Hogenakkal - Yercaud

Date: 4 November 2017

Total distance: 307 Kilometers

Start Time: 4:00 am 4 November 2017

Return Time:  12:00 pm 5 November 2017

With: Rajkumar Khot

The 200km brevet was done on Wednesday, and even though I had not yet recovered I wanted to ride on the weekend. The legs were still hurting from the 200 km ride, however, I was sure that I could handle the ride. I checked with Rajkumar if he would accompany for the ride and he proposed that we ride to Hogenakkal, Mettur Dam and then to Yercaud. We had one and a half days to do this and planned to load the cycle onto the bus and come back to Bangalore.

Although Yercaud was part of the 600km brevet in a month's time we decided to ride to Yercaud since this would give us an opportunity to explore the place and also test our climbing skills. The route to Hogenakkal and then to Mettur Dam was also rolling terrain giving us a good opportunity to tune in for the upcoming rides.

We decided to start at 4:00 am so that we would have sufficient time on hand to explore Hogenakkal and also reach Mettur Dam in daylight. The schedule was tight and even a small mechanical issue would result in the plan being changed. We checked on the bus options for the return and as there was only one Airavat available at 12:40 pm on Sunday, we planned to ride to Yercaud and if possible fit in Kiliyur Falls and return to Salem for the bus. Although there were a lot of route options to get to Yercaud we opted to do the one from Salem which is the oft used route as time was a constraint.

The plan was done and the cycle was ready, decided not to use the carrier and carry only minimal luggage. Although the plan was to carry minimal luggage, by the time I packed a cycling kit, a t-shirt and shorts, slippers, the toiletries and the electronic equipment I needed to use the usual travel back pack. It weighed lesser than the usual trip luggage and so I could carry it on the back. I went to bed at 12:00 pm hoping that the rains would stay away and I would not get up to a flooded street.

Hogenakkal - Mettur Dam - Salem:

Date: 4 November 2017

Total distance: 307 Kilometers

Start Time: 4:00 am

Return Time:  7:30 pm

With: Rajkumar Khot

Altitude Profile:
Koramangala – Hogenakkal Falls - Mettur Dam - Salem

I could not sleep well and kept getting up every hour. I had set the alarm for 2:30 am and woke up as soon as the alarm rang. I checked the road and it was dry. I was happy that it hadn't rained. I got ready and messaged Rajkumar at 3:45 am that I was leaving and would meet him at Silk Board junction. He replied that he was also starting.

It was 3:50 am when I started from home. A slow ride till Silk Board junction to get the body going. I reached Silk Board at 4:00 am. Rajkumar came by in a couple of minutes and we started the ride.

The ride till Hosur was in familiar territory and was supposed to be easy. However, even though we thought that we were riding well, it was slow progress and we were just about averaging 20kmph. When we reached Hosur, we got off the highway and then took the turn to Denkanikottai. The ride through Hosur town was an eye opener for us when we noticed that it is a big town which was contrary to our perception that Hosur was a small town.

When we made it out of Hosur we were into riding a single lane road and the road condition was good. It was still dark and I was able to test the new lights (Skorpion) which I had bought. Although not as bright as the previous light's which I have it is still manageable and looks like a value for money deal at Rs 900.

The ride from Hosur to Denkanikottai was in rolling terrain and had a few steep ascents which sapped the energy a little. I was not too worried about the tiredness setting in since I knew that the ride from Denkanikottai to Anchetty is largely downhill and the legs would recover in this section. It was 6:45 am when we reached Denkanikottai. It was too early to stop for breakfast and we continued to ride to Anchetty.

The first few kilometers out of Denkanikottai was rolling terrain. The downhill started after that and it was time for the legs to recover before we hit the next rolling terrain section. The roads were good till here. Just when we started the next downhill, road work was in progress and although the road had been re-laid and tarred there were a lot of small pebbles on the road which made it risky to ride at speed. We stopped when we heard the sound of water and walked a little to see that there was a small waterfall on the Anchetty stream. We spent a few minutes here before resuming the ride.

We rode for a couple of kilometers before stopping again when we saw a view point and a water fall in the distance which looked like it was there because of the rains. I had ridden through this stretch last year and the place was dry, however now it was green and there were waterfalls around.

The ride to Anchetty was quick after the stop. We reached Anchetty at 8:00 am. Though we could have ridden further we decided to stop for breakfast as this was the last town where food would be available before Hogenakkal. We had Poori and Masala Dosa which was delicious. We took 30 minutes for breakfast and restarted the ride.

