Roller Coaster (200 Kilometer Brevet)

Date: 26 May 2018

Total distance: 202 Kilometers

Start Time: 5:30 am

Return Time: 4:00 pm

With: -

Altitude Profile:

Kanteerava Stadium - Manchanabele - Magadi - Huliyurdurga - Kunigal - Hebbur - Nelamangala - Kanteerava Stadium

A new route was announced for the 200 kilometer brevet. I was keen on riding the route since it had the added incentive of completing my second SR of the 2017-18 season. The route was passing through interior roads most of the time and will be spending very little time on the highway. Can't ask for more than to have a ride on countryside roads and having a good and peaceful ride on Saturday.

Bangalore had been receiving a lot of pre-monsoon showers and the day before the ride was no different. It rained for most of the evening and the night. There were a lot of messages circulating that a storm was expected on the day of the ride. Queries regarding additional time in case of rains were struck down by the organisers stating that there would be no additional time given in case of rains making it clear that the ride had to be completed in 13.5 hours.

I reached the start point at 5:15 am and completed the start formalities. It was a huge turnout with 54 riders turning up for the ride. The start formalities were completed smoothly and in spite of the large turnout the ride was flagged off at 5:30 am.

The ride through the city was negotiated with an eye on the traffic and the roads. Riding the MTB did give me the luxury of going into the potholes aggressively and I did not have to back off as much as the road bike riders. It allowed me to carry speed and keep the momentum going which made it a little easy to keep the pedals rolling.

45 minutes, 20 kilometers done and I had to take the right turn and get off the highway. The ride starts here as we shift from riding on the highway to riding on country side roads which we were told includes a lot of rolling terrain. It was day break, however there was a lot of cloud cover and it was pleasant weather. Damp roads, pleasant weather and the road surface was good as well, perfect recipe to have an enjoyable ride.

The first control point was at Magadi, however, before getting to Magadi we would be passing through 3 beautiful locations which is on the radar of a cyclist in Bangalore, Big Banyan Tree (Dodda Alada Mara), Manchanabele Dam and Savanadurga.

The first of these on the route is Big Banyan Tree which is just 8 kilometers from the highway. It is a 400 year old tree and it covers an area of almost 3 acres. The road mainly climbs to this place and it took a little effort to keep the cycle going. 20 minutes later we reached the Big Banyan Tree. I stopped for a quick pic before resuming.

The road goes mainly downhill after this. 8 kilometers from the Big Banyan Tree is the Manchanabele Dam. This is a dam across the Arkavathy River and is a refreshing sight to sore eyes. As the road is downhill I took the luxury of riding quickly so that I could catch a few extra moments at the Dam. However, the additional speed did not allow me to brake in time when the truck in front of me braked and brought me in the firing line of an oncoming bus. Fortunately the bus driver was good enough to brake and negotiated his way past me. I got away unscathed and continued riding. It was a wake up call to be careful. It helped that the traffic thinned out after this and I rode past the ISRO station set up to monitor the Mars Orbiter Mission and made my way to Manchanabele Dam. It was refreshing to see the blue water and I could not resist the temptation to stop for a pic.

The road continued further downhill to Manchanabele village where we take a turn and enter the Savandurga forest. The road begins to climb, however the effort is offset by the lush green forest around us. It was beautiful and creepy at the same time to be riding this stretch. The roads being in good condition helped a lot as it gave the opportunity to enjoy the forest rather than concentrate on the road.

I was disappointed that I had reached the main road to Magadi and I was out of the interior road. Within a kilometer the mood changed again as I saw the cloud kissed Savandurga hill. It is believed to be Asia's largest monolith and the view of the hill looked majestic. There are various stories for the way the hill derived its name, one of which is that it is the Fort of Death since getting to the top is very dangerous as there were no steps to reach the hill top and it was covered by bamboos and other trees forming a barricade making it almost impossible to get to the top. The lake and the agricultural fields around added to the allure of the place. 

Although I was back on the state highway it did not feel like it as I was still passing through the Savandurga forest. 3 kilometers from the Savandurga hill I was out of the Savandurga forest, I was able to see a peacock perched on top of a stone for having passed through the forest which did not speak too highly of the forest in spite of the having erected boards of leopards being the forest.

The ride after crossing the forest till Magadi was not very enjoyable. It was like going through a low phase after having gone through the high of seeing 3 beautiful places and having enjoyed riding through a forest road. The gradient being uphill made it all the more difficult. I was counting down the kilometers now rather than enjoying the view. A couple of checks on the map to check I was on the correct route and I was at the first control point in Magadi town at 8:00 am. 56 kilometers completed and 2.5 hours had lapsed. I was not hungry and as I had a supply of bananas I continued the ride rather than stopping for breakfast.

The road continued to climb till I got to the turn to Huliyurdurga. 28 kilometers to Huliyurdurga from here and it started with a nice downhill section. I was back onto empty roads and rolling terrain followed. I pushed hard in this section as it was mostly downhill and I could create a buffer for the rest of the ride which was going to be rolling terrain and largely climbing back to Bangalore. I passed through a few villages and saw a couple of lakes on the way and then entered a forest area again. The tree cover was good and it made riding a pleasure. There were large anthills to accompany the trees and I sped through this section as it was largely downhill. As soon as I was out of the forest area I could see the Hemagiri Hill of Huliyurdurga. A few more kilometers and the Huthridurga hill which has Kempe Gowda's fort atop was also visible which was the marker for Huliyurdurga. Just a couple of kilometers and I was at the Kunigal highway and stopped at the Inspection Bungalow which was the next control point.

