Chennai, By Bike!

Nopes, I did not go cycling all 350 kms! But have stumbled upon a wonderful way of getting around when visiting different places for meetings, family trips or just plan going seeing them.

I needed to travel to Chennai for a short meeting yesterday. The plan was to catch an overnight Volvo, find a place to shower/change, wrap up the meeting and take an afternoon bus back again. The meeting was someplace in Thoraipakkam, about 20kms or so from the centre of Chennai. The dreadful tales people recount when they speak of Chennai's infamous autokaarans were enough to make me, very obviously non-native, very very nervous. Cabs would be very expensive. And given the paucity of time, figuring out buses and shared-autos was not a viable solution.

An then, just a few hours before I left, it occurred to me that I could take a bike along! 20kms is hardly anything esp given Chennai's flatness. Yes, there was the weather to contend with - but I'd be getting there early in the morning, had access to a guest house for a few hours and was planning to shower anyhow. A little extra sweat is hardly a deterrent for a biker.

Next, what bike? My Merida would be the most familiar, but a little large - and the bus guys end up (unfairly) charging for it. I remembered Ravi's bike rental venture - and found theBTwin Hoptown at 200/- a day over weekdays. Perfect!

The BTwin Folder awaiting the Volvo

The bus dropped me off near Chennai Central - and it was actually quite pleasant in the morning! I'd been told autos would take 40-60 minutes to get to my destination depending on traffic. I got there in 50mins, despite many stops to ask for directions (btw, Google maps + GPS on Android helps a lot!) Without pushing at all since I was trying to sweat as little as possible. Saw a lot more of Chennai than I ever have, and got a good morning workout without no extra time spent. And its great to have endorphins and positive energy in your system before a meeting.

One curious thing : everyone I asked for directions - even 5-6 kms before the destination - first started with telling me "oh but thats faaar" (I do follow a little Tamil so could get this much even from the vernacular interactions) Its surprising how the notion of distances has changed in our cities, and how difficult people think cycling is.

Got in, showered, had a good meeting (or it seemed like that given my happy state) and got out of there. Fortunately, all morning had some cloud cover - but it got sunny on the ride out to Koyambedu, from where all the buses leave. I was advised to take an alternative, though slightly longer route by one of my biker friends in Chennai so encountered little traffic till I got into Guindy. Upto that point, the air itself never felt hot (unlike in the heat of the northern plains) though the sun was strong. Sunglasses helped, but I never got too uncomfortable.

Similar story with the bus guys on the way back. This time, a bunch of fellow passengers got excited about the bike as well - a couple even test rode it around there as we waited for the bus. Had a bus change owing to an issue with a brand new Isuzu and got a comfortable, but slow sleeper. Got to Silk Board at 11ish, and unfolded - with excited auto guys helping out - and rode back home.

The folding bicycle is a terrific tool. Benefits :

• Its easy to put into a bus, and takes up as much space as a large suitcase, and is lighter too! Obviously the bus guys charged me nothing for it when I just said "my luggage" and handed it over :)
• Its a major conversation starter! The bus guys were only to happy help load it. Everyone wanted to know more. Even the auto guys at Silk Board (on the way back), instead of being disappointed about the loss of business, atually tried helping out unfolding it! (Not that you need help - it takes just a couple of minutes and is a breeze).
• Its pretty fast for city traffic - despite smaller wheels. The gear ratios are different from your regular MTB, and changes are quick and easy.

If you need to make outstation trips, this is a good way to carry your own transport along! Mumbai might be a little too large if you have to travel a lot for meetings, but for most cities, this is a great option.

Otoh, if you're travelling into Bangalore - give Ravi a buzz and get a bike delivered at your doorstep for the duration of your visit. Freedom from autowallahs, the ability to go-anywhere, and getting to know the city much better are huge payoffs. And you're getting your dose of exercise even when you travel.

As you might have noticed, am totally smitten with the idea. Both, of the folder itself, as well as the idea of carrying it around when travelling!

