A 60-year-old, a doctor, and their motley crew set for cycle ride to Kanyakumari

PANAJI

: Eleven of Goa’s top endurance cyclists will on Thursday begin one of the longest and toughest rides of their lives so far — a 1,200km journey that will take them through four states, two national highways, up steep ghat roads and along endless miles of highway — to

Kanyakumari

, the nation’s southern most tip.

When they complete the ride that begins in Mashem, these riders will announce Goa’s plunge into long-distance ‘randonneuring’, a globally-popular non-competitive cycling sport in which success is measured by completion, not position, within a predetermined time frame; in this case, 90 hours. Tri Goa Randonneurs, as the group calls itself, is truly a motley crew — there’s a doctor, a food-truck owner, a few businessmen, IT professionals, an art gallery owner, and more.

It’s not enough that they have to cover the vast distance within strict time limits, they also have to check in at various predetermined control points along the way.

During crisis, cyclists to fend for themselves

These ‘check-ins’ could include ATM receipts, bills, or even selfies — to show that they’ve completed the route.

But these are the least of their worries. The first 600km of the ride is the toughest. Here, they have to navigate the fiendish ghats of the Konkan. Only after Bengaluru would it get slightly easier. Then there are headwinds, calculating exact speeds to be maintained, nutrition intakes, unsafe Indian roads, fatigue, sleep deprivation and even hallucinations. The nature of the sport is such that in case of break-downs, cyclists have to fend for themselves.

Glen DeSilva, 60, a semiretired sales consultant, believes he needs to do something worthwhile before “he signs out”. Other riders too echo similar sentiments of pushing limits and a quiet self-administered perseverance; or for some, a prayer. Dr Vishwajit Faldesai, a Margao-based orthopedic surgeon, regularly hits 100km on his bike.

“I am just aiming to get fitter,” he says. Interestingly, not every rider uses a fancy road bike with an alumunium or carbon frame. Vivek Ferrao, 31, believes he can do the ride on a single-speed roadster, a regular BSA bicycle with no gears or fancy devices for long distances. It comes with regular pedals and a whirring chain, the kind of bicycle ubiquitous among ‘poders’ in Goa. People gawk and squawk at the monstrous distances that Ferrao manages on his wife’s grandfather’s cycle, which is at least 40 years old. He’s already done several endurance rides on it.

“Half of this country moves on such bicycles,” he says. “If they can do it, I can use it for long distances.”

Randonneuring, an increasingly-popular activity in India, is a 120-year-old legacy and older than the Tour de France. The title of ‘randonneur’ — which describes a backpacker or a wanderer, as the French have it — is strictly monitored by the Audax Club Parisien (ACP), France, and is overlooked by the Audax India Randonneurs (AIR). In Goa, Rajesh Malhotra, who runs the Tri

Goa Foundation

, administers endurance rides locally.

But it’s not only the ride itself that’s the challenge. Since these are self-supported long-distance rides, the riders and the organisers hammer out meticulous planning supported by thorough knowledge of the route. And, of course, an impromptu motto — “be self-sufficient and be safe.” Just what the French equated with a wanderer. When they set out this morning, this group of first timers will only have the will, the group, and their bicycles.

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