I was out of water and needed to re-stock. A kilometer from the control point I stopped at a store to buy water and a 200ml sprite. I ate a banana and started the ride. 88 kilometers were done and 4 hours had lapsed. I was 35 kilometers from the manned control and had decided to ride to the manned control.

It was only 35 kilometers to the control, however I was tired and had begun to cramp. I had to minimise jogging on the wheels and was restricted to sitting on the saddle and pedalling. There was a strong wind as well which had increased the effort a little and I was not enjoying the ride here. The Sun had still not made an appearance, however I was struggling to increase the pace of the ride. Add the noise from the unlubricated chain to increase the irritation to it and it was pretty painful to ride. I was able to take care of the chain at the next town when I got to a bike mechanic who oiled the chain. One less thing to worry about although it was very minor.

As I got closer to Kunigal, it helped that there were downhill stretches and I was able to recover a little and make up for the time lost as well. However, the legs were still not feeling very good and it was just a matter of time before I began to struggle again. I needed to rest for a while which I was not ready to do. I tried massaging the legs while I coasted and kept sipping on water to be able to push till the manned control.

I reached Kunigal at 10:30 am. 106 kilometers were done, however, the next climb near the lake put me in a lot of pain as the cramp set in and I was unable to recover. I stopped near the lake, left the cycle, walked a little, stretched and admired the view by the lake. It was a huge lake. 5 minute break taken and I hopped back on the saddle to resume the ride.

I was 14 kilometers from the manned control and was looking at a 45 minute ride to get there. It was largely an uphill gradient and the legs did not like it at all. I had to stop again after 7 kilometers when the cramps set in again. Followed the same routine of walking and stretching before getting back on the saddle. Coaxed myself to get to the manned control and I was there at 11:25 am. I was relieved to get there, since I knew that it would serve up as a food and rest break.

Lokesh welcomed me to the control. Raghu and Raju had already left, Sangram and Abhishek were getting ready to leave and Kapil had just reached. I drank some juice, ate the delicious veg pulav and a few chikki's as dessert. I stocked up on banana's, refilled water and started from the control point at 11:45 am.

Kapil and I rode together and we were back onto interior roads. We passed by mango farms and it was very tempting to pluck a few mangoes and eat some farm fresh mangoes. We rode on enjoying the view and the peaceful ride. There was almost zero traffic and freshly laid tarmac which made the ride very enjoyable. A few checks on the map and enquiries with the locals to stay on route. I was beginning to struggle again and was just about managing to keep the cramps at bay. I did not push hard on the climbs and kept it steady on the downhills which helped to keep them away. The Bhairavadurga hill steals the show as we close in on Kudur. Another huge monolith, which is difficult to miss.

From Kudur, we passed through a long section of road lined by Banyan trees. These trees were planted and nurtured by Thimakka and she is known as Saalu Marada Thimakka. Her efforts have borne fruit and it was a pleasure to be riding in this section. The Sun was not out as yet, however even if it was there was no way it was going to make it through the canopy of banyan trees.

The road climbs from Kudur to Solur and it was slow progress. We got fleeting glimpses of the Shiva Ganga hill on this stretch. The thought of getting onto the highway was not very appealing as we would be back on bald roads and having ridden through beautiful country roads since the morning, it would be painful to ride on the highway without the scenery to back it up. The clock had ticked passed 1:00 pm, however, I was still not hungry and wanted to ride all the way to Bangalore. It was 1:35 pm when we got to the control point at Solur, which took a little searching.

50 kilometers remained and although I had sufficient time, I wanted to ride as quickly as possible to Bangalore. It started well as there were long downhills and I was able to cover distance quickly, however at the first hint of a climb, I fell behind Kapil. I was very slow, and not wanting to push too hard I took it easy on the climb. I reached the Nelamangala toll and although I wanted to continue, I had to stop since I was out of water. I doubled it up with a sugarcane water break and had two glasses and hoped that I would be able to sustain the ride till the finish. Kapil had stopped to rest and I resumed the ride.

The Sun was out when we got onto the highway and the intensity of the Sun began to increase when I made it past Nelamangala. I was able to pedal quickly after the water/juice break but the Sun was making it very difficult. As I was in familiar territory, I was able to sustain the speed and kept pushing to make it to Bangalore city. I made it to the Yelahanka flyover and was fortunate not to cramp while climbing, the body had recovered a little on the easier terrain from Solur and I pedalled into heavy traffic from Yeshwanthpur.

The ride from Yeshwanthpur till Sankey tank was about wriggling my way past traffic, however I was able to keep moving. From Sankey tank the traffic was chock a block and I had to use the foot paths a lot to keep moving. The situation did not improve and I was in a lot of traffic right till the end at Kanteerava Stadium. It was just before 4:00 pm when I pulled up at Kanteerava stadium.

200 kilometers completed in 10.5 hours, was disappointed with the time taken, however, was happy to have made it back in spite of the cramp. Will have to rest and recover before analysing what went wrong on this ride.