The Humbling 400!!! Part II

The bunch of us rode together to the Karnataka Bank ATM at Mandya which was about a 100K into the ride. There was a pit stop to refill on water and we carried on. The sun was up and we could feel the heat building up slowly but surely. So far so good. The next stop was to be Mysore. Now Bhatta had only ever done a max distance of 120K before this attempt. And as was expected, after Mandya he slowed down a bit. Ankush and me stayed with him for a short while but eventually he carried on at his own pace and we moved on forward with Suhas and Anshuman. Somewhere along the way we met Durga prasad from Hyderabad and together we rode on. The ride from Mandya to Mysore was actually quite beautiful but the heat was not doing us any favours. We kept moving on.

If you have read my 300 experience, you would know that Suhas is from Mysore and his parents live there. So, obviously – they swung by to say hello to us and keep our spirits up on the way. We made a pit stop, exchanged hugs and small pleasantries before we got back up on the bikes and moved on.

I think the drama truly began once we left Mysore. In particular the heat and the terrible roads. The sun was beating down on us, the winds were hot and I think I can speak for all when I say we were feeling generally dehydrated ALL the time. Once we got out of Mysore, we had an extremely harrowing experience. To begin with, one side of the road was blocked – hence two way traffic on half a road and secondly, even that road which was open to traffic was in poor condition. For some strange reason, there was wet cement on the road and someone very clever had poured water on it – to prove what? I have absolutely no idea. So 150K-180K took us the longest time – this was due to a combination of all the above factors. We did manage a few moments of unadulterated brilliance – Anshuman had plugged in his headphones and was operating in a different dimension – he was also riding behind me – this meant that everytime his favourite line in the song came along, he would sing along and give me a start and many a times he had a few choice words for motorists which he would scream out loud, there was also the auto/tuktuk full of girls who were clapping and cheering us on for at least 5Kms – that was a pretty uplifting time. But for most part, it was just about keeping your head down and getting on with it. We did stop for some sugarcane juice and  coconut water to keep ourselves well hydrated and energized.

We had originally decided that we would continue on and stop at the CCD after the U-turn point but around the 180K mark ( around 2pm) we decided to stop for lunch – the heat was destroying us and our energy levels were low. Anshuman was a little further up so Ankush sprinted up to bring him back. We had a quick break which included washing our face with ice cold water, refilling our bottles and having curd rice ( always curd rice!). Honestly it was so hot that it felt like someone has drilled a hole in our skulls and is evaporating our brains out using the sun. There is a saying in Hindi – ” Ab okhli main sar daala hain, to pisna to padega” – so, thats what we did, 45 mins later, got our “whatever-is-left” game on and jumped back on the saddle. We soldiered on for the 18 odd kms when we saw Jins Paul, Aijaz and the third rider heading back – this meant the U-turn point is close.

We waved out to each other and saw the directions to the CCD 1K head – an oasis in this heat. We took a unanimous decision to head to the U-turn point, get the control point pic and then head for the much required cold coffee pit stop to the CCD.  We entered CCD at 4pm – it was quite easy to while away the next hour or so doing nothing – stretches, coffee, water ( discussion about how overpriced water is at CCD) and off course – the very important photo opportunity. Shilpee and her friends entered as we were heading out so we managed to exchange a few experiences with each other before we moved on.

It was 5:30pm when we jumped back on the saddle – the next 20K practically flew by without much of an issue – it was cooler now as the worse of the day was over. We stopped at the same place we had stopped at for lunch – freshened up, had a coffee and jumped back on the saddle. It was 6:30pm. Daylight was not going to last much longer. Did a quick test of the lights and they seemed to be working fine. We were now going to hit the worst stretch – bad roads, pollution, wet cement and no lights. We checked on Bhatta, He had called it quits – the heat and the distance can get to you if you are not ready for it. It helped that he is from Mysore and that he could very literally go home and get some rest.

I was feeling quite confident of my new lights and was ready for the next leg of the journey. We stopped 30 mins later to put our visibility vests on and turn on the lights. Ten minutes later, my light flickered and then died on me. Imagine the horror! Not another episode with the lights! Suhas’s head light was weak too, so we had to improvise. New Plan: Ankush rode ahead, I was put in the centre and Suhas rode behind me; Ankush would scream out to be careful in case of a ditch or any other issue on the road. Anshuman had not stopped for coffee so he was already ahead. This is how we rode in the darkness until Mysore where we reached the manned control point around 8:15pm- This had been the longest part of the ride.

