Last Saturday, 29 people embarked on a 600-km brevet ride to test their endurance.
The ride was flagged off by the Hyderabad Randonneurs from St Martin’s Engineering College, Dulapally at 4 pm. The riders had 40 hours to complete the ride and had to report to the same venue on Monday morning at 8 am.
Only 12 out of the 29 managed to complete the ride, which was the last race of the Randonneur season.
The route was difficult and Sunday’s rains made it harder. Adalat Ali, a 61-year-old rider who successfully completed the race, said, “It was hot and humid on Saturday and Sunday morning. The rain made it difficult to ride as the route from Siddhipet to Medak is difficult, the roads are not smooth and the rain made it difficult to see the potholes.”
On what motivated them to take up such a difficult ride, most of them said it was their love for cycling. P.V. Sivaraman, a 51-year-old Army man who completed the ride, said, “I have been cycling for the past two years and have participated in 300-km and 400-km brevets. This was the fist time I participated in the 600-km brevet and it was fulfilling.” The route got difficult as the riders had to complete the journey through a reserve forest. Mohan Subramanyam said, “Almost 150-km was through a reserve forest. There were no shops where one could get food or water. We had to make do with whatever we were carrying such as juices and ORS.
“There were several checkpoints but they were far in between... There was hardly any help available if your cycle had problems. we had to fix it ourselves. Riding in the night without sleep was a challenge too,” adds Sivaraman.
Completing the race gave these randonneurs a different high. “This is my second 600-km brevet and I must say it has been the toughest. But I am happy that I managed to complete it. The volunteers were very helpful and the other riders made the journey enjoyable,” said Mohan, who had come all the way from Bengaluru to participate in the ride. “Will power is necessary to complete such a ride,” adds Adalat Ali.
