DISCLAIMER:
This is a rendition of events that transpired during Enduro 2011. Most of it is a true account. And some are exaggeration by the author in an attempt to make it an interesting read. All people mentioned are real and non-fictitious. Their character description is not far from the truth either . If I have been rude or harsh, deal with it. The author forfeits all responsibility of what is written.  All team members are advised not to return the rudeness. It will be considered against the law. Enjoy

Preparation:

Started with anticipation and excitement. Got shiny new gleaming Rockrider 5.2 and boy! Was that a good choice! The rest of the paraphernalia fell in place; light weight hiking shoes, day pack, gloves, cycling pants et all. That was the easiest part of preparation. A few regular cycling trails in city and some on the country side and one trek to Harishchandragad thru Nalichi Vat, was our preparation for this event. Some perspective in hindsight; we should have crunched that in a week instead of across 6 months. Jayesh, thanks for all the help in choosing gear, cycle and practise.

If you havent heard of Enduro, you can read more here... http://www.enduro3.com/index.php?id=15 or a quick description at http://bmcindia.org/events/enduro3. we were part of the 150 kms race in 2 days and 1 nite which involved cycling, trekking, orienteering, river rafting and river crossing.

So off we went to Pune, 3 teams from Mumbai, cycles in buses and hanging on cars, the heart, light and eager to see what lay ahead and journey filled with light banter to know your team mates. My team had Kapil, Don’t-worry-Sandesh and Anitha (myself). Just met Kapil on our journey and had met Sandesh a couple of times on earlier cycle rides.

Sandesh, this tall lanky fair sweet guy. 2 times Enduro-ed. Anytime I had a question, a worry, a doubt… he starts with ‘Tch.. ! don’t worry na’. Consistently. For every qn. I stopped asking.  And he had this other habit. He never called anyone with their own names. He warped names. He was a name-warper. Kapil mysteriously got an added surname of Rajvanshi. No. I don’t know why. Don’t ask. I had at least 6 variations of my name and was not happy with any, least of all, Anida. The other two teams were Aruna/KK/Dhiraj and Ashish/Anusha/Kirti-the-mountain-goat. They were coming in the bus. Anusha too had a rebirth through the two days, thanks to Sandesh. She was now Anushka. No, I still don’t know. Yes, you still don’t ask why. Oh! I am dying to say this. Sandesh and Kapil harped on a light backpack, justifiably. But I almost gawked at Sandesh’s ‘back’ pack. It was the size of a crotch guard, maybe a millimetre or two bigger, only resting on his back. In that he fit, food, water, tubes, cycle kit, and all requisites. I was very suspicious. Strangely, it seemed to have sufficed. Good think to remember, pack light.

One of the pleasures of trekking, you meet some really interesting people. Anusha was a little fatter than a pencil, and if she jumped real hard, could reach my neck. This petite thing packed a punch. A journalist and a trekker to boot! Then there was a musician, who still owes us a concert. His fingers on the drum were 15 years younger than him. Magic. Then there was a talisman, a quasi brit from the software side, a geeky consultant, a student who could do 1200 kms trek in 6 days! – That’s Dhiraj to you. And KK – A mystery. And also our photographer. We were told he was regularly on his phone thru the two day ordeal. Doing what you’d think. Facebook apparently.

Rested a nite at Pune and geared up for the morning’s start of the event.

Day 1:

On reaching the venue – S.P College, we were given our ‘kit’ consisting of Enduro poncho, cap, route map, stamp card (with a warning not to lose it, else, u can cycle to the Himalayas and back, but you were not counted). And some energy drinks.

Raj Thakery, the chief guest rode into the site in his 4WD Fortuner with an army of foot soldiers, Did he think it was the Kargil war grounds he was going to? And ambled on to the stage in style 30 minutes late, spoke pure Marathi as opening to the National event where participants were from across India and one team from South Africa. Wonder what he said. Met this team of three, average age 60 yrs… wow! What an inspiration! They completed the race too!!

