MyWhoosh - Torque Changers #1

Evening Ride

Afternoon Ride

MyWhoosh - Power Reps #1

MyWhoosh - Cadence Changers #1

This is a long one 😅

I got interested in this ride only a month back while riding my 1000BRM. I find riding on flats a bit mundane after a point so those one made me excited. And even though I enjoy riding climbs a lot, I'm not very experienced at it.

I signed up only 2 days before the ride after saving up some cash. I prepared a nice strategy for this one. Carried as light as possible by getting a new pump, seat bag, carbon 105 pedals, and a hacked lightweight semi- 3D printed multi-tool system. Total bike+gear weight (without water) was sub 10kg. So me and the bike together were easily less than 300kg 😅. I put a lot of red reflective tape so that I'm easily visible on mountain turns.

The ride started well. I was fast for the first 120k, riding with 3-4 elites. A short nap break dispersed me from them and that's the last I rode with them. Still, my day 1 ended with bunch 2 in decent time. 450km in 22hrs.

A problem occurred at Chandigarh though. A family of 4(pic4) were starting to move on their motorcycle and slipped in front of me. I tried to dodge but fell as well. Fortunately we were at speeds of 15kph so I didn't get hurt (or that's what I thought 😶). The lady had a few minor cuts so I did first aid and offered my bandaids. The kids were totally unharmed.

Day 2 started nice after good rest. Rahul and I rode well and did nice climbing without many breaks. But soon I felt a nibble on my right calf which only worsened with time. I made it to the top most point of the ride at Mcleodganj and then felt immense pain. Had 2 strong painkillers and continued after decent rest. Day 2 completed in the dark riding slow with a few breaks for Rahul to catch some breath during climbs. I enjoyed the mountains. 🏔️

Day 3 started strong but only a few mins in, I could feel a lot of pain in the right leg. By now I had understood that pain came from the fall I had on the motorcycle. I still felt that a painkiller would fix it and I had way enough time to make it to the checkpoint. But as time passed, the pain increased and my chances of making it to the cp reduced. I had to take many stops and every time I would get on the bike, I would feel a lot of pain. I had 3 painkillers but this time no comfort 😕. By the time I reached the top of Chintpurni, I was losing time but still was confident I could make it in time because it was mostly downhill and flat now. Being aero and fast is my strength. The pain didn't go away however and could ride at speeds not more than 23kph. I decided to quit at 5.30pm when I had 163kms left to complete in 5 hours. This included climbs in the last 20km. It was impossible for me to make it and I took the tough decision. That's where my ride ended.

But it's not all bad. There were a few good positives out of it all.
1. First and most importantly- the kids at crash were fine. ♥️
2. I have recently learned that as a perfectionist, its very hard for me to quit on things. And that's not a good thing. I was able to make the decision and act on it. Proud of myself for this.
3. Rahul Sharma made it to the finish line in time and is officially a Climb Ka Baap now.
4. Despite all, I still feel there are things that could've been managed or planned better. I'm aware of the mistakes and also how to deal with them more efficiently.
5. The views and the climbs. Let's not forget this. This is why we ride. This is what we want. Every race, event, sportif, challenge comes after. I truly enjoyed pushing myself up the mountains, and also speeding and making technical curves and brakes at 50kph, all in the vicinity of snow peaks and lush green trees.  🏔️🚵

I'm safe, kids are safe, and I had fun. That's what matters the most. A bit sad but ups and downs are part of life and mountains. ✴️🌸

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Nitish Srivastava

Climbs Ka Baap (1200LRM) - DNF

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MyWhoosh - Torque Changers #1

Evening Ride

Afternoon Ride

MyWhoosh - Power Reps #1

MyWhoosh - Cadence Changers #1

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