Quitting at times doesn’t come as an option, It just happens. There were many twists and turns in my ride. It was raining for almost 80% of my ride. This ride gave me many happy moments, many disappointments, many learnings and more. Travel with me to experience it. The second half is going to be interesting (Just wait for it).

Start

One fine evening I got a call from Trichy Randonnuers organiser Tirupati K Prashanth inviting me to participate in the Hogenakkal 600 that falls on 29th of November, Saturday 4 pm. He also made clear that the route will be challenging. His call motivated me to a greater extent and I started to analyse the route which looked interesting. Then I registered and started my preparation. Also planned to do a vlog for this ride.

Sundarmoorthy and I left for Trichy from Chennai on the 28th November evening. We reached Trichy the same night, quickly checked into our rooms and hit the bed right away, as we wanted to get enough rest for the ride. We woke up by 9am the next morning and were greeted with heavy rain that went on till 1pm. We got some more sleep in the afternoon in that cozy weather outside. After our nap, we prepped our bikes, took a shower, and checked out at around 3 pm and reached the start point by 3.15 pm. We met the organiser Prashanth, our co-riders, and then had our lunch. The rain started again just as the ride was about to begin, and sharp by 4pm Sundarmoorthy and I started our ride along with the other riders. 

Control Point 2 at Perambalur

After about two hours of pedaling in the rain and headwinds, we reached the next CP (control point) around 6.15 pm at 53 kms. We were given oranges to eat and we topped up our empty water bottles. By then the rains had stopped. 

Lights on!

As it got darker the rains started as well. It was time for us to get our illumination out. Reflector jacket, front light, back lights – on. 

Dinner time

It was raining cats and dogs with good head winds but our complete focus was on reaching the 100km point asap. Not because it was an important number or point, but because we were told that we’ll be given dinner somewhere around the 100kms mark. We met the organisers by 8:35 pm around the 97kms in a petrol bunk. We were given a parcel of brinjal rice and curd rice. Indeed it was yummy and tummy filling. I knew that I will be able to manage that night after having my dinner. We left the petrol bunk immediately after the dinner.

PS: Still raining cats and dogs.

160 Rasipuram

Rasipuram was the next CP at 160 kms. The route till there was pitch dark as it was a state highway. Sundar and I gained good amount of energy post dinner and reached Rasipuram new bus stand by 11.55 pm without any breaks in between. We called up the organiser to inform about our arrival and met them within next 10kms. We were given a few coffee shots and brownies. The coffee shots were a real energy booster. We left Rasipuram CP around 12.20 am to the next CP which was at 220kms in Mecheri.

Heartbreak at 223

It was raining continuously throughout the night. Our plan was to reach the CP by around 3.35am. We stopped in between to check the route on strava (activity tracking app & GPS) & I was able to see myself on the blue line (plotted route). We continued the ride towards 223kms. When my watch said 3.30 am we looked for a shelter to check the route on our mobile again and realized we had reached 220. Coincidently the organiser called me to check where we were since he was expecting us to reach the CP first and was unable to find us. I told him that I was at 220 & will reach the CP soon. As I reached 223 I was unable to find any of the landmarks that we were told, it was all dark. I immediately called up the organiser asking him to send his location (the CP). When I checked the location it was a heartbreak for me. I had missed the left in Omalur and rode for 14 kms in the route through which we were supposed to return back from Hogenakkal (the blue plotted line I mentioned above).

Hypothetically confused!

That put us in a situation where we were confused if we should ride back to Omalur to reach Mecheri CP or should we look for a shortcut to reach Mecheri. Google maps gave us two options 24 & 21kms. We chose the 21km that goes via Thoppur which also had some tail winds. As we reached Thoppur around 4.30 am we found a bakery open where we had a bun to gain energy and topped up our empty water bottles. The Thoppur to Mecheri road was a state highway with no lights, it was all dark till we reached Mecheri 220km CP around 5.40 am. We had ridden an extra 30 kms since we missed the actual route. The other riders had crossed the CP one and half hours before us.

Now comes the real challenge

We were about to leave the CP and the organiser said 

“You have 60 kms left to reach the U-turn point which will be tough”.

We left that CP with a mindset that it is going to be tough. As the terrain started to get tougher, Sundar had some problem with his gear shifter and he was unable to use the smaller crank which can make the climbs easier. He wanted me not to ride slow for him and insisted to ride on to the U turn point at my normal pace and get some rest to pedal the remaining 320 kms. I reluctantly left him behind & continued my ride. I had 40 kms in hand and started to push. I always knew as the terrain gets tougher that view will become beautiful and I was proven right. It was just beautiful. As I kept riding without any breaks I was able to cross all my co riders. About 10 more kms to U turn point there was a lovely descent which helped me to keep the momentum up but then my bike’s brakes weren’t working fine, it was barely manageable. I reached Hoggenekkal by 8:30 am. Sundar reached around 9.15 am. The rain was on and off by then.

