Eye of the Tiger!!!

Eye of the Tiger
It’s the thrill of the fight
Rising upto the
challenge of our Rival!!

So goes the song from Rocky 3. The rival in my case was the road 210 km long, the sun that was shining down on my head relentlessly throughout the day, the body pain and occasional cramp. Glad that I could overcome these rivals J

I rode on the 200 km Brevet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brevet_(cycling) ) that had the following route. It was organized by a Bangalore based club called COCO and an approved ride from Audax Club Parisien (ACP)

The 200KM Brevet Route

The Preparation:

In preparation of this event, I did a 130 km ride the previous week and realized that I need better clothing. So, went out and bought cycling shorts and jersey blowing Rs 2400! Then I got front and back light fixed and got a servicing done. I had kept myself fit in the past couple of months by doing regular long walks and daily stretching and some exercises. I studied the route carefully and mugged up all the places where I could possibly lose my way. There wasn’t anything more I did.

The Start:

 I woke up at 3.45AM, did some stretching exercises and left my house around 4.30PM. I had planned to carry all stuff I need in my jersey and not have any bag – this was the learning from my 130km preparatory ride. I decided to stick to the 1 water bottle strategy since the route passes through various towns and I was confident of getting water on the way.

I started out 6AM and noticed that my odometer was not working! This was crucial as the turns / control points are all marked on distance-wise and I had to get this working. Finally with someone’s help, I got this working and was on to a start at 6.15AM

Morning Ride:

I reached the first control point in Hosur very comfortably riding at a comfortable speed. I ensured that I do not speed up and lose steam in the start of the day. I maintained a consistent riding average of 21 kmph. By the time I reached the 60km, it was 10 AM. I was a bit worried now that my average was just 15kmph. I sped up and rode a little faster. Every 10 – 12km, I would stop, drink water and stretch myself. This strategy of stretching myself before the cramps set in worked well for me.

I had to reach the 2^nd control point at 100km mark in Bangarpet before 12.40 PM. I managed to reach at 12.13PM. That was around 6 hours for 100 km. I was not overly tired and had maintained the target optimum speed. In the previous week’s 130 km, I had raced for the first 100km with a riding speed of 24kmph and a total of 5.5 hours and was tired by that time. But thankfully I had applied the learning and at the halfway mark, I was not all spent up.

The hot afternoon:

I bought a bottle of water, mixed Gatorade and started from Bangarpat towards Kolar. The 16 odd km to Kolar was under the hot sun but there was the occasional tree cover. So, this went past and I reached the Kolar-Bangalore highway around 1.20PM. The highway had no trees, there was a mild uphill and headwinds and it was hot!! I was hungry. I stopped for lunch at a dhaba, had some rotis and lots of cucumber pieces. It was around 2PM now and I had to cover around 30km to the next control point.

The sun was blazing on top of my head, there were no trees and no shade. There was an occasional uphill. I stuck to the 2x2 gear and rode slowly. After an agonizing 2 hours under the hot sun, I managed to reach the third control point at around 3.50PM. I found a lot of cyclists here – all sapped out and stretching. I got my brevet card stamped, stretched for a  few minutes and left again around 4.10PM from here.

The evening ride:

After Hoskote, I took the left to Chikka Thirupathi and it was easy riding here. I felt strong and my legs were not complaining. I was full of enthusiasm and the sun had become milder. I was consistently doing 23 – 24 kmph here. I did not stop myself from pedaling fast since I knew this is the last leg. I took a couple of stretching breaks and managed to reach the 4^th control point at 5.47PM with 25 minutes to spare. From here, it was 26 km to the end point and I had 2 hours 40 minutes nearly!

Now I knew that I would surely make it unless I have a puncture or some other unexpected event.

It was getting slightly dark, I switched on my lights and I was racing down the road. I felt no tiredness and was in my peak form. The adrenaline had kicked in and I was pedaling furiously. I reached Sarjapur, bought another water bottle and went ahead. There was some jam in Sarjapur, but I was unstoppable by now! I crossed this and continued to pedal furiously. The terrain was not difficult, but there was traffic after Sarjarpur and it was annoying. Finally I made it at 7.22PM with 8 minutes to spare! The sufferfest was over and I was a finisher! Hurray!!!!

To put things in perspective, there were 70 riders in the fray and 48 of them finished the route. The first guys to came in at around 4.10PM!!!! i.e. a full 3 hours ahead of me!! 

Anyway, now I am officially a Randonneur!!!! Time to celebrate! This will go down as one of the most memorable achievements in my life!

Things that worked for me:

1. Single Water Bottle Strategy

2. Pacing myself throughout the ride

3. Frequently stretching myself before the cramps kicked in.

4. Practice Rides before the actual one.

5. Riding alone - not sure if this is good though.

Some Pics below:

Bring it on! At the start point...

My trusted companion!

A mugshot!

My Brevet card with 6 stamps!

Total Ride distance as per my odometer

Time on the bike - 10.5 hours!!

 

Average Riding Speed

Me in Rocky Pose! After the completion!

Taking inspiration from Obama, I have to thank my wife for all the hardship she put up with (taking care of 2 children) while I was away pursuing my hobby! Anyway, all that is past now and I have promised her not to get on the bike for sometime now!!!

I leave you to listen to this song and be inspired!