Danger On The Roads ~ post by Ankit Laroiya

Through this blog post, I would like to highlight a dangerous aspect of cycling on roads. It was the winter of 2011 when an accident left me with severe injuries in my right eye. I was riding with my fellow riders from Delhi to Murthal when I had to face the ire of reckless bikers plying on the wrong side of the road, oblivious to the fact that cyclists also have a right to the road. 

As is the rule, we were cycling on the left side when a biker coming from the wrong side of the road hit my cycle. Instead of being apologetic for the accident, he got aggressive and shouted at me for using the road. We tried to calmly explain that we were riding on the left and it was infact them on the wrong side but it had no effect. They told us that the road was meant for motorised transport and cyclists had no right to be on their turf. In order to avoid the matter from worsening since we had to head back to Delhi, we told them to let it be and that we should just go on our way. As they drove off, we started to pedal on to our destination. Hardly had 10 to 15 mins passed when we saw the bikers returning and before anyone could realise it, they came head on towards me and attacked me with an iron rod. As they smashed my face, they shouted out, 'Cyclists are not allowed here' and sped off. 

I was badly injured and bleeding profusely, unable to see due to my injured eye as my fellow cyclists gathered to get me help. Luckily some locals seeing my condition called an ambulance but when the doctor at the local hospital saw the seriousness of my injuries, he suggested that I be rushed to Delhi if I wanted to save my eye. It was my good fortune that an unknown rider offered to call his support vehicle and rushed me to the AIIMS trauma centre where the helpful staff took my case on priority and provided me with the best treatment. And as soon as I was able to, I took up the case with the police administration in Murthal. Now, this is when I saw the bad side of the police who in spite of knowing the identity of the bikers who attacked me, made no attempts to nab them and instead told me that I would be the one who would be troubled. In my condition, I wasn't capable of plying between Delhi and Murthal police station on a regular basis as the police said they would make me do for the case. With multiple eye surgeries lined up and a large family at home, I was left with no choice but to let things be.
This incident left me thinking that although we have people in our city (Delhi) who encourage cycling and in other metropolitan cities as well, there is a large majority of people who have no awareness or concern for cyclists or their safety. I now make it a point to tell as many cyclists to take all the precautionary measures while riding and not visit any place without proper information about it. The incident happened on a busy road and though all of us were riding in the by-lane, still we were blamed, not the bikers who were on the wrong side, carrying iron rods and beating people recklessly. The fact of the matter is that the onus is on us cyclists to be careful while riding and planning rides, and our safety is in our own hands.

As I write this, it's been almost two years since my accident and my eye has still not fully recovered. I remain a passionate cycling advocate but underline the need for safety while on the saddle. I hope my story will go towards bringing awareness and the need for safety measures for all cyclists. At the end, I would like to thank all my fellow riders, the unknown rider who came to my rescue like an angel and the doctors at AIIMS who provided timely treatment.

Stay safe friends. Happy riding
Ankit Laroiya

How To Prepare For An Endurance Ride ~ post by Chiro Mitra

1. Do long rides on weekends.

2. Do some leg and shoulder exercises as there would be quite a bit of road jerks hitting your shoulders.
3. Do some slow runs, rope skipping and brisk walks.
4. In the last 10 days, do not change/adjust anything on the bike. If you have to change the tyres, do it 15 days before a long ride and adjust the saddle height if needed, but keep the same saddle you already have.
5. Start riding with the same cycling shorts and Top/ jersey that you would want to wear for the ride day. Wearing a light color is recommended.
6. Get your cycle serviced earlier and don’t get it touched by a mechanic in the last few days.
7. A few things you would want to carry for a long ride should include: a good pair of Gloves/Sunglasses; 2 bottle cages; reflective vest; head light and tail light; spare tubes, Puncture repair kit and air pump; whistle; cell phone; some cash; energy bars, a pudia of black salt/kala namak, some dry fruits and chikki.

8. Stop cycling/exercising 2 days before the Big ride
9. Don’t get into arguments at home/work prior to the ride as you need to be focused on the road.
10. Don’t use headphones while riding that day and also put your cell phone on silent mode.
11. Be friendly to the locals while riding through congested cities and villages. Inevitably you will be asked questions by passing two wheelers, tell them you are unable to talk for long as you are out of breath.
12. IGNORE wired and stupid comments if showered upon, normally the villagers are harmless but inquisitive. If asked about the price of your bike, say it under 12K no matter how much you paid for it.
13. Always keep at least one of your water bottles full. Remember to Drink before you are thirsty and Eat before you are hungry
14. If your ride is not a race then ride steady, not fast. Strategise your ride, divide it into small distances you ride normally and time it and take a break of a minute at each section. Don't burn yourself out before you reach the half way point.
15. As we do normally when we ride, ride constantly for an hour or 22~25 Km and take a water break of 2 mins.
16. Make small groups of 3~4 riders whom you ride with normally and turn by turn lead your group.
17. Don’t ride fast and burn out soon. Use the cooler sections of the day to the maximum and take fewer breaks then.
18. If you happen to cramp, which we all do, don’t quit, manage it. Remember, "Pain is Temporary and quitting is forever". If you do cramp, get off the bike and do some stretching. Have a Soda Pop with black salt in it or just plain water and add some salt in it.
19. Start hydrating yourself 2 days before the ride. Drink plenty of fluids, be it water, juice or anything else. Increase your salt intake in the last few days as you are going to lose a lot of through sweat.
20. The day before the ride, eat lots of Carbs as in Pasta, noodles, etc. Sleep early, listen to relaxing music and if possible come back home early from work.
21. Remember you are already a champion attempting a long ride and not many people have a mindset like yours, so if you feel exhausted and are in pain beyond your withholding limits, remember there is always a next time and DNF is anyways better than DNS.
22. Remember age and body structure have nothing to do with completing a long ride. It’s all in the mind so believe in yourself. Everybody who has taken up long distance riding on Indian roads has a very strong mindset. 

All the best...cheers! 

Chiro Mitra

Tour Of Kangra '12 ~ post by Aman Puri

It was my first out station cycling tour and I didn't know what to carry and what to leave out. I have a bad habit of filling up my bags with everything possible, and I did the same on this occasion. I was very excited and eager at the thought of riding in the mountains, though all I knew was that I could use the 24 gears properly, which was essential as knowing the correct use of each gear assumes greater significance in mountain riding, especially during the climbs.