The Tour Of Nilgiris Edition 3 : Riding again

3 out of 3 on an MTB :)

Am riding the now-very-huge Tour of Nilgiris this year as well, and on the same old bike thats seen 2 TFNs already. The routes a lot different, and the Tour will have a 100 riders on it! Have not trained too hard, but a recent weekend of back-to-back centuries with 250kms covered over 2 days in ok shape give a lot of hope.

The first day is a 185km one, though! Traffic free roads, but a real long day nevertheless.

Looking forward to spending more time riding in the Nilgiris themselves this year. And more, and longer sections through the wildlife parks. The 2010 edition is a more backroads Tour than ever before - and there are hardly any major highways.

As usual, hoping to meet a lot of enthu souls on the ride. The camaraderie on the mailing list has been amazing. Itching for the ride to start...

Riding the TFN Again

I had done the TFN08 and TFN09, and the TFNTen has been announced.

I was wondering if I should, and if I financially could, but once the recce team got back with their pictures and description of the route, the lure of the big ride got too much to resist, and I signed up. 

Its a tougher, longer ride this year, with the first day itself being around 170km long. I think day 3 will be the most challenging - since there's a lot to do before the Gudalur-Ooty stretch starts, and then some more en-route to Kotagiri. Gotta start training seriously! 

But for this, my cycling this year was down to a few in-city rides for meeting people etc. So hopefully, the TFN will get me pedalling again.

Posted via email from bangalorekaapi

A few minutes at a bus stop

I stood at the stop near the HSR BDA complex, on the Outer Ring Road, today.

Since I had time, and nobody to speak with, thoughts crossed my head, and I saw many things. Amongst them -

• Damn, soooo many one-person cars. Drivers with the owner do not count.
• That ONE Volvo has as many people as the 40 cars I can see occupying road space from here till wherever!
• Who threw these bus tickets/cigarette packets/wrappers around ? Do we have the slightest right to crib about governance ?
• All this road work is so we can have more people drive in cars alone, and then start needing more road space ? Dumb.
• Bangalore still has lovely weather.
• The traffic and construction dust is killing it though.
• Thank God for the many who take the buses. Esp those who could've otherwise been in cars.
• Hmm, no 'choice' cyclists in the 20 minutes I've been here. Still a tiny minority, obviously. Or they take a better route!
• Why does everyone honk so much when it has absolutely no impact! Frustration, I guess.

Anyhow...

Posted via email from bangalorekaapi

Awesome Photographers

Take a peek at The TFN09 Official Photographer Contest Finalists. 3 more days before the Winner's announced!

Lotsa people have shared their opinions on the pics. Do share yours. After all we need help to pick only ONE of the 3 really really good photographers as the TFN09 Official Photographer!

Posted via email from bangalorekaapi

Spread the love

The TFN poster is here, in all its high res glory! Please take a printout and splash it on the nearest wall in your cubicle/office. Even better, use it as a wallpaper, and help spread the love for cycling!

TFN09 Updates

Some TFN09 news :

• RJ Anjaan of Radio One will pick 3 lucky peeps to ride the Tour of Nilgiris - free - this week! Tune in to his show at 94.3FM!
• Lotsa people have started training seriously. (I still need to :( )
• The contest for the photographer and blogger should be up tomorrow or so. The goodies are in, and quite yummy!
• Ladies - immediate registration privilege extended to the next few registrations from you. Do spread the word amongst women you know who want to go on the bestest, toughest, funnest ride.

From The Biker's Mouth : Cycling Safety in Bangalore

Its very tough to really really convince people that cycling is hardly an act of daredevilry. Its a normal, safe, mode of transportation and recreation, not an adventure sport meant only for those living on the edge!

This was posted by Kanishka Lahiri in the course of a discussion on one of the lists I'm on:

"I have some personal experience that might help dispel certain myths. At the outset, I am a far more experienced driver (~15 years) than I am a cyclist. I consider myself a careful and good driver. I moved to BLR in 2007.

