Virtual Gates of Heaven (vGOH) - 1,200 kilometer self supported ride

Date: 19 September 2020 - 22 September 2020 Total distance: 1,213 Kilometers 

Start Time: 6:00 am 19 September 2020 

Return Time: 7:30 pm 22 September 2020 

With: Pritish Abraham, Mohan Subramanyam, Santosh Surendra, Satish Addanki,  Nitin Jagtap

Altitude Profile:

2020 has been a mixed year as far as the cycling journey has been concerned. It started off very well with the ISAN 2020 ride in February, however, after that with the COVID 19 pandemic taking centre stage the following months were difficult. The cancellation of endurance events across the globe along with the lock down sounded like a harsh blow for cycling and being outdoors. However, it did present an opportunity to introspect on the journey so far, and the areas for improvement. Essentially it gave time to re-think our cycling goals for 2020 and future years and to be able to prepare for them. Also, it gave time for the body to take a step back and rest and rejuvenate.

When the lockdown did end, there were a lot of restrictions and cycling outdoors within the allowed parameters meant that the rides had to be short distance rides and night rides were almost impossible to execute for me. As time flew, the confidence to execute endurance rides was beginning to waver and more over the series of short distance rides was taking the feel of long distance rides away. Although I wanted to execute a long distance ride, I was being held back more from my own reservations rather than anything from the outside world.

When Bangalore Randonneurs came up with the Virtual Gates of Heaven ride, at first I was not very keen as the confidence levels to execute the ride were not great. In the last 6 months the longest ride that I had done was about 270 kilometers in just over 15 hours. No night rides had been done and so the thought of doing a 1,200 kilometer ride in 90 hours put a lot of doubts in the mind. However, this was an event which had room for a lot of flexibility. We had to design our own route with 2 simple yet difficult requirements:

1. Distance has to be minimum 1,200 kilometers

2. Elevation gain has to be minimum 10,000 meters

There were no time controls and no fixed routes, which meant that it could be a ride which could  be planned as per our comfort zone and essentially gave an opportunity to put some miles on the saddle and get the confidence levels back up.

Coming up with the Route:

The name Gates of Heaven is synonymous with hills and rolling terrain. So my first thought was to head to the Western Ghats and enjoy the scenic beauty of the hills and the coastline. However, as this would require carrying our luggage and finding places to stay enroute, this was ruled out. As this was self supported and there was no drop bag facility available, it was decided to make our house as the hub, so it would be simple to handle the change of clothes. Further, not having to stay at a hotel made this an appealing option given the current situation.

Re-thought about the route keeping the initial requirement of hills and rolling terrain as the main criteria to be fulfilled and had to come up with this in and around Bangalore. It turns out that there is an abundance of small hills and rolling terrain in and around Bangalore within a 150 kilometer radius. Further, the route had to be such that riding on interior routes was preferably to be avoided as it would be difficult on the food/refreshment persepctive, so try to get onto the highway for the nights.

Keeping this in mind, the route was designed as 4 loops around Bangalore.

First Loop: Bengaluru - Kanakpura - Basavanbetta - Mysuru - Melukote - Bellur Cross - Nelamangala - Bengaluru

                    370 kilometers -  3,100 meters

Second Loop: Bengaluru - Anekal - Hunasanahalli - Anchetty - Denkanikottai - Betta Mugilalam - Panchapalli - Denkanikottai - Rayakottai - Krishnagiri - Bengaluru

                        350 Kilometers - 3,700 meters

Third Loop: Bengaluru - Markandeshwara Betta - Terahalli - Kolar - Chintamani - Chikkaballapur - Nandi Hills - Bengaluru

                        250 kilometers - 2,200 meters

Fourth Loop: Bengaluru - Tumkur - Devarayanadurga - Kolala - Tondebavi - Doddaballapur - Devanahalli - Bengaluru

                        230 kilometers - 2,000 meters

This route gave a distance of 1,200 kilometers with an elevation gain of 11,000 meters. The route was essentially a mish mash of the various brevet routes of Bangalore Randonneurs. The brevet routes which this would touch upon just to name a few are the Nandi 200, Chintamani 200, Anchetty 200, Basavanbetta 300, Melukote 300, Lepakshi 400, Hogenakkal 400, Twin Hills 600.

 

Plan for the route:

After freezing on the route, it was time to plan for the route. I had ridden the third and fourth loops and a part of the first loop, and made a few changes to the route based on the road conditions. The route largely had good roads with the exception of a few sections and it required to build a buffer for these bad road sections and also for the parts of the route which were not known.

