Biking India: 94 km Gurgaon, Sonha, Faridibad Loop
On my own, I was out the door by 8:30 AM and down the road for a long ride from Gurgaon via Dadama Lake, through Sonha, up Faridibad hills and back.
I finally did it!
The corner of terror whereupon 3 weeks ago, I encountered 3 flats in a foot was passed with trepidation. Then, a major intersection with potholes and large sharp rocks went by. From there it was clear, fast roads until hanging a left onto Dadama Lake road.
About 5 kilometers down the mixed medium road, a very minor pebble sliced into my rear tire and poked a hole in the inner tube. Though I flatted, I was ecstatic to make it almost 25 kilometers before doing so. In turn, I calmly repaired it while chatting with a nearly blind local farmer in broken English and Hindi.
Once pedaling down the road again with 80 PSI in the rear tire than 95 PSI, I took an even more protective stance to my ride line in avoiding rocks.
After checking my rear tire at one point, I looked up and was startled, but quite pleased to find a grazing camel. I kept my distance, while being inspired that the ride was still a good one.
Before turning towards Sohna, I took pity on my tiredness with water and bought a Limca. While drinking, the owner kindly let me sit in his shady shop with a ceiling fan blazing away. Ah, twas a nice moment to the day to sit back, relax and watch a family and goat herd wonder down the street.
Feeling Good, Ready for More
From here the ride went downhill. Mud, road construction, dirt, pot holes, dust, rocks, bricks, concrete slabs and everything else not conducive to a nice ride came up.
I’m known for standing cycle for a few hundred or more meters when waiting for others to catch up without concern. However, today, I ended up standing cycle for 20-25 kilometers which in turn lead to early tiring on a typically common long distance ride.
The Roads Were Rough
Despite rough roads, a saving grace was the large group of fellows who came by to say hello during a quick water and nut stop.
After climbing up onto Gurgaon-Faridibad road, I really started feeling drained of energy and my legs began cramping.
Those standing cycle kilometers were seriously affecting my pace. I wanted to stop and rest, but knew I wouldn’t move for a couple hours if I did.
Toughest Ride Home, Ever
My quads started cramping 10 kilometers shy of home. Upon reaching home, climbing up the stairs had my legs cramping in new spots. Attempting to bath encountered more cramps. In fact, even after a 90 minute nap, I was still cramping.
Great Ride, On a Map
On a map, this looks like a great ride. Even covering the 94 km in 4:10 is respectable. However, I felt worse than knocking out a mountainous 160 km at speed than a casual, relatively flat 94 km.
Finally a day later, after a good nights rest, plenty of recovery food and a deep tissue massage do my legs feel normal again.
94 km Gurgaon, Sonha, Faridibad Loop Map
The road into Sohna from Gurgaon is in decent shape, there’s about a half-dozen spots where bridges are still under construction and where you’ll ride hardpack. Dadama Road is in fair shape, some mud and bumps when going through the towns closest to the hills.
The roads closest to the hill of Sohna to Faridibad are in rough
shape being under construction, muddy and founded by large bricks or concrete slabs.
If you’re wanting a challenge and want to feel how Paris-Roubaix feels, ride it. If you want to have legs in the evening, don’t.
September 28, 2010 - 5:10 AM
Michael, after reading this, it’s time for me to drag out my tough-tire speech. Yikes, the roads sound “prickly” there. For a fighting chance of staying on your seat, you might want to consider taking on bit of spinning weight, and get some puncture-resistant tires. I have ridden with armadillos for a long time, they have them in narrow widths in the states. If you cannot find those, then another approach is to get some liners mailed to you. There is a lightweight kevlar version (messed up my tube when I tried it) and a heavy but totally effective plastic version.
September 29, 2010 - 11:29 AM
Paul, the day after 3 flats in under an hour a month ago, I ordered new riding kit of Conti Gatorback tires, tube liners and puncture resistant tubes. They finally show up just before I’m flying to Europe. I’ll swap the gear out when back and report how it goes. No kidding about taking on a little extra weight just to avoid the aggravation. Now, it’s the sidewall tire slices I’ll be worried about. One got my $ 60 Conti 4000GPs.
Enjoy riding in Shanghai. The life photos have been great.
September 28, 2010 - 10:48 AM
Great ride! The weather has been great here – been getting out as often as I can.
One question – I notice in the pic of your bike, why have you decided to put your seat in that position? A level seat really seems to make for a more comfortable ride. This link:
http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html
September 29, 2010 - 11:25 AM
Nathan, great to hear from you. That last photo is at home with the bike in a rack that lifts the rear. If you scroll up to the male group shot, you’ll notice my seat is flatter. Still, it does seem a bit excessive on the drop slope. I’ll try to remember to check when back in a few weeks.
September 29, 2010 - 11:31 AM
http://www.flickr.com/photos/comprock/4916577659/