The Fugue - Day 2 - Agra to Jaipur
Here comes the pain! When I woke up next morning in my bed at Taj Resorts Agra, room number 1002, I felt a mild pain in my left knee and ankle in form of a soft whisper trying to warn me about the upcoming horror, like clouds on the horizon. As I was in the process of regaining my consciousness, I realised that I had made a big mistake in carrying the monkey on my back and completing the 224 KM stretch from my home to Taj Mahal at more than my comfortable speed. Lesson learnt for long rides: Set a pace for yourself, in which you are comfortable, and follow it till the entire ride. Also choose the gear combination which you are going to use for majority part of your ride, when you are not fighting the headwind or sprinting.
Brushing aside the thought of pain, I got ready as we had to get down for breakfast sharp at 7:00 AM, with flag off time set at 8:00 AM by our captain Kamal Bisht. Me and Gaurav checked our bikes, and after cleaning and oiling our bikes we went together towards the breakfast table. At that very moment I felt so glad to have Gaurav by my side on this expedition. Without him I would have had been totally lost. When I first told him about this expedition he was a bit reluctant in joining. I was not at all expecting him on this trip and it was a pleasant surprise to know that Gaurav will be joining this expedition too. He phoned me the day before the ride and gave me a long list of some useful items (which I that time found it utterly useless) to bring along with me for this ride. For those who do not know Gaurav; he is part of my company and we both have done many rides together as part of HCL Pedal Pushers Group. We also shared rooms together along with another riders, Dhruv in Agra and Avadhesh in Jaipur. Gaurav is a seasoned rider with good experience. He is a kind of person who will not flinch an iota in throwing one or two good advice at your way, without sounding or seeming bossy.
After having a fulfilling breakfast, we all gathered around a table to celebrate Gurleen Ma'am's birthday. There were largely two kinds of bikes in our expedition. Road Bikes and MTBs. There existed different level of unspoken understanding and empathy flowing between the riders who were riding MTBs and those riding Roadies. An MTB is comparatively difficult to ride for long distance rides. Gurleen Ma'am is a natural MTB rider. I too am fond of MTBs and was riding on Scott Aspect 740. I had developed a special affinity and respect for Gurleen Ma'am; along with other MTB riders like Dhruv, Mohit and Smriti; after riding alongside with her and others; MTB 2 MTB! Also she is the living embodiment of Cheryl Strayed from the book Wild; who by the way is one of my strongest favourite female characters from a book. There was a cake cutting ceremony for her, organised by our Captain Kamal Bisht. A very elegant and debonair cake with her picture on it was placed on the breakfast table. I was very happy witnessing all this and being a part of it. I was Comfortably Numb in the words of Pink Floyd and In 'Paradise City' in the Words of Guns and Roses.
Finally at 8:30 AM the flag off for 267 KM long ride from Agra to Jaipur took place. The pain in my left knee and ankle started growing, both in magnitude and area. It was still at a manageable level. The constant tussle between pain and pleasure had just started. It is through cycling, that I have realised the importance of pain in life and the powerful choice with us to choose between whether to suffer or not to suffer from it. I chose not to suffer from the pain which I was experiencing and moved on.
The first 30 Kms of 267 Kms were a little difficult because of the roads being narrow and traffic moving in both directions. But as we approached Bharatpur; the roads they widened up and got smoother and smoother. The only challenges remaining now were the brutal and ruthless headwinds clubbed with my knee and ankle issues, which were making it difficult to pedal. Repeating 'Anicca' (Impermanence, also called Anicca or Anitya in Pali) and observing the pain undulating and falling in intensity; I was pedalling at lower gears increasing my cadence at a constant speed of 19-20 Kmph. Me, Sundriyal sir, Nidhi and Dhruv also tried drafting (drafting, a technique that puts aerodynamics to work. Where two or more cyclists ride in a tight single file line, with the back riders taking advantage of the slipstream created by the front rider). Dhruv and Nidhi the youngest of the lot were the head of the drafting team with me and Sundriyal sir being the tail. (Please go through the Riders and Ride Marshall's introductions on a separate post for Rider's Intro)
Here comes the pain! When I woke up next morning in my bed at Taj Resorts Agra, room number 1002, I felt a mild pain in my left knee and ankle in form of a soft whisper trying to warn me about the upcoming horror, like clouds on the horizon. As I was in the process of regaining my consciousness, I realised that I had made a big mistake in carrying the monkey on my back and completing the 224 KM stretch from my home to Taj Mahal at more than my comfortable speed. Lesson learnt for long rides: Set a pace for yourself, in which you are comfortable, and follow it till the entire ride. Also choose the gear combination which you are going to use for majority part of your ride, when you are not fighting the headwind or sprinting.
