my left cleat. I knew Ankush and Suhas wouldn’t be too far away and decided to wait for them. They soon caught up and we tried to fix the issue. 10 minutes later, the final conclusion was, ” you have not been good to the cleats and now you have to deal with it. ” Great! Now I was annoyed, so again, music on, right foot clipped in and left foot just sitting on the pedal I carried on. A little further down, the three of us stopped for a sugarcane juice and then back on the saddle. And this is how we rode until Hassan, where we all bunched together to ride to get out of the town. Post that, again each to their own.

We carried on this way until 190Kms. This is where Ankush was feeling tired and bonking a bit. We found the closest cafe ( at a gas station), grabbed 2 coffees each. Manikanta joined us a little later. A 30minute rest later, we were all re-energised and good to get back on the saddle. And again we rode at our own pace – the chatter has now died down and everyone is just doing their own thing. The only one feeling chatty is Ankush and he is doing a great job of cheering everyone on. And then we hit the 262K mark. This is where I bonked and bad. My energy levels were down, my right foot which was the only one clipped in was hurting like no tommorow and it was pure hell. I unclipped my right shoe and kept riding. Ankush came upto me – We decided that we needed another break and soon. We kept going till 275K where we finally saw a bakery and this is where we headed to. Now although it seems that there was only 25Kms left, there was actually 40Kms left to the finish point. Even I don’t know how I managed to ride those 13Kms till the bakery but that little store was exactly what we needed. We walked in and grabbed a kulfi each, this was followed by a Chiku milkshake each by Ankush and Suhas and a masala sandwich by me. The final cherry on the cake was a half litre pepsi bottle. Manikanta joined us in a short while as well and had the exact same feed as we did.

The pepsi was the saviour of the day, we all had a quick swig and mixed the rest of it with water and put it in Suhas’s bottle. We then jumped on the bikes and decided to do a 1K effort each in Team Time Trial Style. And this is how we moved together for the next 20 odd Kms until the turn onto Mysore Road. Ankush asked if we should take a break but it was unanimous – next break will be the finish line. And so we went – the last final swigs of Pepsi and we were ready for the final 3 climbs – hurtling across them at 35-40kmph average, through the traffic with the local passengers in the vehicles cheering us on. 6:20pm and we three rode into cyclopedia – 14 Hrs and 20 minutes from the start time of 4:00am. We had a very warm welcome committee waiting for us there – Fariyal gave us the warmest hugs. Jins Paul had finished 40 minutes before us and a few minutes later we had Manikanta come in as well. We went in and freshened up. Came back out and chatted as we did some stretches. Sunita came over to say hello shortly after. Then the three of us got back on the bikes with Sunita as our escort in the car and head to cornerhouse for the customary Banana Milkshake which is a must have for Suhas after a hard ride. After this was back to the house, quick shower and then we went out to get some biryani and beer. All of us went and sat on the terrace to drink the beer, do some stretches, chat about the ride and eat our biryani – Suhas’s parents, sunita, aarav and the three of us.  And then was the heavenly bed – a perfect end to a perfect day. We rose early the next day, loaded up the car and came back home to Bangalore. It may not really show but a little something has changed within each of us – the way we think, the way we see the world, the way we connect with ourselves and each other – to stronger bonds, wonderful people and beautiful lives.

Next on the SR List is the 400K – I think we will be attempting the Mysore 400K slated for the 12th March and this time Shuveshek has promised that he will join us. I sure am looking forward to taming this beast next.

#Randonneuring #Sports #Touring #TimTimSharma #Protons #fitness #Adventure #cycling #Travel