Mumbai cyclists gear up for their longest ride yet

On a pitch-dark, winding road adjoining a valley, an invisible horse seemed a rather unlikely co-traveller. But for Anil Uchil, who had been cycling for hours to complete a 600-km route from Pune to Kolhapur, the clickety-clack of hooves was unmistakeable. "It must have been 3am, and I hadn't slept that night or the day before," he recalls. "The only place available for that horse to run was the valley, and that's where the sound was coming from." Suddenly, Uchil didn't find it ridiculous that a fellow cyclist had once heard anklets tinkling while he trudged along.

Today, Uchil does leave room for the possibility that it may have been extreme sleep-deprivation. But either way, galloping equestrian spirits would be the least challenging aspects of randonneuring — a time-bound cyclothon. Riders must battle not only uneven terrain and dipping energy reserves but also flagging motivation to complete hundreds of kilometres.

With the Mumbai Randonneurs club organising what is possibly India's biggest such event next week, the stakes are higher. On Saturday, a motley group of cyclists - both local and from outside Mumbai - will set out on a 1200-km trip or brevet starting here, and traversing Nashik, Dhule and Indore. The distance equals that of the Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) event, said to be the world's oldest cyclothon.

"In 2011, India was represented for the first time there," says Uchil, who was part of the group. The upcoming event is aimed at preparing cyclists for the next leg of PBP in 2015.

While Mumbai's cycling community continues to find new members, the randonneuring club is more tightly knit. To snap up the tag of a randonneur, one must have completed a route measuring at least 200 kms. Those who finish 200, 300, 400 and 600-km-long brevets within the same season reach the even more exclusive echelons of "super-randonneurs".

Attempting 1,200 kms at a stretch, though, is a different ball-game. One must make it within 90 hours, which includes eating, fixing punctured tyres, naps and loo-breaks. The trail is further split into checkpoints that must be reached within a specified time.

The "baap of all brevets" requires meticulous planning, before and during the ride. While Nerul resident Amin Patil is used to cycling over a 100 kms every weekend, the event demands steadily extending his route.

"You are completely on your own," says the 31-year-old. "If you need to change a tyre, or replace a spoke, you need to do it yourself." While first aid and repair supplies are available at the checkpoints in case of emergencies, riders ensure they also carry their own. Fruits, sandwiches and energy bars are also stocked up on.

Aside from pushing the limits of physical and mental exhaustion, randonneurs learn to deal with unending queries from pedestrians. That there is no trophy or cash prize waiting at the finish-line confounds onlookers, says Uchil.

Mohinder Singh Bharaj, who has previously completed a 600-km ride in Pune, feels that there is nothing like the high of conquering a route. The 58-year-old had switched to cycling after knee pain forced him to discontinue running. Today, he is a diligent randonneur.

"It's not only physical strength but mental fortitude that randonneuring builds up," says Uchil. "Whenever you need to draw on those reserves in life, you can look back and think 'If I could do that, I can do this too.'"

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