Bicycle Chronicles

  This was my second Brevet, just a little longer by about 100 kms. than my first Brevet (200 kms.), but a totally different experience. Here we (80+) are at the start at Kantheerva Stadium on a chilly morning at 6:00 am.  The first few hours of the ride are the most pleasant of the ride. There is little traffic on the road and the kilometers keep ticking along on the odometer. After about 4.5 hours, I reached the first control point outside a Coffee Day. Trek also takes a short break before we head south to Melukote. After a few scenic sights of green sugar cane crops and lakes, disaster strikes at about 135 kms. It began softly with the sound of the rear tyre on the road and before long the tyre was flat. As I wheeled the bike to a good location to change tubes, a bunch of pesky kids found a trapped rider and began pestering me with questions. Wisely I took the bicycle to a tea shop and began the process of removing the tyre and replacing the o