On the day of the departure, I found myself standing outside Himachal Bhawan with my parents. I didn't know anyone except Supratim who had gone to buy some sweets from Bengali Market due to a delay in departure. As I stood with the other cyclists, a rider came towards me, smiled  and said, “Oh! So you are Aman Puri? I have heard a lot about you!” I was quite taken aback coz' though it wasn't anything new, hearing it put like that even before the start of the tour, added to the pressure and put even more responsibility on my shoulders. I smiled back and just said, hello.

As the bus headed out towards Mclodeganj in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, I began interacting with those sitting near me. I also took some lessons from Supratim who's a very experienced rider. Next morning when I woke up, there was complete silence as everyone was still asleep. The only sound was that of the bus driving into the mountains on a beautiful and chilly winter morning in January. We reached Mclodeganj and were to stay there for the night, the next morning being the race day. Now the event isn't actually a race, I just like the sound of the word, it’s basically an exploring tour, riding 300 KM in three days in the mountains. The next morning as I went downstairs from my room, I was in my cycling gear when Robin Grosner asked me, “Hey, you are Aman Puri, right? You ride every day? I see your posts on facebook.“ At the time, I didn’t know him, but again I was surprised and happy too, as I realised people knew me, so I didn't feel alone in the tour any longer. 

Day 1: 40 riders set off on what was to be a mostly downhill ride of 70 km on the first day. Being my first time in the mountains, I was going quite fast due to excitement, at times clocking nearly 60-70 kmph on downhill. The day went off fine as I found riding downhill easy and didn’t feel any muscle fatigue. The food was good, the butter chicken awesome and I ended up overeating as I was very hungry. It was a pleasant sight seeing the monks, and I made friends with Raghav Gangotra from Delhi, Pooja from Mumbai, Robin and Anita from Gurgaon among others.

Day 2: 38 riders started off on day 2, which was to be the toughest day as the maximum climbing had to be done. The ride started pretty late, at around 10 am and by then the sun was bright and shining, so we began slowly. We rode through breathtaking scenery of the majestic mountains in almost pin drop silence with only the sound of birds and our bike chain and tyres. Being Out There had planned the route well as there was minimal traffic towards this side of the mountains.

I made friends with Sumender, the fastest rider on the tour. He was training hard for the Leh tour and was always ahead of me at least by 40 min, while Supratim was 15-20 min ahead of me. As I said, although it was not a race, I was timing myself. So, Sumender used to be the 1st one, followed by Supratim and then me. Day 2 was a pretty harsh one and I still remember how I made those climbs. Although we started together, once everyone got into their own pace, we rode alone.

It was the last climb before lunch point, the toughest one, and I was feeling so hungry that I ate a whole box of chewing gum. I was feeling somewhat weird and still very hungry, so I looked for some edible leaves, which I guess were Tulsi as I stopped to rest for 30 min. Then Anita, my newly made friend from day 1, rode in and came to my aid with some biscuits that she was carrying along. I ate up all of them and we rode together till the lunch point, which was a very steep uphill.

After eating Maggie for lunch, I took off for the remaining 35-40 km. It became completely dark and we were riding till 8 pm or so. Then when no one reached the end point, the sweep vehicle came to take us to the BIR paragliding center where we were given rooms to stay for the night and recover from the hard day of riding 90 km.

Day 3: It was a nice sunny day again, with around 80 km left to be covered in a mix of downhill and uphill. After the 40 riders on day 1, we were down to less than 30 riders on day 3. Some riders had gone back home, some had  got injured and some had dropped out and were in the sweep vehicle to watch us riding. Since I had plans to ride the fastest on this day, I wanted everyone to go ahead so I could ride comfortably on my own. 

I was the 3rd or 4th last rider to start. The downhill was full of gravel and quite slippery as I almost had a fall in the first 10 min of the ride but luckily managed to retain my balance. But my luck didn't hold out for long as after 30 min, I had a bad fall and slipped downhill on gravel along with my bike for at least 2 meters. I was bleeding from the scratches on the knee and elbow but was happy too as it was my first cycling fall. Then as the knee began to hurt, I called up the emergency numbers we had been given. There was no signal, so I waited for 15 min for somebody to turn up, but when nobody came, I started riding.

Luckily, soon after I came across a rider from the BSF who had a medical kit. As he started administering first aid to my bleeding knee, Francis, the reporter from Sports Illustrated magazine came up. He reminded me that he had told me on the previous day not to ride so fast on downhill. He said that I rode faster than cars and now there I was getting patched up! I laughed along, saying that I had just happened to lose control this time.

The team asked me to sit in the car but for me it was just another normal injury. Then the bike mechanic from Firefox told me the derailleur was damaged and he couldn't be sure how long it would last. I decided to give it a try and started riding again, but the derailleur broke after 5 km. I was very sad as now I wouldn't be able to ride my bike and dejectedly sat in the sweep car. But when the car happened to stop after about 2 min, I just knew I had to do it! So, I stepped out of the car, wore my cycling gear again and told the team to arrange a spare bike for me. They told me that it was 6-7 km away and asked me to sit inside again, but I refused and ran till the next point with my injured knee. I was okay although everyone was giving me shocked looks. I walked/ran till the next point where I got a BSA bike, It was pretty heavy but I had to ride, so I started off slowly this time as the bike was new to me and I was scared of riding on a 1-1 gear combination, which seemed too much with the tough climbs and a heavy bike only made things worse. But I did it. 

At the end of day 3 and also the end of the tour, Supratim who had also suffered a bad fall and me were taken to the hospital for injections. It was quite bad when they used spirit to clean the wounds, but every bit worth it! The next morning, we headed back to Delhi. The Tour of Kangra was a turning point for me as not only had I gained experience in riding but also made great friends. Apart from Dhananjay and Francis, there was Rajpal who became famous for riding in formals, his son Assespal who was the youngest rider. Then there was Malhar, a techie from B’lore, two guys from Hyderabad and Adusyanti, the official photographer with an American accent, Ashish Kaul from Noida and many others. My first tour in the mountains was an amazing and unforgettable experience. 

