Brevet - An Experience

I began my day at 3 AM. This is it I thought, the day has finally arrived. I pedaled away to TBA, Kondapur, refusing to let any feelings of anxiety and fretfulness consume me.

And even before saddling up, I realized that I had the wrong tube! Krish, came to my rescue by opening up the store, just for me! Finally, with a million thoughts cropping up my head, we started to cycle our way to 200KM.

With my attitude drenched in zest, I took in the atmosphere of lively and sporty people, ready to take on the challenge.

After crossing Shankarpally, out of the blue, Krish was cursed with a flat tyre. Krish was planning to sacrifice a hundred rupee note to fix the flat, but eventually we managed to do it with a piece of paper - a first for me!

Till now, everybody managed to fill each other with words glossing with inspiration. But I could feel the nervous energy - nervous, because we had to arrive at the first check point in time and we were running out of those valuable seconds!

It was a huge “phew!” moment when we managed to reach, pushing it to the last minute.

After filling our stomachs with some heavenly food, we got onto our cycles, helmets resting on our heads.

The real amusement became crystal clear when we glided down in Anantgiri Hills at a sharp speed. The wind was up against us, almost like striking us and saying “take that!”. I practically flew down the hill at ease at 56 km/hr, barely even feeling any resistance.

While the rest were caught up in the swirling speed of making it through, gobbling up the food in haste, Aayush, Krish, Varun and I had a different perspective. We cherished our food, while soaking our minds with the delightful lake. You see, we were thrilled to accomplish 100 KM and wanted to create a  graceful memory of enjoying the moment.

Back on our way, some of us walked with our cycles on the steep hilly land of Anantgiri. While I panted, Venkata made several attempts to cycle his way up. Vishwas, Varun, Ayush, Venkata, and I congratulated each other on finishing the toughest part.

This was when I was going downhill, not physically, mentally. My shoes seemed to have turned into breathing creatures clawing at my feet. I could feel my enthusiasm getting sucked into a black hole. My body was asking me to walk away while I could still walk away. But the voice in my head managed to turn this into a mere whisper and I was back!

The last 30 km were left, and my only fuel was Mirza Ghalib’s poetry and my motivating friends.

The Microsoft climb was a piece of cake after what we had experienced just a while ago.

We finished! We achieved it! And we had the cozy welcome from a team, who appreciated us and made it worth the hard work.

Yes, I struggled and completely exhausted myself. But nothing beats the moment when you cycle through villages, giving more than 50 kids a high five as you cut through the wind. Nothing surpasses the curiosity of the amused people, enquiring about the “fancy” group, flaunting their tired selves, shiny cycles and helmets and pedaling has if there was no dead end.

I truly appreciate the efforts of the organizing team for all the arrangements and motivation provided to us at each checkpoint

So, a lot went down on this rollercoaster of a day, and like the ocean waves, left back gorgeous memories on the shore of my heart.

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Rider - Deepankar Joshi
Words - Priya Joshi (Class 9 Student)
Ride - Heaven & Hell 200 KM Brevet, Hyderabad, 12th July 2014
Bike - Cannondale Quick 4