The mtb way – How it started
It all started in a weird way.
I was browsing facebook happily and one fine day, I happened to notice the ‘Bhongir fort ride’ titled event on my feed, scheduled for 21st Feb 2016, when a good rider friend of mine RSVPed for the ride. I recalled the past couple of visits to the fort and thought that it could be a very rejuvenating century ride, thoroughly enjoyable at this time of the year.
A few days later, I came to know that this was not a century ride, but a 200 km brevet! It got me thinking…. I was initially not intending to do a brevet (not this early at least) after becoming an SR. But the idea of seeing the fort hill up-close didn’t let me back off. To add fuel, I figured out that my parents wouldn’t worry about it either (I had a tough time convincing them for the last couple of brevets)
Two options: Either ride leisurely without going through all the registrations and stuff, probably volunteering. Or go ahead and do it the ‘highway’ way ;)
In the meanwhile, the TBA folks organized a couple of brevet preparatory rides. One 2 weeks before and the other a week before the main event. All the thought process was a few days before the second preparatory ride. I checked out the ride and they advised on doing it on the bike which would be used for the brevet. I felt this could be my chance to get into training mode and burn the roads (considering the elevation profile) with all my might on the road-bike. So I went ahead and took the road-bike for the 124 km long ride (including the distance from home to start point and back) on 13th Feb. I started very late and I was determined to catch up with the lead rider before they reach Shankarpally. Got relieved when I managed to cross them all a few km before Shankarpally. The return leg was daunting as I was unable to draft with the pacers Sampath and Chitti, and also my toes were feeling very pressed in the cycling shoes. The ride speed was very good though, resulting in the fastest century till date.
After the ride, I started thinking… would it be fun zipping fast on road-bike (but end up with paining toes) or take on the challenge of tackling the elevations on mtb (probably more comfortable compared to road-bike) with stronger legs (thanks to regular running in the last one month). A couple of days passed without registering (No, it’s not the thought process, but the lack of it due to absent mindedness that resulted in the delay ;) ). After that, it did not take much time for my mind to order my hands to open the links and register. The mind was clear and determined – to go the mtb way! I was glad to find out that a few others were also planning to ride on their mountain bikes.
The big day arrived. No matter how hard I try, sound sleep becomes a distant dream before the big event due to restlessness. I was not at all worried about what to pack and what to eat though. I just got the mandatory gear and placed them in the visible spots the previous night to counter my forgetfulness. Woke up at 2:30 AM, got ready and went to another rider – Krishna’s place. He too planned to ride on mtb. He was kind enough to take me and my bike to the start point, around 40 km away (in the shortest possible route. ORR would mean 60 km one way!) Got the bike check done and collected the brevet kit at the start point (as I couldn’t collect the kit on previous day due to other commitments). Greeted the familiar riders and glad that they all turned up.
The ride started a couple of minutes late and we were soon pacing. Krishna and I were overtaking a handful of riders. Soon the roads got cleared and the morning light welcomed us, showing the beautiful scenic spots around in warm colours. I was totally enjoying the ride. Felt like pacing as much as I can, to go as far as I can in the shortest possible time. The idea was to avoid riding in late afternoon heat. Reached the first check-point (69.5 km of riding) by 8:15 AM with only a couple of flash breaks to confirm the route. The average speed of 26 kmph boosted the confidence levels. Vishu and Krishna, the fellow mtb riders with whom I intended to tag along, too reached in a few minutes. The volunteers, as always, went well beyond their responsibilities and pampered us. After a few photographs, we had breakfast and slowly started off. It was a good 32 minute break for me. Vishu tagged along and we were pacing without backing off. Every time I think of slowing down a bit, I look over my shoulder and find Vishu right behind me. The idea of losing the rhythm didn’t let me stick to my plans of taking it easy when the legs ask for it. I totally enjoyed the grand view of a lake and greenery in some distance to the left of the road. We stopped at a surprise check-point, and then at a tea-stall, before reaching the second check-point (127 km of riding) at Kamineni Hospital, Narketpally by 11:30 AM. I was laughing within, at the very thought that the mtb beat out the flat-bar road-bike and the roadbike in acquiring the fastest century till date, spanning 3hr:53min:39sec! :D I had a few bananas and chilled juice that the volunteers provided. Filled up my water bottles, one of them with electrolyte mix. We stopped at the coffee day after a few km again. Abhimanyu already reached there. After sometime, Krishna and Durga Prasad also joined. This time the break went on for 55 minutes :) I never took such lengthy leisurely breaks in a brevet before. I was definitely enjoying the brevet a lot! The thought of having 7 hours at hand to complete 70 km made us even more lazy :D I had a cold chocolate and started off slowly along with Vishu. Just before we started, Bhavani and Adithya too reached, and they stopped for food. The heat increased silently. My inner thighs were now giving me strong signals that if I pace anymore, they would stiffen and cramp! After riding few more km, Vishu ran out of water and wanted to stop for refilling. We were on watch-out for shops and soon found one. While we got water, Vishu and I noticed the Chinese food joint next to the shop. Vishu asked if we can have some food, and we decided to have some egg fried rice. Bhavani and Adithya rode past while we were eating. My hydration didn’t go as planned, maybe because I was accustomed to drinking lesser quantities in tempo rides. The pacing, dehydration, salt-loss resulted in cramping sooner than expected for the mere fact that I was riding an mtb. I slowed down a bit and Vishu was slowly going ahead, looking back and signaling me to catch up. After a few km he spotted Bhavani and Adithya who stopped at a restaurant, and turned towards them, and signaled me to join as well.