My Fastest Solo Ride on MTB ~ post by Ankit Lamba

It was to be a rest day post the 108 km ride the previous morning but like every morning, the alarms on both my mobiles went off dot at 4 am. It woke me up long enough to realise that I wanted to log in some more sleep, so I dozed off again. That is until 5.45 am when I was woken up by the same nagging question, “when will I cross the 30 km/h avg speed barrier??” For quite some time this recurring thought had been coming to my mind every morning before getting ready for a ride. And this morning, I made up mind to either DO IT Or JUST FORGET IT and I got all set to break the mental block of the 30 km/h avg speed mark. 

I started off the ride at a fast pace. On Pusa Road I was clocking an avg of 26.7 km/h and from this point I went vroooooooom and it was near R.K. Ashram when I clocked 30 km/h (distance covered approx 7 km). I began to ride even faster as I knew there were inclines coming up in my route and I didn't want a drop in speed. I maintained the 30 km/h avg till 58 km and would have actually ended up with a 32 km/h avg had it not been for the stoppages at a few red lights on my way back due to which it dropped to 30.4 km/h.

Though it was early morning when there is no traffic, the challenging part was riding in the city with lots of roundabouts and red lights and still managing to make it the best ride ever. I clocked my highest avg speed 32 km/h (duration: 1h: 48m) and closed the ride at 30.4 km/h. I was really happy with my work out that day as I realised that it's all about the mindset and determination. If you take something as a passion and work hard towards a goal, the results will show and success will be yours. 


A few takeaways from my solo rides on the MTB have been:

• Always try to beat your best.
• Take challenging tasks to prove yourself.
• Try, Try and Try till you are able to achieve your committed goal.
• Ride with a strong determination and mindset.
• Discuss your solo rides with your cycling friends so that you can take good tips from them.

Training tips to increase pace on the MTB:

• 10-15 min stretching before/after the ride.
• Have plenty of water before/during/after the ride.
• Short Sprints will always help to gain power.
• Best to do solo rides or have one partner of the same stamina.
• Tight fitting clothing minimises wind resistance along with increasing visibility.
• Try to sleep well before every workout
• Running really helps in increasing stamina and improving the pace in riding.
• Hydrate properly when riding.

The Story of the Controversial 300K Alwar Brevet ~ post by Aman Puri

1 Week Before.  I had just completed my first triathlon, coming in at 24th as the youngest triathlete at India's 1st open level triathlon in Delhi. With 7 days to go before the 300 km Brevet, I felt quite confident about it having done 200+ rides many a times. There was just one small problem,  I was down with a mild fever, which at 99/100 degrees wasn't much, but still not a good sign. 

Diet.  I knew that diet plays an important role in endurance cycling, so I drank as much water as I could. I took glycogen for restoration of energy; lots of proteins for muscle repair; carbohydrates for energy; milk and calcium for the bones; and salt for the body salt level. In fact I had been on a high protein diet since 3 weeks in preparation for the triathlon.

1 Day Before.  I ate pasta, bananas, cornflakes & milk, lots of juices, eggs and water. I took a bath with cold water to bring down the lactic acid in case there was any high level. I was also taking energy gels (a mixture of carbs and protein) for instant muscle tear repair, which gave me a great energy boost.

Day of the Brevet.   Surjeet and me headed for Gurgaon at 4 am, carrying with us some bananas and boiled eggs to eat on the way. It was a not so sunny morning in humid weather conditions when we pedalled off for the 300K. For a while we rode together, then Surjeet wasn't so comfortable with my speed, so he joined the riders who were coming behind us. Most of the riders were riding in groups of 2-4 using the drafting technique to lessen the wind factor. However, drafting has always been a problem with me as I like the feel of the wind on my face when I ride and so, I rode alone. I was going at a decent speed between 30-35 kmph on the highway. On my left, there were people were shouting out to motivate me, while on my right the fast moving cars/trucks whizzed past.  I felt full of energy with all the proteins and carbs inside me, as also the glycogen which releases energy when required.

I was carrying water, Gatorade, energy gels and bananas which i took after regular intervals. Since it was a humid, I was sipping on water every 10-15 mins to ensure I remained hydrated.
After 50kms. I was totally warmed up when I reached  the 1st time station. I took a 10 min break, ate 1-2 bananas, refilled my water bottles, drank Gatorade and felt fully energised for the the remaining 250 km. Since it was drizzling, Satish (the Marshal) told me to drink lots of water to remain hydrated as the weather was unpredictable that day. I kept his swords in mind and hydrated myself again and again. When i left the 1st TS, I saw 20-25 riders coming in groups of 2-3. I was happy to see Surjeet smiling on the other side of the road as I continued onward. 

At the 1st T.S. my avg speed was around 34 kmph and I knew it would not do me good to continue with this pace, so, now I slowed down a bit and was riding between 28-32 kmph. This speed/distance was not new for me as I had been training regularly for the past one month for the triathlon and the brevet. I had been doing 170-180 km at a stretch 1-2 times a week just to reach the goal of this brevet. I had wanted some night ride experience so I made a different plan a few weeks before the triathlon. A couple of riders and me started going for night rides at 2 am till about 8-9 am, then I would ride alone for 2-3 hours. So, I was actually riding for 8-10 hours a day 1-2 times a week. I was also running between 5-10 km every 3rd day to prepare both mentally and physically. 2 weeks before the triathlon I focused only on swimming. 

I slowed down after the first T.S., enjoying listening to some patriotic music. I could see three riders ahead of me, Shailja, Nitish and Manas. After a while I caught up with Manas as he had started riding at a slow relaxing speed, enjoying the beauty of the Aravalli Range on our right. I drafted behind him for a short while and we continued together till we reached 100 km. Manas decided to take a short break at a dhaba and asked me to join in but since I was totally warmed up and didn't want to break the momentum, I continued riding. After 120 km, I got my first cramp in my right calf. It was a bad one as I rubbed it and continued but it started occurring after every 3-4 km. So, I started riding with my left foot, using my right foot as a support only.

