I originally did not intend to do the Monsoon Brevet – 200 Km Heaven & Hell route scheduled for Jul 11th. A couple of reasons – I thought I will not enjoy riding in the rain and I wanted to focus on training for my first full marathon on August 30th. After getting drenched in rain during my Naraspur ride, I realized that riding in rain is fun after all and may actually help cool the body during long rides. Second, with my strained right leg after interval training, I thought I will be better off giving my running a bit of break for a couple of weeks. So, I registered for the brevet and wanted to complete it in less than 12 hours.

A couple of 100 Km rides are recommended during the weeks before a brevet. I had done 117 Km during the Naraspur ride but that one was with a lot of breaks. So, I decided to go on the 100 Km Brevet practice ride with TBA on Jul 4th. My colleague and friend from the US also joined me during the ride. I was the slowest during the ride but managed to complete 100 Km in about 6 hours. It was a hot day and I hoped the brevet day would be more pleasant.

I usually keep the week before brevet light and relaxed but could not manage it this time with a lot happening at work. I don’t think I added enough protein in my diet during this time as well. But I managed to get some good sleep before the brevet and woke up around 3AM with the feeling that I was all set! I arrived at HBC by 4:30AM and after a quick bike check, I went through some stretching exercises. I had my partner Mani riding with me. We planned to ride together again! He is a source of strength for me and the reason behind my finishing on time in Nov despite being injured.

The ride was flagged off at 5:30AM and I started steady. While I was able to cover the first 65 Km in less than 3 hours during the last brevet, I was never able to hit an average of 20 Km this time before the first checkpoint. Blame it on head winds and the massive elevation after Shankarpally, we managed to get to the first checkpoint that marked 66.8 Km only at 9:12 AM. The average during this distance was only 18 Km/hr but I did not doubt my ability to complete the brevet on time at that point of time.

The route immediately after the checkpoint was downhill with some aiding wind and continued that way for a while. It made be feel good and confident. But this lasted for just about 10 Km as we started facing more uphill again. I reached the next checkpoint that marked 108.6 Km at 12 PM. That was 30 minutes later than last time. I felt time concern for the first time when one of the volunteers pointed out that we are cutting close as the checkpoint was supposed to close in 45 minutes. The next checkpoint closes at 2 PM giving about 2 hours to complete the daunting Anantagiri hills. After a break for 20 minutes, started pedaling again.

We made steady progress towards Anantagiri Hills. I felt we were doing better than last time but statistics later would show that it was only marginally better. I had targeted to ride up the entire Anantagiri climb but had to give up soon after the first few hundred metres. I did not even attempt to ride after that till I reached the peak. As I started to walk my cycle up, I noticed that the time was 1:31 PM. I should be able to make it on time for the checkpoint at Harita that included lunch but the buffer time had already gone down significantly. I reached Harita at 1:44 PM with just 12 mins left for closure. That would be the last long break as I had some curd rice and refilled water. I started riding again around 2:15 PM with strong feelings of time pressure.

With some tailwind and downhill, I increased the pace and averaged about 20 Km/hr for the first time since morning. But after about 12 Km at 140 Km mark, I felt tired and slowed down. Mani checked if I wanted a break and I gladly accepted it! I lied down on a stone giving support to my back for the first time since morning and it felt great. We took a break for about 15 minutes but it was a revitalizing one. We now had less than 4 hours for the remaining 65 Km.

We decided that the next break would be at Chevella, at the same bakery that we stopped last time. This stretch of about 22 Km was the best since morning with an average speed of 21 Km/hr. At Chevella, we had some hot tea and cold sprite as I gave some support to my back again. It was a 15 minute break and the last one before the next checkpoint at movie towers that was about 32 Km away. We started riding again around 4:25 PM and clearly on time pressure now. Movie Towers checkpoint closes at 6:11 PM and I had about 1 hr 45 mins to cover 32 Km. The average now had to be more than 18 Km/hr with tiring legs. Is it possible?

As I crossed Chevella town, a couple of cyclists crossed me checking if I was still targeting to finish. They then added that they did not finish the last checkpoint on time and are anyways riding back to finish though they are out of the brevet now. Folks who dropped out of the brevet just crossed me and I still hope to finish! That was scary! A short while later, another rider crossed me checking if I am still in. That is when Mani had a master stroke. He said that I was pedalling strong but not moving fast enough. That could be due to lower gears and he suggested that I move up my front gear. When I started riding geared bikes, I usually tend to be on higher gears straining myself and getting exhausted. So, I consciously started riding on lower gears giving relief to my legs but I was compromising on speed with that. It was now or never situation and I decided to go back to my original higher gear strategy. It seemed to work as I managed to maintain good pace and I reached the foothill of Movie Towers by around 5:55 PM. As I started pedalling uphill, I felt exhaustion hitting me and remembered that I did not eat anything solid for the last couple of hours. I had a couple of energy bars and should have eaten it. A bad mistake but never mind as I had time to walk up the hill. I reached the checkpoint at 6:01 PM with 10 minutes left. I was the last one to reach the checkpoint and was told that about 40 out of 104 riders were out so far due to tough conditions. I had a banana and some water and lied down on the road to give some rest to my back. One of the volunteers said it will take 35 minutes from there to the checkpoint with the tough Microsoft Hill being the only remaining challenge. So, the break lasted about 15 mins and was quite refreshing. I now had less than 45 minutes to cover the last 11 Km.

