Me and my friends read about it last year just a week before the race. Jingesh dismissed the idea of going for it without practice and that, one week was too short a span for practicing and getting accustomed.So dropped it then. This year we had enough time.We included three of us - me, Jignesh and Narendra. Jignesh being a regular sports person was better prepared.I had doubts about Naren and myself as he wasn't a sports person and mostly had a sedentary lifestyle like all the software guys and i had not touched cycle for years. We started planning a month before.
Purchasing cycle was the first step.Then, Scheduled a practice (regime) considering the distance of 150km in the actual race(80 km by cycling and rest was trekking etc.)We covered a total distance of 60-70km during our practice sessions by cycle through the city.Our practice sessions used to be fun coz we used to end up having a grand lunch outside or having eggs (a favorite) or having a nice break in the university of pune gardens. We even treated ourselves with a movie (Ishqiya) post one of our practice sessions. The practice sessions added the last ingredient required to make the final race a much awaited event.A week before the trek, we were busy getting the requirements that were mandated by the organizers. Most of the time went in deciding the food we must take. The excitement and self sympathy made us choose food that we loved.:D Final list was to carry 9 big bars of snicker, 9 eggs, methi parathas, boiled chana with jaggery, and some dry fruits. A day before, the excitement was so high that our productivity at work had gone down to unacceptable levels, yet we dint bother much as this was not a regular affair. We had maintained and excel of what things needed to be carried, schedule etc. In all we considered ourselves to be a good position to compete against teams at least in the IT category.
Beginning of the adventure
The race was to start at 9 but we were supposed to assemble by 7 at the COEP grounds. So all three of us had packed our bags 2 days in advance.The bags had become heave on the day of the race -most of the which was due to water.We reached the spot right at 7, well prepared with all required items.Collected our ponchos, i cards and chocolate and were busy observing people and their preparations. Some people had the professional high end, light weight Firefox cycles. We realized our baggage was a bit more than the others. We dint bother as we had decided to put our bags on the carriers. With lots of apprehension, questions & excitement, the race started with lots of flag off music, drums and people standing and cheering all the teams. No sooner did we start and left the COEP playground,than my heavy bag had starting slipping from the carriage. Little did we know that this problem of bag was going to be there thorough out the race. But since we had practiced with our bags on the carrier, we continued to adjust and readjust through out. No sooner did we reach near NDA , than the tough part of the race had begun. Dirt road was what they called it, but was full of sand. Sand that let your tyres yield, that did not allow us to wholly direct our cycles the way we wanted, the sand that consumed maximum of our energy. And one stretch we had to pull the cycles through that unsupportive sand. A lot of energy went in that. Naren helped me pull the bike through as my strength was wearing off owing to the heat, the weight of the cycle and the bag, the inclination and no shade. We some how made it to the second checkpoint. We halted in between to have some eggs as we had started off only with a light breakfast at about 6 am and it was already 11 am.We were at the sixth position at this checkpoint and quite happy that we were still having enough energy.We carried on with the same pace.
Through NDA
The NDA campus was absolutely awesome with neat and clean roads, the silence, the fit and handsome army officers running, practicing, instructing, the clean lawns , and the discipline all over was infectious. We were climbing one of the up hill roads within the campus that, we fell short of luck. One of our cycles' handle screw threads had rubbed off and the cycle was not controllable.We tried to repair it ourselves with the toolkit we had but the threads would not take shape. We decided to get it repaired. We were going to go backwards to get it repaired when one of the organizers patrolling , suggested that we might get a shop or 2 in the village ahead. So we continued ahead and at the village instead of taking a turn towards the next checkpoint we went searching for a shop. We had lost 1/2 n hour already in trying to repair by our selves and then lost more time in searching for the shop and then getting it repaired. But without repairing it there would be no hope to even catchup. After a lot of wild goose chase for a shop we found it! We got all cycles repaired and tested and even our water bottles filled.
The Sinhgad challenge
We started off with great hopes to catch up and even go ahead. But now the problem of hunger started. We reached the sinhgad base and had some cucumber and chocolates.The rest was not long but relaxing. We started off again, and this time we were surprised at what was next. We had to carry/drive our cycles up a huge hill. Driving was out of question as it consumed more energy than simply pulling the now-heavy cycle along with ourselves. We had to take too many breaks and the speed couldn't be increased. It was something that had no shortcuts. the worst part was, there were no checkpoints at the top.So had we by passed the troublesome hill, i doubt we would have lost anything. But we climbed the hill.The loss we had to bear was more of time than energy. It was 5 by the time we had finished climbing the hill. But the good part was ...we made friends with a team of 2 (chandrashekhar and sumit) Their third member had left due to injuries and now were on their own. So they were around us for a while and the we continued on our own as our speeds dint match. Once we reached the top...we were quite happy coz the next entire stretch was downhill. the downhill stretch was almost a fruit of the labor done uphill. Up hill took us hours and downhill was a matter of minutes. When we reached the bottom of the hill there was this under-construction road with plenty of stones embedded. Our entire body vibrated when we drove over it at high speed. But was great fun. The road being narrow we had to slow down when a bus passed by us. At that moment when i stopped ,i lost balance as my feet dint reach the ground as it was uneven and i fell on grass and cacti . My team mates were worried i was now injured but luckily i wasn't as only my hand was on the cacti :D
Endurance put to test
It was fun seeing local people and families on cars and even teams that quit wishing us all the best for rest of the race.We kept going. It was 6 pm and the sun had set, and it was starting to get darker.We decided we all ought to be together as it was getting darker. By seven we were in a village. We asked the villager there about the route and the time it would take. He said we had to cross small hill to reach the other side. I started to loose hope, because initially we had decided we would try and cover max part only in the day time. One of the villager tried to convince us to stay in the village by creating a hoax scare of the hills having thieves. I believe such people are the biggest criminals who can blind the weak-hearted easily and make them victims. We dint bother but after going a little ahead we started to rethink our options.