Brekkie & Break

A small hall was hired to make us comfortable. There I took a nice shower and had my breakfast with Sundar in a nearby shop. I wanted to take a short nap. Slept by 9:45 am and requested Mohanakrishnan to wake me up by 10:15 am. I got up by 10:15 am, got ready, tried to fix my bikes brake issue but I was unable to. With a bit of confidence that I could manage with the poor brakes, I left the place as the last rider by 10:35 am. I was told that Sundar left around 10 am. It felt like the half hour sleep I had in the u turn point gave me energy to pedal for the rest of the day. 

Struggling fresh legs

The 12 km lovely descent that I enjoyed during my onward journey was a serious buzz kill during my return. The sun was out and I was pedaling continuously till I reached Pennagaram town where the climb ends. I was sweating profusely because of the sudden effort after the rest. After an hour of riding I was able to catchup with Sundar who left the u-turn point early. We had our lunch in Dharmapuri around 1:30 pm at 330 kms with Sundar, Rajkumar & Pandian (both the Riders are from Vellore) and left the place by 1:55 pm.

Some change of plans

The next CP was at 420 kms which was 90 kms away from Dharmapuri. Starting from Dharmapuri my mind was all fixed to ride without a break till the next CP. 20kms before Salem I suggested Sundar taking a very short break before we can reach the next CP. His denial made me understand that he is determined to ride till the end without taking a break which I felt wouldn’t suit my style and I started to ride solo. 

Trial of obstacles

After 350 kms, for around 7 kms there was a nice descent which helped me to overtake buses and lorries in the highway with some minimal efforts. At the end I was able to feel a pricking pain on the outer side of my knee. I realised that my IT band was very strained (not sure why). My brakes weren’t working, and with every passing hour it was getting worse. After a point I had to use my legs to stop the bike which was aggravating my IT band pain.

At times things cannot go as planned

I managed to reach the CP at 420 kms by 6.10 pm where I wasn’t able to find the organisers. I also needed my secondary front light and my GoPro’s battery which was in my drop bag with the organiser. My plan was to change the light at the CP. I called the organiser, Prashanth who wasn’t answering my calls. I immediately called Mohanakrishnan, who is a co-organiser to inform him about my arrival, he suggested me to continue my ride and also told me that he’ll keep Prashanth informed about the light that I needed. 

Now my plan was to ride another 60 kms in 3 hours and take a break for dinner. I wanted to have covered 480 kms by 9 pm, so that I will have 120 kms to be completed in 11 hours which would be easy. By that time I could also get the light and battery from the organiser which can help me to ride the whole night without any problem. 

More change in plans

After an hour of riding I got a call from the organiser asking about my whereabouts to give me the light, I started to feel a bit relieved. The IT band pain was getting worse, so I stopped at a medical shop to buy a pain relief spray. Everytime I wanted to stop I had to use my legs which made my IT band pain worse because my brakes weren’t working. By 7:50 pm, I started feeling drowsy. I felt like taking a break for dinner and get some sleep, so decided to take a break by 8pm for dinner and take a short nap. I thought this would give the organiser enough time to come to the spot and give me the light, which never happened. I found a small shop at 470 kms around 8:10 pm, where nobody except me and the shop owner were there. Post dinner and I planned to take a short nap for a while there. 

Devil and a guardian angel

I had 2 parottas and an egg omlette just to fill my stomach. I was super tired and sleepy and just wanted to rest. It was the sleep I wanted more than the food I took. 

This was the conversation I had with the shop owner after dinner. 

Me to the shop owner: Can I sleep sitting for ten minutes here on the table?

He: Sir, there is a nice place outside the shop where you can sleep by even lying down flat.

Me: Where? (Puzzled and thinking that I didn’t see any such place in front of the shop)

He: Just outside.

Unwillingly I came out to check where the place is, and that man was showing me a small bus stop on the opposite side. Only then I realized that the man is heartlessly denying my request in a polite way. I was so disappointed by the way I was treated. Asked him if there is any petrol bunk nearby. He said there is one in 6-7 kms. I immediately left the place in search of that petrol bunk.

I was pedaling with so much sleep in my eyes and saw the ray of light from the bunk at 473 kms. I rushed into the petrol bunk and found a man sitting there. The time was 8:55pm and with a tired sleepy face I asked if I could sleep in there for sometime. He looked at me with so much compassion and told me “Please sir” & asked about the purpose of my ride. I explained. I felt secure seeing that man. I asked him to wake me up by 9:30pm. He acknowledged with a smile on his face. I slept in a few seconds and was immediately awoken (at least that’s how it felt for me). The time was 9:33pm. 

