The priceless ten rupee!

This time we had planned for Savandurga. But everybody stepped back citing different reasons. The last man standing decided to head to Nandi hills instead.

Time was 5:30 AM, when I took the bike out after a fight with the early morning slumberness. It was a dark morning and none of the lights on the Ring Road were on. However, it was my daily commute route, so I did not face any difficulty. The sun came for my help as I entered into the unfamiliar territory. I had initially planned to take the Siva's road. But, I got confused at KR Puram about the deviation to take. So I headed straight to Hebbal to take the default route. Return journey could be via Siva‘s road.

Unusually this morning I was feeling a bit tired. I may have been thinking about turning back when an mtb'er (pronounced emptybeer - guy on a mountain bike) rolled onto the road out of nowhere. The sight of another biker lifted my spirits. I thought I will chase him for a while. Then suddenly to make things even more interesting a roadie (guy on a road bike) overtook me from behind. All the tiredness took the back seat as as I tried to keep the pace with him. We played catch up for a while, but after some time he never caught up. He must have taken some other route. By this time I was on the NH7 road to the airport. I had a couple of pit stops to have tea and to buy some chikki for recharging myself. My energy levels started rising with the sun and I could maintain a decent average speed of 21 kmph.

I had reached the deviation to the airport when I noticed that my front tire was flat! There was no bit of shade on the road side. So I sat there on the sunny road side and took out the puncture kit. Two bikers passed by and both of them offered to help. Bikers are good Samaritans too! I thanked them and waved them off. No help for fixing punctures! Two kids and their father approached me being curious about what I was doing. I entertained them with my cycling stories, while replacing the punctured tube with a spare one.


I had to make up for the time lost replacing the tube. So, I took minimal breaks till I reached Nandi base. By around 10:00 AM, I reached the base. My aim this time was to do the climb non stop! I filled in a little more air to the rear tire for better performance. Reset the cyclo-computer to measure the time and started the climb. It was tough! And it got tougher! I did not push hard, since I preferred a non-stop climb to a faster one. The curves 30 to 35 tested my will power, as they did the last time. But I was in no mood to give up this time! I summoned all the reserve energy to pedal past the curve 40 and zoomed past the arch. It took 48 minutes, slightly more than last time, but NON STOP! I will aim for a 43 minutes finish next time!

The downhill ride was very tempting. So I decided against spending time at the hill top. Quickly had some water and a few chocolates and started the free ride. All of a sudden the rear brake pads started making loud noise. I stopped the cycle and had a look. What the $#@!! The tire was torn at the side, and the tube popped out like a bubble. I kept the cool, since I knew this problem had a work around. From the numerous blogs and articles I read about biking, I knew that I can place a piece of rubber sheet between the tube and the tire covering the hole. But where to find a piece of rubber?? I looked around, all I could find was a cigarrete case, and a paper plate. I was about to settle with the cigarette case when a biker on his way to the top asked whether I needed any help. "Yes, Please! Tell me what to put between the tire and tube!" "Piece of old tube.." "No I don't have any!" "How about a ten rupee note?" YES!, I had read somewhere that currency notes are strong enough to sustain the high pressures, and they are flexible enough to fit nicely between the tire and the tube. I thanked the fellow and apologised for interrupting his climb; took out a ten rupee note and started the work. But this meant that I had to ride back with a lower pressure, which meant it was going to be tiresome!


The free ride was a thrilling experience once again! I had a late breakfast at the Nandi Base. The ten rupee was still holding its place! I had to skip the Siva's road again. If the ten rupee failed, I would have to catch a bus, and the regular airport road was best if I wanted a bus. I turned on the music, the rhythm helped me forget the tiredness and maintain the pace. The heat peaked, forcing frequent breaks. By the time I reached Yelahanka, I was very tried and stopped for lunch. I had enough reasons to have a triple sundae after the heavy chicken biriyani! Quite recovered after the lunch, I cruised my way to the city. Took the bike directly to the bike shop at Ulsoor, to replace the torn tire. Glad, the shop keeper did it for free, since the tear was mostly due to a manufacturing defect. The ten rupee held its place for nearly 70kms, in the hot sun, through the rough roads, salvaging the ride for me! It is still with me as a memorabilia!

Stats:
Total distance covered - 140kms
Nandi climb time - 48 mins.
Total riding time - no clue, as I reset the cyclo comp in between!