"That brings me to the key question, again: Why do people want to climb? Climbing, at its very core, is just a simple and hearty battle against gravity. The basic law of nature that oppressively pins us to the earth seems to be the one we feel the greatest need to fight against. Perhaps, then, this is why we are always trying to climb? Whenever we climb, we are proving that we can take on a force greater than ourselves. We’re pushing against something that holds us down. It’s the fight for freedom, freedom from the oppressive laws of nature as laid down by that rather aristocratically named gentleman, Sir Isaac Newton. We all know humans have a long and volatile history with the pursuit of freedom. Climbing is just a facet of this same fascination with being free."
People do ask questions, retrospect , try to connect the dots ....its fascinating
.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Shopping list
I need this ...... desperately :) ......
1. A pair of Cycling Shoes
I will have to settle for the entry level ones, like the Bontrager one , I would love to have the Shimano ones, but they are too expensive :(
2. A tail light , they are a must, riding without tail lights at night is not safe at all. Planning a Trek 10 LED one.
3. A pair of cycling jerseys, apart from the material, pouches to carry some maps and other docs would be really cool, Along with it some sponsor logos would be nice
4. A pair of cycling shorts, I need padding, there was quite a bit of pain in my bums from riding that long , I can use some cushion near my groin area as well .
5. And a GPS system :) I got to do some research on this.
1. A pair of Cycling Shoes
I will have to settle for the entry level ones, like the Bontrager one , I would love to have the Shimano ones, but they are too expensive :(
2. A tail light , they are a must, riding without tail lights at night is not safe at all. Planning a Trek 10 LED one.
3. A pair of cycling jerseys, apart from the material, pouches to carry some maps and other docs would be really cool, Along with it some sponsor logos would be nice
4. A pair of cycling shorts, I need padding, there was quite a bit of pain in my bums from riding that long , I can use some cushion near my groin area as well .
5. And a GPS system :) I got to do some research on this.
What a Saturday!
I was tired yes, but I felt I could still go on...So I waited for bikes to arrive. This was after about 90 kms already on the bike, my longest ride so far and soon to be broken I hope. The road near KBR park was to be the toughest, I knew if I cross that its all downhill from there, had a snickers and a red bull before the final push.
The bikes arrived , unfortunately there was a dent , not just a dent more of a gash. I have become so protective about the bike, I had taken care to loosen the shifters so that they dont get scrubbed but. I need to carry something to cover teh frame next time onwards.
I pedalled harder, wanted to complete it quickly , it was not that bad, I had some energy reserves still left, the climbs near KBR park was mostly done in 2*4 and some in 3*5 and then a near 50 downhill dash ... ohh it felt so good. About 100 kms under teh belt ...... still ...as Robert Frost said... "Miles to go before I sleep" ...I will make the most of this winter.
It was still dark , I didnt know where Dr Reddy's lab was , I thought its prudent to start early, it took about 40 mins to reach the spot. The ride would start at 6:30 , scouted around for a tea shop after 2 hot cups and a leak Sandeep and then slowly the rest of teh gang arrived. Shay the gang leader arrived with his Gary Fisher, waht a bike it is , my Trek 3700 looked like a kid in front of it. Sandeep explained that his bike had a 29 inch diameter, which makes it much more faster than ours .. which was 26 inchs. The bike had tail lights , which was a really smart thing, it had disc brakes both front and back and tubeless tires! Automatically these got registered in my shopping cart :)
WE all got a printout of the maps, the first target was to reach a junction about 12 kms frm the lab, then go on from there, we decided to meet at teh junction. Shilpa another rider had her car so we all dumped our bags , this was a big relief, lesser weight to haul .
The ride was the most enjoyable, body slowly warming up with the morning chill, perfect. This strech hasss gentle slopes which made it quite interesting, you can sit back and ride at 2*4 and tehn when teh down hll came straight at 3*6 , it was fast, But Shay, Julie and Sunil are a league apart, these guys ride fast, seriously fast, more of it later. After about half an hour we reached the junction.. on time. Our plan was to reach Medak at around 11:30 AM.
Julie I found out was 49 years, that was some inspiration. The next target was to reach the Dundigul air force base. As I started again, warmign up, these three Shay, Sunil and Julie zoomed past, from here onwards i only caught up with them, when they took breaks.
WE reached Dundigal after about half an hour , Medak was 60 kms from here, Julie and Shay game some advice about riding in a pack, Yea right, if only I can keep pace with them , we waited for Shilpa to catch up with us. Had a snickers bar and some drink and started off. Rode continiously for about 2 hrs , no stops , this was teh best part, intense, focussed. This is the ride that I crave for, the intensity , there were some climbs but not killer ones like KVR park types , these were gentle slopes over abt a km or more , which can be done in 2nd gear, I really never had to shift to 1st gear.