As we started riding up the first hill leading to Microsoft, Mani pulled off ahead and I was not sure if I will be able to continue riding. I knew that walking would cut it too close and risk missing the target by a few mins. That would be disastrous after all the effort. By that time by mobile phone had died along with Strava and I did not even know how much time was left. I started feeling cramps on my left left but told myself that I am going to pedal hard. Fortunately, the banana I had at Movie Towers started kicking in and I managed to pedal hard and reach Mani who was anxiously waiting at the peak. He said it was only 6:40 PM and I relaxed! It was a home run after that and I reached the finish point at 6:47 PM with 13 minutes left! And that was 1 minute later than last time. Never mind as I was more than 30 minutes behind midway.

I had my family waiting for me at the finish. I was great to see them and need to thank them, particularly my wife for helping me prepare for all these events! Will I do this again and go through the pain again? I think so!!!

The Bike Affair’s Saturday Leisure Rides have always impressed me. It gives an opportunity to explore beautiful parts of Hyderabad right in the middle of the city but hidden from the naked eye! When a colleague and friend of mine from the US wanted to do some biking when he was in India, I picked this one. A few of my team mates also joined.

We were supposed to go through a secret trail through Golconda. What we experienced beat any expectations I had! We had to walk and sometimes lift our cycles to reach an elevated rampart within the fort premises and the view from there was amazing! We spent more than 30 mins relaxing there, enjoying the monsoon morning breeze, clicking pictures and sipping hot irani chai. We rode back well after morning traffic picked up, which scared my friend from the US. But he enjoyed the experience that he wanted to do the Sunday long ride the next day!

With my travel schedule and summer heat, I had not done a 100 Km ride for 5 months after the Republic Ride. I was looking for a good one when I saw the planned ride to a Solar Power Plant just beyond the Narsapur forest. I had heard about the forest and the scenic ride though it. So, a brand new route through a forest, visiting a power plant and a 100 Km ride. Too good to miss.

I started riding from my home at 4:30 AM and reached back home at 1 PM covering 117 Km. A long break for breakfast followed by an even longer break at the solar plant made it a leisure ride. But this was compensated by meeting new Hyderabad riders! The cycling culture is certainly catching up. And a good way to start the biking season in my city this year!

After 3 successive weekends in May covering 3 different lakes at Hyderabad, we were looking for a new place to explore. That is when I noticed the Mango Ride scheduled by The Bike Affair for 23rd May. It turned out to be one of my best rides, with the visit to organic mango farm being the highlight. Freshly plucked mangoes made up for breakfast for most people.

I was not aware of the numerous mango orchards at the outskirts of Hyderabad. Another memorable ride to cherish.

Ameenpur Lake was on my list of places to ride for a long time and the opportunity finally came during the first weekend of May, 2015. I had promised my wife that I will take her for long rides during summer and was excited to see The Bike Affair post Ameenpur Lake as part of their Saturday Leisure ride on May 2nd.
The ride was about 35 Km in total including some off-road at the lake. The breakfast en-route at BHEL was pretty good. A memorable experience overall!

I visited Bangalore on work for 3 days during mid May. After a long day that started with an early morning flight from Hyderabad to Bangalore and a tedious journey from Bangalore airport to office followed by several meetings, my colleague and I reached Lemon Tree Hotel at Whitefield to check in. At the hotel entrance, the sight of 2 new bi-cycles caught our attention. I asked the receptionist who those cycles are meant for and I was delighted with his answer that it was for us! We were not going to miss the opportunity.

We decided to wake up early and explore some nearby areas. I started the next 2 days with biking at 6AM. Coincidentally, we spent exactly 1 hour 10 minutes biking both the days. On day one, we covered 17.6 Km biking up to Varthur lake – it should have once been a beautiful lake but now one of the most polluted ones I have seen! On day two, we covered 15.8 Km riding through some scenic fields near Kodigehalli including some off road.

I plan to explore more of Bangalore during my future visits! Look forward to it!

Over a Friday lunch at work with my team-mates, we started discussing on the best way for the team to spend some time that Saturday with one of our colleagues from Bangalore. I suggested going for an early morning ride to Gandipet and was surprised at the enthusiasm shown by most of the team members. 9 people said yes and all of them turned up! They rented cycles from HBC and were all set by 5:45AM. I drove my car to HBC along with my wife and both our cycles. We all started riding from HBC around 5:50 and arrived at Gandipet around 7AM. After spending some time at Gandipet and clicking some pictures, we took a different route on return that included some off-road riding as well. We completed the ride around 9AM covering about 30 Km and wrapped up after a good breakfast.

