Bangalore to Mysore on a cycle: Lessons learnt & overall experience

If someone had asked me 6 months back whether I was game for a 150 km ride, my response would have been “not even in my dreams”.

BHPian arun_josie recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

An eventful Bangalore – Mysore ride (154 Kms)

After my 100 Kms ride, I did a few short rides and was looking forward to doing another 100Km+ ride. That’s when I came across this cycle ride organized by Cycle World. This ride was a one-way ride to Mysore and the organizers will ship the cycle back to Bangalore. Also, the organizers promised technical support along the ride. I have not done this route (via Kanakapura road) and it is neither an easy nor a tough one. So, I thought this would be perfect for my fitness level with the right amount of challenge in it to keep it interesting.

Preparation for the Ride:

Since this ride was 150Kms+, it required more preparation. I was overthinking the preparation. Getting the cycle checked, deciding on what to carry, getting additional accessories etc. The list was becoming endless. So, at one point I stopped thinking too much and just went back to the basics.

Here are some prep I did:

• Washed the cycle, degreased and lubed the chain one day before the ride.
• Got the lights charged.
• Spare tube and puncture kit in place.
• Mini inflator.
• I had doubts about my tyres as there were some minor cracks. But my service guy gave the go-ahead. But I was still in doubt and eventually, I went ahead with the same tyres. (This would come back to bite me in my behind later.)
• Got a head cover to place it inside the helmet to avoid sweat dripping on my face while riding.
• Got an arm cover and neck cover for protection from sunlight.
• Carried hydration powder, ORS, energy bars, snickers etc
• A set of dresses for the return. (I carried this in a small backpack)

Start of the Ride:

The reporting time at the start point was 4:30 AM (@ Cycle World, Bannerghatta Road). Normally I don’t get sleep before the drives, but now that has spread to cycling too. The main worry before the ride was the rain. It rained till 2:00 am and I was not sure about what to do if it rains or drizzles continuously as I was not prepared for a rainy ride. Thankfully the rain stopped before the ride.

I did some warmup before the start and was all set for the ride. It was super cold and by the time I reached the start point, a few cyclists had already reached there. I have never been on such a group ride, nor I know anyone in this group. So, I introduced myself and we had a casual discussion before the ride. Also, with all the enthusiasm before the ride, I forgot to bring the gloves. Thankfully this start point is closer to my home so my wife could bring it to me in quick time.

All set for the ride

The ride started at 5:00 AM. The route was via Bannerghatta road - Anjanapura road to connect @ Kanakapura road.

The next scheduled stop was near Kagalipura which is 20Kms from the start point. The climate was super cold and was perfect for the ride.

Tyre Cut/Puncture @ the 10Km mark:

It was a disastrous start for me as by the 10Km mark I felt a drop in air pressure in the rear tyre. With a worried mind, I stopped and checked the tyre and yes it was a puncture. I immediately called the support team and they arrived in 10mins. One of my co-riders whom I met for the first time also stopped and waited along with me. I suggested him to go ahead but he was ok to stay as it was still dark and I didn’t have any other riders with me. It was a very kind gesture from him, especially when have never met before.

The support team arrived and checked for the puncture and noticed that it was a tyre cut + puncture. As per their technician, since it is a tyre cut, replacing the tube will not help and if we still replace the tube, puncture can reoccur again in no time. They didn’t have a spare tyre of this size. So, the option to replace the tube and proceed ahead looked very bleak.

However, since I was looking forward to this ride a lot, I didn’t want to retire from the ride so early. They understood my intention and decided to replace the tube but with less air pressure. The recommended tyre pressure for this tyre is 75psi, but keeping this pressure means the tube will protrude through the cut in the tyre. So, we tried to keep the tyre pressure around 45 psi. This was too low and was going to make the ride more difficult. And I will have to be extra cautious on the bad roads.

Here is the pic of the tyre cut taken after the ride. The tyre got damaged further due to this ride with very low air pressure, I have decided to replace both tyres.

I decided to take this challenge and test it till the breakfast point. By the time we restarted, we had lost 30 minutes. After the restart, we came across some very bad stretches right away. I was very cautious and tried to shift my weight to the front by standing on the pedals and leaning forward. This worked fine till the breakfast point which was 25 Kms from the puncture point. However, this lower air pressure was affecting my ride on the inclines as I had to put in more effort.