I reached the 2nd T.S at 180 km, the turn-back point. Here I spent a good 30 min - re-fuelling, re-hydrating and stretching, and felt fine again. Chiro asked me to sleep for a while since I was waiting for the other riders, but after 30 min when no one came, I decided to go it alone as I didn't want my body to cool down. So, I started afresh at a slow speed between 24-26 kmph. The target I had set for this brevet was to complete in under 13 hours and the reason for it was the upcoming desert 500 challenge in which I had to complete 500 km in under 24 hours on a highway in the middle of a desert where there would be high headwind to slow me down. So, this brevet was a practice ride for the desert 500 challenge.

At 210 km or so I started getting regular cramps. I wondered why as I had taken proper hydration with black salt, so there seemed to be no reason to be dehydrated so early! I stopped at a market on the way and bought some bananas and ate them. The water bottles I purchased were unbranded and had a bad taste but I had no option but to drink them. 

At 220 km or so I got strange paralysis-like attacks one after the other from the jaws to the  limbs and a bad body ache. Most people would have dropped out at that point I'm dead sure, but I had some internal motivation that kept me going. I wanted to test my body and see how much pain it could take and how much strength I had after months of hard practice. I had many questions in my mind but never thought about quitting. I hadn't practiced to say “I can't” or “I quit”! I drew strength from inside and continued riding. After a while my jaw, right shoulder, both calf muscles and neck cramped all at the same time.  I took a 20 min break to massage and continued ahead. Then I got a flat tyre and a crowd of more than 20 people gathered around me to see what’s so special about my bike and asked many questions while I fixed the flat. I waited for the riders behind me for 20-25 min but no one came so I continued. 

After a while, my body gave up. I was lying down on the side of a highway for almost 40-45 min when a fellow rider, Nitin, rode in. He had a big backpack with lots of stuff inside and was like a rescue angel for me. He rubbed my calf mucles with volini spray, gave me some peanuts for carbs and salt, gave me water to drink and asked me if I wanted to quit. These words were like a knife in my heart and so I said no, I would ride. I asked him to ride with me and we rode slowly keeping a pace of between 20-24 kmph, stopping many times inbetween. He was amazingly supportive and the best part was that although we met for the first time, he treated me like a brother. We continued together till the next T.S. and there he waited for me for a good 20 min. Then I told him to go on and I would come after a while as I vomited twice.  Then Satish gave me true inspiration to carry on, he gave me water with black salt to re-hydrate, some energy bars and told me to rest for an hour. 

Many riders stopped and continued, so did Surjeet, and I was happy that he was fine though even he was not feeling very good due to some pain. After 30-35 min, I decided to complete this brevet. The final closing station was hardly 50 km away, I knew I had the strength to do that much so I joined the army team comprising Partha and 2-3 more army men. I rode behind them and whenever they stopped, I would lie down flat on the ground and take super short power naps to regain energy. They took lots of breaks and I took lots of power naps in the last 50 km stretch. I didn't have any hard cramps but my legs were paining. I knew I was in trouble but I also knew that I had to complete this thing. 

I had already covered 250 km and could not give up in the last 50 km! Since I hydrated again and again, I was sure that it was something more than just dehydration as I had never suffered so much pain ever. I took this to be a test of the mind winning over the body. I could have quit if I wanted, it was not a case of an ego problem like a lot of people called it...rather I was testing my limits. Whatever others might say, if i have to do it, I will do it!! I had trained hard for this day and could not think about quitting, so I continued. It was dark when I reached the closing T.S. and I gave my brevet card to get it stamped. I met Nitin again, he was so happy to see me as I hugged him to thank him and also Partha for the motivation in the last 50 km. Chiro and Satish were also a great motivation at the T.S. They encouraged me to complete and gave me proper hydration. They are positive people helping riders reach their goals and we need such motivational people in endurance cycling

After the brevet when I reached home, I weighed myself, I had lost 3 kg in a day. Since I don’t have much body fat, the loss was less while Surjeet had lost 6 kg. I was proud of myself because I had completed it and knew that there might be some problem in me but I would be fine in a week. I was happy the mind won over body and was happy to push myself to such a limit where others would have stopped. There is a thin line between foolish and brave, since I took proper hydration and diet during the ride, I knew I was brave. With me, there were 25-27 more people who completed the brevet. I was happy I would receive a medal from Paris for completing this brevet (at 21kmph) and had made some great friends along my way! 

2 Weeks After
Though I had some muscle pain, after taking rest for two weeks I went for a short 40 km ride to check if everything was fine or not. After the ride, I went to the doctor for physiotherapy for three weeks and he told me that I had knee tendinitis. I started reading about it after that and got my MRI done. The knee was totally fine and I was wondering what the problem was, so I  went to another doctor who told me to continue with physio for two weeks and I did. Again the pain didn't go, so I changed my doctor for the third time. I came to know that I have Genu Varum, which is a childhood defect of the shape of the bone and this was the reason I had severe pain during the brevet. Currently, I'm getting it treated and will be back on the road soon!

Many people mistake my injury by calling it the brevet injury, but that is not the case at all as they are two separate things. In the brevet I just got dehydrated, which is not a new thing with endurance cyclists and I completed the ride after taking some breaks. The main issue is Genu Varum, which I had all along but it came to the fore on that particular ride. It could have happened on any day on any other ride, so people are wrong in blaming it on the brevet. Brevets are a platform to test your limits...it’s You versus You! 

My Take On The Brevet 600 ~ Chiro Mitra

 ^{Mathura>Agra>Bharatpur>Alwar}  

^{As I write this, the index fingers of both my hands are still numb from holding the handlebar for more than 600 km. It was on a chilly January weekend in 2012 that the five of us decided to do the 600K Brevet. With a 300K and two 200K in my kitty for that season, I was aiming for the title of Super Randonneur and the only  hurdle was the 600K.} 

^Strategy

^{During our regular early morning rides, I planned and strategised with Nitish, my riding partner of many long rides (Jaipur, Ajmer, Leh and more). We decided to cover 350 km on Day 1; then take a break for a few hours of sleep; and do the remaining 250 km on Day 2. A consistent cruising speed of 24 kmph would get us to the 350 km mark by about midnight, if we didn't take any long breaks. Both of us had done 350 km+ in a single day earlier, so that wasn't a problem, the issue would be riding again the next morning.}

^{Pre ride preparation.}

^{30 days. I started to run and walk for at least 10 km every day, along with the regular dose of cycling, in order to build up my leg muscle strength.}

^{48hr. I started to hydrate myself with loads of fluids in the form of juices and water.}