He said: Sir I had no heart to wake you up, I woke you up only because you wanted me to. Please continue your sleep for more some time. I explained to him that I can’t afford to sleep more because I will lose time.

Meeting such people in life makes even small moments so special. With a positive spirit, I left the bunk in ten mins after refreshing up.

Hardship to harder’ship

As I continued my ride in the next 7 kms I started to fall asleep again while riding itself, I now knew things are getting a lot tougher. I was not able to stop anywhere because it was too dark. With so much sleep in my eyes I was looking around for a place where I could just stand at least. I finally found a wedding hall which had good light because there was some event happening inside. This time I didn’t want to strain my legs more by stopping the bike with my leg so I took my bike towards a muddy area that I found there. Now I was just thinking of how to get rid of my sleep. I knew that I can’t lie down anywhere in that place so I just slept for few minutes standing. I splashed water on my face and some volini on my knee & neck area to keep my face muscles active. I felt a bit better and left the place. Now it was caffeine that I needed the most. I found a shop at 492 kms. 

I wanted to quit!

Yes, I wanted to quit. My brakes weren’t working, the IT band pain was killing me. The light was almost gone. My intuition was telling me that I’m gonna have a fall because of the failed brakes. I had my coffee and called Raja Partha, my brother & motivator. I told him about my plan to quit and all the problems I was facing. The first thing he told me was “You’re not a quitter” and he also said “You have 9 hours to complete 110 kms which is easy for you. Quitting is not an option for you, ride slow and easy, and you’re set”. His words motivated me and I decided to ride further. 

Pre-climax

With all the josh I just got, I was about to leave the shop. I had a strong gut feeling to check my route. Guess what? I was on the wrong route. I had missed the route 10kms before the coffee shop I was in. All the josh I had just oozed out. I immediately called up Raja Partha, told him that I had missed the route and rode 10 kms extra. He told me again “You don’t have the option of quitting, you got a lot of time find a route that connects to the actual route and just go now. And so I did. Google maps showed 12 kms as the shorter route to Nainarpalayam instead of going back to the point where I missed the deviation. I had missed a right when I was feeling very sleepy in front of the wedding hall. I had stopped there but hadn’t realized that I needed to check my route.

Climax – I thought

As I went through the route suggested by google maps it went near Chinna Salem Bus stand. Since it was raining I wasn’t able to check the route. There was a speed breaker for which I wasn’t able to slow down and thought I can manage to pass without slowing down but when I went nearby I saw a deep pothole just after the speed breaker. Hit the pothole hard, my bike slipped out of the pothole and hit the side of a carrier vehicle that came on the opposite side where he had slowed down for the speed breaker. I fell after hitting that vehicle. If it had been a head-on collision things would have gotten a lot worse.

I was lost!

After the fall, my mind was all haunted by thoughts. I started to feel dizzy, my ITB pain increased, I was mentally down but the biggest problem was that my bike was damaged. The left side handlebar hood was damaged and forks twisted. I lost the confidence to ride on. I called Raja Partha and told him that I’m quitting because of the fall and he felt sorry for me. Then I tried calling the organiser many times to help me with a support vehicle but I was unable to reach him. There was nobody around me too. I was lost and didn’t know what to do. I just sat down in that place for some time until I felt better. Then I tried straightening my fork, I somehow managed to fix it but the hood was bent & I wasn’t able to do anything to it. I just tried riding my bike again and it was in running condition. Now I decided to ride slowly to reach Nainarpalayam through which all the riders pass by and check for the route in the maps. It said 9 kms. I started to ride.

When things turned horrific

After 1 km from Chinna Salem bus stand, I entered a road where I was able to see only my light in the darkness (check the picture below). My heart started to beat faster. There was nothing on the side or in my front. I didn’t have the guts to even turn back while riding. The only sound i could hear was my tyre’s noise and my heartbeat. After a few minutes, I started to feel very insecure.

I thought keeping someone informed about this might make me feel better and I took my phone out while riding, shared my live location on WhatsApp to my sister Deepa Chaithanyan who was awake worrying about me after my fall. She was continuously sending me messages and was a huge support. That message notification tone itself made me feel secure. I was counting every milestone that said 7 then 6 then 5 then…. I didn’t find the rest. That suspense was now killing me. All my prayers were “No flat tyre or any mechanical problem till I reach a safe spot”.

Looking out for the ray of light

All that I was looking out for was a small ray of light. After some serious pedalling for 15 minutes, I saw a small light and I thought it was the light I was riding towards to but after few seconds it vanished, only then I realised it was a firefly. I cried out almost. Took out my phone and checked the route if I was on the right path, thankfully I didn’t miss the route and the google maps said 2 more kms. There came some relief and I reached Nainarpalayam around 12:25 am. I immediately called Deepa and thanked her for being there.

