Great Malnad Challenge - Day0

Finally, it was friday 26th October, the day we have been waiting for with mixed emotions. I was eagerly looking forward to the event, pretty excited, but not without my own apprehensions and skepticism.  We four, me, my colleague Jabeen, her sister Tabu and our friend Senthilvadivu (SV) had decided to leave Bangalore around noon, to reach Chikamagalur well ahead of reporting time (8 PM). I had planned and ensured that no last mail/last meeting etc., is carried forward to Friday morning (unusual me!).

After packing my daughter off to school, went to the near-by temple & then visited my parents before I packed off.  It was a good feeling, although my husband would have had different views about it. He would have teased me for counting on blessings wherein some warm-ups/air-squats could have helped/need of the hour (his view). He was in some sense right as almost the whole of last week I couldn’t do any stretches/air-squats etc., but doesn’t matter, feeling good/blessed is more important 😊. It took almost 3 hours to exit Bangalore after picking up all 4, and another 3 hours to reach Chikmagalur by 7 pm.

Great Malanad Challenge (GMC) 2018 is the annual cycling event we had registered for, to cycle in and around Malanad in Karnataka (western ghats), for 7 days covering approximately 600 kms in the hilly terrain.

SV had participated in the GMC 2014 edition and is accompanying us for the 2nd time, whereas the rest are amateur cyclists. SV’s statement during our first chat on GMC was ‘All of us can complete the GMC event but if we practice, we can also enjoy the ride and so let us practice and enjoy there’ was assuring enough to attempt. SV knew me/my stamina and has done GMC earlier and so I just trusted her. I wouldn’t have attempted GMC if her husband Opendro had completed it. He is in a different league (first Indian to complete trans-am).

We had squeezed in practices for 3 months leading to the event, from August to October. During the weekends, we had done roughly 500 kms, in and around Bangalore, predominantly flat terrain.  We had been sincere in our practice rides, meeting at least every alternate weekend to go on long rides, starting with 35kms then gradually going up to 80 kms. Once comfortable with long distance rides in flat terrain we attempted ascends, Nandi hills.

My first Nandi ascent was terrible, I doubted if I can attempt GMC at all. GMC had also organized a practice ride on the same day and Santosh (GMC organizer) was fully motivating, mentoring and suggesting techniques that I still rely on. We attempted Nandi twice after that, the last one with Opendro and finally got the confidence to register for GMC.

Okay, now that we are here, let us face it. We had been forewarned to be prepared for minimal comforts and facilities during the event, with simple accommodation and local food. So, it was a pleasant surprise when we reached the reporting point, to be in a pretty good hotel. We collected our BIBs, goodie bags, and checked into our rooms. Our cycles had been transported from Bangalore by GMC, we verified if ours were in good shape after the transportation. Sunil one of GMC mentor cyclists commented that my bike didn’t have suspensions and so will be little difficult in off-roads. I was an amateur, never knew cycling parts/details etc., I just relied on Opendro’s recommendation before I bought my Montra Helicon hybrid cycle but, back then I was only a city rider. Whatever it might be I was ready for THE DAY and if it was so essential Opendro would have asked to change the bike. Jabeen and Tabu were also having basic MTBs, in fact their kids bike. We eagerly pasted the GMC stickers in our bikes and were proud about it that our bikes had a GMC tag, just like Opendro’s Trans-am bike had 😊.

Once we checked into our rooms, I realized that there was nothing to do!  No kitchen work, no household work, no official calls to take, no kid to manage, no sight-seeing to be planned for!  It is a very long time since I had the time all for myself. I am here because I love cycling, when I cycle I feel like I am back to my childhood days, my best phase 😊. I cycle to work (just 2 KMs) and wanted to be close to nature riding my bike. And I relied much of my trust on the experience that SV brings from her previous event.

Before dinner, we gathered for the first briefing, with anxiety. Just a week before the event SV mentioned that the first 2 days will be testing/exerting trail even for expert MTB bikers and hence I was little apprehensive. Santosh informed that the first day ride was cut short to 55 kms, from the originally planned 109 kms, as they could not get the necessary permission from the reserved forest authorities.  He informed interested riders can do an optional ride to Mullayangiri peak, the tallest peak in Karnataka. We (family and friends) had trekked Mullayangiri earlier and so I knew it was not an easy one. Fully geared up and enthusiastic Jabeen told we will do Mullayangiri too. I was skeptical, SV didn’t react anything first, that’s SV!, neither de-motivates nor gives false motivations. I replied Jabeen it is a tough ascend, SV added “we can attempt it, completing how much ever we can.”

Next morning flag-off was scheduled for 7AM, instead of 6AM as in the previous years. The shift in timings was apparently based on the feedback received by the organizers, to give enough time for morning routine and nature’s call in the beginning of the day. But that also meant less time to cover the day’s distance, as it was not recommended to ride beyond 6PM.

Post dinner we had a good chit-chat, tried out our new Jerseys and T-shirts, and hit the bed early. Nishaw the fifth women rider was arriving late from Bangalore, in fact she took an office (US project) call post her check-in, must be very tough on her. We had met her during our Nandi practice ride, she was a classical dancer and this was her first time at GMC. Our first target next day was to finish our morning ablutions before the ride, all these matter 😊.