Brushing aside the thought of pain, I got ready as we had to get down for breakfast sharp at 7:00 AM, with flag off time set at 8:00 AM by our captain Kamal Bisht. Me and Gaurav checked our bikes, and after cleaning and oiling our bikes we went together towards the breakfast table. At that very moment I felt so glad to have Gaurav by my side on this expedition. Without him I would have had been totally lost. When I first told him about this expedition he was a bit reluctant in joining. I was not at all expecting him on this trip and it was a pleasant surprise to know that Gaurav will be joining this expedition too. He phoned me the day before the ride and gave me a long list of some useful items (which I that time found it utterly useless) to bring along with me for this ride. For those who do not know Gaurav; he is part of my company and we both have done many rides together as part of HCL Pedal Pushers Group. We also shared rooms together along with another riders, Dhruv in Agra and Avadhesh in Jaipur. Gaurav is a seasoned rider with good experience. He is a kind of person who will not flinch an iota in throwing one or two good advice at your way, without sounding or seeming bossy.
"Me and Gaurav Getting Our Bikes Ready For A Long Windy Day Ahead"
Gaurav's list proved to be very useful on this ride. Especially the medicines and black salt for cramps. He also gave me a ride plan for day 2 after listening thorugh my issues and complaints with my body. Politely pointing out my mistakes he gave his point of view on things which I was did wrong on day 1. One and the most important thing which came out to the fore was that I was riding at very high gears and needed to tone it down and start working on increasing my cadence (In cycling, cadence (or pedalling rate) is the number of revolutions of the crank per minute; this is the rate at which a cyclist is pedalling/turning the pedals) on day 2. 
"Gaurav and Me, My Mentor, Roommate and Partner In Crime"
After having a fulfilling breakfast, we all gathered around a table to celebrate Gurleen Ma'am's birthday. There were largely two kinds of bikes in our expedition. Road Bikes and MTBs. There existed different level of unspoken understanding and empathy flowing between the riders who were riding MTBs and those riding Roadies. An MTB is comparatively difficult to ride for long distance rides. Gurleen Ma'am is a natural MTB rider. I too am fond of MTBs and was riding on Scott Aspect 740. I had developed a special affinity and respect for Gurleen Ma'am; along with other MTB riders like Dhruv, Mohit and Smriti; after riding alongside with her and others; MTB 2 MTB! Also she is the living embodiment of Cheryl Strayed from the book Wild; who by the way is one of my strongest favourite female characters from a book. There was a cake cutting ceremony for her, organised by our Captain Kamal Bisht. A very elegant and debonair cake with her picture on it was placed on the breakfast table. I was very happy witnessing all this and being a part of it. I was Comfortably Numb in the words of Pink Floyd and In 'Paradise City' in the Words of Guns and Roses.
"Gurleen Ma'am's Birthday Cake"
Finally at 8:30 AM the flag off for 267 KM long ride from Agra to Jaipur took place. The pain in my left knee and ankle started growing, both in magnitude and area. It was still at a manageable level. The constant tussle between pain and pleasure had just started. It is through cycling, that I have realised the importance of pain in life and the powerful choice with us to choose between whether to suffer or not to suffer from it. I chose not to suffer from the pain which I was experiencing and moved on.