The countryside was beautiful, occasional villages , curious kids cheering ou on .. it felt good , How would tour de france feel like ... I am getting too far ahead of myself , I always do , foolish but whats life without a secret dream :).
WE finally stopped near a village, where when i reached , there was quite a big crowd surrounding Shay
, Julie and Sunil , and Shay communicating in Hindi, I was told, his Hindi was quite good, this guy is something, one of those people that when you come across, you are intruiged, and as facets of their personality unfold, your admiration grows.
WE were about 28 kms from Medak now I was always scanning for milestones 28 km felt good, I can do it, I was in a reasonably good shape, I had run out of water and my electrolyte mix was in Shilpa's car which was following Shilpa and she was about 20 mins behind us. Thankfully Julie was carrying an extra bottle I filled my sipper and carried on, IT is very important to keep hydrating yourself ... absolutely important.
After about half an hour we again stopped Medak about 14 kms now , the sun was beginning to get harsher, End of winter means end of all these , what a pity . I didnt have my sunglasses too, havent fixed the frame yet, they are an absolute must, especially with trucks throwing up dirt on your face. Anyways just 14 more to go...
Once it got down to 10 kms it became really difficult , I was constantly looking for 9 , than 8.. where is 7. Its kind of funny when you are on teh look out for somethign, how impatient I become.
Is this Medak, yes it is dude, yu made it congratulations . I guess Sunil knew how it feels to complete the first long ride. it felt awesome, I was not sure if I could and here I was about 10 AM , before time !.
We visited teh church, which was quite good , especially its glass frescos , finally Shilpa arrived, and we feasted on the snickers and Power Horse I was carrying, was too tired to take out my camera and shoot. where are we having lunch!
After lunch, we rode back in Shay's car , who along with Sunil planned to ride back!, Greg also joined us with his kids , He along with Sunil and Shay rode back, I was happy inside the car with the AC on. There was Shay's daughter for company, she is such a cute kid. She needed attention all right , she had a bunch of Thumblina books ....and so on.... Shay's wife also drove back , got to know much about Israel and Judaism. Jews are a very sucessfull people, their attitude is so very different, there is a certain directnessand fearlessness about them..... some day I would like to visit Israel Jerusulam especially.
Nice group to get to now, and I am sure more such rides to follow .. Thank you guys and especially Shay
I will post the group snaps here, when Sunil uploads them.
The bikes arrived , unfortunately there was a dent , not just a dent more of a gash. I have become so protective about the bike, I had taken care to loosen the shifters so that they dont get scrubbed but. I need to carry something to cover teh frame next time onwards.
I pedalled harder, wanted to complete it quickly , it was not that bad, I had some energy reserves still left, the climbs near KBR park was mostly done in 2*4 and some in 3*5 and then a near 50 downhill dash ... ohh it felt so good. About 100 kms under teh belt ...... still ...as Robert Frost said... "Miles to go before I sleep" ...I will make the most of this winter.
It was still dark , I didnt know where Dr Reddy's lab was , I thought its prudent to start early, it took about 40 mins to reach the spot. The ride would start at 6:30 , scouted around for a tea shop after 2 hot cups and a leak Sandeep and then slowly the rest of teh gang arrived. Shay the gang leader arrived with his Gary Fisher, waht a bike it is , my Trek 3700 looked like a kid in front of it. Sandeep explained that his bike had a 29 inch diameter, which makes it much more faster than ours .. which was 26 inchs. The bike had tail lights , which was a really smart thing, it had disc brakes both front and back and tubeless tires! Automatically these got registered in my shopping cart :)
WE all got a printout of the maps, the first target was to reach a junction about 12 kms frm the lab, then go on from there, we decided to meet at teh junction. Shilpa another rider had her car so we all dumped our bags , this was a big relief, lesser weight to haul .
The ride was the most enjoyable, body slowly warming up with the morning chill, perfect. This strech hasss gentle slopes which made it quite interesting, you can sit back and ride at 2*4 and tehn when teh down hll came straight at 3*6 , it was fast, But Shay, Julie and Sunil are a league apart, these guys ride fast, seriously fast, more of it later. After about half an hour we reached the junction.. on time. Our plan was to reach Medak at around 11:30 AM.
Julie I found out was 49 years, that was some inspiration. The next target was to reach the Dundigul air force base. As I started again, warmign up, these three Shay, Sunil and Julie zoomed past, from here onwards i only caught up with them, when they took breaks.
WE reached Dundigal after about half an hour , Medak was 60 kms from here, Julie and Shay game some advice about riding in a pack, Yea right, if only I can keep pace with them , we waited for Shilpa to catch up with us. Had a snickers bar and some drink and started off. Rode continiously for about 2 hrs , no stops , this was teh best part, intense, focussed. This is the ride that I crave for, the intensity , there were some climbs but not killer ones like KVR park types , these were gentle slopes over abt a km or more , which can be done in 2nd gear, I really never had to shift to 1st gear.
