Another New Member (Keith Sunderlal)

Hello All:

I want to thank every one of you, from the bottom of my heart, for finally coaxing me out of my state of denial to join and (partially?) participate in the bike ride this morning. So many people in my state, overweight and leading sedentary lifestyles, keep talking about the need for improving their health. All of us mid-40s, middle-income, educated, upwardly mobile sub-urbanites are very aware of this need, and also make many promises to themselves, but just never take the first step. That is always the first thing and I am proud that I did that this morning.

Well - before I continue in my self-congratulatory sermons, I should, for the benefit of all, describe my limited participation of this morning. I started my preparations last evening by seeking my daughter's permission to use her bike this morning. She has a fancy Firefox bike with plenty of gears - but Amrendra, Hemant and Harry are still the one's for all of us to envy. Amrendra and Harry's bikes have this super-duper shocker for the rear wheel, which I am sure helps save the soreness of the back side. Hemant turns every one green with envy on account of the precision German engineering. However, I feel the Merz's make me the most jealous due to the practicality of their all-terrain bikes, that they have both ridden extensively. Proof that they are the most season riders in the group came in the the form of their taking off from the group at the very outset, however, in order to be polite to their new slow-poke member, they were kind enough to stop a kilometer or so down the road.



The destination chosen this morning was a left on the so-called Golf-Course Extension Road - which I believe is named "Southern Periphery Highway" in the Gurgaon Masterplan. The plan was to visit a tree in Bahrampur village (also called Bhati) at the end of the road.

The novice (moi!) needed a lot of equipment related advice and assistance. The first step was an understanding of the gears. The bike has about 18 gears - at last count! The process began with Russ taking a short spin while we were assembling this morning and explaining to me the combinations of high and low gears on the front and rear gears. I loved his comparison with Tiger Woods about how the swing stays unchanged and the club is changed to adjust for distance and conditions (I didn't realize that Russ has a repressed desire to work for Accenture!). His advice to me was to to keep my RPM (Revolutions per Minute) fixed at a comfortable range of 50 to 60 while adjusting the gears for the plains rides and the up-hill/down-hill situations. Well I will never be the Tiger - but it feels good to know that I am tried and tested strategies of one of the greatest achievers the world has ever known.

The advice on comfortable riding did not end there. Hemant explained that the height of the seat needs to allow for the legs to be straight during the rotation of the pedals. I am fortunate that the seat has a flip-lock for seat height adjustment eliminating the need for tools. We had only ridden about 600 meters but I was delighted by this "urgent" need for the break to adjust the seat height. It took a couple of iterations to get the lock set tight but I am much happier with the corrected height.

No self-respecting rider is going to let an opportunity to comment on the seat go by. So while the height was being adjusted, the discussion veered to the gel filled cushion cover on my bike. I am sure that everyone is aware that studies link bike seats to ED (okay okay - ED means Erectile Dysfunction - no further explanation required). Thus all readers are very conscious of the need for a good and comfortable seat. In the past we have had plenty of banter about an "alleged" gel cushion that Veena promised to Hemant. No wonder Hemant grabbed the opportunity to remind the Merz's. Russ pointed out that it is important for the cover to stay in place, because the Firefox accessory I have moves around making it uncomfortable. I am sure the rest of the males in the group will keep this in when they purchase this invaluable accessory.

Keeping in the spirit of the Nirvana Roadies ethos, I also kept my eyes and ears peeled for small things that escape our attention when we whizz by in our cars. Amrendra was adopted by a little puppy that followed him for about a hundred yards - clearly judging the goodness of his heart. Veena was very relieved to see the lone puppy rejoin its mother and siblings in the ditch on the side of the road. No morning excursion with a keen eye (and nose) can avoid naked bottoms of villagers/labor performing their morning chores - and I was no exception. In addition, I saw plenty of other small phenomenon unique to the "contrasting" cultures that India offers. The driver of an Ambassador (yes we still see them!) was asking a resident of a labor colony for directions and was being offered tea as a bonus - try that in the West! The carcass of a dead cow was being picked clean by a litter of puppies. I would submit that the self-appointed "protectors of Bhartiya values and cultures would do better to provide a decent burial to the holy cow, rather than channelizing all their energies towards the closure of pubs and disrupting Valentine's Day celebrations.

To me, the best aspect of my 3 km (round trip) ride was the amount of inspirational support I received from the whole group while I rode 1.5 kms on the way out while holding them back. Hemant put it best - "do it for yourself." Amrendra and Russ also took turns to ride slow with me and keep me going. I am grateful to all of you guys. Let this be a commitment and assurance to the Nirvana Roadies that I will participate as often as my travel permits. I am sure that in a few weeks I will be able to keep up with you guys.

Let us all continue to have fun.

-- Keith Sunderlal