140 km long solo ride taught me why regular breaks are your best friend

I reached my destination after riding the Honda CB 350 for 3 hours. I was feeling pretty good about the ride until the serious upper back pain kicked in!

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Back on the Bike (Ouch!)

So, after 3 months of the bike being Dad's errand runner, I had this bright idea during my break. A solo ride to college, apart from the usual train journey. Exciting, right? But "back to college" part kind of killed the vibe, and I ended up hitting the road half an hour late, around 5:30 am.

The highway was pretty chill early on, so I was cruising at a good 70-80 kmph. In the middle, Google Maps had its own ideas and threw in some scenic rural detours. Around the 70km mark, I started thinking "break time!", but you know how it is... every nice spot I saw, I was just too lazy to double back. Rookie mistake! My shoulder started to whine a bit, so I finally pulled over for some water and stretches.

70 km break!

Got to my room eventually after 3 hours of riding, feeling pretty good about the ride... until the serious upper back pain kicked in. Apparently, going 140km in a single stop isn't the smartest move, especially after a long break from riding. I figured a good night's sleep would sort it out, but nope. The next day was all about trying to rub away the agony with some pain relief cream. It helped a little, but the deep ache was back with a vengeance the morning after.

Seriously, upper back pain at 22? Not cool! So, I spent the next day trying to sleep on my bed with straight posture, no pillows allowed. Forget about it, pure torture.

It took a whole three days for that pain to finally ease up. And then the big question hit me: how on earth was I going to ride back home? Clearly, a better plan was needed. Hourly breaks became the golden rule.

Redemption Ride!

Friday morning felt way different from that Monday drag. Going home? Now that's motivation! I was up at 3:30 am and out of my room before the sun really thought about rising.

This time, I was a break-taking machine. First hour down, fuel stop! Then, a proper chai break at a little local tea shop, soaking in those moments. And finally, spotted a Nayara pump. Heard good things about their washrooms online, and they weren't kidding – seriously well-maintained. Quick hydration stop there, and then the final push home. By 7:00 am, I was back, feeling tired but definitely not broken.

Lesson learned: breaks are your best friend on a long ride!

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