A ADVENTURE CYCLE TRIP DONE BY RAGHU AND OTHER GUYS AND ALSO GALS MORE THAN 50 CYCLIST IN ALL


RAGHU COULD PARTICIPATE IN IT FOR 31/2 DAYS DOING MORE THAN 500 KMS

PRERNA WENT ALONG WITH HIM IN THE CAR, SO THAT HE CAN GET BACK IN TIME FOR HIS AUSTRIA—VIENNA TRIP

PRERNAS IMPRESSIONS
I still can’t believe that I was a witness to something so incredible!!
It was absolutely amazing to see 25-40 odd people, most of them beating their own record each day
For Raghu
He had only done about 80-120 kms to Nandi hills and this was his first big trip (almost 150 kms for 3 Full days)
Despite only limited practice he was one of the first few to finish the trip each of the days, this was probably due to his previous cycling experiencesI went to pick up Raghu’s bike on Wednesday(31st Dec) from Cubbon park. The cyclists were back after finishing 919 km. They were all dirty and dusty, but what could be seen was the tremendous amount of joy and energy in the air




IMPRESSIONS OF PRERNA
Men of Steel ? 
 
I still can’t believe that I was a witness to something so incredible!!

It was outstanding and if I were to describe the event it would kill the feeling that I experienced, but  I will try.  
It was a fairly simple itinerary - Bangalore –Mysore- Madekeri- Sulthanbattery – Ooty-Mysore- Bangalore (although we went till Ooty and came back in the car on the 28th of Dec)  
It was absolutely amazing to see 25-40 odd people, most of them beating their own record each day. For a lot of them it was the first time that they saw themselves do the amount of cycling that they did and not one day , day on day.
I am not sure what is it that was on playing on their minds when they were riding! Some were trying to look for answers, others doing just another routine, and some others wanting to test their limits.

Another thing I noticed was how most of these people seemed fairly successful in life, by successful I mean the conventional way we define success( a good degree and a good corporate job, after all how many people can afford bikes that cost anywhere between 40 thousand to more than a lakh)     
Well for me- I just wanted a break and the whole unpredictability of the trip, almost forced me to have no expectations, which I guess made it fun. And then there was the thrill of me driving alone/by my self (Bangalore to Mysore I was completely on my own, some other bloggers joined me though, but they were strangers to me at the start of the journey and now good friends) 
For Raghu I think it was
The fact that he could actually participate (with his Austria trip lined up)
He had only done about 80-120 kms to Nandi hills and this was his first big trip (almost 150 kms for 3 Full days)
Despite only limited practice he was one of the first few to finish the trip each of the days, this was probably due to his previous cycling experiences
Luckily, for these 3 days he did not  have any injuries and was fit and fine
 
Highlights of the trip-
The fact that several guys had their tire punctured not once but thrice in some god forsaken place. This was not surprising but what was surprising the fact that they seemed unperturbed by the incident.
Mr Joshi, a 47 old man had a bad fall, where he broke almost 3 teeth and had a wrist fracture.. bounced back in spirit in no time(although physically it was a challenge)
I  often saw Sharad ,26 year old , stopping in the middle of nowhere(I saw in a jungle) meditating
The drive starting from Wayanad to Ooty was splendid, despite the steep climb, none of the cyclists felt the pressure, thanks to the beautiful tea estate hills 
Cyclists volunteering to help each other out was not uncommon- this means breaking your own rhythm
The cycling SPIRIT!! in general
Most of these people were above 30 years old
 
I went to pick up Raghu’s bike on Wednesday(31st Dec) from Cubbon park. The cyclists were back after finishing 919 km. They were all dirty and dusty, but what could be seen was the tremendous amount of joy and energy in the air. Many of them were surrounded by the TV crew/journalists busy giving interviews. 
I heard one of the cyclists say at the end of the race “I have lost all my respect for distances” 
These are going to be our local heroes for a while!!