As we were riding towards the control point – we saw the 300K riders on the other side of the road heading to their U-turn point ( the Mysore Airport). To be honest it was a sight which lifted our spirits a wee bit, just nice to see some others doing something similar – kindred spirits suffering on the terrible roads outside of Mysore. We were given the warmest welcome at the manned control point by Sanat Kumar and his son. Big smiles, hot coffee and cookies to go with. Just what was required right then. After a while, we finally managed to get up and head to the restaurant for dinner. Some of the 300K riders came in and joined us as well. It ended up being a big bunch of us  having dinner together. We meet Sapna – who was attempting the 300K on her Firefox MTB. Shortly after, Gajju and Harsha KT – people I have a long history with – runners and now cyclists too come by – a sight for sore eyes – Warm hugs, spirited high fives and big smiles. Its with these warm fuzzy feelings that we leave the table to head for a quick stop at the room to freshen up, do some stretches and then head back to the last control point in Mandya before completing the brevet. Obviously at this point we were all physically tired, but the body was holding up well and completion was not under threat at all.

My phone is dead and I have no clear idea of the time other than the fact that we have more than ample to finish. We walk down and head towards the bikes. I have spoken with Anshuman and grabbed one of his many lights to help with my headlight issue. Ankush has also charged the battery of my headlight, but I don’t know just how long either of these will last – which means that I have to use it sparingly for the rest of the night. The 300K riders are done with their dinner and are also going to join us as we head out of Mysore and towards Bangalore. Suhas knows the Mysore roads well and we are all 100% reliant on Suhas Maps. As we get out of Mysore onto the open road, Ankush and Suhas pick up pace. A few of us are riding together for a while and then its just 4 of us. Vinesh, Lokesh and Niranjan,  three of the 300K riders are sweet enough to keep me company – all are strong cyclists but that day, for some strange reason they are riding at a really easy pace. Vinesh has given his light to Sapna as hers was not working and is himself riding on borrowed light from Niranjan and Lokesh. Anshuman is giving Sapna company and riding with her so that she is not riding alone on this empty, heavy traffic road.

These guys were the break Ankush, Suhas and me really needed – all three of us could do our own thing for a while.  We ( 300K riders and me)  chatted ( more like, I spoke and they heard me out patiently or just pretended to – I don’t know!)  most of the distance until around the 290K mark. At this point we stopped for a bit to check on where Ankush and Suhas were. After a 5 minute break, we started the ride again. The Mandya check point was about 10K away – we thought it would be best to reach the check point and do a review of everyone’s location. About a minute into the ride, I felt some discomfort in my knee. Initially, I ignored it but within a few minutes the situation had escalated. It felt like there was a nail being driven through my knee. I soldiered on. After a couple of kms, I complained to Vinesh who was riding beside me. He asked me to hang in there – and so I did. Ignored that pain as much as I could, pasted a smile on and kept riding – next stop Mandya. As we pulled into the ATM that was the control point, we met Ankush & Suhas there. We clicked our pictures and stood around there for a while – chit chatted and waited for everyone to catch up while taking a rest. I stretched my leg a bit, complained about it a little more and soon it was time to get back on the saddle.

The next stop was to be the CCD 30K away. We rode together this time, everyone at their own pace. My knee got worse but I soldiered on thinking just a little bit more – I’ve come too far to stop now – so close but still so far! And we made it to the CCD – all of us together. We made that our home for a good 45 minutes – some people got a bite to eat, most got a coffee at least, some got a tiny snooze ( there was a discussion on how to avoid the overpriced water at CCD). The staff at the CCD was amazing – so helpful and so very kind. Sapna got a makeshift ice-pack – they stuffed a plastic glove with ice and handed it over to her. She used it for a bit and then gave it to me. I was lying on the couch with the ice pack on my knee until it was time to leave.