There were at least 10 different categories across different distances and difficulty levels. We were in the Amateur Mix category where one girl member was mandatory for participation. With drum rolls and the inspiring Enduro chants echoing, the event kick-started.  And flag off!

Peddled away thru streets of Pune and exited it at Khadakwasla. The bummer!! And we get to know the race starts now… so what was that 15-20 kms for… warm-ups? See… its enduro… from the start and all the way.  At the 1st TC (time check, for the uninitiated), the participants line snaked down the slope and grew longer by the minute. The crowd was beginning to jostle. The heat was on. Literally.

Finally, got our 1st time stamp and we started off. Again. This route was heading straight into the ghats and we went up and up and up… my bike’s front 1st gear refused to fall in place… and it didn’t occur to me then that I would be doing the whole show minus my precious 1st front gear. Ditto with Kapil. Well into the race, a couple of hours down and the sun was sucking us up dry. And glinting wickedly on the tarmac. The brighter side to it; after some time, the roads we plied on, had no tarmac. . Infact it was not a road. Rubble. Teeny Mini boulders all the way. And up and up we went. With some brief lived respite when we hit declines, I cannot recollect how many times I got off the cycle and pushed uphill. It was a solace to see Sandesh and Kapil do the same, On second thots, I think they were just being kind. Hmm??  On third thots, there was a huge army of participants doing the same. The heat was killing, the inclines were unending and I was squinting and inching.

We reached a couple more TCs and PCs (Passage checks, if you please). Just when I was beginning to think how tough it was to go on, somewhere in the winding ghats, Sandesh broke into a song more than once and was grinning ear-to-ear. Tut tut tut! Bloody alpha males!

And arrived at one TC -4 at Vihar. A marshal stood ready to enthuse us with encouragement. He declared, the next leg of the race was ‘special’ and if we complete it in 30 mins we get cracking extra points.

So off we went charging into the road, ... which probably had evaporated in the heat! Na. There was nothing resembling a road there. Um huh. Nada.  Maybe that is what they meant was special.

As for the 30 mins… that was obviously a joke. A bad one! What do you expect from the marshals… sitting around all day waiting for us to pass by? They needed some entertainment too. If only I can remember the face and name of that guy who told us ’30 mins..’

Somewhere around this point I forget to keep count of any TC, PC or ABC. I can vaguely remember we went through all the TCs and PCs but no recollection of name, place, and such mundane details. Especially with Sandesh whistling away through the winds and me wheezing through my sand clogged nostrils, I thought it not worth my while to tax my fried brain. The sun was having bheja fry for lunch.

We cycled and cycled… 40 mins passed and doubled itself gleefully, but there was no end to reaching the next TC. Or so we thot… when we reached the village Ghisar, our next TC at 5:30. This I remember, coz I got a break of 10 mins at least, thru which I slept. Wow! Now that’s a treat for a race like that.

Next destination, the Marshals pointed out a W on the almost-top-of-a-mountain that appeared not so far away… We were to reach there next.

Well! That didn’t sound so bad. So where do we park the cycles… ? Under our armpits apparently!! We had to bloody hike up two or three monstrous mountains with the cycles tucked in on us. Really now, I was beginning to wonder if the meaning of “amateur” in the race category was a misnomer… or oxford changed it quietly when we were puffing uphill.

Got our head lights out. And headed off in the direction of the freaking W in the woods. Kapil is our team lead. He came tried and tested and Sandesh vouched for him so much so that he refused participation in the event if Kapil was not part of it. It was their 3rd Enduro. If I may borrow and twist from Obelix “… tut tut tut… these men are crazy. 3rd? ”. This Kapil guy, he not only has a ridiculously handsome face, but some serious physiological cum psychological disorder cleverly camouflaged with excellent outdoor experience to pull between the ears. You know what I mean… “Nevertiredofit” disorder I think it is called. He can give the energiser bunny a run for its money.

