First century ride - 19 Feb '21

26 January 2021… it must have been my second group ride. I met Nitin Pathak sir again that day. I had met him on the 1^st January ride but for a brief period of time. While we were departing for our respective homes, he asked me to join him for a ride.

“At what time do you go for the ride?”

“6:30.”

“Join me tomorrow. Instead of 6:30, get up a bit earlier, and let us begin at 6.”

I agreed and the next morning, we went on a ride. We were four and while returning, we stopped at this roadside dhaba for a delicious breakfast of poha and tea. While we were generally discussing long rides, I said that the presence of professionals in the group would inspire the group to do more. That instant Pathak sir responded, “We can very well do all these things by ourselves. It is not at all difficult. Let us ride a 100 KM distance. What say?”

The idea was thrilling. For me, it would mean my first ever 100 km ride. I suggested Pathak sir that we should go in February considering that all of us were going to ride 50 KM on 31^st January. We finalised a date and a few days before the ride, I put a message on the group. The more, the merrier. Around 7 to 8 people showed interest to join us for the 100 KM ride but the previous evening, it rained a little. I was still firm on my plan to ride. Another rider, Ashwin, was like… “After a long time, I am getting a chance to go for a long ride. I want to go even if it rains.” Some riders called me to consider going for the ride looking at the weather. Having left with no option, I called Pathak Sir to confirm the ride. He was like: Nothing doing. We are going as planned. I have ridden for so many years. I tell you that it won’t rain and if it does, we’ll come back halfway but cancelling is not an option.” Another experienced cyclist, Muley kaka, called me wishing me luck for my first 100 km ride. He said: I know you will successfully complete it but at any point, if you feel like you can’t do it, stop and return. Do not be stubborn about completing the ride. You will get many chances further. You can be happy about the fact that you tried and covered a lot more distance than you have ever done. Best wishes!

The next morning as decided, we met at 5:30 AM. Only four of us showed up: Pathak Sir, Aditya Walke, Ashwin Kadekar, and I. We started our ride. The air was cool and the weather was perfect. A few kilometres into the ride and Ashwin, the speedster, said that he wanted to go ahead. He said that he would wait for us ahead. The three of us rode chitchatting and munching those miles. We went through Pandhari Pool Ghat and it being the descent, it was fun. Ashwin had stopped for us near Shani Shingnapur entrance (around 35km from the starting point). We took a short break, quenched our thirst, and started ahead. We stopped again after 10 km, had tea and biscuits, and continued our ride. After reaching around 55 km one way, we took a U-turn. Done with half the distance. One thing about cycling is that if you have covered half the distance, there is no other option. You have to go home. You have to ride the remaining half. So, how can you not finish the target?

At 60 km, we decided to take a breakfast break. If you don’t eat properly during a ride, it becomes draining, and continuing even for a few kilometres becomes a task. The body starts sucking energy from the inside. We ate a tasty breakfast of medu wada – sambar – chutney. We had a task: to climb the Pandhari Pool Ghat. As I mentioned before, the descent is fun but the ascent… well, had to tackle it. Pathak sir told us to wait just before the ghat started and then pedal through it. I had climbed the ghat on 1^st January but had halted 4 times during the 1.6 km climb. I wanted to do it in a better way. Pathak sir said: come what may DO NOT stop pedalling during the climb. It is okay if you take all the time in the world to climb the ghat but DO NOT stop. Put your cycle on the lowest gear. An ant’s pace will do. We will wait for you.

This was enough motivation for me and I actually did it. I climbed the ghat non-stop. The feeling of victory surged through me. I had outdone myself. I had surprised myself and new confidence became a part of my mind. Of course, I have climbed the ghat quite a few times after that and it is no big deal now.

After climbing the ghat, we stopped and decided to go non-stop: the last 20 km to reach home. We were doing alright. Now, just realise that everything, especially fitness, is a mind game. When I reached Hanuman Mandir at Dhangarwadi, my phone screen came to life and the tracking app showed 100 km. Yes! I had done it… but the moment I saw the number 100, all energy suddenly drained away from my body. My home was 12 km further from that point and it was an everyday route. Yet, I found it extremely difficult to pedal. I fell behind the others. I just couldn’t figure out what happened. I couldn’t catch up with others and yet, the irony was that this patch was my everyday route. I pedalled hard but felt that I had no energy left. I doubted if I could even go 1 kilometre ahead. I kept pedalling and after what seemed like an eternity, reached the point where Ashwin was waiting for me. We bid goodbye. He went towards his home and me towards mine. Further, I saw Pathak sir and Aditya waiting for me. I appreciate their patience because it took a long time for me to reach that point. I stopped. I was scared beyond words because how much ever I tried to speak, I couldn’t manage to get a single sound out of my mouth. Pathak sir calmed me down. Said that I was tired. He gave me water to drink. After around five to seven minutes, I could finally speak and felt relieved. He told me that after reaching home, I had to sit for some time, take a bath, eat and sleep. I did as he told me. I slept like a log for three to four hours and at night, dozed off at 10 PM itself, and woke up at around 7 AM the next day.

After that ride, I have done 5 more century rides and I never faced such a situation again. The first time is the hardest and after that, you know what to expect and how to accomplish it. Once you break that mental block, there is nothing else to it that will become an obstruction.

19^th Feb 2021, first century-ride. Mission accomplished and have to mention this. Couldn’t have done it without the huge support of Pathak sir, Aditya, and Ashwin. Your companions matter the most. They are the deciding factor on whether you will do something or not and I am fortunate to have been blessed with such ride partners.

And hey you! Thanks for being here. Means a lot. If you liked reading this, do share it with others, comment your thoughts on it and help share the optimism.