In 1.5 years of driving around Bangalore, I had 4 (all minor, but highly stressful) accidents. That;s more than the number I had had in the previous 14 years. This includes brushes with auto rickshaws, cars, and one stupid cyclist. On a separate occasion I got punched in the face by a motor bike guy because I braked to allow an old lady to cross Sankey Road. Needless to say, each incident resulted in high levels of stress, and a feeling of being physically threatened.

I started cycling in June 2008. Number of accidents in nearly 1.5 years --- ZERO. Number of near misses: I'll admit there have been a few, but in almost all cases, I could attribute the near miss to stupidity on my part. There are a set of rules one ends up following when cycling on Bangalore roads. Mature cyclists make up their own rules to make themselves safe in what otherwise looks like a hostile environment. As a result, for me, while concentration levels are high when biking, emotional stress, and physical risk levels are very very low. Much lower than when driving.

The point I am trying to make is, the notion that our roads are highly unsafe for cyclists who have good judgment is a myth. And my contention is, cyclists must have good judgment, else they have no business being on the road. So I agree, an 11 year old who has little experience, is well-advised when told to stay away from busy roads. But then, why single out cyclists? All road users are required to have good judgement, since city roads are a shared and potentially life-threatening environment. That's why we issue driving licences, and that's why we don't let 10 year-olds drive motor cycles.

At the same time, I am not saying that all is well for cyclists. Things could be better. Much better. Many of the rules I practice when cycling seem unjust to me. I practice them because I need to be safe. But ideally, policies on road-space sharing should be designed in such a way that I do not have to follow some of these crazy rules."

So there. This one's as unbiased as they get. I've a similar story (more in relation to motorbike which I used a lot before I started cycling) but by now, I'm probably considered an outlier. The whole effort reminds me a bit of Wall-E. Perhaps even walking will be considered something fraught with risk and not something that normal members society undertake.

[ Earlier post on this discussed what we mean when we talk about "safety". Do read for a very nice pov from another thread on another forum. ]

Is It Safe ?

Thats the most common question/fear I've heard from people when it comes to considering cycling in and around Bangalore.


[ Personally, I find it safe enough. 80% of road fatalities are those of pedestrians, yet the question rarely comes to mind whether we should avoid walking! Most often, one's either ahead of traffic or behind the lot thats gone past, so you need only a few moments of alertness and you're good. Way lesser risk, and stress. ]

Here's a few interesting viewpoints on safety:

Jayadeep talks about subjective safety, and the Insecurity Syndrome associated with cycling. Honestly, I have almost no incidents on a typical cycle trip, and at least one or two "braked too late" or "got a little closer than I'd have liked to" ones when do a similar ride on the motorbike. In a car, it still happens and its still unsafe - for someone else!

While on that, here's a beautifully articulated viewpoint from Rajat on the Bangalore Bikers group:

Ever since I started commuting by cycle, time and again I have pondered over the safety aspect of cycling when used as a means of transport. Even though the statistics point to a low accident rate, the danger of being hurt sometimes fatally is ever present. An increasing number of bikers and daily commuters will undoubtedly increase the probability that our community may very well have to deal with some really bad news sometime or the other. Each time out on the cycle we are aware of this undeniable fact and yet we ride unafraid, extra cautious maybe, but unafraid nevertheless. We ride our cycles not for lack of choice but because we want to and we choose to. It is my great pleasure to ride each time, either alone or with others, secure in the knowledge that in however small a way it may be I am making a difference in this fragile world of ours.

Somewhere, traffic's started becoming an arms race! No winners there. Just larger SUVs, more metal, road rage and a downward spiral. The humble cycle might yet break that loop.

More cycles -> fewer cars -> safer roads for all!

And honestly, the last 2-3 feet on Bangalore's roads are unclaimed and quite safe :)

Other tips:

• Be V-I-S-I-B-L-E. The helmet helps. Reflective strips, lights at night.
  
• Don't stick too close to the edge. Motorists apparently leave as much space from you as you leave from the edge!
• Use your arms etc to "puff yourself up" and define a space around yourself clearly.
  
• I sometimes stand on pedals to appear larger/slow down vehicles right behind.
  
