After successfully completing the Goan Yoyo, a 1,200 brevet,
she along with her husband Richard Mueller, Dr Belinda Viegas-Mueller decided
to up the challenge with the 2nd Edition of Daal Bati Choorma, a 1,200 km
Enduride from Delhi to Rajasthan. Dr Belinda shares with Café her experiences
on the road, especially in Rajasthan
Richard Mueller and Dr Belinda Viegas-Mueller are an
adventurous couple from Varca who need no excuse to set out on a trek or hop on
their bicycles for an exhilarating ride. When they heard about the 2nd Edition
of Daal Bati Choorma, a 1,200 kilometre Enduride in Delhi, they could not
refuse the challenge. After completing the Goan Yoyo, a 1,200 brevet in Goa on
January 28, 2015, they started training for the Delhi-Rajasthan event.
The 1,200 km enduride took the participants from Gurgaon through Deoli, Jahazpur, Chittorgarh, Shahpur, Jahajpur, Bhiwadi and finally back to Gurgaon. The locales in during the ride included jungles, wildlife sanctuaries, forts, havelis, imperial palaces, temples, a hill station, country roads and highways. Dr Belinda is the first and only woman to have completed the first edition of the 1,200 km enduride.
“My cycle was the only ‘unbranded’ hybrid in the enduride while everyone else had a racing cycle. But my cycle has been to two 1,200 brevets and three super Randonneur series, which includes 200 km in 13.5 hours, 300 km in 20 hours, 400 km in 27 hours and 600 km in 40 hours,” says Dr Belinda.
They started the ride on February 18, 2015 at Gurgaon at 6am and had to reach back by midnight of February 21. In between, they had to manage time on their own. “We were leading in the enduride which gave us enough time for stops for breakfast, lunch and dinner and even adequate sleep. We completed the ride in 87 hours 15 minutes instead of 90 hours and we were the only couple to do so,” says Dr Belinda, a practising psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Richard and Dr Belinda were the only two participants who completed the enduride.
Though Richard and Dr Belinda found the ride much easier than the first edition of Daal Bati Choorma, it had its own obstacles. “Some of the ordeals were the strong headwinds that we had to face during the three days of cycling. No matter which direction we took, we still had headwinds against us. Another problem was the mustard flies which usually come in March; there were swarms of them going in our eyes, nose and mouth while riding,” says Dr Belinda who further added that the most unexpected experience of the trip were villagers from Rajasthan. “In a stretch of 40 kilometres, few villagers were very unfriendly. Since I was in cycling attire, they were aggressive and tried to stop us and made vulgar gestures and comments. Nevertheless, most of the ride was very enjoyable.”
The crew of Daal Bati Choorma accompanied the cyclists but since there were only two vehicles, they could not manage to monitor all six participants. “We have five control points where members of the enduride would clock our timings as we had to complete the ride within 90 hours,” informs Dr Belinda.
So what’s next for the good doctor? “I think I am going to retire from cycling and concentrate more on my writing. To keep cycling, you have to keep on training. Now, I will only go on cycle rides for the sheer fun of it,” she concludes.