[This blog is not intended just only to recollect my, or our, experiences and short-comings as a crew but also it might help people like me who enjoy a gradual shift from a mere cyclist to a randonneur to crew member to help ultra cyclists realise their dreams.]
Crewing for long-distance cycling racers is tough — both mentally and physically. Till the other day, i didn't know why people used to say: A crew cannot win the rider a race but very well lose it for you.
Like every other journey in life comes with surprises and lessons, crewing for me was altogether a new experience, which was not an easy task either. Back in June-July 2016, when we tried to put together a team for competing in Deccan Cliffhanger, a RAAM-qualifier race, we were confident about one thing: if riders give 100%, the crew will also follow that.
Once our team was ready by early August, we started two things immediately: Hard practice by riders and race strategy by the crew members. For being a good crew, one needs to have several qualities, and the foremost should be a cyclist himself or herself. It's very difficult for anyone crewing for ultra cyclists without understanding their problems, and demands on the race.
We spent several hours planning the race, as we wanted 100% of our back-end jobs complete a day before Pinaki and Imran were to hit the starting line. Since the racer and crew were in different cities, and travelling most of the week because of their job, we thought to use WhatsApp to a great extent to share our ideas almost round-the-clock. Incidentally, there was no WhatsApp video calls then, and we practically did everything on chat! Technology, especially the communication part, is very crucial in any cycling team to be successful.
So, how does one prepare as a crew member? We've all seen how a driver in Formula 1 zooms past everything. But what drives the driver? A team of professionals — from automobile engineers to garage workers, practically. And, a person has to do a lot more than his/her own skills too. Likewise, in ultra cycling team, a crew member has to arrange everything even as his/her role is assigned. Except the driver/s of the crew vehicle/s, the other crew members are supposed to take care of the supply line — that includes nutrition, hydration, accessories, apparel etc for the rider/s and also for the crew!
We took three steps seriously to make our preparations rock solid. First, we started to read up stories and blogs of other ultra cyclists who had attempted Deccan Cliffhanger successfully. Obviously, we wanted to learn from the mistakes they did and also to put to use their success mantra. The best blog we found is none other than Chaitanya Velhal's who is an RQ racer, Ironman finisher, and also a great crew who had experience in RAAM also. His blog, http://chaitanyavelhal.com/2016/09/08/25-absolutely-essential-things-remember-long-distance-cycling-india, was an eye-opener to me, as well as many others.
Second, we attended the crew seminar in Pune just three weeks before the race. There, many racers and crew shared their experience. It was also a learning experience on how to plan on-road nutrition and hydration for the riders. The best part from this seminar was to successful execution of rider change plan and sleep management.
The third was the most important part of our preparations. A dry run. We thought that a dry run was essential before the race to check whether everything was in order. We chose to cover around 200 km of the 650 km of the race on the Diwali holiday. And, the best part from this was to plan the Ghat sections. We knew that the whole Pune-Goa route is undulating but our target was to cover the Ghat sections at ease. The dry run five days before the race made our strategy perfect.
Deccan Cliffhanger is just a two-day race unlike RAAM's 12-day rigour. But for me, it was a huge experience. Fortunately, we did not have more than one flat tyre just off Satara town in Imran's rear tube but the race tested our patience, sleep-deprived conditions, surviving on dry food for hours and what-nots! On my part, to encourage the racers, i ran up several metres on the ghat section along with them apart from occasional dances to motivate them! Yes, they could fall off the saddle laughing but nothing of that sort happened and these little tricks worked very well for the riders. Also, in absence of a physiotherapist, i took on the role of a masseur too!
Obviously, i had a great time on the road, off the cycle, and helped two ultra cyclists romp home with finisher's medals!
Crewing for long-distance cycling racers is tough — both mentally and physically. Till the other day, i didn't know why people used to say: A crew cannot win the rider a race but very well lose it for you.
Like every other journey in life comes with surprises and lessons, crewing for me was altogether a new experience, which was not an easy task either. Back in June-July 2016, when we tried to put together a team for competing in Deccan Cliffhanger, a RAAM-qualifier race, we were confident about one thing: if riders give 100%, the crew will also follow that.
Once our team was ready by early August, we started two things immediately: Hard practice by riders and race strategy by the crew members. For being a good crew, one needs to have several qualities, and the foremost should be a cyclist himself or herself. It's very difficult for anyone crewing for ultra cyclists without understanding their problems, and demands on the race.
We spent several hours planning the race, as we wanted 100% of our back-end jobs complete a day before Pinaki and Imran were to hit the starting line. Since the racer and crew were in different cities, and travelling most of the week because of their job, we thought to use WhatsApp to a great extent to share our ideas almost round-the-clock. Incidentally, there was no WhatsApp video calls then, and we practically did everything on chat! Technology, especially the communication part, is very crucial in any cycling team to be successful.
So, how does one prepare as a crew member? We've all seen how a driver in Formula 1 zooms past everything. But what drives the driver? A team of professionals — from automobile engineers to garage workers, practically. And, a person has to do a lot more than his/her own skills too. Likewise, in ultra cycling team, a crew member has to arrange everything even as his/her role is assigned. Except the driver/s of the crew vehicle/s, the other crew members are supposed to take care of the supply line — that includes nutrition, hydration, accessories, apparel etc for the rider/s and also for the crew!
We took three steps seriously to make our preparations rock solid. First, we started to read up stories and blogs of other ultra cyclists who had attempted Deccan Cliffhanger successfully. Obviously, we wanted to learn from the mistakes they did and also to put to use their success mantra. The best blog we found is none other than Chaitanya Velhal's who is an RQ racer, Ironman finisher, and also a great crew who had experience in RAAM also. His blog, http://chaitanyavelhal.com/2016/09/08/25-absolutely-essential-things-remember-long-distance-cycling-india, was an eye-opener to me, as well as many others.
Second, we attended the crew seminar in Pune just three weeks before the race. There, many racers and crew shared their experience. It was also a learning experience on how to plan on-road nutrition and hydration for the riders. The best part from this seminar was to successful execution of rider change plan and sleep management.
The third was the most important part of our preparations. A dry run. We thought that a dry run was essential before the race to check whether everything was in order. We chose to cover around 200 km of the 650 km of the race on the Diwali holiday. And, the best part from this was to plan the Ghat sections. We knew that the whole Pune-Goa route is undulating but our target was to cover the Ghat sections at ease. The dry run five days before the race made our strategy perfect.
Deccan Cliffhanger is just a two-day race unlike RAAM's 12-day rigour. But for me, it was a huge experience. Fortunately, we did not have more than one flat tyre just off Satara town in Imran's rear tube but the race tested our patience, sleep-deprived conditions, surviving on dry food for hours and what-nots! On my part, to encourage the racers, i ran up several metres on the ghat section along with them apart from occasional dances to motivate them! Yes, they could fall off the saddle laughing but nothing of that sort happened and these little tricks worked very well for the riders. Also, in absence of a physiotherapist, i took on the role of a masseur too!
Obviously, i had a great time on the road, off the cycle, and helped two ultra cyclists romp home with finisher's medals!
