The One with the Pedaling Legend of India

A solo ride to Nandi Base had boosted my confidence towards my level of endurance. My blog had an adverse effect on my friend Jagan. It had sparked a sense of competitiveness in him and I could see that he wasn't going to let me go on any more solo rides (as intended). Just to take it up a notch, I had decided to carry a heavier backpack this time while covering the same distance as last time. But, Jagan argued that, there is no point in going to Nandi Base if you aren't going to climb the hill. I could agree no less. Thus, a plan was drawn to do the esteemed Nandi Climb.

My experience from my last ride told me that we should be starting at 0400AM, if we were to make it back home without suffering too much of heat. Although, there was an argument over the security risks in the dark and we decide to start at 0500AM. This was supposed to ensure easy visibility by the time we reach Mekhri Circle.

Anyways, the lazy bums that we so obviously are, we started off at 0620AM from Domlur flyover with enough visibility and traffic ensuring our security. Normally, I don't usually get up until the sunlight bombards on every wall of bedroom so a ride a 0600AM was still refreshing, if nothing else. We were chit-chatting and riding at a leisurely pace trying bask in the purity of nature. After Hebbal we started picking up speed. Jagan was riding his Bianchi after a long time and wasn't really comfortable with it. He started whining real soon about the slow uphills and traffic. The ride upto airport was easy enough for me this time. Jagan did get a feel of some new muscles in his butts. Only the prospect of a good breakfast (only available at Nandi Base) could convince him to continue. I was quite amazed that he agreed to move foreword. He hadn't moved any muscle in his body for the past 4-5 months (except the ones required in strolling, eating & sleeping :D). No doubt he was experiencing  a lot of pain. He was trying to compensate it by whining about it. The handles of his otherwise "perfect" bianchi were skewed this time, the rear wheel was lacking a complete circular shape, the bearings near his front gear were loose and what not. The whining continued until the puncture.

My first puncture. About 8-10 Kms from airport, the rear wheel started making sounds. I asked Jagan to take a look only to discover that I was facing a flat tire situation. We had a puncture kit, an extra tube and the latest collection to my cycle accessories : Micro Floor Pump. This pump is so awesome and it fits on the bicycle like a water bottle. Not like a regular hand pump were you need decades to fill enough air into the tire. Worth the money and really helpful in situation such as this. Jagan had all the experience with flat tire. Besides, we had an extra tube. So, I let Jagan do the work and jumped in later to inflate the tire. A little bit of more fixing and we were back on the road. I did try to understand the supposedly mundane procedure of changing the tube but to me it looked too complex. I guess I am going to need another 2-3 trials to be as accurate/effective as Jagan.

The ride from Nandi Cross to Nandi Base is a patience test for every new-comer. Jagan was no exception. This time he wasn't whining though. Just asking me which one of the hills visible was Nandi Hills and repeating his trademark phrase on the trip, "I hate slow climbs". There was a moment when he was contemplating the possibility of him trekking atop Nandi instead of cycling. A perfect demonstration to the marathi saying "Durun Dongar Sajare" (Hills are beautiful from the distance). We reached Nandi Base at 0950AM. The breakfast at the Nandi Abhinandana was fulfilling if nothing more.

Later we fixed the punctured tube from a tire shop nearby. Jagan was too tired by now which was acceptable. He had just got up and pedaled to Nandi without any preparation. I still wanted to climb up. Jagan was ready to wait at a restaurant just before the climb begins. I moved foreword.

I plugged in my Sony MP3 player loaded with the awesome playlist of bollywood songs (Rehman Special) compiled by my special someone. I must say, these songs helped me stay in the rhythm the whole time and encouraged me to move ahead, pedal by pedal. On my way up I saw a Vendor selling Coconut Water on his bicycle. The confused look that he gave me was discernible. He might be willing to do anything to avoid riding up the hill everyday. To him I must look like a complete nutjob. Anyways, pedaling ahead. There was a group of people in their mid twenties who suddenly paused when I moved into their visibility zone. One of them just stood in my way, intending to start a conversation. I din't want to stop so I had to dodge him. It must have seemed rude and I should have said something but I was too tired and had a very little presence of mind to say anything. Dude, if you are reading this, I am Sorry.

