After so much of decision making, training and going for late registration after seeing my co-riders register, I finally headed on the tour believed to be India's toughest cycling tour - Tour of Nilgiris.
Before the tour began, we had a pre tour briefing at Shangri La Hotel, Bengaluru. It was mixed feelings of adventure, excitement and fear of not being able to complete it. They claimed that it is mostly downhill, but everyone knew the reality on the way. I did a lot of cycling accessories shopping with Gautham (my training partner who called me each morning to ride and I did come most of the times :P)
Every time I asked him if he had booked the ticket, his reply would be that he was waiting for Gokul. I was almost certain that he would ditch before the tour but luckily he came and rode. All my rides with him and Gokul helped me a lot in TFN. Riding on such tours is enthralling and you tend to do it over and over again. Here is my reminiscence, saga of the whole tour, things I did, places I rode, and the experiences I had. I will take you through the journey which I experienced over 8 days at one of the best cycling tours - TFN (Tour of Nilgiris).
Day 1: BreakAway - Bangalore to Mysore
176KM | 1210M+ | 1378M-
Strava:
https://www.strava.com/activities/451035294
The only route of the whole tour which was flat and didn't have climbs. The day started with flag off from Shangri La with discussion with my friend Krish that we will ride the tour together (and we did for the first day, later Krish was nowhere to be seen). We rode from the hotel, where we were staying a night before, till Shangri La. The best part of the ride was the nice breakfast, which I couldn't eat due to excitement of the ride. We went for geotagging of bikes and I got to know that my bike doesn't deserve a tag (may be they would have thought that I knew all routes or I would not get lost). All the thoughts rushing through my mind at that time were thrown into turmoil.
I had discussions with other fellow riders and finally the picture clicks began. Time came to start the ride – the only day when I was in the first row during flag off. We were led to NICE road to Kannapura by the volunteers. TFN is the only time when cyclists are allowed on the NICE road in Bangalore. The air was warm and balmy, the highway was parched without any tree cover but all that doesn’t matter when you are high on energy. The ride had just begun and we had the first crash, where a person riding in my close proximity hit a bus. Damn….That was scary and demotivated us a bit. He was attended by volunteers soon and we started again. It was too hot that day but I kept pacing. We reached the support stations and were introduced to Sukeli (a snack made from Banana, our savior for the rest of the tour). I kept moving with Krish and finally the first CS began. I put in decent effort (but most of my energy was spent in the initial 100 k.m. before the CS). Post CS I was hungry and somehow reached the support station before lunch time. I didn't realize that we had to wait for lunch and saw Gautham talking about Mutton Biryani, and I started. I didn't hear the latter part that the food joint for biryani was 23 k.m. away. Thinking about food, I didn't refill my water bottle and was soon out of water. Somehow, I managed to eat the dry honey-oatmeal bar and rode on a bad patch of road for 5-6 k.m. to reach the lunch place. Krish stayed with me for the entire 23 k.m. and we finally had a nice lunch. It was the hottest ride of the tour. Post lunch, we took rest and rushed to the hotel.
I noticed that riders started cleaning their bikes immediately after the ride was over. You know how lazy I was on the tour that I didn't clean my bike during the whole tour. I was keen in the next few days to go where the scenery would be beautiful -- we would be riding through forest area, country roads -- and much more fun awaiting us.
The bums were already sore but wait, it's just 176 k.m. we have ridden so far. The pain, fatigue is not additive for each day of ride but gets multiplied increasing the intensity of it..
Post dinner, results of CS were announced, a roster of names with ranking was put up on the wall, and riders were looking at it as if exam results were out. They were more interested in the ranking of other riders (usual story of all exams). By this time, I knew I was just gonna enjoy the tour and won’t pace on the CS segments.
Day 2: To coffee country - Mysore to Madikeri
120KM | 1453M+ | 1213M-
Krish’s responsibility was to wake up first and get ready for the ride without rousing me and Raushan. This was a relatively easy day, and it started showing what to expect over the next few days towards the last k.m. which had climbs. Coorg is a beautiful place, and on the bike you get to enjoy every bit of nature which can never happen in a car. We started seeing lots of coffee plantations on the way, and few school kids cheering for us and offering us food. All such activities makes riding fun and you forget all the pain you experience on the ride.