Based on the route it was evident that the first two loops were going to be difficult as the distance and elevation numbers were high and if I get through the first two loops then the next two would be relatively easier. Further the requirement of getting home after every loop reduced the time available on the road and required the minimum pace requirement to be slightly higher than what I would have done otherwise.

The route was more like a broad guideline and there was always the option to change it in case conditions got too difficult. So it was going to be a fluid plan with changes being made according to the ground reality. The plan was made and it was time to execute the plan.

The Riders:

The riders who would be executing this route were going to be Mohan Subramanyam, Nitin Jagtap, Pritish Abraham, Santosh Surendra, Satish Addanki and me. So 6 riders on the route which gave the option of having a ride partner and having company through the ride, especially the night was taken care of. There were 10 other riders riding different routes and a total of 16 riders starting the event.

The Flag Off:

All of us assembled at my place which was the start point and Harish Venkatachalam was gracious enough to flag us off at 6:00 am on 19 September 2020.

First Loop:

Bengaluru - Kanakpura - Basavanbetta - Mysuru - Melukote - Bellur Cross - Nelamangala -Bengaluru

370 kilometers -  3,100 meters

It was a 6:00 am start and day break was already done and visibility was not an issue. We made is past the bumpy city roads and made our way onto the Kanakpura road. On the way we had passed by Sunil Kumar and Raghu Nandan who were also doing the vGOH ride and were on their way to Yercaud. Once on Kanakpura road the gaps began to open up. Satish and Nitin riding together, Mohan Sir and Santosh together and Pritish and me together. We came by Chetan Ram, Madhu Krishna and Parameshwar Hegde on the route who were waiting to cheer us on. A brief while spent with them and Pritish and I were back on the road.

The bumpy road surface had continued beyond the city and it was going to stretch till Kanakpura. This I was ready for, but the head wind which hit us was not what I was expecting. It was a cloudy day and although the Sun was not out the wind was tiring us out and this was right at the start of the ride. The wind direction was being gauged and the thought process was when we were going to get a break from this wind and get a favourable wind and it looked like we would get our first respite from the wind after 160 kilometers provided the wind direction did not change.

With the wind speed only increasing as the clock ticked, the effort being put at the start was tiring the legs out and getting to Kanakpura was more of a relief as we were stopping for breakfast at Vasu Hotel which  is famous for Masala Dosa. While Pritish and I had breakfast the other riders also arrived and the 6 of us were having breakfast together.

Started off after breakfast and Pritish and I rode ahead from the others. The road condition from Kanakpura was good and although there was a head wind we were able to ride quicker than the morning session on account of the improved road condition. We made it to the base at 10:00 am. The wind was not a factor here and the cloud cover helped which made it possible to climb quickly. Made it to the top in under 30 minutes and we started the descent. Passed by the remaining riders who were at various stages of the climb.

As we had a good climb, we had managed to claw back a little time which we had lost in the morning session and were determined to make up more on the road ahead. Given that the road condition was excellent we put our heads down and began to knock off the kilometers as quickly as possible. Rain clouds were looming above and it was only a matter of time before they opened up. Fortunately it was only a drizzle and it was good to ride in the drizzle.

We reached Bannur at 1:00 pm and stopped for lunch to savour the famous Bannur Mutton Palav. It was a quick lunch and we were back on the road at 1:40 pm. We rode towards the Cauvery river bridge and stopped for a few quick pics which was difficult to take as the traffic on the bridge was heavy. We were joined by Satish and Nitin while we were on the bridge.

We started together and in a short while there was a person on a Royal Enfield bike riding alongside and not overtaking. Looked over concerned and saw that it was Rohit V who was out on a bike ride. It was nice to chat with him for a while after which Satish and Nitin stopped for a break and Rohit stopped as well. Pritish and I continued riding.

It took a while to get to Mysuru as the road went up and coupled with the wind it was a tough phase of riding. However, the fact that we had made it past the 150 kilometers mark kept us going as it was going to be a tail wind from kilometer 160. We reached the Mysuru ORR and made the turn towards Columbia Asia hospital signal and then another right at the signal towards Srirangapatna.

We had hit upon the tail wind section, although it was going to last for about 10-12 kilometers only before changing to a cross wind, it was still a confidence booster as the kilometers came down easily in this section. A quick stop after we took the turn towards Pandavapura to have sugarcane juice and we were ready to take on the cross wind.

