The 'Heaven and Hell' ride
After a few stretching sessions and photo shoots, the organizers flagged off the ride at 5:30 AM. I had to skip the mid-night movie in order to get some sleep. I started off later than I expected and after going 1-2 km, I figured out that I forgot my reflective vest, which was one of the mandatory items for the ride. Had to go back and fetch it. Finally after arriving at the start point, HBC Bike Station, we greeted each other and joined the stretching sessions and all. After the ride started, we slowly headed to the next check point, which is almost 67 km from the start point. We rode as if it was a 100-120 km ride, giving it all, as we were a bit concerned about reaching the check-points in time. For any other ride, we would be going at our own pace. But for the brevets, we rode in small groups, with people who ride in similar pace. And the reason for pushing initially is, we had to tackle a lot of head wind and inclines. To add to our misery, even the sun was shining brighter. We a