Having covered Gandipet, we wanted to cover the next nearby lake the next weekend. This time 6 people turned up including a couple of new ones. We started a bit later in the morning but luckily we had pleasant weather. We covered Qutb Shahi Tombs and Golconda Fort on the way to Himayat Sagar. We ended the ride only by 10:30AM  covering 45 Km but the beautiful weather made it possible.

Across the 2 rides, we had 2 flats and a broken chain. Though everyone seemed to have enjoyed the rides, better cycles would have made it easier and more enjoyable. I hope the enthusiasm continues and we continue to ride as a team!

I came to know of the annual Club Run conducted by Hyderabad Runners Club towards end of January. I was not sure if I wanted to participate. But once I realized that they also had a 3K run for kids, I decided to participate along with my wife and kids. The only decision I had to make was around the choice between 10K or half marathon (21.1K) for me. I had done about five 10Ks so far, but never did a half marathon. We always have a first time and decided to make this one for me!!! And my target was to finish under 2:30.

I registered online about 5 days before the event and was a bit annoyed as the google docs page did not send me a confirmation with my details. I emailed the organizers and got a positive response from them in a couple of days asking me to collect the bib the day before the event. I went to the venue to collect the bib and the arrangements were excellent. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. The event day arrangements were also excellent – great job Hyderabad Runners Club!!!

The flag off for half marathon was scheduled for 6AM but was delayed by about 15 minutes because of bad light, which was understandable. I felt I started a bit slower than usual but picked up pace after the first 10 minutes. The terrain was largely flat, which is rare in Hyderabad. That helped me to maintain good pace.

I forgot to carry my arm band and had to carry my mobile in my palm. I felt it would be a pain but it gave me the opportunity to check my speed frequently. I completed the first 5K in 27:37, which is my personal best. After 5K, I started to struggle and after 6K, I started to walk. One of my friends who was behind me till then passed by urging me to maintain pace. I tried to keep up with him that helped me cover a Km in good pace. But I eventually asked him to carry on and alternated between walking and running. When I reached 8K mark, I had taken just over 46 mins and I told myself this is my best chance to conquer 10K in under 1 hr if I can run the next 2 Km at 6.5 Km/min. That motivated me and I completed the first 10K in 58:26. I was very happy and decided to relax a bit for the next few mins. I covered the next 3 Kms in more than 22 mins. I tried to increase my pace and managed to cover the next 2 Km in less than 14 mins but my will power was starting to fade away.

After 15K, the sun was also out and I started tiring. I drank gatorade and ate some bananas every couple of Kms but I was slowing down progressively. I could never manage a full Km under 7 mins after that. As I crossed the 18K mark, it was just over 2 hrs since I started. I had 3.1K left and I told myself that I should do a really bad job from then on to miss my target of finishing under 2:30. So, I did not stretch myself and was just monitoring the time. As I was about 400m from the finish line, a couple of my friends came from the opposite direction and started pushing me to finish strong. One of my friends even started running along with me and he later sent me a picture he took of me as I approached the finish line. It was a great gesture. I was glad that I had energy left to give it a last push and collect my medal. The clock showed 2:26 and Strava showed 2:25. I would take either as I finished under 2:30!

My family was waiting for me at the finish line. My wife and kids had already collected their medals and it was picture time. After a generous dosage of pictures, I picked up my food packet but was not in a mood to eat anything. It was a great feeling to finish in good time!!! Look forward to more in future!!!

Runners and Riders Club at my organization regularly participates in and conducts events that promote health of its team members. The annual 10K Walk / Run / Ride for 2015 was scheduled on Saturday, Feb 7th. I registered for 10K Run.

I had previously completed four 10K runs with my personal best being 1:01:19. My target was to complete 10K in under 1 hour. I was confident given my regular runs of about 4K and my fitness level. However, my last 10K run was more than 3 months back and I had only one 5K run in almost 2 months.

I had reached the venue by 5:30AM and the organizers had done a great job in getting everything together for more than 200 runners and 200 riders. The run was flagged off perfectly on time at 6:30AM.

I started very well and for a brief moment, I was the lead runner! After 2 Kms, we hit a steep climb and I slowed down. I continued to progress as best as I could but noticed at least half a dozen runners overtake me as I settled into my regular pace of about 5:40 minutes per km. I reached 6K point in about 35 mins and tried to push myself to complete the remaining 4K in less than 25 mins. With the last 2K remaining, I realized it will be a touch and go.

I eventually completed the 10K in 1:01:09, which is 10 seconds faster than my previous best but not good enough to be under an hour. I realized that daily 4K runs at an average pace between 5:40 mins/km and 6:30 mins/km was not going to get me to 10K under an hour. I need to figure out a new strategy.

I got some refreshments and waited for my team-mates. They started finishing one by one and it was a proud moment when the entire team finished successfully!!! The medal and t-shirt were a bonus. A great event overall. I will return in 2016 with a better plan to finish under and hour.