Sunday, February 17

... a solo 100 Km


Today was a special Sunday on the Church Almanac : 1 Sunday in Lent.  
After the Church fellowship I took time to slip home and prepare for a special spin. There wasn't any friends around: they all speeded away in the morning. I couldn't. The Lent held a string upon me.


Time was almost mid-day : 11:30 AM. 
Sun stood glorious. 
Still, I planned a SOLO 100 Km ride.  
What I wanted most was to see everything in the hot mid-day sun. Sometimes, a solo ride will help to see the world better than when in a pack-ride. Solo ride will also test the endurance to keep going alone.. looking at no one ahead and having no one to follow! This temperament is important for long distant brevets. 

BUT, Is being creative a lonely process? Life can be a bit dull when there is no one to follow upon... when one is all alone to pull home safe on long empty roads. Hence, solo rides are certainly not for everyone. Some of my friends cannot think of it! 

Someone said, "We get peace and healing from our roots in nature." I think that is very true. Today, the paddy fields looked brown, arid and tired. The sky was a little overcast. Still , it was interesting to stop and take this picture.

The evening sky over the Chaliyar looked beautiful... really beautiful. The overcast was playing with the colors. I think sky would have been a poor show without all those colorful clouds around. 

Chaliyar is the 4th largest river in Kerala. It is gorgeous and beautiful. Originating in the Western Ghats, the river meets Arabian Sea at Chalayam. Even in summer, this river doesn't get dried up at all.  

Chaliyar's final 10 Km journey is through the city of Calicut. As I too was approaching my final 10 km journey to the city of Calicut, (last leg of my 100 km spin),  I felt Chaliyar and me had the same emotion !!

    100 Km was nearing very fast. It wasn't any trouble to pedal on this sunny afternoon . On the Chaliyar Bridge, I saw a photographer working with his camera. I rendered my camera asking, "Can you click me while I pedal across the bridge?" 


"I recall what happens when I am in harmony with earth and sky, with mountains, rivers, oceans... and nature's many different moods... and nature's seasons..."

I wanted to spend some quality time with the river. Hence, I left my bike alone on the bridge carefully balancing her on the rails. (Long distant riders never fix a stand for their bikes. And often I have found it difficult to place my bike without toppling down. Here, the wind blowing over the river and across the bridge wouldn't help the bike to balance on her own.)


Today, Chaliyar river looked exceptionally beautiful to me. Having  dismounted from the bike, I took off the cap and the sun-glasses in respect for the waters. Now I was feeling more closer to the wind.  Seeing the river, I thought I would recite a prayer or look for words for a poem. Like a young bride, all dressed up for the wedding, the river was a dressed up with the clouds and the color!
It was better to stay still... stay without words... stay fondling the beauty of waters with my eyes and heart. 


This lonely landing-board jutting out to river caught my attention. The loneliness and the solitude of this riverbank was mesmerizing. As minutes ticked by, I closed my camera and mounted my bike to pedal home.   

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