It was great to see the first ever Cyclathon happening in Bangalore and it gaining more fame due to my participation! :)
Me and Pradeep had entered in the 36KM amateur category and we went on Oct 10 to Kormangala Indoor Stadium to drop off the cycles (the event organizers took care of cycle transport) and collect our goody bags. We got a nice wildcraft bag apt for cycling and a helmet (ok for one-time use, but i didnt use it as i already had a professional one).
On the day of the event, we took the volvo buses to the venue (sweetly arranged to and from the venue at 6.30 AM. After a short 45 mins drive, we reached the venue and was so shell shocked to see the passion and enthu of the people there. I've never seen so many cyclists at a place before. High tech cycles and cycling gear really gave me a feeling of NO-ONE in front of them. When Raghu Dixit entertained the crowd with his music, we fetched our cycles and tested it for functional / sys defects (ha ha - it's always the tester in me!)
The event started @ 9 AM and as we entered the NICE road, it was a great spectacle. The road which is prohibited to cyclists on normal days is full of cyclists now - the normal traffic was blocked till 1 PM on that to aid this event (thanks to Bangalore Cops and traffic police). The ride was great with near perfect weather and i was able to clock an average speed of close to 30KM/hr. A new personal track record. All thanks to my cycle - Hercules Ryder 105.
As we completed the race, we were treated to some nice snacks (multi grain biscuits and bananas). One thing i couldn't forget is the BSA MACH cycles. These were given by the BSA on rent to people who didnt have cycles. They were very bad - i could see many cyclists on the race route with their chains damaged, mud guard flying, pedals coming out.... Phew! All being new ones.
Recommend not to buy these cycles at ALL! After the race we were treated to some nice Icecream sundaes by Laxman - pradeep's friend, a cool guy of my wavelength as far as i know him. We were clicking pics whenever and pulling each other!
To add a perfect ending to the day, we came back home and Ashok was ready at Adiga's Bannerghatta Road with reservations where me and pradeep gorged on the unlimited North Indian Thali - the PBM and Chole were just fabulous!
Thanks Pradeep, Laxman and Ashok for the company! We had fun taking this picture
See you soon with the Diwali posts...
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