The road gradually climbs to Melukote from here and although we had it easy for the past 10-12 kilometers, the days earlier effort was beginning to show as we began to labour to ride here. The kilometers began to trickle down and the turn to Melukote seemed to be taking forever to reach. It was playing on the mind as well that if we are struggling at kilometer 180 then we are in for a very difficult time with respect to completing this ride.

It was with some difficulty that we made it to the Melukote turn and then a further 5 kilometers of rolling terrain to Melukote town. It was slower than expected and the climb to Melukote had not done any favours on the confidence front. We reached Melukote at 5:00 pm and rode into town to take a few pics.

The descent from Melukote laid to rest the fears of the physical condition as we had an exhilarating descent and once back on the Nagamangala road, the adrenaline had kicked in and we made the most of the rolling terrain to keep the pace as high as possible. A stop at a Nandini milk parlour for milk peda and Badam milk and then we were back on the saddle. Bellur Cross arrived much before we had anticipated and this gave us the opportunity to ride further before we make the dinner stop. Based on the morning ride, we had expected to reach Bellur cross for dinner, however, with a little push after Melukote we had managed to build a buffer.

We had the small task of having to ride 3 kilometers from Bellur Cross towards Hirisave to make up for the distance. It was a difficult ride at the same time I was very happy with the struggle. It was a strong head wind and was difficult to get past the 3 kilometers, however, it was going to be only 3 kilometers after which we would have a strong tail wind. Given that we had a further 75 kilometers on this road it was going to be an easy ride.

The tail wind helped us to make a dash to Empire Hotel and we made it relatively quickly and easily to Empire. Just as we pulled into Empire it began to drizzle. We took a little time to get through with dinner before resuming the ride. During dinner we got to know that Nitin had to quit on account of a broken spoke.

When we came out it was still drizzling, but the wind had subsided. The rain had not dampened the spirit as much as the disappearance of the tail wind had. It was frustrating that we had made our way past the head wind section and it felt like when the moment came to take advantage of a tail wind that it had been snatched from us. At least, no wind is better than a head wind, got back and started the ride.

It was a relatively quick ride through the night and the climb to Solur did not seem to be difficult. We made a quick stop to update that we had made it past the 300 kilometer mark. We managed to make it past Solur and along with it there was a mild tail wind which had started, which made it a quick ride to Nelamangala.

We were now under 30 kilometers to finish the first loop and here the direction of the wind did not matter. We made short work of the remaining kilometers and reached home at around 1:00 am.

Finishing the loop felt good, however, at the same time Pritish had to call off his ride as he had a personal exigency and it felt bad to see him quit the ride.

Freshened up, ate and slept at 2:00 am.

 

Second Loop:

Bengaluru - Anekal - Hunasanahalli - Anchetty - Denkanikottai - Betta Mugilalam - Panchapalli - Denkanikottai - Rayakottai - Krishnagiri - Bengaluru

350 Kilometers - 3,700 meters

I woke up at 3:30 am and got about getting ready for the day's ride. The plan was to start at 4:00 am, however, when I woke up I was still feeling the effects of the previous days ride and opted to take an additional hour before starting the days ride. The additional time gave the time to have another round of food.

Satish had also completed the first loop, however Mohan Sir and Santosh were yet to complete. The clock had ticked to 5:00 am and this loop being the most difficult, I did not want to risk losing further time and started the ride.

It was a slow start as the aches were beginning to show and it took a while to warm up and get the body going again. It was evident that the rest had not done enough to help the body recover sufficiently. Rode just under the limit and by the time I got past Electronic city I was back in rhythm and was riding at a relatively quick pace.

Reached Chandapura and took the right turn towards Anekal and was hit by a strong head wind. It was day break and the head wind once again at the start of the day was tough to accept. On the first loop we had the benefit of fresh legs, however, today it was tired legs and it kind of doubled the effect of the head wind. The effect began to show within a few kilometers as I was hungry and it did not feel like I had eaten just about an hour ago. It was time to grind out a few kilometers and get past the Karnataka Border. Before crossing the border there was the small matter of riding about 6 kilometers from Anekal to the border on a metalled road which had not been tarred and the road has remained like this for over a year. It was a bumpy ride and a grit your teeth to get past this moment.

Crossing the border was a relief as the road surface was very good and in spite of the wind, just the change in the road surface had changed the mood and I was able to ride quickly and tried to make up for lost time. I got past Thally and then to Jawalagiri.

