With Heart ailments being the No 1 killer in Asia today, CRX Sports on Sunday, Sep 30 organized a 45 Km Reaxion Ride from Chennai to Mahabalipuram to celebrate World Heart Day. Close to 150 people participated in the ride with majority of them being youngsters. CRX Reaxion Ride organizes a monthly ride (on a Sunday) from Tiruvanmiyur to Mahabalipuram but this ride was special to me since it was World Heart Day and cause was close to my heart.
To Chennai youth hydrating means drinking beer
One big complain every passionate Chennaite has to put up with a kolaveri is humidity and hot weather apart from Chennai being blamed for being a conservative city. And a friend of mine who is from Chennai recently moved back from the US swore the city’s conservative seal was not true anymore. On the morning of September 30 at 4.30 am I realized she was right.
I infiltrated the young crowd of young men and women that morning to catch their whispers. There was a guy who was already sweating and talking about the need to hydrate himself. I was so happy to hear the right things in the morning, but before that could transform into a smile on my face, his buddy responded that he was carrying a few bottles of beer to hydrate during the ride. My jaw dropped, the conservative image of Chennai vanished and propelled me towards the front of the rally and then there was no looking back.
The rally flagged off at 5.08 am
The full-moon from the previous night was still big and bright; temperature was in the mid twenties and humidity about 60%, seemed ideal for the ride. After a 30 min delay, we began pedaling at 5.08 am from behind Tiruvanmiyur bus station on East Coast Road (ECR) towards Mahabalipuram. The tea shops along the road side were already open and were playing devotional hymns loud enough to wake-up the slumbering Chennaiites.
Playing by the rules
I remember the two last instructions that were given before the rally began – one, to stay on the left side of the road and second, look over the right shoulder before shifting lanes. While most of us thought we had to worry about vehicle traffic at ECR, but soon we were more concerned about the herd of cows walking into the rally and stray dogs chasing the rally. But then I was reminded of the article in The Hindu that talked about the 20,000 rabies related deaths in India and 55,000 deaths world-wide. Instead of worrying about the cows and dogs, I decided to keep my focus on the pilot car ahead of me.
Reaching the half-way point
I crossed VPG Resort, Prarthana drive-in theatre, and finally reached the half-way point in about 45 minutes. Though they oraganizers has set-up four pit stops each 10kms apart, I didn’t feel too sweaty or thirsty, and it was close to sunrise, but nevertheless I decided to signal and stop the pilot car for some water. And to my surprise the woman who was driving the car caught me signaling in the rear-view mirror and stopped the car. I turned around for the time to catch a glimpse of the other cyclists, but I could see none around. I didn’t want to lose the lead I had gained (though the terrain was flat along the Bay of Bengal) so; I quickly grabbed the bottle of water and kept pedaling. Periodically I pulled out my iPhone and turned on Google maps to capture my coordinates and my position wrt to the finish line.
When the unthinkable happens and I make a new friend
What is life without an unexpected stall, a thrill, and a lost feeling? The cycle chain slipped off the gear and got into an uncomfortable groove, and I jump off the cycle, parked on the curb and started to look for a small stick in the bush nearby. After a few minutes I saw a bunch of cyclists whizz past me, but none bothered to even look at me. I helplessly stood on the highway, but very soon an angel in a MTB bike arrived. With no tools on me, I confessed I needed help to get back the chain on the gear. While I held his bicycle, he got the chain back in less than 60 seconds and every soon I had a companion for the rest of the ride. When life offers lemons, one must use the opportunity to make lemonade.
The head wind and some stories
The numbers on the milestone turned into single digit and the headwind also set-in and reduced our speed considerably. Looking at the gadget, Tirath, my new buddy announced that we were close to 21 kms/hour, a slight drop from 25 kms/hour. While we were catching up with the guys who raced ahead of us, he brought me to speed on the bikes I should look at before I make up my mind on Schwinn Searcher and advised me to go on Choosemybicycle portal. He also brought me upto to speed on various cycling groups in Chennai (Tamil Nadu Cycling Club, Chennai Cycling Club, and others) and he also waved at a few of them belonging to these groups and who were on their journey back from Mahabalipuram. With less than 5 kms to the finish line, we took it slow and we also knew we would be the first ones. And finally it few minutes past seven when our cycles rolled into the GRT Resort at Mahabalipuram, the finish point.
It is a journey and never about the destination
I looked back at the milestone that read 56 Kms to Chennai, with pride and nothing to prove. I was reminded of July 2011 and today everything was behind me; the pain and recovery. In July this year I tested my heart, though there was no 1-year guaranteed offered despite 2.2 Lakhs spent on fixing it, cycling 55+ kms in a single day in Loire River Valley and then a month later covering 75+ miles at Acadia National Park, along Atlantic Ocean and now in my hometown cycling 45+ miles along the East coast on the shores of Bay of Bengal. Without the support of my mother and friends (who are mostly faraway) this would not be possible. And on this trip to Mahabs, I added two buddies to that list, Hari and Tirath.
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