One final luggage drop, one final briefing, one final climb We were asked to get ready for breakfast and drop our luggage by 7:00 am. Satish gave the day’s briefing and sang a song. We had one final climb of about 15 kms. It was the same route that we had taken yesterday past Aliyar … [Read more…]
A constant uphill Palakkad heat was uncomfortable even at 7 O’Clock in the morning. The temperature wasn’t that high but the humidity made me slightly uneasy. We had a challenging course ahead. After dropping off my luggage and having a sub-par breakfast, I patiently waited for the trip to start. I did not want to … [Read more…]
A deadly descend After three days at Hotel Accord, I was already sick of the food. It’s not that it was bad. On the contrary, they had served excellent meals. The problem is that I had to cycle after having all that food. I kept a Digene (Aluminium and Magnesium Hydroxide tablet) in my mouth … [Read more…]
Before the round trip I woke up quite early and felt rejuvenated after the much needed rest day. The weather was also very good and the sky was clear. Yesterday, Amit Goyal, a fellow rider had lent me his spare bottle. It was one of the most useful things somebody had lent me in the … [Read more…]
The official photoshoot and the red jerseys There was an official photoshoot in the morning. We also got to know the Kings and Queens of Kalahatty. The Queen of Kalahatty, Lena, is an impressive rider. She rides a Surly steel racer and rides hills like its a piece of cake. The King of Kalahatty, KKR, … [Read more…]
A late start Kalpetta was fully covered with dense fog. Nothing was visible outside the hotel. After a brief session of cleaning my drivetrain, I sat down and waited for the flag-off. We started at 8:00 am. The terrain was unforgiving. There were constant ups and downs. At times I was using my easiest gears … [Read more…]
Flag-off and the importance of being safe We started at around 7 today. Before that we had to deposit our luggage by 5:30 pm. We had about 1 hr 30 mins to take care of our bikes. I had already degreased and lubed by drivetrain yesterday. I pumped my tyres up and I was good … [Read more…]
Re-check and Flag Off I had to leave at 4:00 am in the morning in order to make it to Taj Yeshwantpur in time to drop off my luggage. Luckily Mogit was with me and taking care of some of the logistics became easier with the extra pair of hands. The race organisers fitted our … [Read more…]
An unusual source of motivation Let me put the most obvious thing out first – I don’t think that I have trained enough for this tour. The reason why I had decided to participate in this tour can be attributed to the blogs of Mr. Venkateswara Rao Navasi (also known as Lord Venky or BikeyVenky). He … [Read more…]
Yesterday, the members of Dark Project met at Korak’s house. It had more to do with having some fun time with friends (and gulp some food). Inadvertently, we ended up revisiting old songs inside Korak’s jam room. But before that, I must clear some air. So, here is… The reason why Dark Project disbanded Dark Project officially … [Read more…]