Pedaling got harder with every pedal and I was dehydrating at an amazingly faster rate. The otherwise weightless bag now seemed heavy enough to knock me down with its weight. I realized why one needs 21 gears on a bike.  On this climb, every gear counted. By the time I reached curve no. 33 the gear ratio was 1:1, my mouth felt too dry and the bike just stopped moving. I had to stop. I had dehydrated a lot. I sipped in a little water which was refreshing. I din't want to go back, not after all this. The song playing on the mp3 was soothing, I got back on my beloved and pedaled ahead. After this I did stop once more to drink water. At the last curve (curve no 36/37 I think, I don't remember the number) I saw a firang (too white) riding a bicycle behind me. He was in the standing position and he pedaled right past me at an  amazing speed. I was in the sitting position the whole ride and decided to switch, thinking it might be efficient. I wasn't ready for it. The gear ratio was 1:1, which is not good for a standing position at that inclination. I had to step down to prevent a fall. I was in no position to continue riding from zero speed on this curve so I decided to walk up the curve and continue riding. I walked up and there it was, an ancient looking stone gate welcoming me on the Nandi Hill.

                         

The firang (I was so angry at him) was resting across the wall on one side of the gate, trying to catch his breath. I picked up a spot on the opposite side. It was such an awesome feeling. I could see everything around, the music was still playing in my ears and yet there was silence and my brain was thinking nothing.

After what seemed like hours we waved at each other and shared an awkward laugh. Then another cyclist appeared. Then, came a car with racks mounted on the top and on the rear side to hold about five bicycles. One by one, more cyclists pedaled their way up. They were five in total. On inquiring, I found out that they do this almost everyday. They start from the CCD on the Airport road and ride atop the hill. That seemed like a formidable feat. This was my first Nandi Climb. An estimable and much desired feat for any cyclist in bangalore who picked up the passion during their work life. I wasn't going to let them ruin it by their amazing stamina, endurance, flashy road bikes and aerodynamic helmets. I was a bit distressed to say the list. One of them came up to me and struck up a conversation. His name was Samim. He looked decent. Warned me to pedal slowly on my way down. I did start to like the group until he said "Hum log toh chote mote rider hai". Being modest should be a crime in situations like these. Anyways, I let them ride back before me.

After waiting for a considerable amount of time and reconnecting with the nature and the feeling of solitude, I  began my journey back. I had decided to go real slow on my way back and observe every detail on the way. This was my way of doing justice to my climbing efforts. Yet, it took me less than 10 minutes to reach the base. Jagan was enjoying music on his mp3 player. We headed towards Bangalore after having a small lunch. It was about 1230PM. It had taken me about one hour to climb up with an average speed of 9.6 Kmph.

The journey home was without much incident. We were both listening to music the whole time. Jagan was all charged up from his rest so were able to maintain an overall average of 23-24 Kmph. Overall we had pedaled a total distance of 122 Km + 14 Km (Climbing up and down the Nandi Hill) i.e. 136 Km.

After reaching home I was disabled in unfathomable ways. I wanted to sleep but couldn't , I was hungry but eating required a lot of efforts. I had crawled up inside a bean bag and was just sitting still like a log of wood for about 3 hours.

The next day I was talking with Jagan and another friend of ours Kshitij. During the conversation we somehow landed on the topic of Samim Rizvi. There it hit me. WTF!! That was  Samim Rizvi , I shook hands with on the top of Nandi Hills. His whole team was there. Ever since I got my Schwinn, I had read so many articles about him. I mean this man has completed the  RAAM . At the top of the hill, I was too tired to make the connection between Samim and Samim Rizvi. The man is a legend. I must have looked like such a fool. I am still unable to comprehend the fact that I had met India's most accomplished cyclist and wasn't even able to recognize him.

Maafi Kar do Yaar, Sir Ji!! Galati Ho gyi. Fir nhi hogi. You are such an admirable personality. Tusii great ho!!