Friday, December 28, 2012

The Tour of Nilgiris 2012


What our rider Mitul Shelat has written:

 TFN  2012: BREATHE. SWEAT. CHERISH: Juice Pivanu- Cycle Chalavani- Majani Life


I think it was somewhere in the end of June or beginning of July, those who were interested in participating in the Tour of Niligiris but were not selected in the first list were asked to be at Gymkhana. I was to attend a party at Gymkhana and joined the meeting, more out of curiosity then a desire to participate. Somewhere at the end of the first 10 minutes, Gauravbhai in his expected clarity asked me “ Tare javu che, atyare nakki kar”. Can I do it? I asked him with equal seriousness. You have enough time to train is all he said. I confirmed my participation. In the coming weeks, I received a mail from Harshbhai setting out the training schedule. For my 36 inch waste, and for the days that were to come, I wished I had followed it to the core. As happens with me, I let the weeks go by convincing myself that there was time and then there were three months till the D date. I gradually shifted from the lower gears into the higher gears and commenced the training schedule trying to follow the cycling part and not much of the cross training (bad idea). Cycling is as much about the arms, the neck, the back and the abs as it is about the legs. When I was cribbing about my sore hands, elbows, neck and shoulder, Bjorn the lead cyclist of the event would say” engage your core muscles”- I understood that part but core lavu kyathi. If width added to speed there were not many to match my class. As the months past into weeks and the weeks into days, my anxiety increased. I had committed myself way beyond my abilities, I thought. In between the diwali break (read vacation, heavy food, no cycling etc) and a continuous bout with cough and cold left be a little diffident. But ek bar commit kar diya to hum apne apki bhi nahi sunte.

I think, I had committed myself more to the acquisition of the cycling accessories then to the cycling part. Jerseys, shorts, gloves, break pads, extra tyres, extra tubes, brakes, lube, you name it and it was there. I think between the 8 of us we had a fully operational cycle shop with spares to last but only three good mechanics (Gauravbhai, Vivek and Shravan).  It was the 13th when we met at Restore Clinic to pack our cycles in the cycle boxes. Then came the packing bit. I had two bags. The biggest size and the smallest size. When we reached the first destination- Mysore, one could make out the regulars from the first timers just from looking at the baggage. Fortunately we did not have to carry them till the last day.

We reached Bangalore airport and with clock like precision loaded our bags and cycles on the trolleys and marched out of the airport in a single file following our group leader. As we were strolling out we received a call. We had taken someone else’s bag. All eyes looked at Nishithkaka expecting that it had to be him but God has his mischievous ways. It was our beloved Colonel Gauravbhai who had picked up a deceptively similar bag. There were a lot of grins and a few jeers. The exchange of bags happened fast and we were off. Having reached Bangalore we spend almost 5 hours in the cars shuffling between the airport, our 7 Star accommodations and the TFN meeting point. Paragbhai, Guaravbhais brother and Sujatabhabi were our local guardians. I use the words “ local Guardians” with a purpose. They spoilt us as children. If I would do the tour again, I would do it as much for enjoying the hospitality of Paragbhai  and  Sujatabhabhi as for the ride of the mountains. We were licking our fingers as small children, as we devoured course after course, which was served with affection and warmth. Jabardast! Excellent as Nishithkaka would say. Well good times end soon and the day turned into the night. As 16th December dawned on us, we geared up in our cycling outfit’s one after the other. After being fed bananas and milk, we were escorted (literally) by Paragbhai and Sujatabhabhi to the starting point; we were pedaling between their two cars.  We were amongst the first to reach the point and in pitch darkness, we unloaded our bags and loaded them into the trucks, soon to realize that nishithkaka and kumarilbhai were not there, apparently they had taken a wrong turn. They found their way back and in fact were already in the ground as we were getting worried about there whereabouts. Well then we regrouped and waited and waited and waited and waited for the ride to commence.  After a grueling 2 hours, a few rounds of coffees, hot idlis, formal speeches, we were off. The tour was on. Pedaling through the roads of Bangalore we reached the express way, yes the express way. Somewhere in between we turned into the state highway and lo behold, the straight roads had ended. I was distraught the next 140 k.m was a continuous rolling terrain.  . It was a sea gull trying to fly like an eagle. I was in a wrong terrain. I started feeling the challenge. For all those who have done the thol route the stretch in between where we go downhill and then uphill well that is what it was all the way to mysore. It was too coincidental that the first destination was MY-SORE. As I crossed support station after support station and finally cycled into the city and passed by the Mysore palace and into the hotel, it struck me. I had completed my longest ride till date- 167 k.m of rolling terrain. I longed for the shower, the bed and yes the painkiller.

