It was a perfect day for cycling - the 23rd of November in the year of the Lord 2013 .... The route was IISc, Bangalore -> Magadi -> Huliyurdurga -> Koppa -> Maddur -> Ramnagara -> Manchinebele -> Magadi Road - IISc, Bangalore. The weather was never hot and it only drizzled a little till 7.30 (post which of course, the heavens opened up and Bangalore recorded highest rainfall in Nov in 44 years). The route is below (Google Maps link is here)
It was challenging for 3 reasons:
1. There was literally no flat surface ... it was slight up gradient or down gradient
2. The route involved a lot of turns and there was a good reason you might get lost
3. The traffic in Bangalore while getting back is horrible, so you had to consider about 45 mins for that!!
I had wanted to do a brevet after my last year's Bangarpet brevet. So this was the first one that I could actually try, since most part of 2013, I was in Pune. I had prepared for this brevet by doing a 120 km ride the previous week. So I had the confidence that I could do this. And also, I had had an active few weeks before (mysore ride, half marathon walk etc).
The Start
On the D Day, I arrived at the starting point and got my bike check done and my brevet card stamped. I had not read the cue sheet at all and I knew I had to follow others at least till I hit Magadi Road. So, I was just blindly following people and we went through small lanes of Bangalore, with quite a few ups and downs - these were kinda foreshadowing the day ahead!. I managed to follow the guys till Magadi Road and from there, they all raced ahead of me. I was riding alone. I am used to riding alone, so that by itself was not an issue. Magadi road had many ups and downs and I was negotiating them by changing gears and going along. I developed a pain on my left shoulder that was leaving my uncomfortable. I thought I ll go till the first control at 48 km and then take a call. I reached the first control well before closure and had a heavy breakfast of thatte idli. I rested for about 20 minutes and the pain in my shoulder eased greatly.
Till the second control at Maddur
It was an absolutely fascinating ride till Maddur. The villages were all very quintessential Indian Villages and they were all amused to see this creature (me) riding with a fluorescent green tee shirt, tight shorts and helmet! It was like a distraction in their routine lives ... I enjoyed all the kids saying "Bye Anna", "eee al nodo" (hey, look there) etc. I knew what an animal in a zoo feels like when people stare at it!!! Overall, this was a smooth ride. I was maintaining a constant comfortable speed. My legs were in great shape and was constantly exercising my shoulder and the pain was bearable. Some photos taken in this stretch are below.
While I was nearing Maddur, I had the company of Sylvester, but he was faster than me, so I asked him to go ahead and not wait for me. I reached the second control by 12.53 PM and took the ATM slip as proof (it was an unmanned control). I had a good lunch at Tiffany's and took a break of about 30 mins.
The Benign Afternoon
Usually, the afternoons are hot, but that it was quite pleasant and it did not rain either. I was riding on the Bangalore-Mysore Road from 1.35 till about 3.10 and reached Ramanagara. I was stopping every 5 km and sipping on the gatorade. I took a break of 15 mins and started again. I knew the Manchinbele climbs were waiting for me and I was ready for it.
I rode continuously at a constant pace and going through peaceful village roads. The beautiful vista kept me good company. Some pics below.
About 5 kms before the Manchinbele climb, I got down and did some stretches - providing free entertainment to the villagers. It was almost like the peacock dancing in the zoo!!! I climbed the Manchinbele Climb on 1x2 gear ratio, and stopped in between for some pics.
The Final Leg
I reached the final control by around 4.55PM and I knew I had more than 2.5 hours for the final 32 kms. I started pedaling and was going at a pace I am comfortable. My cyclocomp showed 200 at 6.05PM - which meant I had covered 200 km in 12 hours - I was quite happy with myself at this point. I thought I ll cover the rest with about 50 mins to spare. But the traffic at Sunkadkatte and inside Bangalore was pathetic and I reached only by 7.14PM!!! So there ended my second brevet. The elevation map is below.
Closing thoughts
And last, I have to thank my wife for supporting me. She was taking care of the 2 girls while I was busy pedaling! Now I have to spend some quality time at home during weekends!
PS:- In case, you are wondering why this post is titled as it is; that's because the brevet organizers called this the Huliyurdurga 200. Huli in Kannada means tiger.
