Gandharv Bakshi
Hi all,
Last weekend, I rode to Yercaud (first Salem - 190 kms, and then Yercaud - 28 kms the next day) and it was an amazing ride. I would recommend that all city commute riders do such rides at least ones! Just in case there are any newbies out there planning on such a ride, I thought I’ll describe my experience. Though I had not ridden such distances and such a high elevation (1.7Km on Strava), it turned out to be relatively easy thanks to the group, proper food/drinks and a good hybrid bike!
We left at 5:15AM in the morning. I had a rice-heavy meal the night before, and ate Aalu parathas and Bread Jam at 4:30AM, and a few bananas before leaving at 5:15AM. I kept sipping water from my hydration pack (finished 1.5 liters in 2 hours of riding). In fact, I kept eating and drinking water throughout the ride and before we reached Salem I had consumed 3 Peanut-Butter Sandwiches, 2 idlis, pongal, curd rice, 4 energy bars and 5 liters of water (2 liters with Electrol mixed). This constant eating (and pleasant weather) is what made the ride relatively easy! At the end of the ride, I think I had consumed more calories than I had burnt and there is even a small chance I gained weight at the end of the ride :)!
However the best part of the ride was the sudden importance I was given. I wore my entire cycling gear (shorts, bright Dry-fit T-shirt, helmet, gloves etc) and that got a lot of attention to me! There was even a point when a truck driver asked me for side before coming into my lane (there was no one else behind me, I looked!). After being treated like an insect on Bangalore roads, being asked for side literally brought happy tears into my eyes! Throughout the way, schoolkids kept putting their hands out (like I was some race winner) and I hi-fied all of them - trust me, though I was riding at 20kmph, I felt like one of them Tour-de-France riders! It was awesome.
The ride to Yercaud was difficult because of the continuous climbing (took us 3+ hours to complete the 22kms climb), but my riding continuously with good company and sipping water throughout, I was able to manage it. For the first time, I rode for long distances on 1-2 and 1-3 gears. There were many monkeys on the way, and whenever a car would stop they would come rushing to the car for treats. Whenever I stopped for a break, no monkeys came - though my ego was slightly hurt, I was also happy not to be troubled. Quite oddly, after a while, we ran out of food and when I saw car guys giving bananas to monkeys, I even got a little jealous and wanted to snatch those bananas!
The ride was organized by the bangalore Cycling Club and was well organized with support vehicles and people to take care of all of us. That helped in terms of confidence - not only mine, but my families. Also, I rode a hybrid - which makes it significantly easier than a MTB for such a ride. So, if you ride 30-40 kms in Bangalore, then I would recommend doing such a ride soon. You’ll be surprised at what you are capable of, plus you’ll make some nice new friends!
Rahul Raj Dusa
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Rahul Raju Dusa
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