Day 1 was a curtain riser. Day 2 was ideally called the First Blood. As we embarked for the 122 k.m ride to Coorg ( Madikeri) we encountered the rolling terrain and the up hills. Each rider found his-her pace, which means the gang of 4 Gauravbhai, Kaushalbhai, Vivek and Shravan were ahead followed by Kumarilbhai, myself and Nishithkaka and Renuji. The set up of the tour was commendable. We had support stations at equal intervals. We were provided water, cold drinks, cheeki, dried bananas, peanuts, peanut butter, biscuits to eat and we also had physiotherapist to relieve us of any over stretched muscles. All in all we were sufficiently supported. The climb to Coorg was a step up from the day before. My cycle too started feeling the pinch. All the upper gears were resting and the lower ones were upto the job. The lovely coffee gardens and the pepper plantations were a treat to the eyes. The last 3 k.m to the hotel were killing. There were no roads, the MTBs were laughing as we roadies were banging our cycles and bodies against the unruly tarmacs. I cursed the guys who had identified the hotel right upto the hotel gate. But once I entered the end point, the pain vanished (temporarily) and I was in a high. There has to be a science behind this, but I will leave that for others to discover. Well once the ride is over us (ABC’ians) had a fixed eating routine. Sandwiches, Juice, French Fries, Juice. As we ate our way through it felt just out of the munnabhai movie, khavanu, juice pivanu, cycle chalavani, Majjani Duniya.

Day 3 was a teaser. It was named Paris-Roubaix- for the bad, rock-laden roads. It was announced in the morning that the roads for about 30 odd kilometers from Madikeri were badly damaged and we would be taken by bus till the 1st support station. The likes of me were relieved; the likes of Gauravbhai were annoyed. As we sat in the bus and watched the landscape go by, there were moments, brief moments, when I felt the desire to get off the bus and cycle. It was an enchanting ride as the road crawled like a serpent through the coffee gardens and the bubbling village markets.  Off the bus and on the road, the meet with the mountains began. Fortunately the ride had its ups and downs. We passed through the amazing forest       sanctuary and had our bit of the famous Unniapams and black tea at stall in the centre of the reserve. En-route, unfortunately I had a puncture; learn to do a puncture or ride with people who know. I was riding with three guys of the Bangalore cycling club and they helped me change the tube. I promised to buy them beer- a promise I could not keep. There was no beer at the hotel. Sultan Bathery ( Wayanad region) is in kerala. The last 30 k.m was where the daggers were drawn. As the ride is nearing the end, the mind starts wandering from the roads to the hotel room. And this ride just never ended. It went up, and up and up. As I pedaled right upto the top, at the last support station the volunteer waived at me keep pedaling just 10 k.m left. I was about to faint did she say 10 k.m –JUST 10 k.m. I had clocked the ride and to me about 4 k.m were left; I had prepared myself for 4 but 6 more I was not sure. As I reached the city, I had completed 3 k.m on the garmin. It was getting dark and wearing light enhancing glasses did not help in the fight against the beaming headlights. After 1 k.m, I stood on the road. I was tired and the traffic was enormous, should I just wait for the support vehicle, take a rickshaw, like devils the different ideas started wolfing down on me. I gave the devils a push and decided to start pedaling and lo behold within a few pedals I saw the turning for the hotel. I had mixed feelings joy of completing and the anger of being misled. The joy engulfed the anger. After the routine shower, change of clothes, sandwiches, French fries, Juice, I had a task to complete; my front tyre needed a change. Shravan must have cursed most of us. Being the youngest of the lot, it was always Shravan who was on everyones wish list. Shravan ek kup extra coffee lai avne, Shravan Pani lavne it was never ending. He managed most of the tasks with a smiling face. He must have been christened with this Tour in mind.

