A group of 25 people from across the country prepared for a milestone event — covering 1,000 km from Chennai to Vijayawada and back on cycle within 75 hours. It would be a test of skill, patience and perseverance. The participants would have to battle severe heat, bad roads, and fatigue.
The group, including people from Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Pune and Goa, left Chennai on March 20 at 6 a.m. Partha Datta, 40, of Madras Randonneurs, which organised the Road Beasts 1,000 km brevet, also took part, and raced to the finish line in 71.5 hours. The objective behind this brevet was to prepare for the 1200-km 2015 Paris-Brest-Paris brevet.
“We planned this event for more than a month. We called for volunteers to man the control points, zeroed in on the teams, their leaders and back-up,” says Partha. The group that was founded in 2011 started the brevet (long-distance cycle ride) in Tamil Nadu. Partha prepared for the ride by cycling to work every day — from Velachery to Mylapore, a round distance of about 35 km. “It was a challenge to ride in the sun every day, and ride back home in the dark.”
Three riders from Coimbatore Cycling — Chakravarthy Birur (46), Deepak Samuel (33) and Sulaiman Bhimani (42) — also took part. They prepared for the trip by riding to Kotagiri every weekend. Sulaiman developed riding blisters on the very first day because temperatures crossed 40 degrees, and he had to drop out after 300 km, but Chakravarthy and Deepak pedalled away to the finish line, with about an hour-and-a-half to spare. Eleven others completed the race. The three cycle for different reasons. For Chakravarthy, it meant making use of the cycle lying unloved in a corner of his house. Deepak thought it was a wonderful way to commute to work. During his stint in Chennai, he rode to work very frequently, clocking 22 km one way, from Velachery to Ambattur.
In Coimbatore too, he often rides to work. Sulaiman was a racer with the Karnataka State cycling team, before he got busy in the garment business. When his weight touched 101 kg, his doctor asked him to do something drastic. And, he resumed cycling.
Recollecting bits of the ride to Vijayawada and back, Chakravarthy says, “When I saw a gardener watering plants, I asked him to splash some water on me; it was that hot. In a construction site, I jumped into a tub of water to cool down,” he recalls. In some places, the tar stuck to the tyres.
Deepak says the experience was humbling. “You eat where you can, sleep in front of shops, dhabas…” They were bitten by mosquitoes, chased by dogs…but they also savoured the team effort. They helped each other even if it meant losing time. The riders were often sleep deprived and banked on adrenaline to see them through; “I craved coffee, and after a point I hallucinated,” says Chakravarthy. Deepak rode faster to beat fatigue. Sulaiman said he believed that when one has a target in mind, inconvenience ceases to matter. The three cyclists followed a strict nutritional schedule so that they could keep cramps at bay.
After the race, the three of them drove back to Coimbatore. The morning after they arrived, they were back in their saddles. That’s what cycling does to you, they say. It is part of their daily life. “So much so,” says Chakravarthy, “that during family holidays, I send them by car and follow on cycle.” And sometimes, when they go on long rides early on a Sunday morning, they are allowed back into the house, only if they bring breakfast!
The oldest finisher of the event was Kandappa A.C. He completed the event in 74 hours 30 minutes, with half an hour to spare. He took up cycling four years ago to keep fit. The first event he participated in was a trip to Mahabalipuram, and now he cycles 40 kms a day.
What is Randonneuring?
It is an organised form of long-distance cycling, covering anywhere between 200 and 1,200 km. The riders are expected to be self-sufficient and handle any exigencies on the way.