It was a much needed break for me. Vishu gave me a good stretching, and Bhavani was laughing looking at me enjoying the stretch :) Gokul too joined us. I had some salt water and soon we were back on the blazing road. Unfortunately, it was not our tyres. It was the act of Sun-God! Bhavani gave me a salt capsule and I gulped it right away, and hoped that it would keep the cramps at bay. Vishwa, Adithya and Gokul tagged along and slowly went ahead, while Bhavani stayed back with me. She was glad to tag along, as she prefers company of different riders for more interesting and enjoyable conversations, and rides. We slowed down even more and asked each other if one was slowing down the other. But the culprit was pricking heat! The only good thing was, we both got used to riding continuously without saddle sores (thanks to the previous brevets!), and that helped us keep moving no matter how slow, despite the heat and dehydration. The conversations deviated our minds so much that when we stopped for coconut water, we were surprised that we had only 40 km more to finish! We were glad that we had plenty of time at hand and so we rode without any worries. The cramps kicked in slightly again after an hour or so. Probably the hydration was not balancing the heat and the added elevation, which was not so tough but at the same time not going away too. We just wished for the clock to hit 4 PM soon, so that we can part with the ever persistent heat. We were longing to drink something cold and refreshing, and we stopped as soon as we spotted a stall. The first one didn’t have milk shakes or such stuff. Luckily a few feet away there was a juice stall (well, kind of), and we had lime juice. We checked the distance and felt very happy that we were only 20 more km away from finishing. Few more minutes of riding and I had to get down to stop the muscle pain that shot up suddenly. We started again without wasting any time to avoid the sun and rest a bit at the next check point.
The next check-point was now visible and the terrain changed from inclines to declines. As always, it felt great to see the familiar faces of Ravi and Kishore, who were volunteering the penultimate check-point. We quickly reached there (after 189.8 km of riding) by 4:27 PM , and I decided to rest until I felt refreshed. Vishu, Gokul and Adithya reached 11 minutes before us, and they left by the time we reached. Another rider came from behind soon, and Bhavani decided to tag along with him and pace till the finish point. I wanted to lie down but didn’t find a favorable spot. So I sat on one of the foldable chairs, had juice and salt water, and waited for the energy to re-generate. I was surprised when we were told that we were 23rd and 24th riders to reach the check-point. That’s when I realized how hard it must have been for the other riders who were behind, simply because they have to put up a long fight with the heat. Another shocking news was that the temperature touched 41 degrees or so! I made up my mind to wait leisurely till the heat dies down. Also, the thought that Krishna was anyway yet to reach the check-point only strengthened my decision, as I have to go home with him :)
After resting for more than an hour, I finally started off rejuvenated. Merrily rode and passed Giri, who was having a tough time on the last leg inclines. The leg muscles were still warning me not to ride all-out. But my pace came back and I reached the finish point by 6:00 PM, after riding a memorable 204.5 km :)
The riders who already reached and the volunteers cheered me up, and I was more than happy with the mtb as it did not let me down. The ride felt smooth, enjoyable and the saddle was more comforting. The toes ached just like they would on a road-bike, maybe because I did not pedal properly. My mistakes did not push me down much either. The Hyderabad Randonneurs club gave us nice medals from their behalf for finishing the brevet. We cheered up the riders who kept coming till 7:00 PM. Vishu asked if I was game for 300 km brevet on mtb, and I told him that I can’t say at that point of time. He asked Krishna too after he reached, and Krishna straightaway held his hands together :D :P
The festive atmosphere concluded with some nice photo-shoots :)
I was browsing facebook happily and one fine day, I happened to notice the ‘Bhongir fort ride’ titled event on my feed, scheduled for 21st Feb 2016, when a good rider friend of mine RSVPed for the ride. I recalled the past couple of visits to the fort and thought that it could be a very rejuvenating century ride, thoroughly enjoyable at this time of the year.