At the start of the day the plan was to have breakfast at Hunasanahalli or Anchetty. However, by the time I got to Jawalagiri I was running empty and did not think it was possible to ride the 20 kilometers to Hunasanahalli. Stopped for breakfast and had a plate of Thatte Idly and Poori. As I had breakfast got to know that Mohan Sir and Santosh had started and were having breakfast at Anekal. We did not know where Satish was and the only info we had was that he had started the day at 6:15 am the same time as Mohan Sir and Santosh.

After breakfast, I started the ride and hit some short steep gradients inside the Bannerghatta forest and then some rolling terrain before the descents started. The ride through the forest was very scenic and in a way rejuvenated the mind and then some interior village roads before getting to another forest section which was a descent through the forest and now I had made it to Hunasanahalli and it felt like I had made short work of the distance from Jawalagiri to Hunasanahalli.

Tried to carry the momentum towards Anchetty, however, it was difficult on account of the wind and the rolling terrain. The forest was very green and although it was a pleasure to be riding through the forest tiredness was creeping into the legs and riding was becoming difficult.

It was 10:10 am when I reached Anchetty. The route from Anchetty was to get to Denkanikottai and then a loop which heads to Betta Mugilalam and Panchapalli and then back to Denkanikottai. The distance for this was about 100 kilometers of which about 30 kilometers would be climbing and about 50-60 kilometers of rolling terrain. 100 kilometers with about 1,700 meters of elevation is what lay ahead. A tough section and add the wind and rain to it to crank up the difficulty level a couple of notches.

I started off towards Denkanikottai after a water top up and a badam milk swig. The cloud cover was still there and the Sun had not made an appearance. It was a blessing that the climb could be done in relatively low temperatures. However, the climb was tougher than the earlier months as I was doing this after having ridden 475 kilometers. 

Managed to get past the climbs without taking a break as I counted down the kilometers to Denkanikottai. It took about 1 hour 20 minutes to make it to Denkanikottai and it was an odd time to reach here as it was too early for lunch and at the same time I would be in the midst of the Betta Mugilalam climb when it would be lunch time if I continued to ride. However, I decided to take a chance and started the ride towards Betta Mugilalam rather than stopping to eat.

It did not take long to realise that I would not be able to climb without eating. I came across a small village and at the sight of a hotel I stopped and had a plate of lemon rice. It was 11:50 am, a very early lunch and then started from there at 12:30 pm.

The hazy look of the hills was an indicator that it was raining on the hill. Took 15 minutes to get to the forest from where the rolling terrain/climb begins and along with it the rain was also coming down. It was a drizzle and was fortunate that it was not heavy. However, the wind was heavy. Made it past the initial rolling terrain and then began to climb slowly. Same strategy as the Anchetty climb, I counted down every kilometer and as I got closer to the top the wind speeds increased exponentially, being surrounded by bamboo tress, there was rattling noise from the bamboo tress and it did bring back memories of tress falling and right on queue there was a fallen tree (which had been cleared) which was a reminder to get past the climb as soon as possible. Managed to keep going and make it past the climb and then descended to Betta Mugilalam town.

The toughest part of the ride was coming up, the next 1-2 kilometers is a gravel road on which riding is not possible and I had to push the bike. Having opted for road cleats, I had to take off the shoes and the socks came off as well as it was raining. It was time for a barefoot walk in the rain along with having to push the cycle up a steep slope and then down an equally steep descent. Initially I thought that the barefoot walk would serve as a massage for the feet, however, it was a very painful experience and every miniscule stone that I stepped on was resulting in a groan. The rain had made the gravel slippery and it was a tough task to push the cycle. Getting it up the slope was difficult and then stopping the cycle from hurtling down the slope while I was on slippery footing was not an enjoyable experience.

It took about 30 minutes to get past the 2 kilometer stretch, however the tough part was still not done. It was time for a steep descent. The road surface was good, but in between there were huge pot holes making it a tough descent. Add the rain and the slippery surface and the difficulty level multiplied three fold. Its about a 5 kilometer descent, however, I was doing it by clinging onto the brakes all the time. Had to take 3 breaks to give the fingers a rest and finally managed to make it past the descent unscathed and the joy of having made it down made me ride a few additional kilometers before getting onto the Panchapalli road.

Getting to Panchapalli was supposed to be easy and then I would have to climb back to Denkanikottai. However, there was road work in progress with lots of deviations on gravel paths for bridge construction which was slippery on account of the rain. It was slow and painful to get to Panchapalli.

