Nandi Hills - Half Everesting

Curve 40 at Nandi Hills

8 June 2023

Distance: 168 kilometers

Available time: 12 hours

Start time: 6:14 am

Finish time: 6:12 pm

Time taken: 11 hours 58 minutes

Elevation Gained: 4,647 meters

With: Pritish Abraham

The segment: Nandi Climb

Weather: 2 hours of favorable weather followed by 8 hours of searing heat with a brief respite due to a downpour at 3:30 pm, 2 hours of pleasant weather in the evening

Road surface: Good road surface with no potholes on the entire climb, a little bumpy at the bridge at the 2 kilometer mark

Half Everesting - climbing the equivalent height of half of Everest (4,424 meters) on any hill by completing repeats in a single activity.

Nandi Hills:

Its probably one of the most if not the most famous hill near Bengaluru. At just 60 kilometers from Bengaluru its easily accessible for tourists, trekkers, bikers and cyclists. The hill has its advantages, however being popular amongst different groups, this hill is extremely crowded on the weekends. Traffic jams are a regular feature on the weekends, making this a hill to ride on a week day.

Anatomy of the Hill:

Its a 7.31 kilometer climb which comprises of 40 curves. The climb can be divided into 3 parts:

• 4 kilometers - average gradient under 5% with a 200 meter steep ramp after half a kilometer, has tree cover after 2 kilometers
• 1 kilometer - has steep gradients, however, the gradient lets up as well and allows for recovery
• 3.3 kilometers - hair pin curves with steep gradient. Curve 29 to 34 being the most difficult part with the average gradient being over 8 %. 

The hill has a steep ramp at the start and also at the end. Curve 40 with a gradient of 12% for about 50-100 meters is probably the part which looks to be difficult, however, getting through curve 29 to 34 and being in a comfortable zone is what defines this climb.

Timings:

Nandi hills is open from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, giving us 12 hours to complete the activity.

Number of Repeats:

The elevation gained in one climb is 403 meters; the required elevation is 4,424 meters; the required number of repeats are 11 to complete half everesting. 

Get to the Base:

The plan was to ride from home and get to the base by 6:00 am. However, Pritish had a long day at work on Wednesday and we delayed the start by 15 minutes. It was going to be a day of climbing and it was about getting some practice with climbing and descending as well. 

The ride started at 3:45 am from home. Synced up with Pritish at Hebbal junction at 4:30 am. Over 40 kilometers from the base, it looked like the first climb would start only by 6:30 pm and we would be down 30 minutes by the time we would start. However, the weather was cool and with day light coming up at 5:00 am, we made up some time and managed to get to the base by 6:10 am. We had pushed to get to the base and had carried some tiredness from the previous day into the ride, it was going to be a tough day on the hill, however the cloud sitting on top of the hill was inviting and the allure of riding in the mist kept the spirits up and the thought about tiredness was not on the mind.

The Ride:

It was a very conservative mind set and the primary thought was to be able to get through the climbs quickly and not getting into the red. So no all out efforts and it was a conservative approach to the climbs. Although we were 14 minutes late to start and had to make up for this, we still opted for steady climbs rather than fast climbs. It was pleasant weather and as we got into the hair pin curves, there was a mist cover. It was beautiful and gave a lift to complete the climb. As we descended the sun had risen and within no time the mist had disappeared. The second climb was slower as the heat was rising and also the cloud/mist cover had disappeared. The climb time increased and although I could have put in another climb before stopping for breakfast, I opted to stop for breakfast so that I don't get into a nutrition deficit. The heat had cranked up already and it was going to take a toll for me to continue; not wanting to risk a slow climb, opted to stop early for food.

A masala dosa, coca cola and some sweets to get the sugar level up. Water refill and was back on the saddle.

An early stop in the morning meant, it was going to have to be a longer stint before lunch. Only 2 climbs were done, still 9 to go. Pritish and I started together on the third climb. We were together for 4 kilometers of the climb, Pritish slowed down after this as he was cramping. The steep gradients were slowing me down, however, I was able to get through the climb. Another climb done and as I descended the cramp began to set in. A little stretching on the bike while descending to relieve the stress a little.

