Here is a small account of a personal achievement for Raman Garimella. He finished his longest ride this weekend at Pune. He is also the 1st HBC member to participate in a Brevet Ride. Hearty congratulations and All The Best to him and all those who are planning to participate in Brevet rides.
Over Raman in his own words:
Pune city is very close to my heart. I lived there for 6 months earlier. The first half of the 6 months, I had lived with 5 roommates and the second half of my stay, I lived alone. During that time, I used to love exploring Pune, and I have a whole bunch of memories from this city. So this visit got me really excited, and the cycle ride was just one of the things that I was looking forward to. I had many friends there, and was eager to catch up with all of them.
I took my car, borrowed Krish's bike rack, found two mates for the onward road trip and left for Pune on Friday afternoon. The highway to Pune is currently in horrible shape. Please avoid.
We reached Pune on Saturday early morning at around 6am. I hated the entire drive. The previous 3 days, I had an average sleep of 3hours/night, and felt exhausted. And this night I had no sleep at all. Naturally, I fell sick right after I reached my friend's house. I felt very feverish and was shivering. Quickly took a Combiflam and went to sleep. The ride was going to start 24 hours later, and I had my doubts as to whether I'd have enough time to recover.
After an evening out in the city, I managed to sleep early. Before going to bed, I spent about 1-1.5 hours just preparing for the ride: buying electrolyte, on-the-bike food, setting up lights, bottle cages, cleaning the bike, lubing the chain, keeping clothes aside, making the rider number boards, packing stuff for the ride, planning breakfast, taking a bath, getting xerox, filling the saddle bag, all while I still had doubts whether I'd even wake up properly the next day.
As it turns out, I did wake up on time, didn't spend much time worrying about bike and gear preparation. I had Khichdi and soya milk and left for the start point. There I met a group of cyclists, all with high energies. Inspection of the cycle was done by the officials and we were given our brevet cards. Shook hands with other riders and started promptly at 6am.
I didn't know the way to the highway so I had to go with a couple of riders - Boni gopalan and Sujit. Boni Gopalan is a famous cyclist on the web, and I wasted no time in going and introducing myself to him. I had a feeling that Boni, Sujit and I were going to do the entire ride together. Just a feeling. Sujit was a runner and loved long distance cycling. He's not into intensity or competition he said. Fair enough... we were, after all, in a BRM ride! So the three of us stuck together till the 25km mark (of which the last 6.5km was a climb @5.7%) and that's when a tunnel had started. I was taken in (literally!) by the novelty of the tunnel. This was obviously my first time riding in a tunnel and I loved it. I broke off from Boni, Sujit and about 4-5 others. Then it was downhill/flat for about 30km. Till this point, I had not eaten anything. So, I knew I had to stop and have something. I had one energy bar and then stopped for refilling water.
There I met a 56 yr old gentleman from Mumbai. He was in the ride too, was riding a steel frame Colnago road bike and he was nursing a puncture. I gave him company till he fixed his flat. We talked a bit. He seemed to have a lot of mileage under his belt... he had started riding only 2 years ago he said. He finished fastest in last year's 400km BRM at Pune – really very impressive. The way he carried his spares was awesome too. He would wind his spare tubes and tires around the top tube of the frame!
Shortly after restarting, I ran into Sujit again. He told me that Boni had "blacked out" after the tunnel. He was not feeling well apparently. In Boni's words, he had bonked. That was unfortunate. I was looking forward to riding with him. It must have been a bad day for him. I guess one never knows when to expect a bad day. Sujit and I happened to talk about food and when to eat, etc. He realized that I was planning to eat at the mid-point (which was a long way away, and we had to do 19km of climb to get there). He was surprised that I hadn't stopped like all the others at a restaurant. I think he thought I was really stupid, from the way I was talking about my food habits on the ride. Then he told me "long distance riding is all about planning your nutrition. So think about it." I was a little scared. Sujit said not to wait for him, so I said bye to him and took off. Then I met Avanti with whom I started chatting about nutrition again, I was slightly paranoid at this point. She said she never has anything outside, and she always carries her food. She was sweet enough to offer her food to me, which I politely refused. I had my emergency stack of bars in my saddle bag. But then I knew that if I needed food, I could ask this lovely lady. Both Sujit and Avanti had previously done BRM rides. So I knew that their opinion and judgment counted. Both these people carry their own food and don't waste time at eateries on the way. Of course, they were wearing bags on their shoulders while all I had was a saddle bag. Anyway, I started to worry a bit and quickly began scouting for Poha/vada pav/anything.