• Make sure all your actions are indicated in advance to people around. Visibly, and if needed, audibly.
• Be polite. Make eye contact.
• Yet, be assertive. You know how it is around here.
• Before even a minor swing out from your lane/line, look over the shoulder. Practice this.
• Flow with the traffic - especially when switching sides of the road etc.
• Avoid making dumb mistakes yourself :)
• Give right of way. Especially to pedestrians.
• Have fun.
  

TFN accommodation gets swankier

The Tour of Nilgiris just announced the places where the riders will rest their weary bones. Definitely better accommodation than for the 2008 edition - what with a pool, twim sharing rooms at some places and all that!


Iruppu is the break day - and the place looks fab. There's the falls closeby, and also some river rafting etc. Personally, even a chilled out day taking in the green surroundings at Coorg isn't a bad idea at all. Esp after the longest ride on the tour...

Rave

Rode a good weekend ride. A short slow one in great weather today.
Lovely weather. Oops, said this already :)
Nice Dev D songs on the headphones.
Solar powered light in the room adds more feel good.
Had nice hot tea.
One more person following their heart.

It all adds up. Some days are just so full of smiles and buoyancy.

The Tour of Nilgiris 2009 : Dates, Route, Its on!

Tour Of Nilgiris | Experience Nature On a Bicycle! | Dates/Route

Dates for TFN 09
Dec 15th : Reporting at Bangalore. Pre-tour briefing
Dec 16th : Bangalore - Mysore
Dec 17th : Mysore - Hassan
Dec 18th : Hassan - Mercara
Dec 19th : Mercara - Irupu
Dec 20th : Irupu - Break Day
Dec 21st : Irupu - Sultanbathery
Dec 22nd : Sultanbathery - Ooty
Dec 23rd : Ooty - Mysore - Bangalore - (Mysore to Bangalore by bus)

The route's got it all - flat outs, series of climbs, a major unrelenting ascent, history along the way, the most beautiful parts of the South, coffee, tea....

Whats It Done ?

I have be cycling for a little over a year now. Whats it achieved and what have I gotten out of this ? A list...

The SUB 40 at CCD, and Shubha's SUB 5 at 2/3 Coffee

• I'm fitter, and a little leaner. Don't catch a cold as easily, and even feel less cold.
• I'm more "weather friendly". Don't mind a little sweat, or rain, or chill.
• My eyes opened up to public transport since I now find the car/motorbike cumbersome in the city!
• Bangalore has shrunk! I've been to places I've avoided for years.
• I've spoken to many more cops, and even other regular folks.
• Our fuel bill has gotten much smaller.
• Sold one of the motorbikes.
• Made tons of new friends.
• Have seen numerous new places, even on roads I've zipped past hundreds of times.
• Saw the entire Nilgiris at the most relaxed pace ever.
• Have become a lot more aware about our carbon footprint.

And ever since I lost the speedo - have cycled in a much more relaxed way :)

Update: Damn I almost forgot one of the most important ones:

• I get to eat all the dessert I want :D
  

[ Tracking my rides here. ]

The Tour of Nilgiris Edition II

The Tour Of Nilgiris in December last year was the fruit of some huge commitment from the volunteers who conceived and executed it in the space of a few short months from a scratch. For us riders, it was unforgettable memories and joy.

This year, the TFN machine is starting to get oiled, greased to roll out a bigger, better ride for 2009. The route's final, the numbers are being worked out - both the number of participants and volunteers as well as the financials that go into supporting and managing a huge event like this. Potential sponsors are being spoken to, and the TFN Facebook group has grown to double its strength in two short weeks!

There's also anticipation and excitement getting built up amongst bikers around here - 53 people have started logging their training and this time around tweetdom is alive too! Not surprising, since high end cycling has really really taken off in the last year, and for many, the TFN is something they aspire to do.

Here's the story so far for this year.

The Route:

Its a little easier this year, with the 160kms days being avoided based on feedback from last year. Most days are 80-100kms or thereabouts.