Breakfast:

We had some nice delicious thatte idli for breakfast. After breakfast, it was decision-making time again on whether to continue or end the ride there and return home. This was a tricky situation. If I decide to proceed and get a puncture again then returning home will be a big task. But whatever it was, I stayed very positive and decided to take the risk and proceed.

Delicious thatte idli

Me all set to resume the ride

Post Breakfast / Cramps episode:

Till Kanakapura, there were a lot of diversions with some bad stretches. So, I was very cautious. After crossing Kanakapura, the road was good. I was able to cover the next 35 Kms at a good pace. After this, the sun was out and I started feeling the heat. At around the 75Km mark, I started getting cramps. I tried having water, ORS, and tender coconut but I still couldn’t relieve the cramps. I was stopping for 5-10 minutes for every cramp episode before proceeding. But the cramps were happening at every 8-10 Kms. This slowed down my ride. The sun was getting hotter and I could see no improvements in the situation.

When we stopped for tender coconut

A random stop

It was lunch time but me and my friend were not hungry. We stopped for tender coconut, fruit juice etc to relieve the cramps with no success. At around 120Km mark and with another 30 Kms to go, I decided to give up. But my companion for this ride encouraged me to get this ride done. While we were discussing this, the support vehicle saw us on the roadside and asked if we needed any help. I explained my situation and initially, they were ok to take me in their vehicle but then they remembered the puncture episode and my intention then to complete this ride. So, they wanted me to continue as well. They asked me to call them If I am still not able to ride.

I took a good break this time and called my personal trainer to check if any workouts/stretches can help this situation. He asked to drink one full bottle of electrolytes + water. I tried this earlier but it was just a few sips. After drinking almost one full bottle of electrolyte + water, I felt much better. This gave me the confidence to push ahead and proceed with the ride.

One more stop for hydration

With my ride companion

We restarted the ride again and this time I was able to ride at a good pace. The cramps didn’t reoccur anymore. The next 20 Kms was tough as it was a continuous gradual incline plus it was extremely hot. The rear tyre was making me sweat more on this incline. We took a few more breaks and reached our destination by 3:30 PM. Overall it took 10 hours and 30 minutes (including the puncture episode and all the stops). If not for the puncture, riding with low air pressure and cramps episode, I could have finished this ride an hour earlier or maybe in 9 hours.

Moving time was 7 hours and 54 minutes. At the end of the ride, the rear tyre pressure was at 35psi.

It was time to hand over the cycle and then proceed to the bus stand to catch the 4:30 PM Volvo bus.

At the finish point

The total ride data

The elevation map

Lessons learnt:

• If the plan is to ride very long distances during the day, then it would be better to practice some rides in the afternoon sun and get used to it. Otherwise, the conditions will feel very challenging.
• Don’t try too many “firsts” during such rides. Ex: I tried this head cover for the first time and it was not very comfortable initially. Same with the backpack, I was riding with a backpack for the first time and it was not comfortable during the second part of the ride.
• If any parts of the cycle are closer to replacement, then replace them without fail before the ride rather than taking a risk
• Better to have a hydration bag so that there is no need to stop for water.
• Maybe it's good to have a backup tyre as well, especially when there is a support vehicle as we can put the backup tyre in the support vehicle.
• The smartwatch died before the end. So, maybe it's good to carry a power-bank
• Need to be prepared for rain.

Conclusion:

Overall, this ride was a very nice experience and it showed me how far I have travelled on my fitness journey. If someone had asked me 6 months back whether I was game for a 150 Kms ride, my response would have been “not even in my dreams”. A big salute to my recharged riders friends who keep motivating each other to test our limits. And then a big thanks to my trainer (bhpian mohankv) for taking care of my fitness and improving my endurance level despite my limitations (I have back issues). Also, the recovery period after the ride was quick.

A big thanks to my companion for this ride, Saravanan. I met him for the first time at this event and despite the puncture delay, he hung around with me and motivated me at the end to finish the ride when I wasn’t sure I could do it.

This 150Km ride is an achievement for me, now looking forward to a few more short rides before levelling up.

It was also good to meet some new faces in the cycling world and expand the network. This group had a bunch of people starting from newbies to very experienced ones. When I had stopped for cramps, a few stopped by to check on me and extended their hand to help, it was so kind of them. Last but not the least, Cycle World did an excellent job in organizing this event successfully.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.