^{24hr. I didn’t go to work that day and relaxed by listening to some music. I slept off early that night.}

^{Day 1.
Just after turning the NUH crossing to Hodal, Nitish and me broke away with a sudden rush of adrenaline. Barely had we done 20 km when Nitish had his first flat due to a huge nail! A quick patch-up had us back on the road in under 10 min as Ritchie and Patrick caught up with us. Next was Ritchie’s tyre and as it was being fixed, I took a quick puff or two. Back on the road, Nitish set up the pace and the two of us broke away again. We had travelled a short distance when Patrick overtook us on his Friday asking us to stop. He told us Ritchie had again had a flat and needed help. So, we went back about 1.5 km to find Ritchie surrounded by curious villagers trying grasp what he was doing to his bike. Nitish and me tore through the crowd to help him fix the puncture while Patrick had a good time with the villagers communicating in sign language. It took about 20 min to fix this one and now we made it a point to ride together. 
The second T.S. at 118 km was the turn back point for the 200K so Patrick would be heading back. We decided to wait for Satish and Pankaj so the five of us could ride together. Satish arrived soon after. In the meantime, I was forced to take a pill for my brewing groin pain. Manas, the Marshal here, warned Nitish and me to go slow lest we burn ourselves out. Casual bantering and bidding Patrick goodbye took 30 min, yet there was no sign of Pankaj. The others doing their 200 had also started to arrive so Manas asked us to leave, saying that he would tell Pankaj to join us at Chatigra, 50 km ahead. So, th e four of us shook hands with the 200 guys and headed out for the remaining 488 km. Nitish, once again took the driver’s seat as we pedaled towards Agra on NH 2. For the next hour or so we cycled like well oiled machines without talking, just pumping in a single file. After 30 km or so, a plastic piece flew in from somewhere and got stuck in my rear cassette. Not knowing what it was or what the damage would be, I stopped Satish for help and asked the passing vehicles to inform Nitish. It was nothing major fortunately as I disassembled the rear wheel and Satish pulled out the plastic.
I guess Manas had been giving live updates of my ride for the last 80 km, as my friends, wife and even my father came to see me at the finish line. My father had rescheduled his knee replacement the next day so he could see me finish this ride. At 9.50 pm I touched the finish line, with 39 hr and 30 mins of total time; 25 hr and 40 mins of ride time. My cycle computer showed a total distance of 611 km but the official route said we did 604 km. I was overwhelmed to see my friends waiting for me with a bottle of champagne, which Nitish and me fizzed thereafter. Nitish had come 35 min before me. I had a big lump in my throat seeing my wife’s eyes get moist at seeing me finish, as the previous night I had told her I would be calling it quits after the 400K mark. It was the perfect example of the victory of the mind over the body in the most challenging circumstances,} 

^{Nitish and me hit the roads at 6.15 am for the mammoth journey to be covered in under 40 hr. Averaging a cruising speed of 26.6 km, we reached our first time station at 63 km. The most experienced rider of this event was our friend Patrick from New York, a veteran and a PBP merit holder who was riding the 200K to see this part of India on his cycle -- a Good Friday 20 inch tyre folding bike. He caught up with us on our road bikes soon after NUH and we were the first to reach the T.S. A kill of a couple of bananas, several swigs of water, some customary pictures and we were all set for the next leg of 58 km towards the Agra Highway. Just as we were about to leave, Ritche arrived, so we waited for him to join us. I guess the four of us riding fast in a single file must have been quite an amazing sight.} 

^{Meanwhile, Nitish and Ritchie had stopped at a dhaba for chai after being informed of our delay. When we got there Satish felt hungry, so the chai stop got transformed into a lunch break. Based on previous experience, I had decided not to indulge in roadside food while cycling, but careful coaxing and serious suggestions from Satish and Nitish had me eating chapatti, daal and sabji, a disaster in the making! We were almost on our last morsel when Pankaj arrived. I was impressed with his having made up so well for lost time. Pankaj too decided to dig into the food and he did, except for one big mistake…he ordered 100 gm of butter with four chapattis, and it was going to prove to be a disaster. It was 230 km and we were already behind schedule, so we decided to regroup after 50 km at the McDonalds past Mathura. I took the lead with butterflies in my stomach about the food I had just had. 5 km down the road and I started to upchuck, and this continued all the way to Mathura for almost 50 km. I must have vomited at least 20 times and was feeling weak, but I didn’t stop. I knew that if I stopped, so would the others and I didn’t want that. I kept taking sips of water and maintained a steady pace. I was lucky that Nitish was carrying rock salt as it really helped me.}

^{After a short break at McDs, as we were approaching Agra at the 630 km mark, it started to get dark. It was 7 pm when we took a right turn from Sikandra towards Fatehpur Sikri and realised that Ritchie and Pankaj weren’t with us, so we decide to wait. Once all five of us were together, we began our night crusade towards the Jaipur Highway. As luck would have it, it started to rain and since it was impossible to ride in the night rain, we solicited shelter as soon as we could find one. The trailing vehicle that had been last sighted at McDs somehow got lost in the night rain, or so we were told. At about 9 pm it stopped raining and we got back on the road, 120 km behind our scheduled night halt. It was beginning to look like a daunting task by now. The five of us were like ghosts riding on the well laid out NH11, completely in the dark except for our headlights. After about 5 km or so, the trailing vehicle with Manas and Anubhav, the photographer, caught up with us. It was extremely cold as our clothes were mildly drenched from the showers that had caught us, but we cut through the darkness of the night like valiant soldiers.} 

^{We reached Bharatpur at about midnight and stopped for dinner. To avoid any more bad experiences with roadside food, I was carrying a burger from McDs. The rest had daal and simple chapatti while Pankaj again indulged in butter. Dinner down our gullets, we got ready for the last leg of the day. As predicted, Pankaj had to give up at about the 250-260 km mark, and now it was Nitish, Satish, Ritchie and me. We were very tired and sleepy by then and to shoo away our sleep, we came up with the brilliant idea of bitching/swearing at all those who had mastered the big hurdles for T3...it worked as the next 60 km just flew by. Balancing almost 80 kilos of my weight on a cycle was a miracle enough for me, and at 320 km, I was absolutely exhausted. I requested the others to pull over at the nearest stop as I had started to waver on the bike as my eyes were closing with sleep. As I mentioned, we were riding like a family so everyone kindly heeded to my request and asked the trailing vehicle to look for the next sleeping joint available. Manas overtook us in a jiffy, only to be found about 2 km further in front of a decapitated dhaba with charpoys that looked very inviting.}

