A Tale of 1200km Cycling
Posted by
Vikramsinh at Wednesday, May 10, 2023
April 10, 2023
In January 2023, I decided to participate in a 1200 km ride named "Quick and Dirty" in Austin, Texas (details - Quick and Dirty 1200k ). The time limit was 90 hours, and it was hosted by Hill Country Randonneurs. I thought this ride would be a good preparation ride for the PBP (Paris-Brest-Paris) event in August 2023, which has the same distance and time limit, and also a good birthday gift for me. To prepare for it, I completed 200 km (11 hours), 300 km (16.5 hours), and 400 km (22 hours) rides in January and February. Then I also did training rides with variable intensities. Some of them were fast and intense, some were long distance moderate pace. I did indoor training rides as well. I stopped riding one week before the big ride to provide rest to my body.
Three days before the ride, I accidentally dropped a manhole cover on my left-hand finger, and the blood started streaming out. It was chaotic, and hundreds of thoughts filled my mind, questioning my ability to ride because braking and shifting gears would have been difficult. But slowly, it all calmed down, my mother provided all the treatment on the phone including homemade medicines to heal the deep cut very quickly. My wife Alka took care of everything about the injury, including treating it every day and patiently covering all my responsibilities that I could not do because of the injury. In the next three days, it got better, I avoided using my injured finger to push brakes.
The first half of day 1 was hilly, and the downhills were pretty fast. I had to push the brakes very hard to control the bike. especially on the Lakeway downhill. I stopped at the gas station to refill my bottles and eat some food. It was quick and took five minutes. All other riders stopped at the next gas station so I avoided the crowded lines to buy Gatorade and other food. My strategy was to spend less time stopping and keep moving so that I can get maximum sleep at the end of the day. I talked to a lot of different riders from various states. While riding in the group, Drew's (California) bike got punctured, the group stopped and helped him to fix it. It was very quick as everyone helped Drew to fix the flat.
Next, when we stopped for a short break at a shop at 170km, my bike got punctured, again the group was very helpful to change the tube, Jeff and Charlie helped me with fixing it. Jeff was trying to get back on the road fast but I had to get the Gatorade as it was a little hot, so Jeff left early, he filled my bottles with water, and I started after five minutes.
It was hot in the afternoon, and I had to push hard until the evening when it cooled down. I finished the first loop of 376 km at 12.30 AM. The next day was a little flat terrain, but the wind was making it hard to move faster. Again, the afternoon was hot, and I pushed through it. While applying sunscreen on my face, it accidentally entered my eyes, and it was irritating for the next 3 hours. I also took one wrong turn and rode in the wrong direction for some time before I met Jeff, who helped me return to the correct route. Another incident happened when I was going on a narrow country road, and a bunch of honeybees tried to chase me. Some of them were glued to my face, but I somehow threw them away and luckily avoided any further problems. I finished the second-day loop of 320 km at 12.30 AM. The next day was hilly and windy, and I struggled a lot in the afternoon heat, taking longer breaks. The second half of the loop was a little easier because of the tailwind that kept me pushing. In the night, some dogs tried to chase me, and this happened multiple times, but I handled it very peacefully. I finished the day 3 loop of 305 km at 2.30 AM, and I took 2 hours more than I planned, so I was worried about sleep.
The total climbing on this ride was 10500 meters (35000 ft) which is more than the height of Mount Everest. I completed the ride in 87 hours and 45 minutes with only 3.5 hours of sleep each night, enduring the heat, cold, wind, and hills. This event also became an eating marathon for me, where I had to eat as much as possible to keep my energy levels up. I targeted 300 to 400 Kcal of food for every 20 km that is mostly every hour. After the ride, I felt a strong aversion towards anything sweet or surgery. It took a few days to get my taste buds to work again normally. The support from my family, including my mother, father, wife, daughter, and many others, helped me persevere. My wife Alka is the strongest pillar of my life and she played an extremely important role in my success. She spent sleepless nights to just make sure that I would keep moving. Every day she visited the hotel where I stayed and kept refilling all the food. When I felt low she motivated me over the phone call, she kept talking to make sure I won't sleep while riding in the late night. I can not imagine this ride would be possible without her. A lot of other people helped me and I want to express my gratitude to each and every person who provided support and assistance throughout this challenging journey. It was a transformative experience that changed my perspective on life, giving me the confidence to face any challenge.