When I did get to Panchapalli it was raining and there was heavy head winds. I was crawling up the climb and was finding it difficult to motivate myself to keep going. The countdown was not working as the speed was slow and the kilometers were not coming down. The trees swaying was a picture which was very de-motivating and was sapping the energy levels very fast. The gradients were beginning to appear steeper than they were and doubts were beginning to crop up in the mind. Managed to keep riding as I knew that if I stop then it would be a long break which I could not afford as I was already behind on the time front.

The decision to keep riding paid off as I was able to get to Denkanikottai by 5:30 pm. I was exhausted by now and stopped at a bakery for Onion pakoda, Dil Pasand and filled up on water. I know that the Onion Pakoda was not the right choice, but I was not thinking as I was rather badly fatigued.

Satish came by and it was a relief to see him as he stopped at the bakery. Having ridden alone through the day and being on the edge it was good to have company. Checked on Mohan Sir for their location and I was shocked when he said that he and Santosh had quit the ride. Tried to convince them to keep riding as they had done the hard work and had two relatively easy days to look forward to, but they had switched off mentally and their ride was done and they were heading back home.

Having struggled through the day with the wind, it was now time to take advantage of it as it was a tail wind. With Satish for company, I now had someone to push me along as well. And push me along he did, he was very fast and just trying to keep him in sight brought out some additional effort which brought down the distance quickly. Satish was very fast and disappeared after a while and we regrouped at Rayakottai.

35 kilometers from here to Krishnagiri, it was 7:10 pm when we started from here and we decided to stop at Krishnagiri for dinner. The start was slow with some ascent in rolling terrain and then a sustained period of downhill riding followed. In this section there was a competition going on between the Trek Domane (Satish's cycle) and the Trek Alpha 1.5 (My cycle) as to who's drive train is more noisy. The lubrication on the chain had worne off on account of the rain and it was a noisy ride. I prefer a silent drive train and the noise was adding to the irritation which was already high on account of the fatigue.

The downhill gradient kept me going and I was able to draft with Satish and we must have done close to 30 kilometers in an hour and just as we neared Krishnagiri, I couldn't stay on Satish's wheel and slowed down. Synced up again at the highway and we decided to have dinner at Murugan Idly Hotel which was about 3-4 kilometers ahead.

It was a struggle to get to the hotel as there was a head wind and reaching the hotel was a relief. Headed in and I had 2 Masala Dosa's. The 2nd Dosa was an overkill, however, I was worried that we might not get anything at night and with the arrival time looking like it would be close to 3:00 am, I opted to fill myself up. Something which back fired after we re-started the ride.

During dinner we had a discussion about the third loop and Satish suggested that we should reverse the loop on account of two factors. One being that we would be doing the Nandi climb first so we would not risk reaching late and not being able to climb if we reached after 5:00 pm (as the timings for the hill presently is 8:00 am to 5:00 pm). Further, we would have a tail wind from Chikkaballapur to Kolar. Having fought against the wind till now and with a further fight coming up for the next 80 kilometers, it seemed like it was time to join the wind rather than trying to beat it and it was decided to reverse the third loop.

We started from the hotel around 9:30 pm. The plan was to rotate and ride towards Hosur. However, the food was an overkill and I was unable to keep up with Satish. I ended up chasing him and every time I seemed to close in on Satish's wheel he would accelerate and kept opening the gap. The chase was beginning to bear results as we reached Shoolagiri and just as Satish got onto the flyover, I was waved down by the police and after a round of questioning about us and the purpose of the ride and some lane discipline classes and safety instructions I was sent on my way.

With no wheel to follow, my pace dropped and the focus shifted to the fatigue and the wind rather than the flashing lights of the cycle ahead as had been earlier. I laboured through the kilometers with no sign of the wind letting up. As much as I wanted to keep riding, the wind was putting me off and I took a 5 minute break when I reached Hosur. Got back on the bike and in a short while I was at the Karnataka border. I was happy to have reached the border as I thought that a few stores would be open to refill on water. I had only 1 sip of water remaining and decided to hold onto it till I get to the store.

Satish was waiting at the border and the first statement he made when I reached was that not a single store was open and that he had run out of water too. At the fatigue levels the mind is clinging onto hearing some kind of positive news which would make the ride easier and when we hear something which is only going to make it even more difficult it's like landing a hard punch to an already battered person.

Distance remaning was under 30 kilometers and we had reached the border earlier than expected. We had reached by 12:45 am which meant that we could reach home by 2:15 am which would give some additional rest time. This got me going and decided to manage with the little water which was available for the remaining kilometers.