  
With him and Vivek and of course Gauravbhai, my tyre was changed. My cycle had new legs; I wish I had spare legs. The next day was the day we had been told of when we joined the Tour. The OOTY climb.

Day 4 and we were off to OOTY. Cycling up OOTY is not something which happens everyday. The terrain is ABU just a higher gradient and thrice the distance. The climb had a competitive section, where the cyclist would be timed for their ride. We had amongst us professional cyclist, passionate cyclist, disciplined cyclist and adventurous cyclist. The climb uphill was fun. Probably the back to back centuries with substantial climbs kind of prepared me for the ride. In between the competitive section, my chain jammed and I spent around 20 minutes getting it fixed. Baki koi apdi agar jay e possible natu. Jokes apart the professional cyclist zipped past the mountains, virtually ridiculing the terrain maintaining speeds in dual digits. It seemed that they had a trick up their sleeve. Binging on beer. But their feat was commendable and inspiring. Which one? I will leave the guess to you. As I completed the competition section, I went into relax mode. Stretching on the mat, having a coke, and hopping across to the eating joint and devouring the sambar rice. Kumarilbhai had a fall, a few stitches, many would have quit, but this iron man patel wished to ride. It soon struck me that the ride was not complete. There were 32 km to go. And these 32 k.m.  my friends were daunting. There were a few down slopes but the rest was all up hill. The sun was setting and the chilly winds were blowing the cycle and the rider. I had no jacket but packed up a few newspapers to stop the wind. It helped for some time but then the cold started creeping in. The road to the hotel was through the maze of traffic and again uphill. The last stretch of about 500 metres to the hotel was a completely broken uphill road leaving me no option but to walk up with the cycle. As I entered the porch, Gauravbhai was there already, he hugged me and I could see in his eyes the delight of my accomplishment. I went into instant nostalgia as I remembered how Harshbhai had welcomed me as I completed the Abu Climb. The pain and the perspiration had already dried off.  The next day was rest day and remained uneventful except for the group photo session during which two of the riders proposed to each other; love was in the air, with no pedaling to do and an awesome landscape to behold, the desire to be with family was quite overwhelming.

Day 6 was nicknamed Sufferance. The ride to Higher Bhavani was postulated as the toughest ride ever in TFN history. In ABU terms it was 4 back to back Abu rides. We all stood with our cycles on the starting point ready to pedal. As the tour director shouted riders go, I found that I had a flat tyre. Sarvanam our mechanic was having breakfast. It took about 20 minutes or so for the puncture to be done, by which time majority of the riders had left. As I was pedaling through three KYNKYNY riders (the professional cycling team from Bangalore) joined me. For a brief moment we pedaled together and then like a bullet they were gone. On route two cyclists were hurt on the downhills. I hate downhill, I rode slower than usual. As I was pedaling through I noticed Nishithkaka on the side road. He had a puncture. I joined him in his pursuit for replacement. We toyed and played around with the wheel, the tube, the pump for about 20 minutes to no avail. The tube would simply not accept the air. Nishithkaka called up the tour director and we were told help was on the way; Nishithkaka asked me to continue my ride and after a few more minutes I left. The journey thereafter was mind-blowing as I countered the 67 hair pin bents one after the other; it felt like the super Mario brothers, you kept discovering new landscapes. The beauty of the tea estates simply magnified. It was the most serene landscape. I wished I was a painter or better a poet. The road was relatively empty and the weather blissful. The road from the last support station to the turn point had a bad patch which was through a dense tree area and emerged into an open valley. It was perfect for a picnic. That’s what I did. I sat there hoarding on the biryani, curry and curd. Gayatri, I assume in her mid forties more by the fact that she was a mother of three then anything else and I were amongst the last who had reached the turn point. I had no hurry I felt like soaking in the spot for a few more moments. As Ulhas Joshi said "The sufferance turned into a Suhana Safar". But then there was the sweeper and you did not want to be sweeped. On my return about 20 odd kilometers before the end, my cycle had a mechanical problem. The chain jammed and just wouldn’t move. A few volunteers tried but in vain. The mechanic was not coming he was at the next support station. I completed the balance journey by car and that is when I realized what we had done. The roads we had driven looked so daunting; the car could barely climb in 1st or 2nd gear. I felt proud of myself and the rest of the cyclist. The day ended somberly as I came out of the car rather than the cycle.
  