The first 30 Kms of 267 Kms were a little difficult because of the roads being narrow and traffic moving in both directions. But as we approached Bharatpur; the roads they widened up and got smoother and smoother. The only challenges remaining now were the brutal and ruthless headwinds clubbed with my knee and ankle issues, which were making it difficult to pedal. Repeating 'Anicca' (Impermanence, also called Anicca or Anitya in Pali) and observing the pain undulating and falling in intensity; I was pedalling at lower gears increasing my cadence at a constant speed of 19-20 Kmph. Me, Sundriyal sir, Nidhi and Dhruv also tried drafting (drafting, a technique that puts aerodynamics to work. Where two or more cyclists ride in a tight single file line, with the back riders taking advantage of the slipstream created by the front rider). Dhruv and Nidhi the youngest of the lot were the head of the drafting team with me and Sundriyal sir being the tail. (Please go through the Riders and Ride Marshall's introductions on a separate post for Rider's Intro)
"From Front To Tail - Dhruv, Nidhi, Dilip, Sundriyal Sir. Mastering The Art Of Drafting"
After fighting the headwinds, crosswinds, pain and the mind we took our first halt at 50 KM mark at a road side shack for snacks and tea. This is where I got a little worried about my knee and ankle. Its nature now was on a constant high and occasionally excruciatingly high with cramps starting to develop; creating a catch-22 like situation for me; instead of undulating and falling as it was a while ago. I took off my shoes, socks, and knee support as I sat down on a chair while others were drinking tea and eating snacks. Seeing me in a difficult situation Gaurav walked up to me to check upon me. I told him plain and square that things are not good. He then took out the magic elixir from his pocket for my cramps, "The Black Salt". Which we mixed in a bottle with Mountain Dew; making it crazily super fuzzy and I drank the overflowing, salty, fuzzy liquid directly from the bottle. Taking a rest for about 20-30 minutes I felt a lot better. Now at least the cramps were gone, and I was left with one less thing to worry about.
We were not allowed to use phones or our headphones during the rides due to safety concerns. Just like food and water are fuel for the body, music and songs to me are fuel for the spirit. So in the pit stop I quickly made a playlist with the name TDGT. It had only the following 5 songs/tracks in it:
1) Naav (Udaan)
2) Walk Unafraid (R.E.M.)
3) My Silver Lining (First Aid Kit)
4) Azaadiyan (Udaan)
5) Pankhon Ko (Rocket Singh)
Every time I took a break or stopped for 5-6 minutes break I listened to one of these songs and then start the ride again. Between pedalling, breathing, and a few random thoughts, these songs would occupy the remainder of my mind. Few lines from here; some from there would start playing in my head, occasionally coming to my lips:
Walk Unafraid:
I'll trip, fall, pick myself up and
Walk unafraid
I'll be clumsy instead
Hold me love me or leave me high.