If he is reading this, he will be squirming. The boy can’t take compliments well. Duh. I told you it’s a serious disorder.

From this point on, in the trek, teams just vanished. They were lost. They ambled into bushes, villages and lots of other mountains and valleys beckoning unsuspecting participants to loose themselves. It was also getting dark. It begged us to just stop, and curl up and sleep, especially if you have been trying to find the way to the ‘red light’ which is what the W is now, for some hours. Mean task it is. By now, you are bruised with the cycle pedal constantly finding the same spot on your right leg to tear into, while u are trekking uphill. Unknown to you, many beautiful blue bruises adorn your legs. You cant feel any of them independently. Just on the whole, your body is a dull throbbing pain, if you allow yourself to think. Me?. No I was not thinking. Remember. One step after another. Two days later I counted the bruises.

For sometime, we were with another couple of teams. There were many choices of getting lost. Cap’n Kapil, had his radar tuned in, was using logic and instinct to take a path rather than herd mentality. Served us good too. We chewed through only one extra unnecessary mountain. Traversed another couple of them and reached the ominous red light on not so steep a gradation, thanks to Kapil (Squirm squirm). And went down to another PC .  Got a road. Ha! No tarmac, no clean up. But was just marked to become a road in 20 yrs. We were ecstatic. See, asses were hurting hurtling down those mountain trails. and then after another 24,374 pedals later, saw the camp site staring at us, but missed the entrance by a whisker, and zipped away in full force for another few hundred pedals. Only to come back again searching for the opening. Found some marshals waving at us.

Bitched to them about how there should be a light outside and a reception party and preferably some cool watermelon juice and a double Mac. They had heard it all and more. I think this is the part they have signed up for, to witness disoriented guys hallucinating. Must have been rewarding enough. Heard some snikers and giggles after I passed.

Parked the cycles and ran to the spot where the next event, River Crossing was to happen. Team Lead does river crossing, we were then told. I was for 3 seconds glad that I was not the team lead. At 8:30 pm. In the River. It was Cold. But, soon was feeling guilty. I think it should have been a team event. And as support for Kapil who was brave enough to get down to basics and hurl himself into the water, I gulped.

Then Sandesh ran with Kapil’s shoes to the other side and I ran behind him with an aluminium wrap for the Cap’n. I crossed thru slush to reach the other side. Very bad slush. Heroic. Almost reached, that is. Coz by then the alpha males were running back, and the captain was bare foot and indifferent to the aluminium wrap I offered. I think it was just the cold. Cough cough.

We ate a hearty six course meal of theplas followed by theplas and garlic chutney, some dry fruit chikkis, Gatorade, and water, washed down with some theplas. A fitting meal. We were hungry as hell. I remember I asked the marshals as soon as we returned from the river crossing “By any remote chance, can we expect some dinner? Or is that ruled out”. He was kind. He said, “give us a couple of hours, by then all the marshals will be back and would have finished dinner. Leftover is all yours.” Yeah I told you he was kind. Never got to see that though. . I never adequately thanked Sandesh’s wife for the home cooked theplas. They were yummy too. But you know… breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and a couple of snacks in between was theplas, And I refuse to see theplas for another century.  You understand don’t you?

Everything said and done, we were doing pretty well. We were the 8th team overall to reach campus and 3rd (or 4th?) in our category. And we had 7 hrs of sleep. Well I knew ,,, u know,,, secretly… yeah. We would win. While I crawled into my sleeping bag, Kapil and Sandesh put on a bright pink Aluminium sheet as their sleeping gear!! Tut tut!! Obelix, come back and say your line. I thought these guys had done it all. Good night to them,. Did I mention it was cold. Very cold. Especially outside the sleeping bag. There was gnawings of guilt as I saw my team mates trying to catch a wink in the cold. Sandesh seemed to have drifted into sleep. But Kapil… WTF. Now I cannot do much here. So all I did manage was a restless nite and bad sleep. Tossed and turned enough. At 6-ish in the morn, got up and spread my sleeping bag on the “experienced” idiots with their craze for packing light. Hello?