Again Satish was flying and I was happy to keep the distance coming down at a regular click. Finally I pulled up at my place at 2:15 am. I was barely able to stand when I got home and it was evident that it had been a tough day and needed the rest. However, before getting to sleep, there was the job of cleaning the bike and lubing the chain. Managed to get through this and then ate a little before getting to sleep. It was 3:00 am when I slept.

 

Third Loop:

Bengaluru - Nandi Hills - Chikkaballapur - Chintamani - Kolar - Terahalli - Markandeshwara Betta - Bengaluru

250 kilometers - 2,200 meters

Woke up at 6:00 am as the plan was to meet Satish at Nandi Upachar (about 50 kilometers from home) at 9:00 am. When I woke up I saw that Satish had messaged that the meeting time was going to be 9:30 am. As I was already up I used the time to eat fruits and salad. Having had more sleep than the previous day I was hoping that I would have recovered sufficiently to be able to ride. However, I did not want to take a chance and decided to start at 7:00 am to factor in the traffic and fatigue to be able to reach Nandi Upachar by 9:30 am.

Made a slow start from home and stopped at every red signal as it served as a break. The exit from the city was slow, getting past the Hebbal flyover got me going and the body was warmed up now. Although the pace was not high, I was making it past known markers on the road and it kept me going. Just as I got past the airport toll the wind picked up and the wind was putting me off balance and having to make corrections to stay seated. It was a mixed feeling, never a good feeling to ride in head wind, however, at the same time the thought that we would have a tail wind later in the day kept me positive. Managed to get to Nandi Upachar at 9:10 am, as Satish had not yet reached, I took the opportunity to re-lube the chain, turned out that the job I had done earlier was not sufficient and drive train was still noisy.

Satish arrived in 10 minutes and we had breakfast. I had a Masala dosa and half of a Bisi Bele Bath to keep me going till I get to the top of the Nandi climb. When we started after breakfast, we knew that the next 10 kilometers were going to be tough as we had to ride into a head wind.

Speed was not a factor and it was only about getting past 10 kilometers. Managed to do it and got to the base of the climb where we recharged the legs with a coke. It was around 10:45 am when we started the climb. It was another cloudy day and with the Sun not making an appearance it made it easy to climb. I was expecting to struggle, however, the rest had allowed me to recover and as I got up the hill the confidence levels of being able to make it to the top without stopping were increasing. Having Satish along helped as it kept me going and slowly but surely I managed to get to the top in about 40 minutes. Based on my condition at the end of the 2nd loop I was happy to have made the ascent in 40 minutes. We took our time to descend with stops for photos and we made it down by 12:00 pm. We stopped to have maggi noodles and omelette. It was an early lunch and the plan was to ride to Kolar after this.

We restarted at 12:30 pm and made it quickly to Chikkaballapur and then negotiated past a section of bad roads to get out of town and then it was time to take advantage of the tail wind. We did not ride at break neck speeds, it was a steady pace, but one which was not hurting the legs and this allowed the legs to recover. Although the Sun was out now, the advantage of the tail wind was outdoing the down side from the heat. We made steady progress and a break at Chintamani for refreshments and we were back on the road towards Kolar.

As we were nearing Kolar, our energy reserves were depleting and the last few kilometers were tough to get through. This again put some doubts in my mind as we were going to be doing the Terahalli climb shortly. When we reached Kolar, we stopped at Sai Dham hotel for a top up on the food front. It was close to 5:00 pm when we stopped and after a snack we were back on the road and made it to the base of the Terahalli climb at 5:30 pm.

Surprisingly, the climb was not difficult and it was a steady climb to the top. Took 30 minutes but was happy to have made it to the top without any difficulty. As we descended it was nightfall and as we rode towards Markandeshwara betta, I was uncomfortable with having to do the climb at night as its a deserted place and having done the climb only during the day earlier, I did not know what challenges lay ahead for a climb in the dark.

Before reaching the base, we had to negotiate some bad roads on the Kolar - Malur stretch coupled with the fact the road was rather busy and the traffic density was rather high. It was tough riding at night. From Vokkaleri towards the hill the road surface improved but traffic was minimal. In a short while we were at the base of the climb.

The Markandeshwara Betta is a 1 kilometer climb with a relatively steep gradient and the road surface being patchy. However, with the visibility being restricted to only the area where our lights were focussed, we could only see pot holes and the road seemed to be much worse than it actually was. The positive of the pitch dark was that the gradient was not visible and we made it to the top in quick time.

