BRM or long distance endurance cycling has been on the bucket list for long. Some inhibitions include - will i enjoy it, what about safety especially while riding in the night. But then thanks to few friends and their confidence, i decided to give 300k a try. The reason for the route is also because of the BRM route. This one passes through the historical temple town of Melukote in Mysore division (more on the history of the temple town later).
The day before : Eat well, rest well, sleep well, hydrate well. We loaded our cycle i the car and kept it in ready to go Mode. Sleep was an issue since the anxiety kept tossing me in the bed.
Got up at 3:30 am packed stuff and headed to CP (short for Checkpoint). Around 90 riders had registered and all geared up to ride.
At 6 we were flagged off.Riding partners were Manoj and Binil. From Bangalore it is a rolling down terrain till Maddur. Oru first CP was Vaishali at around 70km - Ramnagaram. Incidentally i met friends from Pruksa and their families at Vaishali who were on their way to Mysore. We had quick catch up and then were on our way. At Maddur, we lost our way a bit but quickly recovered.
From Maddur it is village roads and patchy till next CP around 127km. We cruised nicely through the non patchy roads but had to slow down at the patchy sections. At around 116 it happened.. Though I was adequately hydrated, cramps started on my thighs and though this was the beginning, i was scared and anxious. Close to midway would i need to abandon? I rested, drank water this time with added salts and started to roll at low speeds with a goal to get to next CP.
CP3 was great. It was right in front of a Temple with adequate food, hydration and other supplies. At 12 we started from there and it was again going to be a rolling uphill terrain from there on the challenge being the heat! And my cramps.
A short stretch to Nagamangala where we took a left and headed to Melukote. At around 140 cramps hit again at the same location - thigh. Again, i rested hydrated with salts and then rolled on with slower speeds. Thoughts of abandonment come to your mind at that time. Pushed along and at Around 2pm, reached the top of Melukote.
Josh was back.. Now that the ride was halfway (technically more than half at 162km), the next stretch was getting exciting. After good hydration, we rolled down, passed Nagamangala and grabbed a quick Coconut break. Sprinted to CP at 210 - Coffee day at Yediyur. The organizers helped us with supplies and after a few minutes of rest we started again. Here is where we met John from Idukki. A versatile actor, now working as R&D engineer at Nokia.
The road back was along Hassan highway, the first goal - grab something to eat and then head to Nelamangala (30km before Bangalore). It was getting dark and a bit of chill set it. Nice climate to ride 😀. Midway through John caught up at our hydration break and decided to ride with us.
As the night set in, lights were switched on and rear blinkers. I have to be honest, riding was fun due to the weather but i was the lead rider most of the journey and was always keeping an eye for vehicles coming from either side (including wrong sided ones ).
There was a huge traffic pile up at Nelamangala, but we squeezed in somehow and onto the ramp. At Yashwantpur, Binil took charge of leading into the city since i was not 100% sure of the route.
The last sprint through city in the Saturday traffic was painful. After the incident last Feb, i am more anxious as i see vehicles in close proximity.
The final sprint and we arrived at the destination around the time we had planned/predicted. And time for celebratory pics 🥰.
My Learnings :
Hydrate well with salts on the ride.
Sprint well and rest for few minutes - intervals.
Friends and chit chat keeps you focused
Emotions run high, have some banter but stay within limits each of us are working on our own goals.
Enjoy the ride. Dont time bound or look at the clock hours and distance tickers.
Big thanks to @binil and @manoj (multiple SR veterans ) for being supportive during the ride. Thanks to John also for the company.