Then Naav's Lyrics Will Start:
रख देगा झंकझोर के तुझे, तूफानों का घोर है डेरा (It'll shake you to the core, it's a huge camping of storms)
भंवर से डर जो हार मान ले, काहे का फिर जोर है तेरा ((but) if your being goes into submission fearing the whirlpool, then where is your strength, valour)
कि दरिया बोले वाह रे पंथी, सर आँखों पे नाव है तेरी (such that the sea says wow O traveller, your boat is on my head and on my eyes (a proverb that would mean I respect your boat))
Then a few lines from Pankhon Ko will ring like:
उलझे नही तो कैसे सुलझोगे कैसे (Without getting entangled how will you disentangle yourself)
बिखरे नही त कैसे निखरोगे कैसे (Without getting shattered how will you bloom/shine)
Suddenly My Silver Lining will start:
Regret, remorse, hold on, oh no I've got to go
There’s no starting over, no new beginnings, time races on
And you've just gotta keep on keeping on
Gotta keep on going, looking straight out on the road
Can't worry 'bout what's behind you or what's coming for you further up the road
I try not to hold on to what is gone, I try to do right what is wrong
I try to keep on keeping on
Yeah I just keep on keeping on
Finally it ends with Opening Lines of Azaadiyan and then the loop starts again, not in the same order though:
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
I got up, took my bike, mounted the saddle and started peddling. I felt sorry for that dog. Sent my Metta (The Pali word metta is a multi-significant term meaning loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord, inoffensiveness and non-violence. The Pali commentators define metta as the strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others (parahita-parasukha-kamana)) to the dying dog as there was nothing that I could have done to save this poor thing's life. Tears came rolling down my cheeks as I was riding. The wind was wiping these tears from my face. I let it as I rode along. I gave this round to the Team Pain and Suffering with final scores settled at 2-1. Defeated, broken and shaken. This was the time when my ego; fighting and resisting against the adverse conditions thrown at me; completely melted and gave way. I wiped the scoreboard clean with nothing on it now. I was about to reach the next stop for tea. On the way there were two rocky hills on either sides and the road running between them. As I crossed this juncture I thought of these two rocky mountains as symbolisms to my ego and pain respectively. And the road being my awareness or consciousness, piercing between these two to create the realisation of truth which in this case was "everything is impermanent".
As I reached; Gaurav, looking at my drained and emptied demeanour, with concerning inquiry and compassion asked me "Are you alright buddy? You look famished and spent" to which I told him that I need his crape bandage and knee cap. I was again feeling thankful that Gaurav was on this trip with all the right things to say to me and all the right things to offer in the times of need.
There was a very lively and adorable pet dog here on the property of Highway Tadka restaurant. Seeing everyone filled with joy and happiness around this dog cheered me up again and filled me with some new energy. I wished and prayed for a better afterlife of the dead dog from the way. Which kind of made me more accepting and compassionate towards my own pain. After food and drink, I took the bandages and knee guard from Gaurav and started off again to finish the remaining 100 KM till KK Royal Hotel.
The headwinds and my pain were almost down to Zero by now as the sun was setting right in front of me. As if it was trying to tell me, that just like me everything will set down and set up again. I was cruising, but was not feeling anything like ecstatic or euphoric about it. I was just accepting it, not wishing it to stay or to prolongate, knowing perfectly well that pain is round the corner and will pay me a visit anytime. And when the pain visits, I had to be as accepting as I am now. So I couldn't afford to be ecstatic or euphoric about something this impermanent. Trying to keep this balance of mind I rode and rode, further and farther.
I should have listened to myself and eaten food 30 KM before the final destination where majority of riders were eating dinner. But yet again I allowed someone-else/majority to take a decision for me. There was going to be a very long gap between these 2 meals of the day, which is not good for cycling or any other demanding physical activity for that matter. Actually this mistake like all other mistakes had a life long lesson for me. I had always allowed other people to take decisions for me, allowed them to run my life according to them. This was because I never knew where my self-interests they lie. So after getting ran over by people again, I decided then and there that this is going to be the last time when other people will be taking decisions on my behalf. It is high time, that from now on I should start taking life in my own hands completely.
Anyhow around 11:30 PM I reached at the mouth of a tunnel. It had been a long and emotionally tiring day for me. I had been pedalling on a upward slope, under the hallucination that it is downward slope. I don't do drugs, nor do I drink. I was naturally high on hunger, exhaustion and mental tiredness. I was expecting that the bike will go all smooth and easy on a down slope, but instead it was not moving at all instead of my best efforts. I phoned Kamal Bisht, expressing my plight and confusion, that there is something seriously wrong with my bike. To which he sounded bemused and told me to keep pedalling and they will meet me at the end of the tunnel. I was not sure what Kamal found amusing in my plight. I anyways checked my bike for any kind of resistance on breaks or gears. Finding nothing, I went on pedalling and saw the backup vehicle with Kamal Kant and Kamal Bisht standing there like 2 stupas of peace and assurance. I felt genuine happiness seeing them. When I told my story to both Kamals they could not contain their laughter. Then Kamal Bisht told me that it is a 3% gradient upwards and not the other way around. I laughed with them under that moon which I am sure would have had been laughing with us or at me all the time.