^{At this point the Marshal made it clear that if we rested here for the night, we would have to do another 30 km by 5 am to remain in the game, the choice was ours. As it was already 1.30 am, we decided to quickly take out our sleeping bags from the trail vehicle for a power nap of an hour and a half and start at 3.45 to get to the next T.S. before its closing time. Soon all that could be heard was thunderous snoring from the four of us which ensured that the Marshal and the photographer were kept wide awake. In the sleeping bag, my body began to cool down to the extent that the same sleeping bag which had made me sweat at altitudes over 15,000 feet on the Leh trip failed to keep me warm that night. Somehow, tiredness won over the cold and I rested only to be woken up by the cell phone alarm at 3.15 am. Believe me, that was one morning I just didn’t want get out of the sleeping bag. The unbearable pain in the groin area again flared up when I put my right leg on the ground. I told Manas it was time for me to call it quits, but the stone hearted monster just handed me a big white pill instead!}

^{Day 2.}

^{We washed our faces, sprinkled some water on our heads and were a couple of km on the road before we realised that Ritchie wasn't with us as he hadn’t been able to make it back on the saddle after the brief nap. So, now it was Nitish, Satish and me racing against time to do a quick fire of 30 in 1hr 10 min. Cutting through the early morning dense patches of fog, Nitish and me hit the 30 km mark first, signing our time cards, and then Satish. By now, Satish had started to look slow and fatigued. The three of us regrouped again and started at 5 am for the next destination 100 km away, Alwar our last T.S. and the deadline was 1 pm.} 

^{The temperatures had plummeted to about 2-3 C at this point and even a minute off the cycle meant losing body heat, so to keep ourselves warm, Nitish and me paddled up and pushed harder on the Agra-Jaipur Highway 11, one of the best I have seen in the country. The fog was getting bad and as the temperature got worse, we decided to stop till daybreak at the right turn to Alwar. We sat by a roadside tea shop where some wood fire had been lit in front as the trail vehicle arrived but Satish was not to be seen. By then he had given up mentally and was riding slow, and had asked the trail vehicle to go past him. Satish arrived about 15 min later only to declare he quit. Nitish and me were quiet for a minute or two at hearing Satish’s decision. He has been our idol for many rides, but perhaps today was not his day. Personally I felt I would miss Satish for the rest of the ride and so would Nitish. After all, we belonged to the same team –TeamT3. What had started as a family of five on the road to do a 600K was left with only two of us.}

^{Alwar our next TS was 72 km ahead, and we had 5 hr to reach. With the sun out now and Rajasthan’s temperatures having mercy on us, we left at 8 am for the next leg. Cutting through the outskirts of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, the scintillating backdrop of the Aravalli Ranges and the blooming yellow mustard fields, we kept pedalling and taking breaks every hour or 25 km until Nitish had his second flat. As we got back on the road and crossed the trail vehicle, which had at some point gone ahead of us, we found its occupants were asleep inside. “Knock, knock…wake up Marshal, we are about to enter Alwar, it’s 12.10 now.” As Alwar was an ATM receipt based TS and the Marshals were not required, we went to an ATM, got a balance receipt before the closing time of 12.58 pm. A power nap of 45 min was all we could buy there and at 2 am we exited Alwar city for our last leg back home, which was 140 km away and had to be finished in 8 hr.}

^{Nitish and me were on a high once we were on this leg. I had done this route a month earlier while doing the 300K, so I was leading. 10 km down the road and I had my first puncture at 470 km. We lost no time in fixing it and were back on the road doing speeds of 27 kmph, happy to be going home! Then it was my tyre again. We fixed it quickly again knowing at the back of our minds we had lost 30 precious min. I told Nitish that if I had a flat again, he should go ahead as he had a better chance of making it than me. Another 10 km and Nitish had a flat this time. Luckily Satish had left behind three virgin tubes so the tube was changed and just as the air was to be pumped in, my mini foot pump gave way and we used Nitish’s mtb hand pump to inflate the tyre, but only to about 80Psi. Between us now, there was one hand pump and one tube that was in the trail vehicle. We had to do 80 km in 4.5 hr, so I asked Nitish to go ahead and we would ride on our own luck. Then, I had another flat as I hit a big brick on the front tyre. I had no pump, no tube and with Nitish ahead of me and the trail vehicle nowhere in sight, I was left with two options - either call Nitish for help through a passing vehicle as he was about 2 km ahead, or give up and get into the vehicle. I didn’t take either options and opened up my wheel, pulled out the tube and waited for the trail vehicle for the spare tube. It came soon enough and Manas gave me the tube, then zipped off to Nitish to fetch the pump. I quickly inflated it with some help from Manas, giving a push or two and was back on the road.}

^{It was 6 pm as I nervously started again for the last 80 km with no spare tube and no pump. Manas had by then gone to Nitish who had fallen prey to a puncture and would need help as one can’t inflate a hand pump alone in the dark on a highway. Determined not to give up even if I finished outside the time limits, I would try to finish was my mantra. I stopped for a minute to strategise and took some deep breaths. I made my plan keeping in mind that I would be out of the race if I had even one more flat. So, wisdom lay in riding slow for the next 30 km and carefully avoiding all potholes and glass pieces. Once in NUH for the last 50 km I would give full throttle as by then I would already be in the backyard of my home, Gurgaon.}

^{The last leg was a real test of nerves, riding alone against time with no spare tube and an impaired vision in one eye...nothing was in my favour except my determination and will to complete. Inch by inch I rode carefully, hoping my luck would hold out through the night. Barring one small incident of road hooliganism where three guys suddenly came from behind and hit me on my back, everything went off smoothly. 8 pm at NUH with 50 km to go and a timeline of 2 hr, it was the chance to create history for myself. I stopped, had a quick bite on some munchies, gulped some water, lit up a ciggy, put my jacket in the trailing vehicle and did the last bit of planning. In normal circumstances, I would have taken 1.5 hr to get back home, but that day I had been cycling non-stop for 550 km for the last 37 hr and was racing against time. So, I got back on the saddle and started to crank ferociously. Knowing that I was riding on my last tube, I made sure that I avoided all pot holes. I had kept a steady pace of 26 kmph at the beginning, nearer the finish line my avg speed went up gradually. With 50 min to spare, I entered the outskirts of Gurgaon, my home and the finish line. I started to smell victory and knew that even if I had a puncture here, I could run with my cycle towards the finish line and still make it.}

