The EPIC Race

Challenge the Limits! Something that scares me but gives that adrenaline rush too....

So after multiple motorbike rides, car drives, running, trekking and 2 failed attempts to ride a bicycle to the top of Nandi Hills, here came a new challenge, The Nandi Epic Road Race by Bangalore Bicycle Championships. A 68.7km Road race that starts from the Bangalore-Hyderabad Highway (Century Sports Village), straight till Chikaballapur (25kms), a U-Turn, then 23 more kms on the highway, turning right onto the road that leads to Nandi Hills, and finally after 61kms of rolling terrain (ups n downs with 300m elevation), the final ascent of 7kms - 450meters (about 40 floors of a building) that seem impossible on a bicycle for a newbie cyclist like me....


So I registered 4 weeks ago, thinking lets give it a shot. Was not actively preparing for the race, but managed to do a few 30-40km rides, with flyovers as the tough areas, and this was a big mistake because the actual test was as steep as 30 flyovers!

Made some changes to the bicycle - adjusted the handlebar, bought a new cassette (the silver thing w Found on the drive side of your rear hub, it consists of a number of circular metal discs with teeth around the edge, ranging from small to large – these are called ‘sprockets’.) that is climb friendly. 

Got the gear ready, a couple of days before the event.

Raceday!

Got up at 4, geared up for the ride, booked an Uber XL, and reached the Airport Toll.

Got the bike ready,  (as I had removed the front wheel so the bike could fit into the Ertiga) to the start point, which was about 6.5kms. Also served as a warm up. Reached the venue at 545am.

More than 150 cyclists at the start point, across various categories like Elite, Masters(40+) who were racing 112kms, and the Amateurs, Women and U-18 targeting 68.7km..

Colourful, Vibrant jerseys & helmets, smiling faces, some focussed eyes, some teams planning the race tactics, and there was I, just looking around, eating almonds, taking selfies, checking out the amazing bikes that the others had and trying to figure out how many years for me to reach a certain level to become an Elite cyclist like them.... 

7am the Elite and Masters started off.

7.10am, the other 3 categories began.

There was a lead group, or the peloton, riding in a synchronized manner, looking photogenic and kicking ass! (In a road bicycle race, the peloton (from French, originally meaning 'platoon') is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close (drafting) near other riders ).. and there were riders like me, who were giving their best, but far away from the lead group..

In about 20 mins, I got into my rhythm. I managed to finish 28kms in 60 mins. Before this, my max. distance in an hour was 23.8kms, so this was clearly my best hour...

Even at this speed, i was probably the 10th last (among 95 participants in the 3 categories)...

At 38th km, saw 2 riders with punctured tyres. both without phones. One was a foreign national and the other was a state level cyclist. Made a couple of calls and asked for help. 7mins stoppage in a race, but then I felt helping them was worth the time off, and fortunately, my body didnt cool off. I could manage to get into the rhythm soon.

My fastest 50kms before this day was 2 hrs 14 mins.. but today I managed this in 1 hr 54 mins... (2hrs 1 min, but I am removing the 7 mins I stopped)... 

I felt good. The highway ended, and we had to now ride in a single lane road - about 13kms to the foothills and then the 6-7km climb...

My target was to finish 60kms in 2.5hrs.. So i pushed, and managed it in 2 hr 23mins.. again, something I was happy about.. My effort level was at its best, with my heart rate hovering upwards of 158 beats per minute.

Then, a mistake.

I have always hated the idea of using these synthetic gels, but thought of using it before the climb as I would need instant energy. I consumed the GU Energy Gel (wasted 140 bucks on that stupid item, which tasted like stale sugar with plastic and synthetic berries)...

I should have consumed water to get over this strong sugary wasted item...

Within 8-9mins, suddenly I got minor cramps. I dont know if I could call it cramps, because they were very short duration and didnt freeze the parts. But yes, I was in pain. 

Left Leg - Calf, Hamstring, Right Leg - Hips, Thigh and behind Knee.. these cram-like tingling feelings made me stop for 6 more mins, stretch it out, and relax.... the I walked with my bike for about 200mtrs to free my legs, and here I was, at the start of the Climb.. 62kms done, about 7km to go.. and my will power told me to just move.. 

This event had a cut-off time of 4 hours 20 mins. I had managed 62kms (and the stretching) in 2 hrs 45 mins. My plan was to finish 60km in 2.5hrs and last 8km in 1 hr - so a total of 3.5hrs.. 

Now I had 1 hr 35 mins left. So I began the climb, and after every 500mtrs was taking a 2-5min break. On this climb, made two friends too, as they were also struggling a bit with fatigue / cramps. So the 3 of us dragged each other, pushed to ride, and motivated - that's when I thanked the sportsmanship shown by all 3.

There we saw a tender coconut seller, and we were super excited to get this new boost to our ride!

Monkeys were trying to do their best, jumping on the trees, dancing on the street, pushing and pulling each other. I was just praying that they dont follow me (as i was carrying frooti, almonds, 5-star, etc) as I did not have the energy to even shoo them away..

The sun came out in full blaze mode, laughing at my decision to participate. It made me push harder, as I didnt want the sun to get brighter and drain me further. So I pushed myself more..

Regular breaks for hydration helped. There were cyclists who had finished their rides about an hour back, riding down at speeds of maybe 50km/hr.. cheering us, telling us that there are just 6-5-4 or 2 turns left to reach the finish line...

In almost an hour since I started the climb, finally finished the tough ride and reached the FINISH LINE! 

Total Time, 3hrs 51mins (late by 21mins, but happier than ever).... Then as I checked the stats, figured out that I had finished the ride in 3hrs 33mins of moving time (18 mins halt in total), which meant I was just 3 mins off target! Happy Me!

Out of 70 participants in the Amateur category who turned up for the race, 52 finished the race. I was the 50th... Happy to have finished and not dropped off with a DNF result. The leaders finished the race in 2hrs 7 mins.

Video of the ride:

We clicked a few pics on top of Nandi Hills, then a quick ride down for the presentation & podium ceremony, breakfast (2 idlis), and commute back home...

Met some friends, made some new ones, learnt a lot of lessons and the only aim is to improve from here. Best part of the day was to look at the beautiful bikes by top brands like Bianchi, Specialized, Fuji, Merida, Trek, Basso, Giant, Cannondale, Cervelo, etc

I was extremely tired, but then I had to decide whether to ride back home or get a lift or book a cab. As I was in a bit of pain, I thought of getting lift from someone, and thankfully, got it from Vinay (who I met at the climb).. 

So I rode till the start point, which was 21kms from nandi hills, he dropped me to a place nearby, and then the final ride back home from there, another 11kms.

All in all, the total distance managed in the day was 115kms, with a ride time of almost 6 hours.

Total elevation of about 950meters (almost 90 floors of a building)..

Finished the day with a nice Biryani! The day was truly EPIC..

Lessons Learnt:

1. Train well, no matter what
2. No Impulse decisions to participate in tough events
3. Hydrate with water and electrolytes
4. Don't underestimate the winters, they can be HOT sometimes
5. For cycling, wear cycling jerseys (I was in a compression tee with a light jacket)
6. Eat, Eat, Eat.... Cycling is NOT like Running.. Food will not obstruct so much.
7. In a cycling only event, there is no RUN (like in Triathlons), so can push hard from the beginning.

Results: http://bbch.in/BBCh17Race10.htm#BBCh17_10_NandiEpicResult