Happiness is seeing people

There was an open bakery and I was standing outside the bakery where there were many people. There was a blinking red light next to the bakery, for my surprise it was Lakshmiganth taking rest there. With joy, I went near him and spoke to him, narrated all that happened to me. He was so keen on securing me. He tried getting me a pick-up vehicle which could carry me and my cycle to the finishing point, but since it was too late in the night we were not able to find one. So I decided to sleep in a petrol bunk until dawn and then reach out for help from the organiser. I told Lakshmi the same & enquired about the upcoming petrol bunk. We were told that there is a bunk in the next 500 meters. I said Lakshmi that I will go to the bunk to sleep and insisted him to go on with his ride. Meeting him was such a relief for me.

Expect the unexpected

As I rode and went near the bunk, I was able to see that the bunk was closed. Now I was confused if I should go back to the bakery or ride further towards the highway to find a petrol bunk on my way. I chose the second option and rode slowly towards Veppur. Google said that there was a bunk in next 7-8 kms, I felt I had no other option. My ITB pain kept on increasing with every passing second. After some time I saw some blinking lights on my route and realised there are three riders on the side of the road. On one hand I was happy seeing people and on the other I was worried about what the problem was for them. It was again Lakshmi and the riders from Vellore (Rajkumar and Pandian) with whom I had my lunch.

More rest

Lakshmi and I left the Vellore riders and started to search for a place to rest. It was around 1:45 am, after few kms we found a small bus stop kind of a place to sleep. Lakshmi wanted me to wake him up in 30 minutes. I set an alarm for 2:15 am. By 2:05 am I got a call and my caller ID showed, “Deepa Akka” I answered the call. “Live location ended and I see you in the same place for a long time, what happened?” She asked worriedly. I said “I was sleeping and gonna continue my ride till the next petrol bunk” and requested her to go to sleep.

Oh Yes, finally I saw an open petrol bunk!

I finally found a bunk around 2 am, I rushed into the bunk with all excitement to sleep. I parked my bike and saw no around me, after a few minutes of observing closely I saw 4 men sleeping. Now came a new problem. There were 3 stray dogs in the bunk which started to bark at me. They barked if I made even a small move. So I tried to stay still without any movement like a statue but the barking was constant. I waited for 10 minutes for them to stop but that never happened so I gave up and left the place.

Hunt for a petrol bunk never ended!

I rode for another few kms and saw a small town where a bakery was open. Again the same blinking red lights in front of the bakery. It was Lakshmi with two other riders (Surya & Vinoth). They were about to leave and I joined them. By now the Vellore riders also joined us after fixing the pedal crank after a big struggle. It was now a team of 6. As I was drafting the riders my mind was telling me that I can finish the ride if I ride with them throughout till the end, but now again my heart said no. My knee shouted a big no. My knee pain increased and then slowed down to a comfortable pace. Lakshmi was with me till we reached the highway junction in Veppur. The moment I reached Veppur my bike’s front tyre got flat. I felt so lucky when the tyre got flat after reaching a safe spot.

How things ended!

I said good bye to Lakshmi, telling him that I would sleep in the petrol bunk nearby. I went into a bakery there and grabbed a cup of coffee. After having my coffee I was confused if I should fix my flat tyre and go to the bunk or should I go to the bunk with the puncture. I decided to ride with the flat tyre to the bunk which was just 500 meters away from the place I was. As I crossed the road to reach the petrol bunk, I saw many share autos parked in a line in front of me. My mind said why not give a try to go back to Trichy. I went to an auto driver, explained to him about my fall and asked him if he can arrange me a pick-up vehicle to go to Trichy which is 90 kms away. He said he can drive me to Trichy and then I reached Trichy around 5:45 am on Monday.

Conclusion

I chose to quit not because I lost energy but because I followed my gut feeling. I had to believe my instincts and so did I. I didn’t have any regrets after I quit. It has made me stronger. Every ride that I have done till date has taught me something but this ride has given me more.

Some of them are:

• Importance of proper bike service or bike check before the big events.
• The importance of a waterproof GPS device.
• It’s okay to lose few minutes to wait and check the route rather than losing hours by not checking the route and missing it.
• How physical fitness is important to keep you safe from injuries.
• How a steady comfortable pace builds up the time remaining.
• What is really needed to ride solo.
• Always keep yourself equipped with the necessary items instead of keeping it in a drop bag.

Every situation in life teaches us something, we need to always take that to heart. Rather than sitting back and cribbing & should always wait for the right moment to fight back. Looking forward to this ride next time to finish it stronger.