^{Lessons learnt:}

^{Should have carried more tubes.}

^{Should have carried a big foot pump in the trail vehicle.}

^{Should have covered my mouth and nostrils with a buff.
What worked:}

^{A good rest the day before.}

^{Carb loading a day before.}

^{Hydrating the body 48 hr before.}

^{No new additions or fine adjustments to the cycle in the last few days.}

^{A strong and determined mind and body.}

^{A riding partner of the same frequency.}

^{An encouraging ambience at home.}

^{Walking & running long distances in addition to cycling for a month.}

^{Last but not the least, the company of people during the ride, including Manas and Anubhav, made it possible. No way would I have been able to do it alone.}          

^{Cheers…Chiro Mitra}

Hazaron khwahishain aisi ~ post by Manas Arvind

Hazaron khwahishain aisi...(Thousands of such desires) 
From the 1000K, Team T3 Brevet - 22-25th March, 2013

Enroute to Sikri @235 km-Day1-@6 pm

67th Hr – The Metamorphosis. The legs couldn't stop pushing the pedals, even if they wanted to…their sole purpose of existence seemingly to just keep moving on. It was 2 AM and Gurgaon was almost a 100 km away. That meant 90% of the journey was over and I had been on the road for close to 3 days cycling the highways and country roads; climbing small hills; fighting sleep and gushing adrenaline all at the same time. The pain and patience thresholds had been redefined. What was hurting yesterday, felt nothing today. The clock would often melt like a Dali painting…was I hallucinating? I did see the Red Fort on my left and the Metro crossing overhead. The white road divider was taking different shapes of snakes, smoke and spirits.

I told Ashwani Attrish, “Let’s stop” and we halted at a dhaba for a quick break. I ordered a cola and tea at the same time, one for a sugar kick and the other for warmth. As I took turns drinking them, Ashwani walked briskly from one end to the other to fight the cold and keep awake…whatever worked. Just a while earlier, we had been talking about everything mundane, and when we had gone quiet, all you could hear were the sound of the pedals and the squeaking of my wheel. Then a police jeep drove up and halted next to us and the cops asked us to stop immediately from going any further. It seems that we were entering the Mewat region, notorious for crime and its export of top of the line criminals, while their lesser known brethren stayed behind to make a livelihood from local activities. Upon our insistence on going ahead, they decided it would be better for them if they weren't seen with us and drove off into the night. Now, all we could hope for was the hoodlums would not take our riding through the area as a breach of their terror-itory.

Meanwhile, the questions kept on coming…where were the five of the seven riders besides the two of us? Had someone already reached? Was everyone safe? Had someone dropped out? Where were Satish, Sapeksh, Mann, Rakesh? Would Karthik make it in time, as he was riding somewhere behind us?

14th Feb 2013 - I was limping back to cycling after a hiatus of 45 days. It was a severe knee ligament inflammation caused due to an excessively mindless run of 21 km. My last long ride had been the 500 km at the Desert 500. My only aim now was to be able to walk straight and cycle again, nothing more. Or so I thought… ideas have claws but dreams have wings and by the evening, I was dreaming of riding the 1000 km Brevet scheduled for the 8th of March. How, I didn't know, as every time I went out riding, the knee would complain. Another day and time, I might not have bothered about any of it, but this was very different. I was sceptical and scared, full of self doubt. I would avoid mentioning the knee pain at home, as it would only flare tempers and the ire of my wife, Ritu, and my 9 year old daughter. There were a few days remaining and I felt weak in my knees (quite literally). I would bitch, post and tweet nonstop about the knee. I needed a plan and I would have to go solo as I was too slow to ride with anyone and anyway, I was not sure who from my riding buddies would be at the event. I was adamant, and just a week before the ride, Ritu decided to join me and started supporting me wholeheartedly. I know that she hardly slept through the entire Brevet while I rode.

The Plan - I entered with three clear objectives.

First was knowing that I wouldn’t be building any new muscles in the given time, my task was to not damage the knee any further. I focused on power vs cadence balance to get an acceptable speed without stressing the knee. I had to forget about 'stepping on it' entirely.

Second was to be able to shed as much weight as possible. I was 83 kg when I started and with some changes in my eating pattern, I managed to lose 4 kg before the Brevet.

Third, there was little I could do to my legs, so I shifted to strengthening the core, shoulder and back muscles which helped during the ride to hold better. I finished riding the 1000 with no particularly aching body part, if you leave aside the sore butt.

14th Hr - Queen uncertainty. It was one of the flyovers short of Mathura. Sapeksh and I were pace-lining perfectly. I gained some momentum on the downhill and sped ahead. My meter was not working, but I knew I was fast. My mind was constantly calculating, how much in how much time... how to beat the heat, how to skip traffic, etc. till a hard thud broke my concentration. I had an impact flat, and there was no one behind me. The impact not only damaged the tyre, as I later realised, it also damaged the wheel for good. With a good 800 km still to go, the only way was to simply forget about the damage and pray that it wouldn’t get worse.

 20^th Hr - The light and the dark side. We reached Bamanpur in good time. With one third of the ride already over, an hour of sleep looked like a good incentive, except there seemed to be no place to sleep. What were we expecting, warm beds with covers? We pedalled on and were lucky to find one trucker dhaba on the opposite side with some rickety cots. This was going to be the scenario for the next 2 days and nights. Trucker dhabas, though very basic, would serve quick chai and have cots to lie down. Anything more felt like a decadent luxury. The only thing that could have been wished away were the blaring TV sets, but they would have been a problem on another day, right now they hardly mattered. The weather during the day was a killer with the meter showing 39-40 degrees, and there was no choice but to ride through the day. I would stop every hour just to cool the body down with water and seek some shade as it made little sense in letting the engine run out of coolant.