This day I started stopping every 20 k.m. for coconut water on the road-side in the forest stretch. There wasn't a lot I observed on the road except orange peels, and it looked as if people only ate oranges in Madikeri. It got hot when we were about to finish the ride. Best part of TFN routes is that there is always a downhill to reach the hotel, but that may be for only a couple of kilometres.
Day 3: Roller Coaster - Madikeri to Sultan Bathery
147 KM | 1964M+ | 2069M-
Strava:
https://www.strava.com/activities/452113802
That scenic view in the morning full of fog, mountains, greenery. I thought that it would be great to ride today (pain was already playing its role) but this turned out to be the most irritating ride of the whole tour where you can't maintain the rhythm in the ride. That's why it is named "Roller Coaster".
The ride started this time with initial few k.m. with Gokul but he pushed the pace later. I kept riding at my steady pace, enjoying the ups and downs. The whole route was full of tree plantations and you can see a lot of tea/coffee estates. This ride was the entry to "God's own country - Kerala". Best part of this ride was the smooth roads and less traffic. We crossed the wildlife sanctuary "Tholpetty" where we got to try unniappams with a cup of hot black tea.
Day 4: Sultan Bathery to Ooty
103KM | 2788M+ | 1230M-
Strava:
https://www.strava.com/activities/453089348
Finally the day why riders come to TFN was here "The Monster Kalahatti".
Volunteers had rightly said "Will there be pain? is not the question. How will you take the suffering? is the question". This is the toughest ride of the whole tour and riders mostly come to experience pain on this day. To encourage riders, the ride was relatively short (only 103 k.m.), that too with optional sweep section of 10 k.m. after finishing Kalahatti, but was it that easy? On this very day, cyclists would be found soaring in the mountains leading to Doddabeta (small town near Ooty) which was our destination.
One of the best things that volunteers did was to ask riders if we wanted warm clothing which we could pick up from the support station after climbing the hill. They knew it was going to be cold up there, which is what makes TFN unique and one of the best tours in India. Before climbing, we rode through Mudhumalai wildlife sanctuary. Ride of around 18 k.m. was a group ride, where riders in groups of 10-15 were escorted by vehicles through the forest. I hope I don't need to explain the reason (WILDLIFE), and yes I saw few wild elephants and deer on the way. We were instructed not to stop in the jungle. Lucky enough my pump collided with the tyre and I had to stop to fix it. Thanks to Arul who stopped to give me company. When the ride through the forest was about to end, the climbs started. This is to show what to expect from Kalahatti. At one point, I felt that the road was neither going down nor the base of the climb was approaching, where there was food at the support station. I stopped to take rest for a few mins and immediately the forest patrolling car came and told me to continue riding as I can't stop even though the forest was almost over. After a lot of struggle, I reached the place where the monster was waiting for us. I had my lunch, relaxed for a long time before starting, and kept enough time so that in case I ended up walking, I shouldn't be swept.
Kalhatti - insane climb with 36 hairpin curves (you can see the image on the right), avg. gradient of ~ 10%, and up to 15% in a few sections, making it nearly impossible for a rider to keep up on his bike. I started the climb with easy pace, and just after 2 hairpin curves I couldn't ride. I started walking along with Venky and Army Brigadier and I could hear a timid voice from my heart “C’mon you can ride that up, it is just a matter of 12 more kilometers”.. I had walked just a few meters when I saw Anand shouting from behind to get on the bike. I just ignored him and soon Gaurav crossed us, putting all his energy and motivating us to ride. Though the climb was getting tough with each step, it couldn’t stop the smiles on the riders’ bleak faces. I stopped and lowered my saddle height a bit so that I would be able to ride easily in case I had to stop, as I was on cleats and was finding it difficult to put my feet down on the incline. After seeing both of them, I got on to the saddle and rode a decent distance. I was pushing my limits and trying not to stop. My eyes were continuously monitoring the cyclocomputer, and the distance was not at all moving. My walking and riding speed was almost the same, but I was happier riding, as I had to spend more energy walking up. Hairpin curves kept reducing, and I stopped at a lot of them to take pictures (of course rest) and enjoy nature and the view of Ooty. I was appreciating the markers of TFN who spent time thinking what to write after every few meters to encourage riders, and they knew what most riders would be doing at that distance. Words of each marker slogan were gleaming in the sunlight. I was offered water by volunteers on the way up, a life saver for me, as I have finished my bottles in the initial 4 k.m.