Gurleen Ma'am and her fellow riders caught up with me. I came to know Gurleen Ma'am was not feeling well and was a little off from her track. From here on it was all downhill, Kamal Bisht told us. So we were cruising on our MTBs, me Gurleen Ma'am, Mohit, and Sundriyal sir. Sundriyal sir rides a Roadie but his chain broke making that trippy ascent. So he had to ride Sarthak's MTB, who was not riding because he had ruptured his lower back muscles while riding. Looking at these 3 riders on MTBs in that kaleidoscope of moonlight and half darkness, at a 35-40 Kmph speed on that descent, I saw determination and strength dripping. Gurleen Ma'am in spite of her down health was commanding respect, inspiring assurance and inducing confidence all around. I was experiencing serendipity in its purest form as we 4 of us were whizzing past the empty streets of Jaipur towards Amer Fort and our Hotel!
We were not allowed to use phones or our headphones during the rides due to safety concerns. Just like food and water are fuel for the body, music and songs to me are fuel for the spirit. So in the pit stop I quickly made a playlist with the name TDGT. It had only the following 5 songs/tracks in it:
1) Naav (Udaan)
2) Walk Unafraid (R.E.M.)
3) My Silver Lining (First Aid Kit)
4) Azaadiyan (Udaan)
5) Pankhon Ko (Rocket Singh)
Every time I took a break or stopped for 5-6 minutes break I listened to one of these songs and then start the ride again. Between pedalling, breathing, and a few random thoughts, these songs would occupy the remainder of my mind. Few lines from here; some from there would start playing in my head, occasionally coming to my lips:
Walk Unafraid:
I'll trip, fall, pick myself up and
Walk unafraid
I'll be clumsy instead
Hold me love me or leave me high.
Then Naav's Lyrics Will Start:
रख देगा झंकझोर के तुझे, तूफानों का घोर है डेरा (It'll shake you to the core, it's a huge camping of storms)
भंवर से डर जो हार मान ले, काहे का फिर जोर है तेरा ((but) if your being goes into submission fearing the whirlpool, then where is your strength, valour)
है दिल में रौशनी तेरे, तू चीर डाल सब घेरे (There is light in your heart. You break all the Sieges)
लहरों की गर्दन कसके डाल फंदे रे (Tightly tie a knot around the necks of waves)कि दरिया बोले वाह रे पंथी, सर आँखों पे नाव है तेरी (such that the sea says wow O traveller, your boat is on my head and on my eyes (a proverb that would mean I respect your boat))
Then a few lines from Pankhon Ko will ring like:
उलझे नही तो कैसे सुलझोगे कैसे (Without getting entangled how will you disentangle yourself)
बिखरे नही त कैसे निखरोगे कैसे (Without getting shattered how will you bloom/shine)
Suddenly My Silver Lining will start:
Regret, remorse, hold on, oh no I've got to go
There’s no starting over, no new beginnings, time races on
And you've just gotta keep on keeping on
Gotta keep on going, looking straight out on the road
Can't worry 'bout what's behind you or what's coming for you further up the road
I try not to hold on to what is gone, I try to do right what is wrong
I try to keep on keeping on
Yeah I just keep on keeping on
Finally it ends with Opening Lines of Azaadiyan and then the loop starts again, not in the same order though:
पैरों की बेड़ियाँ ख्वाबों को बांधे नहीं रे, कभी नहीं
रे मिट्टी की परतों को नन्हे से अंकुर भी चीरे, धीरे-धीरे (Shackles of feet can never bind dreams Even sprouts rip through the layer of soil slowly)
The route from here to our next stop for lunch which was another 60-70 KM was really tough for me. The pain in my knee and ankle joining forces with the headwinds was a hard battle to win. It had already been 0-1 between Team Dilip and Team Headwinds-Pain. I had to make it 1-1 in these next 80 KM. Anyhow I pushed through. Speed was hardly any of my concerns at this point in time. The pain was growing bit by bit from harsh to gruelling as I was pushing my way through. There was no leniency in the pain. Something didn't feel right. Something was wrong. These thoughts were constantly resounding in my mind, like a soft noise. I had this feeling right from the time of flag off when we started, I stopped to check my bike and realised that the saddle height of my bike had went 3.5 markings down from where I am comfortable riding. By this time on I had already advanced around 100 KM on a saddle at a very wrong height for me. This was the main reason behind the amplification of my pains and torments. I immediately adjusted the saddle to its appropriate position, took out the nutter tool and tightened the screws so that it does not come down again. The damage was already done on by this time. I could not change what had already happened, there was no point mourning the inevitable. But I decided there and then that I will be more careful in the rest of the remaining ride and will be making right decisions towards navigating this bike and body to the finish line successfully.