Day 2:

And completed my morning jobbies. In the flapping tent on a concrete hole. There were 3 such modern technological marvels to indulge ourselves in. All side by side, separated by thin bed spreads that looked like it was left behind by some kind participant 3 years ago. After our fab diet, one would want a sound proof unit for the kind of misfires. This event in the flapping tent surely was a part of the endurance competition.

Anyways, I was upbeat… like I said, we were doing well. So all of us got ready for the next event – Kayaking competition. It was fun. Probably the easiest. We came fourth. For some odd reason, all the women somehow ended in the middle and paddle less. The men had the paddles. (no pun) Huh!!

Then we ran back to get a head start. Oh!! What’s that. Sandesh’s cycle had a puncture. Took us a frigging hour and a half to get that ready. For some reason, the tyre wouldn’t settle into the rim, even after 3 desperate attempts of getting all the air out, tube out, fit tyre, fit tube in tyre, nozzle ready, pump almost there, oh, tyre out of rim. This happened x 3. By now 30 teams had left the campus.

Ashish, Kirti and Anusha came into the camp and the boys exchanged a few words with each other. In French with embellishments.

Finally the tyre settled into the rim right and we were off again. We realised we lost a lot of time and decided to see if we can catch up as much as possible. And then the uphill started. So I just tried to keep pace and not stop. In my automaton stage of peddling, I didn’t think of how much time we were doing. I sheepishly acknowledge that Kapil had long ago, kindly taken my backpack and fixed it on his cycle carrier. I didn’t have one. Still that is no excuse and next time that will not happen. And by now my bag had fallen off the cycle a couple of times. And Kapil had to stop to secure a couple of times. Sandesh and I didn’t stop. He just caught up. E- bunny.

So there was one such occasion, where I noticed I was ahead, Kapil had stopped, Sandesh waited for him and I kept pushing the pedal. And was soon cycling alone for quite some time. With the sun at it again, I dint think it wise to head back. I knew they would catch up. So I waited at the next PC. And waited. And slept. Finally, Sandesh comes and gives me  a bummer of a news. His cycle tyre was busted! Kapil and he worked at it for more than 30 mins, but we had used up the new tube in the morning fiasco and now the damage was not repairable. He had to quit. He quit. He felt bad about it, but guess there was nothing we could do. He got into a vehicle with his cycle and went ahead.

We were officially out of the race.

Kapil  appeared soon after. We decided, WTF, lets do it anyways. And for good measure, lets try and come in the top ten. That means we had to tick off 20 teams. And so we started off again, with very few and far between thepla breaks. We counted the teams we were slowly over taking. 19 more to go, 17 more to go… 15 more to go. 12 more to go. We were doing good. We were hungry and water was diminishing. At the next TC, I shamelessly begged for food from the Marshal. She was a pretty little thing. She offered her food. She asked, 'You want ‘paratha’? It was like music to our ears. We managed a dignified nod. And she brought back her ‘paratha’… wtf, it was a thepla again!! It sounds funny now. It was not then. I know you are laughing. But all friends are barred from using the T word.

TC ticked off and now we were to trek up Koshimghar ghat to reach a V this time up in the hills. Cycles in the armpits, we headed into the hills. Soon we were in spots where there were no tracks… it was forest. Kapil scouted ahead a couple of times to check the route, when I pulled breaths. Now we were walking on small trees. Thanks Cap'n. The very same forest we were trying to avoid. This trek, I think was the toughest part of the race for me. I just was dead. The sun was on a binge. Feasting on me. Some time into the climb, I was beginning to feel like a cow. Coz every time I stopped to catch a breath, I would hear a chal chal… come on come on. You know like how the cowherds push the cattle back home.  Kapil thought he was encouraging. I think its the disorder. I grimaced. He smiled. Tut tut. It was a very looong trek for us. I think the previous hours fatigue was also beginning to tell. Where we could, we cycled past up in the hills on small foot paths in the woods. This we enjoyed. The scenery was awesome. Pretty much from the start of the day, we were circling the Panshet Lake. Which is, to mildly put it, HUGE. And most picturesque. Somewhere here, I was ready to forgive the marshals and the roads after being in those surroundings. Nature from the vantage of the hills with the lake flowing like a river in the valleys below. I think this was my reward.