Finally came the "Hail Hitler", the toughest section of the whole climb, where even motorized vehicles find it difficult to drive. The section looks like a real monster with a never ending climb (though it was only for 1 k.m. I think). The moment I took the turn, my bicycle just stopped and was not moving. I thought of walking up that stretch but that in itself was very tough. I was unable to even pull myself up on that section. I spurned any form of help and I did not want to get swept either. Hats off to my fellow riders who rode on that section. And finally after all that struggle, I was so happy to see the board saying 1/36 hairpin curve, and I rushed towards the end point. I loved the way they wrote 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 metre left, and you did it. I just gave my bicycle to the volunteers after the climb, ate food, and headed to the hotel in Ooty.
Day 6: Gravity Sucks - Ooty to Palakkad
157KM | 1075M+ | 3417M-
Strava:
https://www.strava.com/activities/453850599
For those of you who are thinking if I don't know counting or I missed mentioning about a day - Day 5 was a rest day for riders at Ooty and we just enjoyed the weather. I am very fond of chocolates, and reached a chocolate factory ambling to get some. I never thought that the hotel window would be opened by a monkey who would take away my chocolates, energy bars, and enerzal :(
Anyway, after the photoshoot on the rest day, we woke up and came to the flag off point for today's ride. Our tour director Badri starts the day by saying "Focus your mind on the road otherwise your brain will be". Theoretically, this is the easiest ride, if you see the elevation drop, but prevention is better than cure. Whatever we rode uphill will help us now as it's mostly downhill. With that long distance and downhill descent, you hardly get a chance to pedal. The pain in the palms because of braking continuously was excruciating due to steep descent.. For me, this was one of the best rides because of 154 KM downhill, and you can actually look around and click pictures, as climbing is mainly focused on riding and pain. We travelled from Kerala to Tamil Nadu, and now we were heading back to Kerala. Divya gave a jersey and asked us to stop near Coimbatore for a short campaign/awareness regarding cancer. I was either very slow or too fast that this time I missed the place and couldn't join the group. The people waiting for us tried calling me but I guess that was too late and I didn't want to stop with that speed. I carried on and reached before my Hyderabad gang.
One thing which I still recollect is the expression on Venkat's face to go to the bar and have Beer after the ride. Interestingly, I managed with a glass of water, soft drink or juice most of the times :)
Day 7: Breathtaking and breathless - Palakkad to Valparai
108KM | 2169M+ | 1170M-
Strava:
https://www.strava.com/activities/454898306
Tour was towards the ending stage but wait, who said that climbs are over. We got another 30 k.m. of climbing today on Valparai ghat area with 40 hairpins this time. But the numbers started with 1 this time :P
I would say this climb was much more easier than Kalahatti, since this was more gradual and not brutal as the earlier one. Best part was that you can ride on it and don't have to walk. Most of the riders took this one easy. Before the climb started, I got a bottle of honey, took bananas, and mixed it. My god, that was an amazing food combo before the climb and helped a lot. I started with Raushan, who for the first time during the tour, rode with me for few k.m. and again got back. He was rarely seen on the ride, and we could meet him after the ride ended but the discussions over dinner were quite good. Valparai climbs provide you a stunning view of aliyar dam with a lot of monkeys on the way. You can see in the photo how beautiful the road is (though it's going up and up, but with each curve it adds to the serenity of the hill and dam). We stopped at a local place for food, and that was finger licking. What a fish curry that guy served us, I just forgot all my pain and kept eating. I was lucky enough to grab the last piece of fish curry, after which only curry was left for other riders.
