Helmet, shoes, gloves, lights & go: My cycling journey

My love affair with cycling began with Mustafa.

Mustafa worked in Kuwait and flew to Mumbai, ready to undergo surgery on his knee which he had injured while go-karting. He was surprised when despite being a surgeon, I suggested a non surgical approach & he recovered fully after appropriate rehab.

Now Mustafa worked with Mercedes Benz in Kuwait and was so grateful for my honest opinion that during every subsequent follow up visit, he would gift me a Benz souvenir – first a cap, then a key chain followed by a sweat shirt. On one such visit he suggested I purchase the new S class. However, when he did not get a positive response from me despite repeated suggestions Mustafa may have concluded that the S Class was beyond my reach. So on a subsequent visit he gifted me a Benz bicycle instead! And that’s where it all began. It was this generous gift that allowed me to pursue my passion for fitness, has taken me places and given me great joy over the last 25 years.

My knees had taken early retirement due to years of overuse & abuse through badminton and tennis, and so a low impact activity such as cycling was ideal to keep me active.

My silver Benz on 2 wheels was an eye catcher. I would use it to commute to work, pedalling past cars standing bumper to bumper with a smug look on my face. It soon became my chosen mode of transport in the city.

There are 3 broad categories of bicycles.

Road bikes with those drop bar handles that allow the cyclist to get into an aerodynamic position & thereby generate speed.
Hybrid bikes which are essentially city or touring/commuter bikes
Mountain bikes which as the name suggests is for rough terrains.

Bicycles are built from steel, aluminium, alloy, carbon or even titanium and light bikes can weigh as little as 8 kgs. Cyclists spending long hours on the saddle, invest in light weight bikes, select the frame size that fits their cycling style , have gearing ratios that support the type of riding they do and even invest in a good saddle for butt comfort.

I soon graduated from my hybrid Benz, to a road bike and then a mountain bike. I also took fancy to a folding cycle, which folds fully & fits in a small suitcase. And before I realised it, my garage housed 6 high end bikes but no motor vehicle ! Alongside came the fancy lycra cycling gear, specialised glasses and cycling computers that could monitor not just my performance but share it with other cyclists around the world. I soon realised that cycling is an expensive sport.

In 2014, a physiotherapist, who used to provide medical back up during the Tour of the Nilgiris (TFN) happened to visit our clinic. Seeing me cycle to work, he convinced me into enrolling for The Tour of the Nilgiris (TFN) that year. My colleague at the clinic, Aditya Daftary, a musculoskeletal radiologist and Abhay Nene, our spine specialist soon enrolled for TFN along with me. A banker friend and a fitness trainer piled on & so we were a group of 5. We were all under the mistaken impression that we were going on a semi recreational ride until Aditya happened to Google ‘TFN’ and came back with an ashen face . TFN we realised, was a serious cycling event. It meant cycling at least 100 K a day including some brutal climbs.

The Kalahatty Ghat however, was the Big Daddy of all the TFN climbs. It is a 12k long unrelenting climb, with a steady 10-11 % average gradient and 36 hair pin bends. One section of the Ghat has been nicknamed Hail Hitler and looks like a near vertical, 300 metre ramp. Sadists have put up message boards along the way and at the 15th hairpin bend, the board reads “For a free ambulance call……” while on the 36th hairpin the notice reads “For free mortuary services call ….” It is therefore no surprise that cyclists have labelled Kalahatty as ‘The Wall’.

A blog posted by a cyclist attempting the Kalahatty climb did not help one bit in our mental preparation for the event. It read:

“The grade was insane,

the front wheel was refusing to stay in contact with the tarmac.

The handlebar was wavering.

The bike reminded me of a horse rearing out of control.

Sweat was pouring down, burning my eyes.

The heart was desperately trying to jump out.

The lungs were working overtime to supply the steam.

The legs were screaming for mercy.

The fingers automatically went to the shifters to find a non existent easier gear.

Then a ‘tak. .tak. .tak’ and the bike stalled, refusing to move.

Welcome to Kalahatty, a Hors category climb in the Nigiris.”