Only 3 climbs done and the body showing signs of cramping. I alternated between riding on the saddle and off the saddle to avoid putting stress on any particular muscle for a prolonged time. This helped keep the cramp at bay and get through another climb. At breakfast had thought of doing 2 climbs at a time before stopping for a refill, however at the end of the 4th climb I was feeling good and pushed to get another climb in.

The heat was taking a toll; body aches were showing up, I was falling behind on the clock. I wanted to be done with 6 climbs by 11 am, however, I was only going to be at 5 climbs at 11 am. Took a quick break for refreshments after descending and was back on the saddle quickly. Climb 6 was the slowest climb that I did on the day, however, getting through it was important for me than doing it quickly. The clock had ticked past 12:00 pm, I had taken 6 hours for 6 climbs and I was now confident that I could get the remaining 5 climbs done in 6 hours. A break for potato chips and juice at the end of the 6th climb helped to recover a little. Getting the 7th climb out of the way before lunch put me at ease mentally.

Curd rice and coconut water for lunch and back on the saddle with the break being under 20 minutes. The curd rice was not a stomach filler, knew I would need to stop again after a couple of laps, however, I was eating just enough to get me through 2 climbs at a time. 

Climb 8 started at 1:30 pm, peak heat, it was time to keep the head down and keep pedalling. The break had served its purpose, enough recovery to get another steady climb done. Quick stop before starting the next climb to have a word with Pritish, he was done with 7 climbs and was having his lunch. His cramps weren't letting up and with the Sun still out for a good 4 hours, the cramps were'nt going to ease up. He was soldiering on and was running the clock very close.

Climb 9 had a little relief. A cloud cover giving a little relief, however, the dark cloud was threatening to open up, I did definitely want a shower to cool things off. Climb 9 was done and I headed down. Only 2 more climbs to go. It was 3:30 pm and I was averaging just under 1 hour for a climb and descent, which meant I had sufficient time to complete the required 2 climbs. Time to top up on some food and make it the last food stop. Home made veg pulav from Charlene was just what was needed at this time.

As I started the 10th climb, after a kilometer, it was very windy. A head wind it was and in a few meters, there were small droplets. In the next kilometer, it was a downpour. I was happy with the rain, was riding in the rain after a long time. I was happy to be riding in the rain, at the same time seeing the water flow down the hill like a river I was worried about descending on wet roads. As i got to the top of the hill the rain had slowed down to a drizzle and by the time I crested the climb, the rain had stopped. As I descended the road surface was still hot and there was steam rising from the road. A couple of kilometers further the roads were drying out very fast. As I got to the last 2 kilometers of the descent, the Sun was out in full force and the heat was back, there had been no rain at the base. I was drenched on the climb, the clothes were drying out rather quickly on the descent.

Although climb 11 took about the same time as the previous climb, I was feeling better. The rain had helped with recovery and I was able to pedal relatively easily. It was another steady climb and I reached the top just after 5 pm. I had sufficient time to get another climb done, so headed down to do another climb.

PC: Chandana Puttalingaiah

Climb 12 was a relaxed climb. A climb in which I stopped a few times to click a few picks mid climb. I was in no hurry to complete the climb, reached the top at 6:12 pm, just a couple of minutes under 12 hours.

Waited for a few minutes for Pritish to get to the top and complete his Half Everesting too. He had fought it out on a tough day for him and managed to overcome the cramps and still complete the ride. 

The Numbers:

The ride time and the rest time over the two halves of this ride were pretty much the same. The climb's were steady and consistent and there was no big variation in the the timings. 

Conclusion:

Although the climb times were slow, I was happy with the consistency and that the climbs were done at an average time between 42-45 minutes for all the climbs except the first one. Another positive was that I was able to keep the cramping at bay and did not face too many difficulties on this front. 

Would have preferred cooler weather, however, just relieved to have completed the ride on a very hot day when weather conditions were not favorable for most part of the ride. 

Gratitude:

Pritish Abraham: thank you for coming along for the ride even though you had a long day at work the day before the ride and for slogging it out on a tough day; congratulations on completing the target set for the day.

Chandana Puttalingaiah and Charlene Matthias: thank you for supporting us on the ride; thank you for sticking around on a hot day and helping out with the food and refreshments.