Nandi Hills

Date: 20 July 2014

Total distance: 143 Kilometers

Start Time: 7:15 am

Return Time: 7:00 pm

Altitude Profile:

Was just a week since I purchased the cycle and ridden roughly about 100 kilometers, i.e., on an average 20 kilometers per day. I wanted to know if I could cycle long distances and also wanted to know if I could pedal up a hill, so decided to cycle to Nandi Hills.

Planned to start at 5 am, however, it was raining in the morning and had to delay the start. I finally started at 7 am. Approximately 70 kilometers to the peak, decided that I would take a break after every 20 kilometers since I had just started cycling.

Enjoyed the cycling since it was a Sunday and there was no traffic. Was able to reach Yelahanka by 8:15 am when I stopped at Shreyas Residency for breakfast. I had done 25 kilometers in just over an hour. I was happy with the time. Resumed from the hotel after breakfast and then stopped just before the turn from the highway to Nandi Hills as I noticed another fellow cyclist sitting on the pavement and he wanted me to click his picture. Started a conversation and got to know that he was also headed towards Nandi hills, said that he would accompany me. We stopped again a little further ahead for Coconut water to recharge my batteries. Rode a further 12 kilometers before my fellow cyclist dropped out. Continued and reached the foot hill by 11:15 am. Stopped again for a breather, and saw that the place was crowded with cyclists. All of them though had already returned from the peak and when I started off I was the only one riding uphill. The first half kilometer of the climb is very steep, something which I realized only later and is the most damaging part of the climb especially for a first timer without information. By the time I could cover this section; my legs had given up on me. I stopped, took some rest and tried to resume, but the legs were not responding. Tried to push the cycle a little and pedal a little, but the pain in the legs was too much. At the back of my mind I had the return journey, so I decided that it was better to call off the remaining part of the climb and to head back down. I had done 4 kilometers of the climb by then. I was disappointed that I could not complete the climb and reach the peak. I started the descent at 12:45 pm. Had reached the foot hill within 5 minutes, the climb had taken almost 2 hours. Started the journey back and it was a pleasant ride till I reached the highway. The legs were not doing too well, but I had to continue and on reaching the highway I was in for another shock, something for which I was not prepared, “head wind”. Even at places where the road sloped down the cycle would come to a standstill if I did not pedal. I did not expect the wind to have such a telling effect. The ride from Devanahalli to Mekhri circle was very painful, wherein on most of the roads with an upward gradient, I had to get down and push the cycle. However, as I came close to Bangalore city, the tiredness in the legs was reducing and I was able to pedal again. When I reached back home it was 7:00 pm. I had taken 6 hours for the return journey of 70 kilometers. I had travelled at 10 kilometers per hour on an average. I was happy to have made it back. The disappointment of not making it to the peak was mixed with the joy of having covered 144 kilometers within a week of starting, although about 10-12 kilometers of that distance was covered by pushing the cycle. Had understood my limitations with respect to cycling and decided that it would take some more work before I could tackle a hill. I decided that I would cycle regularly and work on getting into shape so that I could do the long distance rides with lesser difficulty next time.