It was challenging for 3 reasons:
1. There was literally no flat surface ... it was slight up gradient or down gradient
2. The route involved a lot of turns and there was a good reason you might get lost
3. The traffic in Bangalore while getting back is horrible, so you had to consider about 45 mins for that!!
I had wanted to do a brevet after my last year's Bangarpet brevet. So this was the first one that I could actually try, since most part of 2013, I was in Pune. I had prepared for this brevet by doing a 120 km ride the previous week. So I had the confidence that I could do this. And also, I had had an active few weeks before (mysore ride, half marathon walk etc).
The Start
On the D Day, I arrived at the starting point and got my bike check done and my brevet card stamped. I had not read the cue sheet at all and I knew I had to follow others at least till I hit Magadi Road. So, I was just blindly following people and we went through small lanes of Bangalore, with quite a few ups and downs - these were kinda foreshadowing the day ahead!. I managed to follow the guys till Magadi Road and from there, they all raced ahead of me. I was riding alone. I am used to riding alone, so that by itself was not an issue. Magadi road had many ups and downs and I was negotiating them by changing gears and going along. I developed a pain on my left shoulder that was leaving my uncomfortable. I thought I ll go till the first control at 48 km and then take a call. I reached the first control well before closure and had a heavy breakfast of thatte idli. I rested for about 20 minutes and the pain in my shoulder eased greatly.
Till the second control at Maddur
It was an absolutely fascinating ride till Maddur. The villages were all very quintessential Indian Villages and they were all amused to see this creature (me) riding with a fluorescent green tee shirt, tight shorts and helmet! It was like a distraction in their routine lives ... I enjoyed all the kids saying "Bye Anna", "eee al nodo" (hey, look there) etc. I knew what an animal in a zoo feels like when people stare at it!!! Overall, this was a smooth ride. I was maintaining a constant comfortable speed. My legs were in great shape and was constantly exercising my shoulder and the pain was bearable. Some photos taken in this stretch are below.
 |
| Country Roads ... take me home ... to the place, I belong .. |
 |
| A water channel somewhere on the way! |
 |
| The only companion for 200 kms - My bike! |
While I was nearing Maddur, I had the company of Sylvester, but he was faster than me, so I asked him to go ahead and not wait for me. I reached the second control by 12.53 PM and took the ATM slip as proof (it was an unmanned control). I had a good lunch at Tiffany's and took a break of about 30 mins.
The Benign Afternoon
Usually, the afternoons are hot, but that it was quite pleasant and it did not rain either. I was riding on the Bangalore-Mysore Road from 1.35 till about 3.10 and reached Ramanagara. I was stopping every 5 km and sipping on the gatorade. I took a break of 15 mins and started again. I knew the Manchinbele climbs were waiting for me and I was ready for it.
I rode continuously at a constant pace and going through peaceful village roads. The beautiful vista kept me good company. Some pics below.
About 5 kms before the Manchinbele climb, I got down and did some stretches - providing free entertainment to the villagers. It was almost like the peacock dancing in the zoo!!! I climbed the Manchinbele Climb on 1x2 gear ratio, and stopped in between for some pics.
 |
| Manchinebele Reservoir |
 |
| Your truly! |
The Final Leg
I reached the final control by around 4.55PM and I knew I had more than 2.5 hours for the final 32 kms. I started pedaling and was going at a pace I am comfortable. My cyclocomp showed 200 at 6.05PM - which meant I had covered 200 km in 12 hours - I was quite happy with myself at this point. I thought I ll cover the rest with about 50 mins to spare. But the traffic at Sunkadkatte and inside Bangalore was pathetic and I reached only by 7.14PM!!! So there ended my second brevet. The elevation map is below.
 |
| The second half of the Journey had an altitude gain of 200 Metres |
Closing thoughts
- The ride was not tough, I did not feel overly tired or my legs did not ache. In fact, I had to force myself to stretch my legs once.
- My average riding speed was greater than 20kmph, but I still did not reach early
- I am perfectly ok riding alone - even in my first brevet I was riding alone mostly
- I need to work on improving my pace - it was quite less compared to the others who completed the same brevet.
- My strategy was constantly sipping electrolytes and not gulping down plain water helped a lot
And last, I have to thank my wife for supporting me. She was taking care of the 2 girls while I was busy pedaling! Now I have to spend some quality time at home during weekends!
PS:- In case, you are wondering why this post is titled as it is; that's because the brevet organizers called this the Huliyurdurga 200. Huli in Kannada means tiger.
