March 6th, 2008
When I heard of the 100 Kilometers ride that a few Bike-Hashers were doing, I enthusiastically signed up. It was also a ride I was looking forward in trepidation. The last time I did the Chennai-Pondicherry ride, it was a day of excruciating pain (predominantly in the area where the sun doesn’t shine! 
.
I have an old BSA road bike. No gears. No gel seats. No cushioned bike shorts. Result: A very sore and very painful arse.
Would I want to go through the agony again? The spirit of riding over-ruled the fear of pain. What follows is a quick short account of the ride this morning.
I woke up at 3:30 AM, packed my bag with Snickers bars, bananas and a water bottle. My Dad helped transport me and the bike to Srinath Rajam’s home at Boat Club area. Srinath is the MD and CEO of TVS’ Automotive group.
On the way, we saw something terrible. Two men lying dead in the middle of the road near Kodambakkam. The accident must have happened just a few minutes before we were there. One of them was a motor-cyclist who must’ve crashed into the cyclist. With no traffic in early mornings, people generally over speed. A crowd had already gathered and calls were made to the police and the ambulance.
My Dad kept his feelings to himself. A cyclist lays dead on the road and he is on his way to drop his son for a cycling trip!
With nothing much to help excepting to add to the growing crowd, we moved on.
I had a lump in my throat. For me, it was a rude reminder of how dangerous cycling can be. The only thing that made me carry on with the trip was that a vehicle had been arranged to follow us to offer protection.
At 4:20 am, we reached Srinath’s home where we piled up our cycles onto a special holder at the back of his SUV. Being at the Boat Club area reminded me of the many years of training at the Madras Boat Club. Those fond memories over-rode the ghastly incident of the morning.
We prefer to start the ride from outside the city to avoid traffic. So, the idea is to drive the city section and start off from the ‘Dollar Store’ in the outskirts.
On the way, we picked up Ian May, an expat and an absolute power horse of a rider. He’ll kick the arse of kids half his age.
At exactly 5:00 AM, we started our trip. It was then that I realized that I hadn’t done my bit of warm up and stretches. Managed a minute’s stretch but clearly not enough.
The idea was to ride till Mahabalipuram (around 40 kms), then proceed beyond Kalpakkam (30 kms) and ride back to Ideal Beach Resort (30 kms). So, overall, the target was to finish 100 kms. We had fixed the speed at 25 KM per hour. Cycling at that speed for long distance can be quite an effort, especially if one isn’t used to it. I was able to keep up with the gang for the first 26 kms before the pain on my arse started to slow me down.
The other two took off while I laboured for another 20 kms. Both Ian and Srinath went by the usual plan and I joined them up on their return loop. Srinath wanted to complete the full 100 but both of us had meetings and we had to be back in the city before 10 AM. So, he cut short his trip at the 85th km. He has broken his previous record of 80kms and wants to finish the full 100 during the next few rides. Have to admire his persistence and endurance.
We then piled up our cycles on the back of his SUV and before starting our journey back, took a snap together for memory’s sake.
Personally for me, its been a disappointment having only completed 46 kms. While part of the blame would be on my non-geared cycle, the real reason would be my fitness. I’m getting back to the grind after a lengthy period of dormancy and clearly got quite a bit of catching up to do.
Both Srinath and Ian didn’t mince words asking me to dump my cycle and get a good bike. That’s on my next ‘must-buy’ list. So are the bike shorts with cushion and a good gel seat. I’m on a clear mission to save my arse.
19 Responses to “The Friday ECR Cycling Experience”
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46 Kms is still pretty good, with a good bike and proper gear you must’ve managed a 20 more maybe.
So, someone who is fit enough to bike 66 Kms in a day, (with no regular cycling schedule) should be really proud of it. I’m sure under similar circumstances, the tone of my post would have been very different.
You should really invest in a good bike, check out a few firefox models ( i’ve always wanted one
, but 15k for a cycle is beyond my budget) ..
Cheers
but u didnt mention what you did with those dead people lying on the middle of the road?? Don’t tell me u left them there!??@??
Maybe i should start cycling along with you!! Do let me know the next time such a cyclathon happens!
Kiruba,
Am sure u’d have fun. I once rented a cycle here at New york and did a little over 12 miles in a day.
I completely understand how much smoke one lets out from ‘you-know-where’ after a day’s ride like that without practice. Still the ‘Fun and satisfaction’ would beckon to do it again.
Hi Guru, thanks for writing in. You are right… I could’ve gone longer had I had a better bike. More than the gears, it was the seat that mattered most. My legs were still fresh when I stopped.. it was my arse that couldn’t take it anymore.
Hey Shravan, you are in luck. There is a ride happening this Sunday. Let me know if you are interested and I’ll hook you with the team.
Hey Arun, good to know you are into cycling as well. Where in NYC do you live? Do you cycle within the city or did you venture out?
I used to live in Queens(Now I hv moved to Phili). And I used to bike along the Hudson river from Manhattan up until Bronx. I hv been renting all along and am plannin to get one this summer. Just waiting for the winter to pack its bags!
@Arun, wow, I thought India was the only place where cycles were rented. (and its fast dying too)
Good idea on buying your own cycle. I ‘m going to use my old cycle as an interior decor and buy another one for actual riding. Are you getting an MTB or a road bike?
aww.. did u mean this sunday?? that’s today mahn.. ??
(hey also needed a help, how do i get linked by other people as in to increase my google page rank)
Can u just mail me your reply?
nice car anna, i wonder why u dont just drive it and really dump your cycle
Yaa, the “hire cycle”(or pronounced hour cycle) in India used to be ubiquitous those days. But now as u said, it is dying.
And am planning to go for a Road bike – being light, this is more comfy for long rides, hi-speed ones – but gotta have suitable seats and shorts though. Just for info sake, how much does a good bike cost in India?
@Shravan, no sweat. The cycle ride happens every Sunday. I’m on for the ride. Join up.
Leave at 5 AM and be back home before 11AM. Typical distance : 35km.
@Arun,
A good bike comes a little above Rs.12,000. (FireFox, Trek etc)
Hercules is coming up with a high end one as well but it is an MTB version.
Indian road bikes aren’t up to the mark yet.
@Auror,
That isn’t my car. Wish it was. It’s Srinath’s (CEO of TVS Auto group)
More than the bikes, the road conditions are what I’d say need to be refined in India. Here in NY there are lots of tracks dedicated for cyclists. I know I cant compare that to Chennai, but then considering the number of bike enthusiasts and sale of decent bikes in chennai, I think its time something is done. Riding in ECR too, how safe do we think it is..
hey shravan, wanna link exchange with me? i have a few pr3 blogs
Hey Kribs!
Let me know of any good bicycle (mechanic / shop) where you are planning to do a piecemeal revamp on your bike or likely eyeing for a new one.
I may have to do a bit of revamp on my Mach too!!!
Will probably start bicycle in Chennai again… soon…
anna, that fat bully on the last pic is the ceo u r talking about?
and miles to go before I sleep !!