A few days later, I came to know that this was not a century ride, but a 200 km brevet! It got me thinking…. I was initially not intending to do a brevet (not this early at least) after becoming an SR. But the idea of seeing the fort hill up-close didn’t let me back off. To add fuel, I figured out that my parents wouldn’t worry about it either (I had a tough time convincing them for the last couple of brevets)
Two options: Either ride leisurely without going through all the registrations and stuff, probably volunteering. Or go ahead and do it the ‘highway’ way ;)
In the meanwhile, the TBA folks organized a couple of brevet preparatory rides. One 2 weeks before and the other a week before the main event. All the thought process was a few days before the second preparatory ride. I checked out the ride and they advised on doing it on the bike which would be used for the brevet. I felt this could be my chance to get into training mode and burn the roads (considering the elevation profile) with all my might on the road-bike. So I went ahead and took the road-bike for the 124 km long ride (including the distance from home to start point and back) on 13th Feb. I started very late and I was determined to catch up with the lead rider before they reach Shankarpally. Got relieved when I managed to cross them all a few km before Shankarpally. The return leg was daunting as I was unable to draft with the pacers Sampath and Chitti, and also my toes were feeling very pressed in the cycling shoes. The ride speed was very good though, resulting in the fastest century till date.
After the ride, I started thinking… would it be fun zipping fast on road-bike (but end up with paining toes) or take on the challenge of tackling the elevations on mtb (probably more comfortable compared to road-bike) with stronger legs (thanks to regular running in the last one month). A couple of days passed without registering (No, it’s not the thought process, but the lack of it due to absent mindedness that resulted in the delay ;) ). After that, it did not take much time for my mind to order my hands to open the links and register. The mind was clear and determined – to go the mtb way! I was glad to find out that a few others were also planning to ride on their mountain bikes.
The big day arrived. No matter how hard I try, sound sleep becomes a distant dream before the big event due to restlessness. I was not at all worried about what to pack and what to eat though. I just got the mandatory gear and placed them in the visible spots the previous night to counter my forgetfulness. Woke up at 2:30 AM, got ready and went to another rider – Krishna’s place. He too planned to ride on mtb. He was kind enough to take me and my bike to the start point, around 40 km away (in the shortest possible route. ORR would mean 60 km one way!) Got the bike check done and collected the brevet kit at the start point (as I couldn’t collect the kit on previous day due to other commitments). Greeted the familiar riders and glad that they all turned up.
The ride started a couple of minutes late and we were soon pacing. Krishna and I were overtaking a handful of riders. Soon the roads got cleared and the morning light welcomed us, showing the beautiful scenic spots around in warm colours. I was totally enjoying the ride. Felt like pacing as much as I can, to go as far as I can in the shortest possible time. The idea was to avoid riding in late afternoon heat. Reached the first check-point (69.5 km of riding) by 8:15 AM with only a couple of flash breaks to confirm the route. The average speed of 26 kmph boosted the confidence levels. Vishu and Krishna, the fellow mtb riders with whom I intended to tag along, too reached in a few minutes. The volunteers, as always, went well beyond their responsibilities and pampered us. After a few photographs, we had breakfast and slowly started off. It was a good 32 minute break for me. Vishu tagged along and we were pacing without backing off. Every time I think of slowing down a bit, I look over my shoulder and find Vishu right behind me. The idea of losing the rhythm didn’t let me stick to my plans of taking it easy when the legs ask for it. I totally enjoyed the grand view of a lake and greenery in some distance to the left of the road. We stopped at a surprise check-point, and then at a tea-stall, before reaching the second check-point (127 km of riding) at Kamineni Hospital, Narketpally by 11:30 AM. I was laughing within, at the very thought that the mtb beat out the flat-bar road-bike and the roadbike in acquiring the fastest century till date, spanning 3hr:53min:39sec! :D I had a few bananas and chilled juice that the volunteers provided. Filled up my water bottles, one of them with electrolyte mix. We stopped at the coffee day after a few km again. Abhimanyu already reached there. After sometime, Krishna and Durga Prasad also joined. This time the break went on for 55 minutes :) I never took such lengthy leisurely breaks in a brevet before. I was definitely enjoying the brevet a lot! The thought of having 7 hours at hand to complete 70 km made us even more lazy :D I had a cold chocolate and started off slowly along with Vishu. Just before we started, Bhavani and Adithya too reached, and they stopped for food. The heat increased silently. My inner thighs were now giving me strong signals that if I pace anymore, they would stiffen and cramp! After riding few more km, Vishu ran out of water and wanted to stop for refilling. We were on watch-out for shops and soon found one. While we got water, Vishu and I noticed the Chinese food joint next to the shop. Vishu asked if we can have some food, and we decided to have some egg fried rice. Bhavani and Adithya rode past while we were eating. My hydration didn’t go as planned, maybe because I was accustomed to drinking lesser quantities in tempo rides. The pacing, dehydration, salt-loss resulted in cramping sooner than expected for the mere fact that I was riding an mtb. I slowed down a bit and Vishu was slowly going ahead, looking back and signaling me to catch up. After a few km he spotted Bhavani and Adithya who stopped at a restaurant, and turned towards them, and signaled me to join as well.