We started training in earnest. Long distance riding, nearing 100 k or more for building up our endurance and climbs up Bhor Ghat (the old Mumbai- Pune road) for leg strength. Besides this saddle time, I also started referring to “The Dummies book for cycling”, watched Youtube videos and sought advice from all and sundry. One cyclist’s advice was “Upar dekho mat, niche dekhke chalate jao” (don’t look UP, look down and keep pedalling), another told me to go on counting 1-2-1-2-1-2 as I pedalled. Shivamani, the percussionist wrote in our clinic visitors book, “Rhythm is God”, & I inferred that his message was – stick to you rhythm.

While visiting Haridwar during those days, I met a Baba whose sage advice was ” Sukh ka sochow, Dukh ka nahi” ! Looking back, I must admit that all this helped.

Every segment of the TFN has a set time limit. If one fails to reach a destination at a particular time, one has to get into a “sweeper van” & then you are no longer counted as a finisher. With my mates prodding and encouraging, the 5 of us completed the TFN. Of the 80 selected cyclists and 30 finishers, our team was one amongst them. To our surprise, I was chosen as the “Most Inspiring Cyclist” being the oldest rider that year. This motivated me greatly and marked the start of my other cycling forays.

In 2015 , a motley group of doctors, bankers and financial consultants who called themselves WURLEE 545 (since we met every morning at 5.45am at Worli Naka) decided to cycle from Manali to Leh in the high altitudes of Ladakh. A distance of 480 kms, with 5 high passes all above 15,000 ft in a rarefied environment. The ride from Jispa to Sarchu involved climbing from 10,000 ft to 16000ft. The highest pass was Taklang La at 17,500 ft. Less air, more Maggi & sleeping in small, claustrophobic tents posed a formidable challenge. But the breathtaking landscapes & the pristine, surreal beauty of Ladakh made up for it all.

With my cycling trips becoming a priority , my wife too took to cycling and although starting late in life, became quite adept at it. We cycled from Mumbai to Goa, from Jaipur to Jodhpur, Shimla to Manali thru the Lahaul -Spiti valley.

Cycling in the Himalayas can be addicting.I made 3 more cycling trips to Ladakh and in 2019 even cycled up the Khardung La, at one time the worlds highest motor-able road at an elevation of 5,359m.

Closer to home, Sri Lanka has become one of our favourite cycling destinations. The emerald isle has excellent roads, accommodation & is a culinary delight.

In 2016, I joined an international group of orthopaedic surgeons and cycled from Amsterdam to Barcelona. Cycling thru the Alps and the Pyrenees and some of the peaks that I had only heard of as a part of the “Tour de France” was an exhilarating experience. I had prided myself on being fit at 60 only to have my ego deflated being helped on a climb by a much fitter 67 year old orthopaedic colleague.

Another of the rides that I cherish is LEJOG, the most iconic of all long distance cycle rides within the UK. Cycling the full length of the country from the extreme southwestward point of mainland Britain(Lands End) to the northern tip of Scotland (John O Groats). Cycling Great Britain from end to end is on the bucket list of many a cyclist. Cycling thru a mix of terrains, country roads and vast meandering meadows was an unforgettable experience. On this trip my Guardian Angel was 75 year old Peter ! And I was being reminded time and again that ‘age is just a number’.

Every cycling trip has been a learning & a humbling experience. Interactions with older and fitter cyclists gave me an insight into how a disciplined lifestyle can prolong ones fitness. To stay fit one has to employ scientific methods of training & I personally experienced exponential gains in my fitness levels after incorporating a weekly session with a qualified cycling coach. A blend of strength training and flexibility training (yoga) has helped me stay injury free.

Today, cycling is my way of commuting to work on most days. My folding cycle is a part of my baggage whenever I travel within the country on professional work or for conferences. It helps me explore and experience the local flavours of various cities.

Medically speaking, cycling has been a boon in prolonging the life of my knees which have been battered by injuries and bettered by surgeries. The shift to cycling is probably the reason why my High Tibial osteotomy of 24 years still works for me knees.

A number of my patients have taken to cycling as a therapy in the management of osteoarthritis & have been able to delay / avoid completely joint replacement. Runners who have finally realised that running takes a toll on their knees, have benefited from cycling & for many, cycling has become their switched primary form of exercise.

In my orthopaedic practice I prescribe cycling as a form of cardio exercise very freely based on my own personal experience. In fact many of my knee consults end with “Cycle chalao, Ghutna bachao!”.