Day 7 was uphill for 10 km and then all down hill for 50 km. I hate downhill’s and had planned that I would take it easy all the way through. My uphill ended with a chocolate tea at one of the tea shops, followed by lunch with nishithkaka and other cyclist at a parota and kurma place. There were a lot of photo stops. The route downhill was tough for me as it engineered a lot of pain in the hands, neck and lower back but the good part was that it ended soon. As the day ended and we sat for our sandwiches, we realized that we were nearing the end of the tour. Tomorrow was the last ride.

Day 8 was a mix of the south Indian flat, rolling terrain and an 11 k.m. uphill ride. Flat has a different meaning for people down south. Vivek and Shravan had planned to make a killing. It was declared as a flat ride and we were the flat kings. I think given the surface both of them did a fantastic job with Vivek clocking just around 5 minutes more than the guy who topped the competitive section on that day. The ride thereafter was uphill and followed by a rolling terrain. All of us completed the ride comfortably. We packed our cycles and then followed the formal closing ceremony and the ride back home. The icing on the cake was the ride from the drop point to our home, Gaurav bhai please pardon me but the love and affection bestowed upon us has never left us and we have given to our self the right of calling paragbhais house our home. 

As we landed and were getting on our individual rides back home, I thanked Gauravbhai for the day in July when he prompted me into committing for the tour, but for that push, 817 k.m rides on the hill would have not been history. IT is now.
  
The Journey is as important as the destination and what a journey it was. To know and to be with the likes of Gauravbhai, Kaushalbhai and Nishithkaka was providential. Be it the meticulous discipline of Gauravbhai, the ardent perfection of Kaushalbhai, the peaceful and untailored pursuit of Nishithkaka the conscientious pursuit of Renuji, the valour of kumarilbhai and the unending energy of Vivek and Shravan; there was a spark from each one of them which kindled the flame and kept it burning. I assume TFN 2009 engineered the foundations for ABC. TFN 2012 left us with a dream, a dream to start a cycling team for Gujarat. I am sure by now a master plan has been drawn and in the coming years we will achieve this threshold as we have with our bicycling club. KYNKYNY beware, the Gujjus are just around the corner. 




What our other rider Kaushal Mehta has written:


Mind over matter…

Eight of us from the Ahmedabad Bicycling Club just returned from a 7 day grueling 800 km (500 miles) bicycle ride in the Nilgiri Mountains through the southern Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu gaining a total ascent of 17,000 meters (equivalent to climbing Mt. Abu more than 19.4 times)!
Preparations
The Ahmedabad Bicycling Club had arranged for several preparatory rides along the SP ring road and the slopes of ISRO. In one 10 day stretch around Diwali, I completed 5 century rides and 700 km. The total practice was around 1200 to 1500 km in the last several months. I would say though that none of the flat road preparation came close to the rugged mountain terrain we experienced in the Nilgiris…
The Daily Drill
There was a specific route every day and one had to complete the intermediate milestones during a specified time period, else risk being ‘swept’ by the transport car so the organizers could ensure all riders were in by dark. There were 3 to 4 support stations en route where one would have to stop to sign, get a stretch and eat/drink if required.
The Challenge
After completing 7 full marathons and 3 half marathons world-wide, I’ve to admit, this was by far the toughest physical challenge I’ve ever undertaken. An average of 110+ kms of cycling per day over rolling hills or steep mountain terrain (average of about 3 Mt. Abu climbs per day) pretty much drained out every bit of energy towards the end of the day. When the feet were getting as solid as a rock, lungs were gasping for oxygen and the slopes ahead never seem to end, it was more of a mental game that I was playing with my own self. Constant conversation with the inner self reminding how hard I hard prepared for the event and how with a few more pedals (during which I would have to give it all - inhaling by nose, exhaling by mouth sometimes with a loud grunt), I could reach the curve ahead. So, I would push myself till the next hair pin bend on the road (one route had 68 such hair pin bends to be covered in one day)! The other experience was not to get carried away in the downhill slopes (reached a peak speed of 60 to 65km one day on the downhill and did not realize it until a tracker car pointed it out) and then pedaling hard on the subsequent ascents (about 35km/hr. some times). Doing that over 120+kms one day, I developed a severe cramp and had to stop suddenly for a few minutes to stretch. Approached a small hut on the outskirts of a village limping and somehow conveyed to them I needed salt and water to help relieve the cramp. Experienced the diversity of India first hand where with all our 500+ languages and dialects, someone from one part of the country cannot communicate with another except for sign language…  The common thread though is the keen desire to help.
What was also helpful was my constant communication about my ride status with my wife, Parul, who was able to track my progress on google earth via a satellite tracking device attached to my bicycle… In events that require your singular focus and attention, sharing the smaller incremental successes with someone who cares and the inspiration and encouragement (in form of text messages) from someone you trust act as a big morale booster, especially when it is all about the mind…
The Highs…
Constant cheering along the way by village children wanting a high five, the outstanding beauty of the Nilgiris, especially the ride amongst the tea gardens near Ooty passing through the low hanging clouds and the pure serenity of the terrain were amongst the memorable highs of the trip. And of course there was the great company of extremely diverse fellow riders – men and women from several different countries and parts of India each experiencing nature in their own ways, some trying to conquer it, while most embracing it with respect.
Someone from the US Marine Corps I met recently mentioned how, not only for the brain, but even for our body, we use less than 5% of its true potential… Suggesting we can always do more than what we can ever imagine.  I am not sure of what a 100% is in either case, but one thing is very certain, in most of our physical excursions the mind gives in before the body! So, when the physical body seems completely drained out, it is the mind over matter dialog and interaction that helps one overcome the unthinkable…

The following chart shows the cities and distances covered along with the daily ascents:
Departure City
Arrival City
Distance(km)
Elevation Gain (m)
Times Abu
Bangaluru
Mysore
168
1377
1.53
Mysore
Madikeri
122
1791
1.99
Madikeri
Sultan Bathery
142
2238
2.49
Sultan Bathery
Ooty
96
3704
4.12
Ooty
Ooty
129
4675
5.19
Ooty
Mettupalayam
51
1853
2.06
Mettupalayam
Chamarajanagara
109
1796
2.00
Total

817
17434
19.37
  




What our other rider Kumaril Patel has written:

“ The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall “

“Tour of Nilgiris” stands for excitement, adventure and a test to test one’s physical and mental strength. I alongwith my friends ( Gaurav, Kaushal, Vivek, Mitul, Shravan, Nishitbhai & Renu ) had a memorable experience of the same. In fact went through rigorous training for this exceptional tour for 4 months. During the sessions of training I was down with high fever/viral infection for 10 days followed by Diwali Vacation. It means I missed the training sessions for approximately one month. After Diwali Vacation it was a short period of 20 days only to get trained and gear up in order to participate in the scheduled Tour.

So far as the entire story of this tour is concerned, it is very well narrated and reported by both Mitul and Gaurav. Here I would like to express my experience about what exactly happened on the fourth day of the tour which resulted into an accident leaving me in blood.

Actually we were to cover a distance of 100 km on this day from sultan Bathery to Ooty. Moreover 24 km strech from Gudlur till the end of Competitive Segment (CS) was very demanding due to continuous steep slope. We had passed through this strech as well without much of hurdles but the god has a different plan for me. I was hardly 4 km from CS End when Shriram ( the other rider ) and I got busy chatting while enjoying our ride. We were very excited as we had finished with the toughest strech for the day without much of difficulty but unknowingely the brake for the front wheel of my cycle was applied and I lost the control of the cycle and fell on the road which resulted in injuries on the right side of my face. I was so lost enjoying the ride that I could not even feel much of pain, stood up and was ready to ride again. When Shriram interrupted me and asked me to see my face in the mirror to realize that everything was not ok. Shriram thought differently as he was very concerned about me and advised me to get medical assistance then and there only. He immediately informed the concerned persons to provide the medical assistance. Soon after the medical personnel rushed to the said spot and did there job well. As a result my face was left with four stiches and half of the face was covered with bandage giving me the look like that of an injured soldier.

