A Dream Come True: November 2010

A TRUE STORY

8 Men with similar mind frame(read insane) set out from home at 315 am on a chilly November morning aiming high to Conquer Jaipur through one of the busiest highways of India - NH8, travelling a distance of 250 Kms not by a Motorized vehicle but on Bicycles. Some braving ostracism from near and dear ones and all braving the odds that could happen on the road.

	Dippy alias Gurdip Singh Virk - A victim of bypass surgery with 3 blocked arteries few years back . Age- on the dirty side of 45 father of 2.
	Nalin Negi - Globe trotter works for an American Multinational, sells Jet Engines, father of a 8 yr old son
	Manas- An avid photographer and an ace cyclist, father of a small daughter, ware house of enthusiasm and endurance.
	Nitish Bajaj-IIM grad, corporate, father of two, recent cycle addict, his smile and temperament are a lethal combo, believes in no limits.
	Umesh Mutta -Tough nut, seasoned cyclist, depot of energy
	Ankit Goel- Has Just peeled off 30Kilos by cycling, determination is his forte.
	Anant Khirbat- IIM grad, runs a packaging firm ,the fittest of the lot, has done Manali –Leh and other hilly terrains on cycle many a times, his lean body is just a camouflage over his muscle power.
	And Me Chiro Priyo Mitra a Veterinary surgeon, overweight by 5 kilos, blind at right eye and a smoker, believing nothing is impossible, body is just a slave of the mind.

It all started few days back, with the simple idea to shake the limits after a personal solo challenge going horribly wrong last year at about 122 Kms mark on the same route.

From the outside 250 km looked like an unachievable target so this time we formed a group that got cracking and tried finding the methods in madness. A smaller (still the longest so far for everyone in the team) target of 160 km was selected as a trial run. It didn’t turn out to be a piece of cake. With sore muscles and cramps, it also allowed the team to observe the errors and demands of endurance rides. It took another cross country century ride to test the experience and gain more confidence. Anyhow both of these rides were nothing compared to the Jaipur ride in terms of distance and riding time. By all means the ride meant minimum of 16 hrs of riding time using mountain bikes. The equipment, the experience and tested endurance was not on our side. Most of the team members remotely looked fit even to ride a bike, forget attempting a 250 km ride. But that’s where the negatives end. Team brimmed with enthusiasm and resolve, supported with meticulous planning and teamwork. The available equipment was serviced and tested, insights on hydration and nutrition collected, a detailed plan was laid factoring in the post lunch lethargy, potential traffic snarls and drop in energy level towards the end. It was about time to go, and that’s when Nitish discovered a broken chain ring and Chiro found a twisted derailleur. With only few hours to go, this was enough to put the plan in jeopardy . This is where Jugaad can play a major role and it did play slendid.

2:30 AM: 8 alarms shoot off in Gurgaon and Delhi on a cold winter midnight. Its dark, its cold and its deserted. With the headlamps glowing and blinking tail lamps, all gather one by one at Huda City Centre Metro station. Supplies check, water check, tools check, medicines check and watches synched, GPS switched on. With all in order and with a final roll call the team is all set to roar , waits eagerly to start sharp at 4.

4:35 AM: Manesar toll booth 13 KMs– Anant joins the group here but with a twisted arm. Dogs didn’t like him nor his brand new bike and he succumbed to kiss the ground. A tough nut rode with his true spirit and soon disappearedonly to be found at Bawal. This was the last time the team saw this rocket. He finished the distance 4 hrs ahead of plan.

07:00: Bawal 74 KMs – Braving the Qualms of night riding till now ,the stroke of the dawn accompanied with Breakfast just perfect. Hunger pangs now taking tolls over emotions, Manas brakes, coming to a complete halt, still cleated and the fall was inevitable, resulting in sprained wrist and a lacerated knee . ‘Take the back up vehicle we all urged’ but he somehow soldiered on with his heavily bandaged wrist putting on brave face.

13:00 hrs – Kothputli 140KMs – Incessant riding, designated breaks cacophony of highway traffic and awestruck children were the only constants during the ride so far. This is where we found a TV Camera crew coming in and breaking the monotony. For nearly half an hour we were made to do arbitrary things for the benefit of popcorn news addicts. Nitish delivered a fantastic and heartfelt speech in Hindi hoping that would stir some couch potatoes and the start riding.

13:30 hrs –160 KMs- In the middle of nowhere, riders in front hear a loud thud, and discover Nalin recumbent on the ground. He was trying to drink from his bottle looking up the sky and got himself into a road depression loosing all controls. This was a nasty one, giving him gashes all over the body. A tough nut he is, quickly sprang up on his saddle after a quick first aid. In my mind I wondered what these guys are made of? He could have easily got onto the support vehicle behind and taken some rest.

14:00 hrs – 175 KMs- The lunch, it was supposed to be a crisp half an hour break and we were now 30 minutes behind schedule. It actually didn’t turn out exactly as planned, as the dhaba cook was overwhelmed by the tall order. By the time we left we were 1 hour behind time. The plan was relooked ,restategised, cutting out on breaks and increasing the desired avg speed.

15:00 to 1830 - The team rode at a new whooping average of 27 kmph making the new strategy work. Covering up for the lost time, the team entered Amer at 1830 as originally planned.

20:00 – Jaipur is indeed a busy city. The traffic completely overwhelmed the team and its speed, allowing us a meager crawl along the mad traffic. The watch showed 20:00 hrs and 240 kms covered at an average of 23.5 kmph (saddle time speed) .

Bingo we all made it on saddles killing almost 250 KMs through one of the most accident prone highways of Inida with some minor cuts and bruises quenching our thirst and lust for this Big one.
Again whats adventure without Blood and sweat.

With mind full of satisfaction and heart full of happiness it was time to celebrate and party.I can surely say I had the most comforting and satisfying sleep that night and that I will remember it for a very long time.

The excitement, the company of co-riders, encouragement of well-wishers ,the feel of a team, every thing will now reside in my memory loked for ever.

Cheers

Chiro Priyo Mitra

Some memories of our trip below please be our guest and enjoy