We reached a village. It had two houses. That was all of the village. Up in the hills. A lovely girl gave us some much needed water. Kapil’s was almost down to the last drop. Thanked her and took off again. Soon reached the last before one TC. By then we had to pass only 4 more teams to meet our target. The Marshals assured us that this was the last leg and all down hill. And WTF !! We had gleaming new tarmac roads. It was a frigging highway in the hills. And this last stretch of 4 kms, will remain in our minds. It was a fitting end to the race. The most beautiful stretch of cycling downhill, with no pot holes, zipping on tree-lined road, wind racing by, I was grinning like an idiot through out. Completely enjoyed it. We just raced down and down and were speeding at one point highest at 57 kms per hr as per the computer on Kapils cycle. And along the way, we over took 5 teams.

We reached the last TC at the Water Park at 6:42 pm. It was exhilarating! We may have been disqualified, but we were not defeated. And between us, we reached our set target.

We went in to settle down for a tea and were met with Anusha/KK and Ashish’s team. They too had completed and was great to just grin at each other in shared happiness. In some time the third team  with KK, Dhiraj and Aruna caught up with us in Pune. One of their cycles turned belly-up on them. And very late in the evening. They decided they had had enough and bundled into a vehicle and reached the Water Park. And like us, hired a vehicle to ferry humans and cycles back to Pune. Almost 2 hours ride. Rather a quite one. All bone tired. By now I was exhausted. And wanted to kick who ever suggested cycling back to the hotel at 9 pm for about 5 kms. There was no choice. The vehicle which got us till here would not enter city limits because of his number plates or he was a pirate or there was a witch waiting for him… god knows. But cycle we did. I also vividly remember, Ashish leading since he knew the routes, and for some odd reason I could not fathom, he was tearing down the streets, like the devil was on his back. Hello? Shouldn’t you too be tired? Kirti was sticking so close to him and racing along, I thought they were joint at the tyres. Bloody Alpha males! Soon we reached the hotel. And all met at Apsara Non veg… and ate heartily and drank a  couple of swigs. Went back and slept. Was that good or what.

Next evening was prize / certificate distribution. We decided to stay and collect. We checked out of the hotel, stashed all bags in Ashish’s aunt’s house and got a yum limbu juice in return for messing their hall. We had a fab afternoon at the Shisha restaurant. Ashish – Kudos. Fitting end to enduro.  All of us feasted. The gurls on Turkish food and biryanis. The boys feasted on the opposite table spilling with beautiful Iranian women. It was difficult to get them into conversation while they were drooling. The cool beers were better company.

Attended the prize distribution ceremony. Collected certificates and decided to head home. Anusha went with Sandesh in the car, back to Mumbai. I didn’t ask her if she was rechristened again by the end of her journey. The rest of us were glad that Kapil and Ashish were around. They were champs. With a lot of drama on not getting seats on busses or  refusing to carry our cycles, Kapil finally was put into a Volvo + 7 cycles  towing in the luggage cart below. Only one ticket. So the rest of the 5 of us, went to Pune station and managed a comfy ride back in an Innova. We even did a big Mac on the way back. Aruna’s day was finally made. She binged on her fries and gave us dirty looks if we attempted to even sniff it. Like Kirti said – You know a Mac fan when u see one. Not complete without the fries. Were so not looking forward to the drama to unfold with the taxi drivers and transporting cycles on reaching Mumbai. But on reaching Mumbai, we were pleasently surprised to get into waiting taxies with cycles all ready and tied up on top. Kapil. Champ.

Phew. Reached home at 3:00 in the nite.