After a short break at Vokkaleri for savories and juice we were back on the saddle. The climbs for the day were done and now we only had to finish the day's ride. About 60 kilometers remaining. When we were back on the road towards Malur the road surface was patchy and required us to be alert not only on the road surface front but on the traffic front as well.

Harish Venkatachalam came by here and offered us further refreshements. We had decided to make it back home for dinner and anything additional was welcome to keep us going on the road. After this, Harish drove behind us and helped to keep the traffic away from us till we got back onto the highway.

We reached Malur and with Satish having completed 900 kilometers we stopped to upload the pic for the distance check. When we restarted, Satish ramped up the speed and began to charge. There was a strong cross wind, but that did not matter to him and he was riding very fast. I managed to stay with him and every surge in speed was being met with a groan, disbelief and additional effort to stay with him. I did think that he would not be able to sustain this and that the speed would drop shortly, however, with a slight decline in the gradient being available, he was making the most of it and I was left to keep turning the pedals as fast as I could to stay with him. Did not realise the 15 kilometers from Malur to Hoskote as it was done at a very fast clip and then we stopped for a break as we were back on the highway and were going to have to face a head wind here. Harish bid good bye here as we were back on the highway.

The remaining kilometers were done away with not as quickly as the Malur - Hoskote section, it was saner speeds and also with the thought changing to the next days ride as this loop was almost completed and we needed to have our legs for the next days ride.

I made it home at 11:15 pm. The quicker ride speeds was giving additional time to rest. We had decided to meet at Gorguntepalya junction the next day at 6:00 am so that we could get a good sleep in. I was in bed at 12:00 am after having dinner.

 

Fourth Loop:

Bengaluru - Tumkur - Devarayanadurga - Tumkur - Nelamangala - Solur - Nelamangala - Bengaluru

230 kilometers - 2,000 meters

Was up at 4:00 am and went about the routine of getting ready and eating before starting the ride. It was a slow start and the body took forever to get going, have to thank the bumpy road surface in the city for this. Every small incline seemed like a climb today and it was a painful experience to be on the bike. Managed to get to Gorguntepalya and while I waited for Satish saw that the 1,000 kilometer mark had been reached. I had 18 hours to complete 200 kilometers with the distance not being the concern, but meeting the elevation mark seemed to be a problem as Satish's Garmin had the elevation number at around the 8,800 mark. Although he had missed the route on Day 2 and we had slightly different routes, I was being conservative and considered only 300 meters additional for me as compared to him.

We started from Gorguntepalya at 6:30 am by which time both of us were hungry. We made it past the flyover and saw Mohan Sir waiting for us with a beaming smile. A few quick words of encouragement from him and we were on our way.

We were hungry and wanted to eat with the plan being to stop for breakfast after 10 kilometers. However, the 10 kilometers became 25 kilometers as I was unable to remember the distances to the restaurants with accuracy. It was rolling terrain and it was painful to get past these kilometers with food taking over the thought process rather than the distance. The cross head wind was not making it easy as well. We laboured our way and finally managed to spot a restaurant which was just about 5 kilometers from Dabbaspet and stopped to top up on food.

The breaks were not quick anymore, they were relaxed breaks and we did not focus on the time too much. We knew we had sufficient time, however, elevation was the only concern now. When we restarted the ride, after the initial rolling terrain to Dabbaspet, it was downhill to Tumkur and it helped on the speed front. Another break at Tumkur for coconut water at which time we decided to change the route to meet the elevation requirement. Satish checked with Chethan Ram who suggested that Satish ride to Turahalli to make up for the elevation requirement. This meant that we would have to come back to Tumkur and then ride to Solur and then back to Nelamangala and from there to Turahalli. The route was going to be on the highway mostly and food would not be a concern as there would be plenty of options as against the original route where we would have to reach specific towns to get food/refreshements. Being the last day and not wanting to push the body further we decided to change the route.

We still had to do the Devarayanadurga climb and the route from Tumkur to Devarayanadurga was beautiful. Passing through the forest with beautiful roads and almost no traffic was excellent.

It was a place where we lost sense of this being a timed ride and we were enjoying the location. We did a slow and steady climb up the Devarayanadurga hill and made it to the top without too much of an effort. This was the only climb on this ride when we had the Sun making an appearance and turning up the heat. However, the scenic pleasures of riding on this route was enough to keep us going. We took our time at the top to take pics before resuming the ride.

On the way back to Tumkur, we made a short detour to the Parvatha Anjaneya Swamy temple as we saw that it was on a hill, however, it was a very short climb and did not serve the purpose of getting us anything on the elevatin front. We made it back to Tumkur and stopped to have lunch.