It was a much needed break for me. Vishu gave me a good stretching, and Bhavani was laughing looking at me enjoying the stretch :) Gokul too joined us. I had some salt water and soon we were back on the blazing road. Unfortunately, it was not our tyres. It was the act of Sun-God! Bhavani gave me a salt capsule and I gulped it right away, and hoped that it would keep the cramps at bay. Vishwa, Adithya and Gokul tagged along and slowly went ahead, while Bhavani stayed back with me. She was glad to tag along, as she prefers company of different riders for more interesting and enjoyable conversations, and rides. We slowed down even more and asked each other if one was slowing down the other. But the culprit was pricking heat! The only good thing was, we both got used to riding continuously without saddle sores (thanks to the previous brevets!), and that helped us keep moving no matter how slow, despite the heat and dehydration. The conversations deviated our minds so much that when we stopped for coconut water, we were surprised that we had only 40 km more to finish! We were glad that we had plenty of time at hand and so we rode without any worries. The cramps kicked in slightly again after an hour or so. Probably the hydration was not balancing the heat and the added elevation, which was not so tough but at the same time not going away too. We just wished for the clock to hit 4 PM soon, so that we can part with the ever persistent heat. We were longing to drink something cold and refreshing, and we stopped as soon as we spotted a stall. The first one didn’t have milk shakes or such stuff. Luckily a few feet away there was a juice stall (well, kind of), and we had lime juice. We checked the distance and felt very happy that we were only 20 more km away from finishing. Few more minutes of riding and I had to get down to stop the muscle pain that shot up suddenly. We started again without wasting any time to avoid the sun and rest a bit at the next check point.
The next check-point was now visible and the terrain changed from inclines to declines. As always, it felt great to see the familiar faces of Ravi and Kishore, who were volunteering the penultimate check-point. We quickly reached there (after 189.8 km of riding) by 4:27 PM , and I decided to rest until I felt refreshed. Vishu, Gokul and Adithya reached 11 minutes before us, and they left by the time we reached. Another rider came from behind soon, and Bhavani decided to tag along with him and pace till the finish point. I wanted to lie down but didn’t find a favorable spot. So I sat on one of the foldable chairs, had juice and salt water, and waited for the energy to re-generate. I was surprised when we were told that we were 23rd and 24th riders to reach the check-point. That’s when I realized how hard it must have been for the other riders who were behind, simply because they have to put up a long fight with the heat. Another shocking news was that the temperature touched 41 degrees or so! I made up my mind to wait leisurely till the heat dies down. Also, the thought that Krishna was anyway yet to reach the check-point only strengthened my decision, as I have to go home with him :)
After resting for more than an hour, I finally started off rejuvenated. Merrily rode and passed Giri, who was having a tough time on the last leg inclines. The leg muscles were still warning me not to ride all-out. But my pace came back and I reached the finish point by 6:00 PM, after riding a memorable 204.5 km :)
The riders who already reached and the volunteers cheered me up, and I was more than happy with the mtb as it did not let me down. The ride felt smooth, enjoyable and the saddle was more comforting. The toes ached just like they would on a road-bike, maybe because I did not pedal properly. My mistakes did not push me down much either. The Hyderabad Randonneurs club gave us nice medals from their behalf for finishing the brevet. We cheered up the riders who kept coming till 7:00 PM. Vishu asked if I was game for 300 km brevet on mtb, and I told him that I can’t say at that point of time. He asked Krishna too after he reached, and Krishna straightaway held his hands together :D :P
The festive atmosphere concluded with some nice photo-shoots :)
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