The night trek
It was late, dark and we were hungry and exhausted. My team mates were very supportive and said they will be fine with whatever i feel and that i should not be burdened by their wish to continue. I dint want to give-in but my hunger and slight fear played tricks. Suddenly and luckily we were rejoined by chandrashekhar and sumit. They dint have torches so they decided to join us. And we were glad to have company. SO all of us had whatever was left..i had a cheese sandwich and other munched some chana. Sumit suggested we continue the trek and if a truck passes by we would take lift till a point. So we started off. The plan was, I would stay ahead with naren who had the strongest torch, followed by jingesh with a little weaker torch, followed by the other two.This was comfortable. We went up hill slowly and steadily managing with whatever we could see. We covered around 3-4 km and then halted. The sky was the clearest and like a dream. We sat, had some chikki and were staring back at the surreal sky i had ever seen in reality. While we halted a truck was passing by. We got lift till a point close to our next checkpoint. From there on the journey was much more smoother. We reached the checkpoint filled water from a close by pump and continued. By now we had drunk water from so many places like the water from the splinkers in the NDA garden, water from a cycle shops tap, water from the water pumps on the way. So we were almost immune.
Physical and mental endurance
By the time we reached the next checkpoint, the tiredness had started to take heavy toll on me. All the others cooperated with my demands to halt every 1/2 n hour or may be lesser. I couldn't distinguish the borders of the road. I told naren that he needs to direct. I went to extreme right once. It was scary. there were fields or bushes on either side of the road.Some how with directions from naren managed to reach the next checkpoint where we were informed that we had to reach the next checkpoint for the day by 3 am. It was 12 then.And because of my conditions we told the collegians that if they wished to continue they would have to take help from some other team because our limits were reaching as we had decided to take a nap of 1 hour till 1 am and then continue.The two fellas decide to sleep too :). They were very nice little fellas that gave us company all through out. So we put papers near a closed shop , i used the step of the shop and the others use the road side beside the step.I couldn't sleep at all as the warmth in us was going and the chill in the air was making it difficult. I had started shivering as soon as we got ready to sleep. Mumbling something i drifted into a state of unconscious sleep. :D 1 hour later the ever-enthu naren woke us all up and we started. Cleaning the seat off the dew drops we started walking as there was a little up hill section.I still couldn't see/distinguish properly. After a little uphill we had to sit again everybody slept and i sat and slept due to discomfort.After about 15 mins
we started back and reached the next checkpoint.
I don't remember vividly how we managed this section as i wasn't conscious enough but we did it. At the next checkpoint we were given a time limit and another warning. We were told that the next span was about 6 km and that the downhill was a dangerous one . So, i had to remain more conscious.When they said downhill we assumed we already were uphill, but no, we had to cover an entire hill again with cycles. So we carried on, with slow pace halting every ten minutes as i was palpitating and couldn't continue without a ten second rest.Everybody cooperated. We reached the top only on our feet. The downhill was tough part as the road was again half constructed. So we were going downhill again on our feet. I and Naren had exchanged cycle because my heavier cycle made me take breaks more often. And my front break weren't working so he was having a tough time. But we managed. After a while the enduro guys came and told us we had to reach the next checkpoint in 20 mins else they will be closing it. So we had to get on the cycles to cover faster. We got on the cycles. At one point naren too couldn't distinguish and we were going to go off the hill, but somehow we pushed the breaks in time. :D We got back on track and went really slow down the hill and managed to reach the checkpoint in time. There was one more team behind us so we still had some buffer.
Showdown
It was fun to c the enduro people waiting for us at this hour.Caring for us. It was time for showdown.The fella at the checkpoint gave us some reality bites we were not prepared for. He told us that it was 5am and that the second day journey had started for the teams ahead of us and that if we wanted to continue we will have to be on our toes without rest. Which would almost mean suicide.So just to keep our options open we decided to say we will continue. Chandrashekhar and sumit had discontinue at this point. So we three left on our own. But after going a little ahead we decided that it was time we took rest before the sun came in and taking a nap would become inconvenient. So we chose a spot on a slightly inclined field and spread papers to sleep. We took our blankets out of the first time and lied down. It was the best part as first time in my life i was sleeping directly under the star studded sky on a field. We even saw two shooting stars. Twas great! it was getting colder again but the blanket helped.
We woke up at seven and started a small fire for a little warmth. Started chatting and decided we shall wait for a bus. But none passed so we drove down hill to panshet , had breakfast and took back the cycles on a jeep back to pune. We could not sleep on the jeep, discussing what fun we had had and that it was a great event.Many things were new, lessons learnt, and we were a lot lighter, with less food on our bags and less fats on us. :D
We were back to godrej branch of symantec where we parked our cycles and had simple dal rice and curd rice at a hotel and headed back home after a 20 hour adventure.
Back at home i couldn't stop talking about the entire event . Tired and sleepy went into deep well deserved slumber.
Prize Distribution
The ceremony was scheduled the next day. We decided to attend it no matter how bugged we were at not being able to finish the race. But it was a true eyeopener to see so many healthy and fit people around. Every category ..the 40+, all girls and open mix(250 km) had winners. We all were so much in awe of the people getting on the stage proudly that we aggressively started planning tackling our short comings and decided we oughtta finish this once :) . So Enduro! We shall c u again hopefully next year!