Slowly and gradually I reached our lunch point. Parked my Scott Aspect 740, took my time in analyzing my knee and ankle, which did not look good at all. I asked Kamal Bisht if he has some medicine for me to suppress the pain for the time being. To which he gave me a muscle relaxant tablet. I ate the tablet after food. Spent some time with fellow riders, chatting, laughing and being silly. The tablet gulped with animated conversations and healing laughter really helped me in overcoming the pain and the fear once again and stirred confidence.
We started off towards Jaipur after lunch around noon 2:00 - 2:30 PM. Before starting I listened to couple of tracks from my playlist, particularly the 'Naav' song. Keeping the phone and headphones in the front bag of my bike I went ahead solo. The route and the landscape with Sun going down inch by inch was breathtaking. My pain was still as much there; undeterred and unmoved; but with food in tummy, determination in my head and humour in my soul I was ready again. Next stop was in Mehandipur Balaji , marked 100 KM short of our final destination i.e. KK Royal Hotel. From Lunch Point till our next stop it was a recovery phase for me. I rode at a very comfortable speed and relaxed gear-pedal combination. Score was now level between Team Dilip and Team Pain. This stretch till the tea stop was the opportunity for me to take lead from 1-1 to 2-1 Team Dilip - Team Pain-Headwinds. But somewhere in the middle I had to stop. Suddenly the pain surged again with exceedingly high intensity. Right where I stopped, there was a milestone, I sat on the ground resting my back against the milestone and started spraying pain relief spray on my leg. As I was spraying the pain relief spray on my ankle and knee, I heard a loud cry of a dog. I turned to look and saw a dog seriously injured, crying and limping in pain, probably hit by a vehicle. Death was inevitable for this poor creature. As I watched this dog's struggle between life and death, I thought about my own pain. It was nowhere comparable to what this lad was going through. Then the thought of my own death came. What if I had been in that dog's position, and being dying right now. Will I be satisfied with myself right now? Will I be able to say with conviction that I had given my 100%? Will I be able to declare boldly with my hand on my chest; that here is a man who lived? The single answer to all those questions was a 'No'. Then the following quote came to my mind:
― Martin Luther King Jr.
I got up, took my bike, mounted the saddle and started peddling. I felt sorry for that dog. Sent my Metta (The Pali word metta is a multi-significant term meaning loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord, inoffensiveness and non-violence. The Pali commentators define metta as the strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others (parahita-parasukha-kamana)) to the dying dog as there was nothing that I could have done to save this poor thing's life. Tears came rolling down my cheeks as I was riding. The wind was wiping these tears from my face. I let it as I rode along. I gave this round to the Team Pain and Suffering with final scores settled at 2-1. Defeated, broken and shaken. This was the time when my ego; fighting and resisting against the adverse conditions thrown at me; completely melted and gave way. I wiped the scoreboard clean with nothing on it now. I was about to reach the next stop for tea. On the way there were two rocky hills on either sides and the road running between them. As I crossed this juncture I thought of these two rocky mountains as symbolisms to my ego and pain respectively. And the road being my awareness or consciousness, piercing between these two to create the realisation of truth which in this case was "everything is impermanent".
