Cycling

Dr. Amit Samarth (Nagpur) and Lt Col. Dr. Srinivas Gokulnath (Nasik)—two doctors in their mid-thirties, are right now fighting their worst nightmares and chasing their wildest dreams. For years, they had worked hard to translate these dreams into reality. On June 14, Amit and Srinivas joined the most competitive cyclists in the world as they …

We had just completed two 200 km and one 300 km brevet in the past few months, learning the ropes along the way. This time, we aimed higher: a 400 km ride. On a Sunday morning, I set off on my most ambitious challenge yet—a 27-hour, 400 km bicycle ride starting and ending at Zero …

300 km. This time I had set the bar a bit too high. The task was to complete an18-hour-long bicycle ride on Sunday that was to start before dawn and would end almost at the stroke of midnight. The route—Asian Highway 46, Nagpur-Deori (Gondia district)-Nagpur was challenging enough to test both the muscle and the …

A 50-km solo ride that began from Sevagram. As I cycled past 13 villages during the ride and as the sun began to set, I discovered fascinating people interacting with each other during their Wednesday bazaars. This is Dindoda village, 12 km south of Sevagram.

On Sunday, I hit a double century again— completing a 200 km cycle ride from Nagpur to a little beyond Pandhurna (MP) in 10 hours. This success, coming as it did after my first 200 km ride (Nagpur to Talegaon) in September is all the more pleasing because I was able to endure fiery crosswinds—strong …

John Steinbeck once said, “What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?” True. A month ago, I attempted a 200-km cycling event and failed spectacularly. I had to quit before the finish line. But this time? This time, I made it. Every success has a first failure, …

This was a moment I was day-dreaming for over a month. On the Monday morning, 12 September, as the clock struck five, I achieved what many had thought was an impossible goal to accomplish. I am so happy that I was able to translate my dream into a reality. To do so, I rode all-night …

Discovering Brevets Before November 2015, I had never heard the word brevet, let alone known how to pronounce it correctly. That changed when my son, Ashwini, successfully completed 200- and 300-km brevets in Nagpur, earning the proud title of Randonneur. I soon discovered that brevets are long-distance, non-competitive cycling events where riders must complete a …

Drenched and drained—and palpably tired—I parked my bicycle and slumped down into the bed. I had every reason to indulge in this idiosyncrasy. I had achieved what I thought was unachievable. A few months ago, when I began cycling—a maturity onset disorder—little did I know that I would be able to complete a 150 km …