I stopped at a lot of places on the way to enjoy the ride in the lush green tea and coffee estates and breathtaking vistas, and got a chance to speak to local people, telling them about my tour, and the discussions carried on for quite some time.
I moved ahead and finished the ride. Gautam went to stay in another hotel, and we took his room as Raushan and I were given 6 sharing room today, which was the only part I didn't like, but thanks to Gautam who saved us.
Day 8: Mostly Downhill - Valparai to Pollachi
74KM | 980M+ | 1866M-
Strava:
https://www.strava.com/activities/454898223
And finally the last day of the tour "Mostly Downhill". Look at the smile on my face (in the image on the left). That's what I aim for whenever I go on such tours. So the downhill started and we were given the same set of instructions of being cautious during the descent. But people were happy to end the tour, and a lot of them crashed resulting in injuries and broken bones. I hope they recover fast and get back to riding, especially my friend Krish.
This ride was a cake-walk where, for the first time, I drafted behind Lord Venky for the last 10 k.m. He is such a strong rider and I found it quite difficult to continue chasing him. Sorry Gokul that I ditched you on the way :P
We concluded the tour at Pollachi (Tamil Nadu). Yeah I rode that many miles which my cateye shows in the image. Wonderful experience so far, and loved the resort with a nice river on the side and food being served to hungry riders. We met riders for the last time, as some were leaving from Pollachi itself. We socialized a bit and started packing our bicycles.
Only event in India for cycling where I saw international riders as well.
Champions Dinner/Cool-off party
Post tour we had a party in Bangalore where we got to meet the riders in the actual clothing and how they look in real life since on tour you recognize the riders either by helmet or by jersey.
And here, I got the title of a successful TFN finisher. I hope to do this tour again with more stamina and have a decent ranking in the race segment, apart from enjoying the tour. The experience of the last 8 days was a composite reminiscence of what each rider had gone through - pain, smile, endurance, appreciating nature - and I attribute this success to the team behind Tour of Nilgiris.
It was nice and balmy when we started our ride. My mind had started dreaming and imagining a voracious group of cyclists with flaunting jerseys and twinkling lights, standing agape at “Govind ki Bandi” - a popular street food cart serving delicious south Indian snacks (butter idly, dosa, and masala vada). A myriad of tea cups filled to the brim with “Irani Chai”, served with “Osmania biscuits” at “Nimrah Hotel”. These cookies are so soft and tender that it melts in your mouth within seconds, pacifying your taste buds.
“Govind ki Bandi” is one of those places where you have to wait for a long time before your order is put up on the hot flat iron plate for preparation, and served to you. To avoid the rush, I and Parmender took the turn immediately towards the cart rather than visiting Charminar first (of course we couldn’t get our picture clicked with Charminar, and bicycle but I was more interested in the food). Unlike other carts in a milieu, Govind (owner of the cart) takes care of the hygiene in the food he serves by using some of the fine quality ingredients for the preparation. Also, he is putting meticulous effort by serving the food on a banana leaf, and not using plastic cover for the take-away’s.
There you go, the “dosa” batter was spread on the iron plate, a quarter butter slice (that’s a lot for one dosa) was squeezed on the top with a couple of tomatoes, spices, and a special item that looked like a paste of onions mixed with a lot of Indian spices. Within minutes, the mouth watering, enthralling “dosa” was waiting for the riders debilitated by hunger. By the time our group reached this place, we were eagerly waiting for the butter fried “Idly”. I saw the melancholy faces of the tired riders turned into the smiling one’s after seeing the dripping butter (Their stomach’s will not remain empty for long, as the “masala vada’s” were also on it’s way). Stupefied by the taste of “dosa”, “idly” and “masala vada”, now it was the time to head to Nimrah Hotel where the “Irani Chai” with the “Osmania Biscuits” awaited us. I am not a big fan of tea, but the taste of the “Irani Chai” left me stunned. It’s an irony that the taste of street food is much better than a sumptuous feast at any hotel.