Day 0 - Dec 15 - Pre tour breifing - Bangalore

Day 1 - Dec 16 - Bangalore - Mysore
Day 2 - Dec 17 - Mysore - Hassan
Day 3 - Dec 18 - Hassan - Mercara
Day 4 - Dec 19 - Mercara - Irupu
Day 5 - Dec 20 - Irupu - Sultanbathery

Day 6 - Dec 21 - Sultanbathery - Ooty

Day 7 - Dec 22 - Ooty - Mysore (Transport riders + bikes + luggage to Bangalore)

There's more exploration of Coorg, and the ride to Sultan Bathery is a little less torturous since it starts from Irupu and not Madikeri itself. There is no rest day, since there's enough rest everyday! The trip should be as fun as last time, and more.

Accommodation and Support:

Enthusiastic support was what made the Tour doable even for us novices last year, though the guys doing it hardly caught a decent nap over the trip. This time around its being planned to be even better, and more predictable. There's likely to be support stations at pre-set intervals, and a couple of guys "patrolling" the highways to look out for those who may need help.

There were a couple of holes in the acco (and the blankets!) last year, and those will surely be plugged in 2009. Shorter rides and better acco - hmm - its starting to sound almost like a nice vacation ;) Of course, the Gudalur-Ooty slopes are unlikely to get less steep and there pedal-pedal-pedal days are still very much on.

200+ Enthu Aspirants!

The waitlist of those pre-registered for the TFN is huge! Bikers around here have already been trianing with the TFN firmly in their sights. Weekends towards Nandi Hills are starting to turn into cycle-jams, and the leaderboard on Dailymile starts at a 1000kms+ already!

See you all at the TFN! And I must start doing the longer weekend rides once again ....

Be The Change : No longer a Corporate Cog

[ This is the second one I'm doing as part of stories about people who embraced change. ]

Sharath Raju was in a great place in life - bang in the middle of the IT story with a nice juicy salary, a modeling career in parallel and pursuing his love for cycles in parallel.

But then, TFN happened, and Sharath actually quit his job to go on the tour!

Around the same time, cycling started becoming a big thing around Bangalore and along came an interesting opportunity - Decathlon started operations in India and Sharath got in touch to explore if he could work with them. Lower salary to start off with, at least, an uncertain path (its still a small market, really) and surely not the usual climb up the career ladder for folks in IT. But the heart ruled, and the promise of being able to professionally pursue something he really enjoyed was a major draw.

Sharath now works for Decathlon as their Biz Manager. He cycles to work everyday and is also a trekker, rafter, and model!

Sharath speaks about his life altering decision:

What was the change, and how did it come about ?

It was more to do with my psychological self. It had been 3 years into the IT field and life just went on. When i started exploring new fun-filled activities like biking/running daily/weekend, reality used to strike me to re-look into my real interests. While i was deep into the organizing of the TFN event, i woke up one fine day to realise, i am not gonna do this job anymore. I put in my papers, and headed off on the tour! :) .I think i chose to follow my feelings and not what the world has to say.

After i started working on making TFN a success through partners and sponsors, i got in touch with the Decathlon guys to see if they would be interested. Edition '08 didn't receive much support from Decathlon, but the relationship was developed and we were appraising them regularly about the success of the event, and the execution. In Feb '09 i got an enquiry that they were looking for Technicians on their Btwin brand. I decided to apply as i saw that was fairly in line with my interests.

Got a call in March from Prajval, the then Business head for Institutional sales and marketing, to discuss my interests and areas i would like to contribute. And in was on board without much delay in April.

Why ?

Peer pressure, immediate and extended family pressure, my marriage, all played a influential role at different stages. Living a life just to satisfy a imaginary level of ego, restricted my liberty to explore new ways of living life. I had to give that up and was waiting for the right moment.

Impact ? Financially ? Lifestyle ? Etc...

I was 'unemployed' for 3 months, which was like a WHOA? especially when you're amidst close family ties. Yes it was tough, and the pressure psychologically and emotionally was surmounting. But that grind only could make me stronger and look at the long term. Considering i had some outstandings, yes i was wholly dependent on family. I think i've never saved enough money in my life than i did in those 3 months.

Early thoughts ? Others' comments ? Self-doubts ?