The next day was meant for rest to all of us. But the sixth day was the most challenging day of the entire tour as it was full of many steep slopes including 34 hairpin bends oneway to Upper Bhawani. Everyone advised me to take rest rather than participating in the tour as they found me not in the pink of my physical condition. But I thought differently. I was not ready at all to waste this opportunity, just as a soldier doesn’t quit the battle field until he has won the war, I was also not ready to give up. I took it as a challenge and wanted to fight back.

I was fortunate enough to take this decision and prove it right. I would honestly accept the fact that without the blessings of the God and support and good wishes from my co-riders from Ahmedabad, this task shouldn’t have been accomplished. Gaurav had offered his cordial support by riding alongside me for the whole day and was even ready to stay with me in the case I was not able to ride further. I had heard it often, “ Where there is a will, there is a way “ And this was the very time when I experienced it myself when I could move more because of will power than the physical strength. Finally it was a very successful journey on this day when I finally reached the last destination – Upper Bhawani and back to the hotel which is approximately 115 km ( overshoot by 10 km ).

Then came the unforgettable moment of my life when at dinner time Kaushal made an announcement about my achievement. As he said that the toughest part of the tour which was even tougher for me due to my injures were successfully concluded and this success was credited by him to my spirit, strong will power, perseverance and positive attituded. He congratulated me to set an example of courage, dedication and determination. His remarks and comments were supported by all other riders, support staff and organisers with a big round of applause. I was overwhelmed with emotions and forgot all the pains and sufferings that I had to undergo to make this achievement possible when I was given the honour to cut the cake – “ Tour of Nilgiris “.

There couldn’t have been more splendid end than this. What a tour it turned out for me. This tour will always serve as an inspiration to me whenever I am confronted to such challenges in any walks of life. Here I would like to conclude recollecting the golden words by Swami Vivekanand, “ Arise, awake, stop not untill your goal is achieved.”
  



What one of our other rider Gaurav Shah  has written:

The Riders – Renu Mittal, Nishith Shah, Gaurav Shah, Kaushal Mehta, Kumaril Patel, Mitul Shelat, Vivek Shah, Shravan Shah

The training for the Tour of Nilgiris started about 3 months back and all the Riders did their best to train for the Tour of Nilgiris. It was only after the ride started on Day 1 from Bangalore to Mysore, that all of us realized the difference between Flat Roads in Gujarat and the Flat Roads ( so-called ) on the Tour. In reality, after you have cycled around Ahmedabad, there are no Flat Roads on the Tour of Nilgiris. The entire stretch of over 800 Kms is only ups & downs and we cycled the entire distance, which is equivalent to doing almost 21 Abu Climbs in 7 days. On an average we must have done 3 Abu Climbs, almost non-stop, every day and did equivalent of 5 Abu Climbs on the day we cycled from Ooty to Upper Bhavani and back to Ooty including 68 hair-pin bends.

The entire Tour was just wonderful, with Vivek & Shravan doing extremely well and it was fun to see them so full of energy on all the days of cycling. Kaushal’s constant chit-chat, Mitul’s worried face, Kumaril’s care-free riding, Renu’s constant intermingling and little worries & Nishith’s erratic ways provided constant entertainment over the entire 8 days of the Tour. All of them called me the Tour Leader Colonel and so I stuck to my image and ensured that everything happened on-time and ensured that the Tour went through with as little tensions as possible, for all our Team Members. Kumaril, did give us some tense moments, but I would like him to write about it…

All in all, it has been a wonderful cycling year, and the Tour was the icing on the cake. I personally have cycled over 6500 Kms in the year 2012 and this has been a great cycling year for me, more so because it has been with some wonderful cycling friends who form ABC…

To end - Cycling, and most other endurance sports, not only improves physical fitness and gives a high to that person, but Tours such as the TOUR OF NILGIRIS are a battle between the physical strength and the mental strength. The body was drained of energy at the end of 7 days, but the mind never gave up.