Chitradurga 600 BRM

Chitradurga 600 BRM


                                        

*The ride started at 04:00 PM on Friday, 13-DEC-2019. 600 Km Brevet needs to be completed in 40 Hours.

*This time, the route was different than the earlier standard Bangalore Randonneurs for 600 which is usually Ranibennur or Gooty. Ranibennur route has road construction beyond Chitradurga and Gooty route saw lot of flat tyres due to dried thorns and stray nails. The final route was to ride till Chitradurga and then return back till Nelamangala that would be 400 and then go towards Hassan and come back for another 200 which would sum up to 600

*These 600 rides are planned to have two nights on the ride unlike earlier. There are a couple of reasons for this, the main one being to avoid heat and a secondary one being that it gives a feel of sleep deprivation for riders to prepare for the 1000 km ride; 1000 km rides willbe 3 nights and riding a 600 with just one night ride experience will not be ideal preparation.

*Although I had a trip to Vietnam which had late night and difficult connections I managed to get two nights of solid sleep prior to the ride. I had decided to take power naps as and when required on the ride

*In total, there were 6 control points
1. Konark, Kanteerava Stadium start by 16:00 hrs at 0 km - Manned CP
2. VRL Checkpoint by 21:47 hrs at 86.80 km - Unmanned Selfie CP
3. Hotel Naveen Regency by 05:24 hrs at 200.90 km - Manned CP
4. Kamat Upchar Sira by 11:08 hrs at 287 Km - Unmaned Selfie CP
5. BP Indian High School by 17:00 hrs at 376.40 km - Unmanned Selfie CP
6. Sai Baba Mandir by 23:26 hrs at 474 km - Manned CP
7. Konark, Kanteerava Stadium 08:00 hrs at 605.30 - Manned CP

*Had decided to break down this whole ride into 3 segments of 200 Km each. I was thinking of finishing the first 200 in 10 hours and the subsequent 200 km segments in 13 hours each. That would give me enough buffer and pace the ride well.

*Initially we struggled through pathetic Bangalore traffic till we reached Peenya and moderate traffic from there onto Tumkur. We stopped for dinner at Kamat Upchar @115km point. There were strong cross winds. A beautiful full moon night, zero cloud cover and butter smooth national highway. Lots and lots of downhill and rolling terrain. Knew very well that getting back to Bangalore would be a uphill task "literally" however reaching Chitradurga was a breeze.

*At the durga manned control point, got my Brevet cards stamped and had chow chow bath (Khara bath + Kesari bath combo). Stretched for a bit and then started back towards Nelamangala in about 30 minutes.

*The early morning sunrise scenes were beautiful. It was sunny during the day and moderately hot. I was thanking god that its not summer. Realized that I did not need any power naps. Just some rest while we stopped for food or water was good enough to keep me going. The climbs were steep. The energy levels were low by afternoon. It was getting difficult to maintain momentum. By now we had reached Nelamangala @375 km the point we need to take the Hassan road. We stopped for food although we were a kilometer from our next unmanned control point.

*Apart from the road being good there was nothing much to appreciate on the Chitradurga highway. The second set of 200 km took around 13 hours. This was expected as it was an uphill gradient almost all the way.

*The Hassan highway is very scenic. Its a rolling terrain all the way. The group that I was riding with took many breaks as the energy levels were down. I was all right but decided to stick with the group. Took a 20 minute power nap on a chair before sunset at a place we stopped to have juice. As we approached evening it got dark and cloudy. I was hoping that it would not rain but was unlucky. It rained heavily after Kunigal at a point where I had no place to hide from it. Within minutes I was fully drenched. The intensity of rain reduced but there was a slight drizzle for the whole way till manned control point Sai Mandir. We had BisebeLe bath, bananas, chikki etc whole heartedly.

*With 125 kms more to go, decided to keep the momentum while riding back. There was no scope to take breaks as if you take a break then the body will cool down. I was in a group so was pacing accordingly. Some of the fellow riders are so inspiring. They have achieved so much and yet they are so humble. A truly learning experience. The rolling terrain presented some really steep uphills. Very challenging to do that elevation gain especially on the last stretch of the ride. Continuous riding, few short breaks for coffee and took me to Nelamangala.

*The last 25 is in the city. Welcome to Bangalore. Bad roads, dust, garbage, early morning truck traffic, BMTC buses etc. No respite from uphill till Windsor Manor bridge. I was slow, but steady. Finally closed the ride by 6 AM with two hours to spare.

*Apart from a 20 minute power nap I have not slept on the trip. I was drowsy towards the end but was in full control. Brevets are not regular endurance rides. These test your will power, patience and practice. If it was easy, everybody would do it. Its not impossible since many people finish these long distance events easily. I will just say that these are difficult rides. On this ride, we had 50 participants. Made many new friends.

*I had bought a new cycle odometer from Decathlon which is wireless and works on gyrosensor. However, due to three issues went back and returned the same. Device mounting not stable as it does not lock properly, very poor backlight and inaccurate kilometer calculation even after correct tire size setting.

*This would not be possible without the support from my family. Pappa, Amma, Shalu and Adu. I really mean it.

*Would like to thank my Cycling friends who were there for me one way or the other. The list of things they have done or the way they have inspired me is endless. In no particular order Swamy, Ashish, Pradeep, Raj, Ramu, Prasad. Lucky to meet such people in life.

*Finally, with this ride I have completed 200 BRM, 300 BRM, 400 BRM and 600 BRM which makes me a Super Randonneur (SR). :)