After crossing a 100 kms on my Montra during Aug 2015, the mood was set to do extra distances. so again during 13th Sep 15 had a go at 150 kms from Thiruvananthapuram to Kottarakkara and back. This was also done but with a lot of difficulty in 10 hours with cramps, knee pain etc prompting me to stay away from long distances for some time. I had to do a lot of interospection on this ride as what could have been done to have made it a little better for me and my body. first I did an riding apparel analysis. the top was a tight ( skins) made in india with dry max with mesh at arm pits. this passed. even in blistering sun it was good at wicking away sweat . paired this with a long bottom padded tights from btwin. the underwear was a kalenji. all were great with no discomfort. the gloves was a btwin . failed me with numb fingers etc. will not use for long rides and Rs 500/- wasted. next was a road shoe from btwin. it is okay, but a little heavy compared to my jogging shoe from asics. the logic was why to take the extra weight on my legs. decided to discard the same on my next long ride and stick to asics. I am wearing a kalenji cycle cap under my helmet. works great with adequate sun shade and saves the sweat from dripping esp since I am bald. I am having two caps as one gets drenched in sweat in a couple of hours and I strap the wet one on top of my carrier and use the dry one. after some time it is interchanged as it dries quite fast. it works for me. my pro trek watch from Casio has lived up to its reputation, rain, shine, bumps, knocks, taking bath no issues till date. no issues with my Montra till date. another area requiring review was my diet. I thought I should eat light and more frequently like once in 2 hours or so to keep my body in cycling condition till end of the ride. noted all this so that the next long one could be made a little better.











Staying away from long rides for some time is a flexible term to use. so I decided to cut short the some time to 2 weeks and mentally plan my next long one and cross at least 150 kms again. wanted to do a relaxed ride and see if it makes things a little better. the ride point was Thenmala dam a place I had gone many times on my bikes and car. I thought i can go one way via palode, Kulathupuzha road with lot of tree cover. and return via Punalur, either via kottarakkara or Anchal , Ayur and back. It was a blend of sunshine and shade. some where post 12 pm I would be at mercy of heat and light. Kerala heat with high humidity some times felt much more irritating than summers at Vellore in Tamilnadu where I was working for 4 years. May be I am yet to get comfortable with heat sitting on a cycle on extended rides. The same heat used to give me a kick while biking especially inTamilnadu sort of enjoyment only a biker may understand. I hope I can relate to hot weather some what better on a cycle during the days to come.


I was mentally prepared for the ride on 2nd Oct15 and save the coming Sunday 4th to take my daughter for her exams. the ride requires a day and I decided to make full use of it. even though the days preceding the rides were rainy I could pull out rides in the morning without much difficulty. my normal rides are done from 5.30 am to 7.30 am clocking 2 hours. so these rides substitute my workout in the normal course. it was raining the previous day and I had made the preparations on the hope that the rains will not be there on the morning. as usual got up at 4.00 am and packed up some chapattis rolled in omelettes along with some snacks like bananas and biscuits. made some oatmeal as my morning base before the ride. after a fast bath, prayer and the oatmeal inside I was ready to takeoff. better half came out to see me off and close the door. so the ride started at 5.30 am from my home. it was raining in bits and pieces and both me and my cycle was rain equipped. pedalling with wet shoes was also some what ok as I knew that sun will be out in between to dry up things. I was feeling comfortable and the route was having its fair share of climbs and drops and I could not indulge too much on slops as buses from kerala transport appear from nowhere and you should have the cushion to stop dead if required. so the effort of pedalling up did not result in a speedy ride down the slope. like this braving rain and shine I reached Thenmala dam at 10.30 am very much behind schedule. I was not worried on my times as I had decided to take a easy ride and make it back around 7.00 pm home. My old 4s phone give good shots and I use it as my base camera. all shots are from this phone.

















most of the pictures are self explanatory. I missed photos at Punalur as there was a huge gathering of people there and I escaped the massive traffic jam as I was on my cycle and could lift the same around. rest of the ride from Punalur was routine with fatigue and some muscle pain etc slowly I reached Thiruvananthapuram by 6.15 pm. my target to do 200 kms eludes me still, but I hope to do it. and yes to take it easy and do it easy would be my aim unlike my 150 kms outing 2 weeks back which was a struggle to say the least. This Ride I managed 170 kms + and I am happy.