54^th Hr - What's there to eat? I guess that all scales change in such rides. An estimated 20 litres of water was consumed per day, which I knew was still less. I increased it close to 30 ltr on the last day and it was a life saver. At the same time, there’s nothing like a proper meal and I would eat and drink a little bit continuously. Gatorade, bars, nuts, chips, chocolates, chapatis, dal, boiled eggs, chai, coffee, defizzed cold drinks, et all comprised the menu.

46^th Hr - Give it as it comes!  It was the second morning and the mind knew that the body was being abused badly. The entire day was up ahead and we didn’t seem to be in a hurry. We saw the resort, Highway King and looked at each other, time to take a break for a fork and knife breakfast. They had super clean washrooms and we made full use of that luxury. There was no hurry as we sat down to enjoy some awesome omelettes and toasts with coffee. I think there were newspapers too. Later that evening at another stop, we stopped to enjoy a hearty conversation about cardamom coffee and its recipe with the local chef. The mind had taken a turn...the same mind which had been egging me to rush through and break some personal time records, was now at complete ease. I could feel the breeze, look around at the scenery, converse with people, sip on the tea with ease, smoke and spit. The mind was calm, it knew that the job will be done.

72^nd Hr - Gone with the wind. You can never know what all a Brevet has in store for you. The destination was 50 km away and I was in my home territory. Suddenly, there came a storm with heavy cross winds. I didn't know which way to look, the only way to move forward was to stand and hammer. By this time, the butt was all sore and bruised. I started counting the bumps, then the trucks, tried the cows and goats, the strokes and back strokes...these were the longest miles and the shortest hours, and the most fun and exhilarating moments of the 1000 km journey. In fact I felt a bit sad that it was all coming to an end. I messaged Ritu that I would be home by 0830. 
The target did the trick. I was near Lemon Tree hotel and there still were 3 minutes to spare. I slowed down, left the handle bar and stretched my arms above my head. I thought about all my co riders, marshals, dhabawalas and the cardamom coffee. I thought of Karthik, hoping he was somewhere nearby and would finish the ride within time...which he did with 20 min to spare. It was a 75 hr Gatorade drenched, chocolate coloured, nicotine stained, mile-crunching 1000 km Brevet. There is a lot to take away from such an event...and I don't think I'm in any hurry.

-------The Brass Tacks------

What is a Brevet? A long distance self supported ride, where the rider is supposed to live off the road. It gives one an opportunity to interact with locals, eat different kinds of food, sleep on a variety of beds (or no beds). Its time bound, but relaxed enough to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells. The official Brevets can come in the distances of 200, 300, 400, 600, 1000 and 1200 km.

Preparing for a 1000 km Brevet. It’s strongly advised to have done few of the longer distance brevets with overnight hauls. It’s also important to be in complete sync with your bike and gear. A properly fitted and working bike would make the experience enjoyable. It’s also critical to be able to carry out basic bike repair like fixing flats and cut tires, broken chain and drive train adjustments.

On the Bike. I added a handlebar bag (for food reserves), top tube bag (to quickly draw bars and put back), a saddle bag (with 2 new tubes, toolkit and backup money) and 2 bottle cages (one for sports drink mix and another for plain water). The back pocket had a waterproof wallet and phone.

In the bag on the Marshal vehicle - Sleeping bag (just in case I met them in the night), change of clothes, more food supplies, spare tyre and more tubes.

Pre ride. Few days prior to the ride, accumulate sleep hours, hydrate well and ensure your body is in a fit condition. With a troubling knee, I had to train my mind and body to not cross the trauma threshold. Each one to his own style, but for me a meditative state of mind worked better than getting aggressive and competitive. Knowing that I am neither high on adrenaline, nor on physique, I had to think differently. In the few training rides prior to the Brevet, I worked on changing my riding style from aggressive to very conservative.

The Ride

Day 1 (covered 405 km) - Rode with Sapeksh and met Rakesh many a times enroute. The day was hot but constant hydrating and resting saved us from any complication. We utilised the mornings and late hours rather well and crossed Hodal (sugar cane juice), Vrindavan (Grapes), Mathura (3 egg burgers), Agra (first bottle of Thumbs up and a mad traffic jam), Sikri & Bharatpur (come and go), Sikandra (the lone dhaba to sleep) and Dausa (the lovely town) before crossing the 24 hr mark.

Day 2 (covered 250 km) - Reached Jaipur, after fixing my second flat, and bugged by a 55 km long soft yet constant gradient. Lost precious hrs in waiting at a time station confusion. Worse (but unavoidable) started at ~2:30 in the afternoon for Kishangarh (Aaloo Paratha at McDonalds, courtesy Rajat) and reached sharp at 20:00. Started back with Ashwani and rode all night with an hour of nap (at Duddu) and a nice B/F short of Jaipur.

Day 3 (covered 300 km) - Crossed Jaipur, with a super fast tunnel section and searing temperatures to reach Sikandra. The ride was hot but fast. We took a longish break at Sikandra and soon after at a dhaba, so as to let the heat ebb. We must have had at least 25 litres of water to keep dehydration away. The ride from here to Ajmer was on a lovely rolling terrain. We were joined by Karthik here and during this section, my left knee developed a sudden injury like pain. Now both the engines were misfiring with noises and swearing. With the last time station done at Alwar, the three of us stopped at a 5 star dhaba of a Mr Saini, who went out of his way and managed eggs and rice from the market. We napped here till 12, fought with Karthik’s tyre for another hour and left eventually, informing the Marshals, as we found it impossible to fix on our own. This was the 3rd overnight ride but the company made a lot of difference, making it more interesting and fun I guess.

Day 4 (covered 55 km in 3 hours) - It was the final frontier, but heavy unsporting winds just added to the push needed (loads of it). I finished the 1000 km Brevet at 0830 with 36 min to spare.

Post ride. It was nice that I finished the ride without any kind of pain or stiffness (except the sore butt). It took nearly a day to recover the sleep and another 2-3 days for the body to regain regular strength.. Both the knees did need tending to, which they deserved.The post ride diet was high on Proteins (loads of eggs and Chana etc), carbs+sugar (potato, rice, sweet fruits), with as many as 8 small meals in a day for the first 2-3 days. This helped in quicker recovery and avoiding prolonged post ride stress/shock based injuries.