The Nandi Binge

This all started when the 3-day cycling camp I signed up for was canceled. We were supposed to cover about 350 km, including a lot of hills, over three days. I was excited, and for once, I had enough budget to spend comfortably. However, with rain in the forecast and the roads washed out from a recent cyclone, the camp was canceled. I was visibly upset to the point that I was binging on pizza. The magic food didn't really work this time though.

I did not cancel my leave - as no one should. I decided to make the most of it by riding outdoors in Bengaluru (a luxury for someone living in this armpit of the city, where there are hardly any roads suitable for road bikes). The plan was to hit Nandi at least three times within the week.

Preparing for a big week

One round-trip to Nandi from Yelahanka is about 91 km with 900 m of elevation gain. Based on my calculations (and Strava data from a recent ride), I would burn about 1800–1900 calories. That means I need to consume at least 1700 calories (mostly in the form of carbs) before and during the ride to even survive at the end.

I went on a Zepto spree, stocked up on an industrial supply of granola and energy bars, filled my car to the brim, lubed the chain, recharged the Cat Eye and Garmin, and was all set to go.

Day 1

It was a chilly 15 degrees when I arrived at the start point in my car (arctic temperature for a Chennai boy like me). I was joined by 16-year-old Madhavan, who turned out to be great company for a chat. There I was, a Lycra-clad, creepy-looking guy hanging around with a 16-year-old, with an unexplainable amount of candy bars stuffed into my back pocket.

Nice and chilly weather

 

Accompanied by Madhavan

It was a steady endurance pace in enjoyable weather. By the time I reached the base of the hill, I had sipped about 300 ml of water mixed with a carb blend and consumed 2 candy bars and 2 energy gels (it might be overkill, but it ensures I survive the climb). Feeling fed enough, I took on the climb.

Nandi is about a 7 km climb with an average grade of 5.8%. It starts as a nice, steady climb with gradients varying from 4-6%. After the halfway mark, though, it turns merciless. You suddenly get hit with gradients of 9-11%. As they say, 2 x 0.5 Nandi is never 1 full Nandi.

I was able to climb up to that point using the bigger chainring. My heart rate and power were steady, not too fast, not too slow, and I maintained a cadence of about 65–70 rpm (not too bad for the big chainring). I reached the top feeling surprisingly strong and comfortable.

It was nowhere near my Nandi PB of 34 minutes, but it was a nice and comfortable 42-minute climb—about average for a heavy guy like me.

Atop Nandi

I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, and when I got back to the car, I felt strong with runner's high. And, being the suckers they are, endorphins made me decide: 'Let's do this for four more days, back to back'.

Day 2

There was some noticeable fatigue in my legs from the day before, but nothing that could stop me or send me home. I was joined by another good friend, Mayur Bathija, and we chatted throughout the ride, covering topics ranging from the Bengaluru racing scene to World Tour teams.

The climb itself was much harder than the day before (with 10 watts less than my usual climbing wattage). No big-ring shenanigans this time, I switched to my smaller chainring right at the start of the climb. Nandi was mostly empty, except for a few rare cyclists, motorbikes, and tourist cars. I climbed up a few minutes slower than my friend. Once you're at the top, though, you always tell yourself it was great, no matter how bad it went.

Mayur, a familiar face around Bengaluru Cycling Scene

It was only on the return, when I told Mayur, 'Three more days of this,' that I realized what I had signed up for. It meant waking up at 4 am every day to force-feed myself a heavy breakfast, driving a good three hours through Bengaluru traffic to the starting point and back, and spending about three and a half hours riding the same old route every day. This is about to get more mental than physical.

Day 3

The motivation was low when I woke up at 4 am. There was no one joining me that day. I forced myself to eat what felt like a ton of granola and set out.

Weirdly, it was enjoyable to be riding alone for once (aside from waving at a few fellow cyclists along the way). I was consciously staying well within Zone 2 power - for my non-cyclist friends, that's an easy pace that doesn't put much strain on the heart. I reached Nandi Road, and that’s when I experienced the infamous 'Nandi Road Dog Chase.' A sudden burst of power broke the monotony of my slow ride so far, and I managed an impressive 20-second sprint.

Adding to my loneliness, the highway, the road leading to Nandi, and the hill itself were eerily empty. I did see a few familiar faces descending down the hill while I was slogging up. I recorded my slowest climb ever at about 48 minutes.

Silent Hill

Fatigue, combined with a lack of proper sleep, made it the hardest day I’ve ever had on the bike. I dreaded the thought of 'two more days.' I was very close to calling it quits on the Nandi binge. That’s when I spoke to Ashwin Vig, a highly technical and knowledgeable powerhouse, who pointed out that I had been running a calorie deficit of over 500 kcal due to a miscalculation. A 500 kcal deficit is manageable for a single big day on the bike, but it’s not sustainable at all during a multi-day hill camp. I packed a few more energy bars for the next day and banked some sleep.

Day 4

I was joined that day by a Nandi legend, Vinayak, who was about to complete his 48th climb of the year. With a little peer pressure, I managed to keep a good tempo pace alongside him. For my non-cyclist friends, a 'tempo' pace is a step up from an 'easy' pace. It's effortful, but not too easy or too hard.

In no time, we reached the base of the hill. My legs felt much better after a few extra energy bars, although I took it easy on the climb (still maintaining a solid 200W). I took a good 40 minute cafe break while my friend was doing 2 reps of the climb. The return was fast as well, and for once, it felt like I still had plenty of fuel left. 'Just one more day' was a huge morale booster.

Day 5

I joined the infamous 'Nandi Train' that day. It’s a group that rides to Nandi every Saturday, and boy, were they fast! They were a little too fast for a heavily fatigued guy like me, but I managed to cling on.

The last day was the fastest for me during the week, thanks to the group. I was much slower on the climb than the rest of the group, but I didn’t give it a second thought or feel any peer pressure. It was just - I did it! Five times in a row! My friend Vinayak from the previous day also hit a milestone - his 50th climb of the year.

With Vinayak. Milestones - some big, some small

"The Nandi Train" as the local community calls it

The group was 'sending it' on the way back. I managed to keep up for a while, but eventually slowed down as the fatigue hit really hard. Still, I finished with a solid average speed of 28.5 kph that day. Not bad at all for the fifth day of riding.

I reached the car with a huge sense of accomplishment. No more early mornings and long drives to the start point. No more force-feeding myself granola, gels, and bars. I was done!

The End

By local cycling standards, it was no huge achievement. There are several people in the community who tackle much harder and longer rides. But for me, the week was a revelation nonetheless. My biggest takeaway was the importance of nutrition. Your body needs fuel to burn - it's as simple as that. If it doesn’t find enough carbs to burn, it turns to burning muscle, which leads to fatigue. It might feel like you're eating tons of food, which can make it feel counterproductive. But without enough food, you are just damaging your body. During this week, I found my (near) ideal mix of food to take while riding. Finding the right stuff is largely trial and error and varies from person to person. It just took me a good week of riding to figure it out (after years of riding bikes).

By the end of the fifth day, I had ridden 459 km, with 4559 m of elevation gain and 17 hours and 3 minutes of saddle time. My biggest week ever in terms of elevation gain and time spent on the bike.

People outside the cycling community often ask me why I do it. The answer is simple: It is because I can. And if I - of all people - can do it, then truly, anyone can..