The countryside was beautiful, occasional villages , curious kids cheering ou on .. it felt good , How would tour de france feel like ... I am getting too far ahead of myself , I always do , foolish but whats life without a secret dream :).
WE finally stopped near a village, where when i reached , there was quite a big crowd surrounding Shay
, Julie and Sunil , and Shay communicating in Hindi, I was told, his Hindi was quite good, this guy is something, one of those people that when you come across, you are intruiged, and as facets of their personality unfold, your admiration grows.WE were about 28 kms from Medak now I was always scanning for milestones 28 km felt good, I can do it, I was in a reasonably good shape, I had run out of water and my electrolyte mix was in Shilpa's car which was following Shilpa and she was about 20 mins behind us. Thankfully Julie was carrying an extra bottle I filled my sipper and carried on, IT is very important to keep hydrating yourself ... absolutely important.
After about half an hour we again stopped Medak about 14 kms now , the sun was beginning to get harsher, End of winter means end of all these , what a pity . I didnt have my sunglasses too, havent fixed the frame yet, they are an absolute must, especially with trucks throwing up dirt on your face. Anyways just 14 more to go...
Once it got down to 10 kms it became really difficult , I was constantly looking for 9 , than 8.. where is 7. Its kind of funny when you are on teh look out for somethign, how impatient I become.
Is this Medak, yes it is dude, yu made it congratulations . I guess Sunil knew how it feels to complete the first long ride. it felt awesome, I was not sure if I could and here I was about 10 AM , before time !.
We visited teh church, which was quite good , especially its glass frescos , finally Shilpa arrived, and we feasted on the snickers and Power Horse I was carrying, was too tired to take out my camera and shoot. where are we having lunch!
After lunch, we rode back in Shay's car , who along with Sunil planned to ride back!, Greg also joined us with his kids , He along with Sunil and Shay rode back, I was happy inside the car with the AC on. There was Shay's daughter for company, she is such a cute kid. She needed attention all right , she had a bunch of Thumblina books ....and so on.... Shay's wife also drove back , got to know much about Israel and Judaism. Jews are a very sucessfull people, their attitude is so very different, there is a certain directnessand fearlessness about them..... some day I would like to visit Israel Jerusulam especially.
Nice group to get to now, and I am sure more such rides to follow .. Thank you guys and especially Shay
I will post the group snaps here, when Sunil uploads them.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Here I go !
To begin with, diet and diet and diet again.... Carbohydrates are required Loq carbohydrate stores are the main reason of fatigue...And carb storage needs to be built up progressively. For this to happen I need to take more breads . Carbohydrate intake leading to a cycling marathon is 8 grams of Carbohydrate per Kg of body mass. That implies 8*70 = 5600 grams of carbohydrates, for me.
2-3 slices of bread is equivalent to 50 gms of Carbohydrates , If I take 14 chapatis (lunch and dinner )I should be taking in atleast 250 gms there
1 Power Bar
750 ml of a sports drink
either of this is equivalent to 50 gms of Carbs, Breakfast could be cereals in quantity that would give another 100 gms. 4 bananas for snacks or something equivalent 100 gms from here, so I got 500 gms. I am there....
This will require me to have a decent lunch , which I was plannign anyway, so home made lunch from now on or I go outside, Hydration is next big thing, so Drink before you are thirsty, point taken. Cause when you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated and your body has responded. We will aslo loose salts cause of sweating, so electrolyte soln which I am currently using, is good enough anyways I already have sports drinks to take care of.
For recovery will have carbohydrates , immediately after the training < 60 to 90 mins , to recover glycogen levels, So come to office 2 bananas + an energy drink
go back have dinner.
Its really lively when there is a plan, a purpose and you can work towards it
2-3 slices of bread is equivalent to 50 gms of Carbohydrates , If I take 14 chapatis (lunch and dinner )I should be taking in atleast 250 gms there
1 Power Bar
750 ml of a sports drink
either of this is equivalent to 50 gms of Carbs, Breakfast could be cereals in quantity that would give another 100 gms. 4 bananas for snacks or something equivalent 100 gms from here, so I got 500 gms. I am there....
This will require me to have a decent lunch , which I was plannign anyway, so home made lunch from now on or I go outside, Hydration is next big thing, so Drink before you are thirsty, point taken. Cause when you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated and your body has responded. We will aslo loose salts cause of sweating, so electrolyte soln which I am currently using, is good enough anyways I already have sports drinks to take care of.
For recovery will have carbohydrates , immediately after the training < 60 to 90 mins , to recover glycogen levels, So come to office 2 bananas + an energy drink
go back have dinner.
Its really lively when there is a plan, a purpose and you can work towards it
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