Before your brain puts some roadblock consider the following aspects:
1. The cycle is heavy and it's not a gear cycle.
2. I just went ahead and did it.
3. My smartphone doesn't have a front camera and so poor selfies.
Deliberating for a long time, I had to push my brain to accept a fact,
"If it's not now, then never".
I had been planning this for a long time and i kept postponing but i decided to go ahead without further delay.
Cycling from Neyveli Township to Puducherry and returning to Neyveli Township the same day. From Tamilnadu to a Union Territory 73 kms
I don't have a good cycle(in the sense, a cycle that's fit for long distance cycling) and i had to knock on every friend's door to get a cycle.
Finally, i got a cycle almost 8 years old with rusted chain and a very normal hand bar. Break was good.
All set i informed my parents about the journey and i had to face initial backlash but they finally gave me a green signal.
"Few have did this, let me be one of the few". This verse compelled my parents.
The journey begins
I started from Neyveli Township at 5.20 am
Reached Panruti at 7.00 am
Nellikuppam at 8.15 am
Cuddalore at 9.08 am
Puducherry border at 9.45 am
Mudaliarpet(Puducherry) at 10.30 am
Completed 73 km cycling under 5 hours.
Break time 30 minutes.
Average cycling /hour - 14.8 km
Return journey
Started from Mudaliarpet(Puducherry) at 3.45 pm
Puducherry border at 4.30 pm
Cuddalore at 5.15 pm
Cuddalore OT at 6.20 pm
Kullanchavadi at 7.30 pm
Marungur at 8.20 pm
Neyveli township at 8.45 pm.
Morning the journey was not so tiresome as my mother gave me buttermilk when i began. Journey time was flat 4.30 hours with half an hour break.
I reached Puducherry under 5 hours.
The return journey was the painful, troublesome and endurance testing.
My knee joints, lower half proved to be troublesome with every kilometer.
Evening lights were on till 6.30 pm.
I kept riding into the night and following a stop at Kullanchavadi for drinks.
A shopkeeper advised me to take a shorter route through Marungur(Near Panruti)
It was a solid 14 km journey without any kind of assistance and it was hard riding into the headlight of oncoming vehicles. Riding solo was a difficult thing. Cyclists who ride at night on highways will understand what i am trying to say here.
Last 20 kms starting from Kullanchavadi was too painful as i could not sit on the saddle. The next 1 hour, literally, i had to pedal the cycle standing and standing.
Believe me, Last part of the journey was testing my endurance,
A conversation between my brain and consciousness 20 kms before the end point follows:
Brain: Just give up, call your friend, Karthi and ask him to tow you home.
Consciousness: Man, don't give up, this is not what you meant to do. Keep going. Remember last time when you failed, Chennai to Trichy in my bicycle: Reflections by Kamal Haz on OMR Pedal Messengers
Brain: Fuck you. You are not going to complete this, just get down and start walking instead of cycling.
Consciousness: Just few kilometeres. You can do this. This is just the beginning. If you give up on this, then how can you complete cycling all around Tamilnadu and India.
It was amazing, seriously, i trained to focus on the next kilometer and next kilometer and i did it. With legs burning and knees twitching, i made it.
I did it!!!.
Block 18, Neyveli T.S, Tamil Nadu to Block 18, Neyveli T.S, Tamil Nadu - Google Maps
Thanks to Mohan Raj, Hotel Rassi and Astha Chaturvedi, Urban Climbersfor supporting my journey.
Gearing up for the next big journey.
1. The cycle is heavy and it's not a gear cycle.
2. I just went ahead and did it.
3. My smartphone doesn't have a front camera and so poor selfies.
Deliberating for a long time, I had to push my brain to accept a fact,
"If it's not now, then never".
I had been planning this for a long time and i kept postponing but i decided to go ahead without further delay.
Cycling from Neyveli Township to Puducherry and returning to Neyveli Township the same day. From Tamilnadu to a Union Territory 73 kms
I don't have a good cycle(in the sense, a cycle that's fit for long distance cycling) and i had to knock on every friend's door to get a cycle.
Finally, i got a cycle almost 8 years old with rusted chain and a very normal hand bar. Break was good.
All set i informed my parents about the journey and i had to face initial backlash but they finally gave me a green signal.
"Few have did this, let me be one of the few". This verse compelled my parents.
The journey begins
I started from Neyveli Township at 5.20 am
Reached Panruti at 7.00 am
Nellikuppam at 8.15 am
Cuddalore at 9.08 am
Puducherry border at 9.45 am
Mudaliarpet(Puducherry) at 10.30 am
Completed 73 km cycling under 5 hours.
Break time 30 minutes.
Average cycling /hour - 14.8 km
Return journey
Started from Mudaliarpet(Puducherry) at 3.45 pm
Puducherry border at 4.30 pm
Cuddalore at 5.15 pm
Cuddalore OT at 6.20 pm
Kullanchavadi at 7.30 pm
Marungur at 8.20 pm
Neyveli township at 8.45 pm.
Morning the journey was not so tiresome as my mother gave me buttermilk when i began. Journey time was flat 4.30 hours with half an hour break.
I reached Puducherry under 5 hours.
The return journey was the painful, troublesome and endurance testing.
My knee joints, lower half proved to be troublesome with every kilometer.
Evening lights were on till 6.30 pm.
I kept riding into the night and following a stop at Kullanchavadi for drinks.
A shopkeeper advised me to take a shorter route through Marungur(Near Panruti)
It was a solid 14 km journey without any kind of assistance and it was hard riding into the headlight of oncoming vehicles. Riding solo was a difficult thing. Cyclists who ride at night on highways will understand what i am trying to say here.
Last 20 kms starting from Kullanchavadi was too painful as i could not sit on the saddle. The next 1 hour, literally, i had to pedal the cycle standing and standing.
Believe me, Last part of the journey was testing my endurance,
A conversation between my brain and consciousness 20 kms before the end point follows:
Brain: Just give up, call your friend, Karthi and ask him to tow you home.
Consciousness: Man, don't give up, this is not what you meant to do. Keep going. Remember last time when you failed, Chennai to Trichy in my bicycle: Reflections by Kamal Haz on OMR Pedal Messengers
Brain: Fuck you. You are not going to complete this, just get down and start walking instead of cycling.
Consciousness: Just few kilometeres. You can do this. This is just the beginning. If you give up on this, then how can you complete cycling all around Tamilnadu and India.
I did it!!!.
Block 18, Neyveli T.S, Tamil Nadu to Block 18, Neyveli T.S, Tamil Nadu - Google Maps
Thanks to Mohan Raj, Hotel Rassi and Astha Chaturvedi, Urban Climbersfor supporting my journey.
Gearing up for the next big journey.