At the foot of the first climb, which is about 7km long @3.7%, I found an omlette pav guy. I had two eggs, pav, water, sprite, tea and I was ready to go. At this place, I happened to meet Arun Ramachandran. He knew a lot of cyclists in our cities (via bikeszone.com, dailymile.com and cyclists.in I suppose), and that was impressive too. He was quite modest and said not to wait for him, he's very slow, etc. So the 7km climb was over, I did it alone, at a steady pace (another thing that I learned). I had been tailing a truck for a long time, let the truck set the pace for me. Something I should have avoided because his fumes really killed me. At the end of the climb, I had a headache. Never again will I tail a truck on a climb. The descent, of course was a lot of fun. I was going faster than most vehicles. One of the biggest rewards of climbs is the descents!
12 km of absolute flat terrain later, I was to start the 12km climb @5% to Panchgani. This was as constant as you can imagine. The road never changes its elevation grade. Although not brutal, it can be really trying. Imagine a constant elevation for 12km. I did 4-5km at a stretch, found a tree and sat under it (the gentleman from Mumbai came there too!), had water, and we both started again. Left him behind and I did the rest of the climb 7-8km at one go, at one hard steady effort. It was most gratifying... the most surprising part was that my heart rate didn't shoot up by much. It was really good news. Perhaps this was due to a steady style up the hill? Maybe it was because I had taken enough care to eat and drink before the climbs? Maybe the climb just wasn't punishing enough...
I reached the top and the officials were there, as cheerful and encouraging as ever. They noted down my time. I had poha and water here, refilled my bottles and then had the shock of the ride. I couldn't walk! My left hamstring had strained and I feared the worst. I thought I needed to quit. I'm over, I thought. I sat and stretched, it was no use. I walked, it hurt, and I didn't want to tell anyone for the simple reason that I didn't want them to know that I may have to quit :) I just wasn't interested to approach the organizers and tell them that I was hurt and that I wanted to leave the ride midway. Now this is really interesting to me too... if this sort of thing had happened a year ago, or even a few months ago, quitting would have come naturally. I'm not saying it didn't cross my mind, it did. But, I wasn't ready to quit yet. So I quietly went to two gentlemen there, who were sort of volunteering at this ride. Their friends were riding on this day. One of the gentlemen was giving out cookies and cake that he had baked... for the riders :) That was a great gesture. It seems he had just started cycling. More interestingly, with him was a man called Satish Apte. It seems he was a cyclist in his day. He had stopped cycling in 1983. He used to race for Maharashtra... he would take part in Bombay Poona race and Bombay Baroda race, etc. That's pretty cool.
Went downhill and it was getting really tough to ride the descent too. Really tough. The left leg hurt with every pedal stroke. Then I saw that the gentleman from Mumbai was walking with his cycle. He had another flat. What a bummer that must have been. And his pump was not working because a lot of mud had gone in. So, I decided to help him out. We changed the tire, cleaned the pump, etc. I told him about my situation and he said that he usually carried a medical kit and he would have given me Volini, but he was not carrying it this time. He said this was a 200km ride, and he didn't feel the need to carry any medical stuff on the ride. Respect! This is the next level... (this is exactly how I felt on my first ride with HBC. It was to be around 70km to Keesaragutta and back. Among many others, Sunil Menon and Phani Rayala were there. I remember seeing them and thinking to myself "70km is nothing for these fellows... look at them coping with it so easily."That's the exact feeling I got when I was talking to this gentleman). He was used to 200km rides a lot. Anyway, the only thing I got from him was that I should look for Volini spray. Somehow, I made my way coasting down the hill, trying all sorts of positions on the bike, to avoid using the hurt muscle. In the village at the base of the hill, I went around for a couple of kilometers, and found a bottle of Volini. Sprayed it over the affected area. "stuff" burned for about 5 minutes and then I was ready to go.
I knew this was going to be a solo thing for me. It was going to be a century ride from here on, all alone, and with an injury. I still wasn't interested in finding out how to quit. I was not going to call any of the emergency numbers. I started off, and believe it or not, the pain was fine. It didn't numb out, but it was easy to cope with. That Volini is wonderful.