After a relaxed lunch, it was time to get back on the road. With a tail wind assisting us, it was easy to make the climb from Tumkur to Dabbaspet. Then a fast rolling section from Dabbaspet to Nelamangala was negotiated. However, the ride focus was purely on the elevation and I did not like the aspect of having to worry on the elevation stats. Was constantly checking with Satish on the elevation number.

We made the turn towards Solur and had a head wind to contend with. However, it was going to be for about 20 kilometers and then we would make a u-turn and have a tail wind. The thought of having a tail wind was enough to keep me going. Satish was flying again and I did not have the legs to chase and was only able to keep him in sight. Managed to close the gap at Solur and then we started the descent from Solur towards Kunigal. I was expecting this to be about a kilometer, but Satish kept descending and taking me further away from Bangalore. We stopped at Annapurna restaurant which is 5 kilometers away from Solur. A relaxed stop during which time we were once again looking at the elevation numbers. I was at 1,150 kilometers and riding back home would be about 60 kilometers, however a deviation to Turahalli meant that I would have to ride 90 kilometers. 30 additional kilometers was playing on the mind, especially if the parameters of the ride were going to be met by riding 60 kilometers. Decided to check the elevation number at Nelamangala, if it was at 9,600 meters for Satish then I would ride back home rather than riding to Turahalli.

It was relatively quick ride back to Nelamangala with a tail wind assisting us. Had a panic moment when Satish's earphones got entangled in his rear brakes and cassette. Fortunately we spotted it and were able to stop and remove the entangled wire before resuming. When we reached Nelamangala toll, Chethan Ram and Madhu Krishna were waiting for us. It was great to see them and the refreshments they gave us helped to keep me going for the rest of the ride. The elevation stats had reached 9,600 meters for Satish, now I was confident that I would have already reached 10,000 meters and decided to ride back home rather than going to Turahalli. I bid good bye to Satish, Chethan and Madhu and started the ride towards home.

It was raining and I did not like that I would have to ride in the rain especially as I was entering the city and it would be tough to navigate through the traffic and dust and grime filled roads. Took a while but I made careful progress after entering city limits and made it back home at 7:30 pm.

 

Ride Stats:

Loop	Distance	Ride Time	Total Time	Stop Time	Time at Home (other than sleep)	Sleep Time	Food stops/ Breaks on the road	Ride Speed	Elevation Gain
1	377	16.00	19.00	3.00	-	-	3.00	23.56	3,240
2	349	18.25	25.25	7.00	2.25	1.75	3.00	19.12	3,680
3	258	13.25	21.00	7.75	2.00	2.75	3.00	19.47	2,155
4	229	10.50	20.25	9.75	1.75	4.00	4.00	21.81	1,960
	1,213	58.00	85.50	27.50	6.00	8.50	8.50	20.91	11,035

 

Summary:

Completing a ride of this distance and elevation is always satisfying. The ride being in and around Bangalore it was more like a confidence building ride and I would not look at the numbers in too much detail given that it was in familiar territory and pretty much in my comfort zone. Lot of things which were done cannot be done in an actual event, the convenience of getting home every day is definitely not a possibility and neither is there flexibility to change the route mid-ride as per our convinience. However, it gave an opportunity to experiment on a few fronts like sleep frequency, nutrition, weight carried on the cycle, etc. It's too early to conclude on any of the experiments as there were too many variables and will probably require more saddle time to conclude with certainty on the possibility of executing these in an event.

I would like to thank Bangalore Randonneurs for providing the opportunity and a platform to execute this ride. This would not have been possible without the guidance and support of Mohan Subramanyam. Would also like to thank Meera Velankar for helping with nutrition tips and post ride recovery. Thanks to Harish Venkatachalam and Chethan Ram/Madhu Iyengar for helping with refreshements along the route. Cannot express how much my fellow riders help to push us during the ride. Mohan Subramanyam, Santosh Surendra, Nitin Jagtap hard luck on the route and would have been great to see you'll finish as well. Pritish Abraham unfortunate circumstances for you to quit, however, it's been the weekend rides with you which helped to a large extent to be able to execute this ride and definitely missed your push during the ride after the first loop. Satish Addanki, it was a good learning experience to have ridden with you and congratulations to you on a very strong ride. It was inspiring to see you ride with so much ease. Congratulations to all the finishers of this ride who were on different routes, hats off to your determination and perserverance to complete the ride.