Ankush and Suhas rode with me now – 330K was down – just 70K to go. But with each pedal stroke the pain was excruciating. Vinesh, niranjan and Lokesh had surged on ahead. I was thinking to myself the chances of injury and a busted knee here are looking very real – the last injury I had kept me away for 2 years – was this something I wanted again – after waiting so long to be active again and having to start from scratch. Ankush and Suhas were both being as supportive as they could be. I managed to pedal another 5K. As we moved ahead we saw Lokesh and Vinesh on the other side of the road next to a petrol pump. They asked us to keep moving and we did. 300mtrs ahead – I finally made up my mind. I was going to call it a day – the risk of a busted knee was just not worth the completion of the 400 – I had been disrespectful of the distance and had zero preparations – it would be more sensible to come back better prepared and try this again. All our phones were dead. The plan was to get to a phone, call home and ask Dad to come and get me. We were in the midst of figuring out how to do this when Vinesh came by – he said Lokesh had busted his front wheel and was calling it quits too. So Ankush, Suhas and me moved to the Mac D to catch up with Lokesh and figure out what needs to be done. 30-40mins later we figured that Manasa, Lokesh’s wife and his father would drive in to pick us up. Ankush and Suhas looked at each other, they were like, hell yeah! we gonna finish this irrespective. It was around 3am. They scavenged whatever they could from my bike and were off on their way.

The security guard at the Mac D’s gave me some cardboard and asked me to move into the warmth of the restaurant. Lokesh said he was too wired to sleep. I didn’t argue.  Took the cardboard, spread it on the ground like a mattress and then lay on it. Before I knew it, I was opening my eyes. When I looked out, Lokesh was mounting the bikes on the bike rack. I rubbed out my eyes and walked to the car – sat down in the backseat behind the driver’s side. It was around 4am. I thought I would sleep again. And then I met Manasa, Lokesh’s wife – she greeted me with the warmest hello and the brightest smile – just like the sun, her smile made me feel warm or maybe it was the heater – but it felt nice :). She asked me how I was feeling – and even though I have never before in my life had a pleasant conversation before my coffee – the rest of the morning went by filled with a lot of laughs. Lokesh was driving and as we drove, we could see the sun creep back up on the skyline. We waved out to Anshuman and Sapna and then Shilpee and her friends and finally further away we saw Ankush and Suhas resting by a shop swigging on some Coca-Cola. We stopped and got out of the car. I told them both I was doing great. They looked exhausted but it was easy to see that completion was not going to be an issue here.

We wished them luck and got back in the car. We headed to Lokesh’s dad’s house where we dropped him and the bike off. Then Lokesh, Manasa and me moved towards Airlines Hotel – the finish line to greet these tired warriors with big wide smiles. We crossed Ankush and Suhas a Km to the finish line – parked the car and then waited with the rest of the gang.Each person at that line has an inspirational story. Jins Paul had completed his 400K brevet, then setup the control point and had been standing there greeting each finisher with a smile – THIS guy – awesome! Vinesh and Niranjan had completed their brevet and head back home to get some well deserved rest. Ankush and Suhas finished soon after – 25 hours from the start time and what seems like a whole lifetime of experiences later. Then came Shilpee and her friend. Somewhere along the route, around 30K to the finish line, a motorist had swerved into her causing an accident. This lady, bandaged up her wounds with some cloth, got back up on the bike and rode in that condition to the finish line. Anshuman and Sapna came a while later – Anshuman had refused to let her ride the night alone on this unsafe road – and she had ridden with so much heart – on that firefox MTB ( no offence intended!). All of us had a well deserved cup of Airlines Coffee before we loaded up the bikes to head back home. Lokesh and Manasa were so wonderful about coming all the way from South Bangalore to drop us home in North Bangalore. Just Thank You once again – it was really considerate of both of you.

As for me, I will be attempting the 400 again – I didn’t give up, I walked away to come back with better preparation.  The doctor said it was an unaccustomed usage inflammation – nothing to worry about. It occurred due to the fact that I had no mileage on me when I attempted this distance.

There were a lot of heroes this time and it feels good to know that there are such wonderful people around us. I am truly glad that I get the opportunity to meet & interact with them –  I must be doing something right.

#BangaloreRandonneurs #Protons #TimTimSharma