As I reached; Gaurav, looking at my drained and emptied demeanour, with concerning inquiry and compassion asked me "Are you alright buddy? You look famished and spent" to which I told him that I need his crape bandage and knee cap. I was again feeling thankful that Gaurav was on this trip with all the right things to say to me and all the right things to offer in the times of need.
There was a very lively and adorable pet dog here on the property of Highway Tadka restaurant. Seeing everyone filled with joy and happiness around this dog cheered me up again and filled me with some new energy. I wished and prayed for a better afterlife of the dead dog from the way. Which kind of made me more accepting and compassionate towards my own pain. After food and drink, I took the bandages and knee guard from Gaurav and started off again to finish the remaining 100 KM till KK Royal Hotel.
The headwinds and my pain were almost down to Zero by now as the sun was setting right in front of me. As if it was trying to tell me, that just like me everything will set down and set up again. I was cruising, but was not feeling anything like ecstatic or euphoric about it. I was just accepting it, not wishing it to stay or to prolongate, knowing perfectly well that pain is round the corner and will pay me a visit anytime. And when the pain visits, I had to be as accepting as I am now. So I couldn't afford to be ecstatic or euphoric about something this impermanent. Trying to keep this balance of mind I rode and rode, further and farther.
I should have listened to myself and eaten food 30 KM before the final destination where majority of riders were eating dinner. But yet again I allowed someone-else/majority to take a decision for me. There was going to be a very long gap between these 2 meals of the day, which is not good for cycling or any other demanding physical activity for that matter. Actually this mistake like all other mistakes had a life long lesson for me. I had always allowed other people to take decisions for me, allowed them to run my life according to them. This was because I never knew where my self-interests they lie. So after getting ran over by people again, I decided then and there that this is going to be the last time when other people will be taking decisions on my behalf. It is high time, that from now on I should start taking life in my own hands completely.
Anyhow around 11:30 PM I reached at the mouth of a tunnel. It had been a long and emotionally tiring day for me. I had been pedalling on a upward slope, under the hallucination that it is downward slope. I don't do drugs, nor do I drink. I was naturally high on hunger, exhaustion and mental tiredness. I was expecting that the bike will go all smooth and easy on a down slope, but instead it was not moving at all instead of my best efforts. I phoned Kamal Bisht, expressing my plight and confusion, that there is something seriously wrong with my bike. To which he sounded bemused and told me to keep pedalling and they will meet me at the end of the tunnel. I was not sure what Kamal found amusing in my plight. I anyways checked my bike for any kind of resistance on breaks or gears. Finding nothing, I went on pedalling and saw the backup vehicle with Kamal Kant and Kamal Bisht standing there like 2 stupas of peace and assurance. I felt genuine happiness seeing them. When I told my story to both Kamals they could not contain their laughter. Then Kamal Bisht told me that it is a 3% gradient upwards and not the other way around. I laughed with them under that moon which I am sure would have had been laughing with us or at me all the time.
Gurleen Ma'am and her fellow riders caught up with me. I came to know Gurleen Ma'am was not feeling well and was a little off from her track. From here on it was all downhill, Kamal Bisht told us. So we were cruising on our MTBs, me Gurleen Ma'am, Mohit, and Sundriyal sir. Sundriyal sir rides a Roadie but his chain broke making that trippy ascent. So he had to ride Sarthak's MTB, who was not riding because he had ruptured his lower back muscles while riding. Looking at these 3 riders on MTBs in that kaleidoscope of moonlight and half darkness, at a 35-40 Kmph speed on that descent, I saw determination and strength dripping. Gurleen Ma'am in spite of her down health was commanding respect, inspiring assurance and inducing confidence all around. I was experiencing serendipity in its purest form as we 4 of us were whizzing past the empty streets of Jaipur towards Amer Fort and our Hotel!
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