The winds on the way back got really crazy. They felt even more so because this was after 150km of riding. I rode on, with one quote in my head. This is one of my favourites from Glenn McGrath "Don't leave anything in the tank." Apart from that, going back to my friend's place for a reunion was a big motivation :) I found a certain rhythm in places, and amazingly, the pain did numb itself out in parts. Truly a great experience. There were some excellent downhill stretches on the way back. I must have easily touched 65+kmph.
I came back to my friend's place, took a bath, ate Maggi and bread, had a two hour nap. Woke up in the night, ate something and slept again. Recovery was fairly good the next morning. I woke up feeling fresh, the ONLY pain I had was in the neck from using the dropped bars a lot (something I still have not got used to). There were slight sores on the bum, but those disappeared quite fast
My notes and observations:
1. "Long distance riding is all about planning your nutrition" - Sujit. Couldn't have been more true... this was the biggest take-away for me from this ride. Think about it. Theoretically, the human body when doing aerobic exercise, if provided with constant fuel, will never stop. Nutrition is not just key, it's all important. If all of us can have enough discipline to eat regularly and sensibly on long rides, there will be nothing to stop us. Best is to carry own food, preferably sandwiches. That way, things stay predictable. Instead of looking out for shops selling the stuff you want, you can get to be on your own terms if you carry your own food...
2. No matter how much you think it's going to be in a group, it's going to be a solo experience. You've got to find your own rhythm. You can't ride on somebody else's rhythm. Everybody has their own pace and styles.
3. BRM rides are a great way to meet new people. There is mutual respect because all riders who do these long rides show a certain spirit. Think about the guys who did 600km and the guys who are going to do 1000km this month-end in Bangalore. Don't you think it takes a certain mental maturity and steel to do it? I certainly think so. That's what they have in common and that's what puts them in a separate league. This is what test cricket must be like!
Above all, there is the one thing we all have in common - the cycle :) Be nice to everybody on the ride. Help them when they're in a tough spot. You never know when you'll need their help.
4. Plan and prepare. Get to know everything about the ride. Terrain, temperature, directions, road quality, shops, check-points. Plan and prepare for the ride in advance. Plan when to take a break, when to eat, what to eat. While on the ride, set small goals for yourself. "I will finish the ride in 9.5 hours" or "if I finish riding this hill in 1hr, I'm on track" and so on. Make sure your cycle and gear are all ready and available for the ride.
5. Bag up. I didn't carry spare tube or pump. Very risky that. Need to load up on all these necessary things. I don't like shoulder strap bags much - they are extra load on the shoulders and back. So I think I will buy one of those things to wear on the waist. Put sandwiches, electrolyte, spares, money, phone, etc.
I look forward to the 300km ride in Bangalore. I'm sure we're all going to give it our best shot and take home a huge memory!
Here is the map:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/23003942
Here is the Garmin page (I had forgotten to turn it on many times... about 4-5 times)
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/92305767
Day 2- June 2nd: Very picturesque ride spanning another 140 kms on the second day, savoring the beauty of French countryscape. Though there were numerous steep climbs, the scenic charm outweighed it. Inspired by infectious enthusiasm, my children Deeskhita & Dharmin did about 80 kms today despite no practice. Enroute, Mayor of Roquetoire joined us for lunch & hosted champagne.
Day 3 - June 3rd: Third day was quite eventful. Left Arras @ 8 am & rode towards Compeigne. France is the most cyclist friendly nation with people in towns & villages enroute waving at us & greeting us. Today is a very hot day in France but the amazing countryscape is perfect antidote. Finished about 400 kms end of day 3. Just 100 kms left to raise our flag @ Eiffel Tower on 4th June.
Day 4 - 4th June: We did it. Left Compeigne @ 8 am & headed towards Paris. It's a hot day again. After reaching Paris, rode together on main thoroughfares in downtown & finally reached Eiffel Tower @ 3 Pm. It's gratifying to note people applauding & waiving at us all over particularly as we were reaching Eiffel Tower. While me & Srinivas did the ride fully, Dharmin & Deekshi did about half the distance. Most participants tumbled atleast once during the ride but Dharmin's was a bigger fall y'day. He'd be alright soon.”
