BRM 150: A good route with bad weather

Sometimes a good route can turn into a bad ride due to weather conditions.

So yet again, I booked a BRM 150 but this time it was 150kms as the route was awesome (Route Link: https://goo.gl/maps/gjZcFnawTA7CUT668) and for this event, the cutoff time was 10.5 hours. The event was planned by Cycling for All Club

Pre Ride – BRM 150 – 09/Jan/2021

I planned to take my friend’s MTB (Trek Superfly 7) I had done a maximum of 50kms on this MTB however I had planned to take MTB this time as there was a ghat to cover at Saphale and MTB would be fun.

I set up my bike with all the required equipment. I also did a test ride at about 10kms in the evening to make sure the bike is proper. I had my gear and accessories like puncture kit, pump, and water bottle setup and was on the bed by 10:30 pm

Ride Day – 10/Jan/2021

I got up at 4:00 am and got ready, had nice hot tea with some dry fruits. I started from my place at 4:55 am and met a few fellow riders on the way, we headed towards the start point i.e. Decathlon Dahisar. We reached at 5:30 am

I got my bike check done and signed the waiver form, I was all set for the ride, the flag-off was at 6:00 am, in the meantime I interacted with fellow riders.

We were a total of 32 riders riding out of 37 registered.

Get Set, Go

The ride started at 6:00 am and we headed towards the control point at Danda Fort, which was about 75kms from the start point.

I started riding at an average pace and reached Varai Naka which was about 47kms from the starting point at about 7:50 am. The was going really good as the temperature was 21 degrees 

The ride from Varai Naka to Control Point at Danda Fort (halfway) is very scenic, I did this route about 5kms while doing my previous 100kms BRM. 

However, the route was really scenic post 10kms from Varai Naka. I crossed the Vaitarna River at around 57kms and the river was looking just awesome. I was tempted to stop and I clicked a few pictures posted below.

I was wondering when the Ghats will start because I knew I had to cross the Ghat and hence got MTB and wanted to try MTB there.

At around 58kms I started uphill, I was going superbly well and stopped in between for a sip of water and started again, to my surprise the ghat was small, the ascent was about 2.5 km and then there was an equal downhill. Since the route was unknown as usual I rode slowly downhill keeping two things in mind, first,  vehicles approaching from opposite directions, and second unknown curves.

I rode from there passing through the local village and reached the control point at 9:18 am which was at 75kms from the start point.

I had a chat with Kartik and Kiran for a few minutes, signed, refilled my water bottles, and started my journey back in just 5 mins. I wanted to ride fast as the temperature was rising and at that time it was about 27 degrees.

I started my journey towards the start point at a good pace until I reached the refreshment point arranged by Cycling For All at 11:17 am, approx 104.6kms, and the temperature was 33 degrees

I was now getting pain in my neck and a little in my back. Aniruddha Balgi was riding with me for about 6 to 8 km and I told him to move forward and that I will take my own time to finish due to my pain.

I started riding slowly and taking halts every 5 to 7 km stretching and sipping water. The journey from here became tough, I had planned to ride fast on this road since it was like my home ground. I had done many rides on this highway, however, I could not ride as fast as I could since I had pain and the temperature was rising fast.

I managed to reach Vasai Creek by 1:55 pm at about 145 km and the temperature was 40 degrees. Here I got heavy traffic, however, I did not mind as I had MTB so I took the extreme left road which was uneven, and rode happily since this is what MTB is made for.

When I reached Vasai I got cramps in my left thigh and after relaxing I started riding again and in a few mins, I got cramps in my right thigh. I was blank and a little worried as I had to cover Fountain Climb.

I stopped at Fountain, drank water, and did a little stretching. By this time the temperature was at 41 degrees. I moved my bike gears to the lowest and started riding, I managed to complete the climb without any issues and slowly reached the end point at 2:38 pm in 8:38 hours.

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