Yes, i had a mix of positive energy bursts and emotional breakdowns at the same time. Being in close family/friend circle boosted my level of confidence. I suffered in my mind trying to figure out my real interest in my life. One question that always lingered in my head all through the day was to figure out what gives me most joy in doing and can be profitable as well.

Experiment, or sticking to it ?

I also said to myself, why did i ever leave my job, I could've just stayed on and figured it out on the way. But the best part of this is, unless you're put into this vulnerable position, we're always unwilling to come out of our comfort zone and put ourselves to the test.

Why did u persist ?

Because knew this is the chance to prove myself as an individual, and set an example.

Isn't it scary ?

Very, very scary. I decided to laugh about it, live the good times by catching up with friends. This helped me get away from lonely or diverting feelings. And I even got valuable advice to help chase my dreams. I realised one thing though, 'Time is the healer'.

Biggest benefits ?

Oh, once you believe this is where you belong, the sense of achievement and confidence is unimaginable. It strengthens your humility and respect the simplicity of life.

Why should others do it ? When should they follow something ?

It is better to realize one's interest early to lead a happy and contented life. Because once you grow old, all you have time for is to reflect on the good old days, and wonder if it could have been better. At least i don't want to die an unhappy man!

Tips ? Advice ?

Keep your head up, event at the toughest of times. Because even your strongest belief of being strong would be put to the test, and you will be forced to doubt your capabilities. Contrary to these thoughts, if you fight these emotional swings, one shall come out a winner! Life's only worth living to the fullest!

Sharath's switch was a bold move, especially from where he started on the new path. A lot many folks I know have wanted to make such changes at multiple points, but the decision to dive right in is never easy or certain. The fuzziness, nervousness is always a part of it, as Sharath candidly points out. The important thing is go ahead and make the switch. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And its your dreams and your life at stake!

[ Oh, and now you know whom to ask for when you go over to Decthlon's huge store off Sajrapura Road to check out bikes and accessories :D ]

BCycle: B the change :)

Oh so cool. Will this work in Bangalore? Need someone to try this out. Whatsay ?

Slow down your life, and all that jazz

Nice video:

The Standard of Living Problem

This was sent on the Bangalore Bikers' Club group. Someone also noticed the mention that in the 70s, 71% of passenger trips were made on bicycles! He also commented that "It was better than Copenhagen."

So Bangalore, and in fact most of the country, did have a bike culture - ? Except it was hardly a culture - but more of a lack of choice. Our species is so governed by defined and accepted "standards" that we soon got hit by technology, and all that. And as affordability/incomes improved, there was only one path that spelled "progress" and we took to our Vespas and Lambrettas like there was no tomorrow, licence raj notwithstanding.

And so on and so forth. The used Ambys, Padminis, the landscape changing 800 and Gypsy for the braver souls, and in more recent part the plethora of options with more and more features becoming 'standard' and airconditioning becoming the only visible way to battle the noxiousness this progress brought into our lives.

The argument given, usually, is that this is the "price" of development and economic progress.

Really ? Are we so dumb that there's only the whole of one of two or three models to be picked from ? Nah, we just never bothered to define our own report card and terms of progress.

So its someone else's "standards" we're trying to catch up with - consumption of electricity, fuel, goods leading the march. Upsizing, a "standby" mode for everything at home, western WCs, zippy long expressways to merely get to work - all are symptoms of this affliction.

These "standards" have started to interfere with the "living" in a big way. Gotta evolve beyond the aping we've gotten into. Gotta be smarter than the species has been in the last 30-40 years or so.

Hazards of being a bl**dy do-gooder

As is wont with the more enthusiastic bikers in Bangalore, Rohan and a bunch of others were at Lalbagh some time ago trying to spread the word and do their bit to create a mindset change towards cycling.

Look what they got from some senior citizen, and some official!



I remember a guy trying to pick a fight around the same place earlier too when we'd gone there for the first Critical Mass. Fine, you have a different point of view - but whats with the animal behaviour, morons ?

Cycling benefits illustrated

[ From the Mumbai Bikers' Picasa Pics ]