It was 8:30 am and I was looking forward to the ride from here as it was going to be a route which I had not ridden. It started off with us having to get past a section where road work was in progress and the road surface from here was not great. Even though it was mostly downhill we could not ride quickly as the road had potholes and in general was deteriorating which made riding difficult. We were riding in forest territory and crossed fresh elephant dung and were wondering if we would have encountered elephants if we had not stopped for breakfast.

We were riding right next to the Karnataka border and came across people responding to us in Kannada when we enquired for directions. In a short while we were near Biligundla, the place where the water flow from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu is measured. I had expected to see a small dam or some kind of gate across the river, however the river was not visible when we got close and we would have to ride on a gravel track to get close to the river. We did not try to go to Biligundla and headed to Hogenakkal as we had fallen behind on the time front.

The ride from Biligundla to Hogenakkal was a ride next to the river and we were getting glimpses of the river flowing silently beside us. The last few kilometers as always was a stretch as mentally we had arrived at Hogenakkal but the destination had not arrived. It took a few enquiries to finally make it to the Boat Jetty.

We had to find a place to park our cycles with safety being paramount. We were hounded by a few people for boating and for massage. The good thing to come out of the hounding is that they showed us where we could park our cycles. We parked the cycle and then struck up a deal with a boat man to take us around the falls.

We had to pay Rs 750 as government fees for the boat and were expected to tip the boat man for taking us around. We were told that the water level is low and that we were not allowed to go near the main falls which was disappointing as we had come to see the main falls. However, we wanted to make the most of the trip and were ready to take whatever was on offer.

The boat ride started, where we initially crossed a small channel and then had to walk to the view point. Paid Rs 5 to climb to the view point and saw a panoramic view of the falls and the valley. We walked down and then continued the boat ride.

It was 11:30 am and surprisingly Hogenakkal falls was not very crowded. I was happy that it was not crowded. We were taken around on the boat. We saw the rocks and the boat man became the proxy guide to the place as well as he kept giving information on the water level, fishing, movies shot at the location and invariably kept dropping hints about the amount of tips given which went up to Rs 2,000.

We were taken near an island and told that we can get down and get into the water if we wanted to see the place. We declined saying that we were not keen on getting into the water as it was late. The return journey started and guess the boat man felt that he had not done justice to the Rs 750 that had been paid as the boat ride was getting done in 30 minutes. When we were almost nearing the end of the ride, he stopped and told us that we could climb up and view the falls from the top. We took the opportunity and climbed up and saw that we could walk up to the main falls from here. Although the boat man was reluctant initially he joined us and took us to the main falls.

We spent time at the main falls and on the return saw that fishing nets had been cast across the river and watched in awe as the fish were swimming against the current and jumping into the net. We walked back content that we had seen the main falls and that we were not leaving the place with a hint of disappointment.

We were done with Hogenakkal falls and now had to ride 80 kilometers to get to Mettur Dam. We knew that the ride till Pennagaram which is 15 kilometers away was going to be uphill. It was 12:30 pm when we started the ride and rode into Hogenakkal town. Although we were not hungry, considering that we had an uphill to negotiate, we opted to stop for lunch. We stopped at Hogenakkal town and had a meal before starting the ride.

We started the ride at 1:15 pm. The Sun had made a brief appearance from 11 am and was out till 1 am. The Sun was beginning to hide behind the clouds just when we started the ride. The road was beautiful, in the morning we had ridden on roads which were in decent shape, now we were riding on smooth tarmac and the ride was enjoyable.

We passed through forest area and were climbing, however the road made life simpler and there was minimal rolling resistance. We made a brief stop on the climb to take a pic of the valley.

We reached Pennagaram and took a right turn toward Mecheri. We were riding on roads which were lined with trees on both sides and the Sun could barely peep through the trees. It was a beautiful ride with minimal traffic. The next 60 kilometers was a superb riding experience with intermittent climbs and descents. We were not complaining about the climbs as we were enjoying the ride. This is a stretch of road which has to be listed as a must do for all cyclists rather than the ECR and was left wondering why this road had missed the list. However, I did feel that it was good that it had not made the list since the road was still in good shape and if  it had made the list then the road would have been used more often and would have been showing signs of wear.

We reached Mecheri at 4pm. A brief stop for bananas before we resumed the ride. As we got closer to Mettur, the traffic increased. I was expecting a quiet town surrounded with hills and the river flowing in the valley across which the dam had been constructed. I was surprised when we came across an industrial town. The town was seeing a lot of activity because of the industries around and we could barely realise that we had reached the dam. We asked around for directions to the Dam and when we did reach the dam we were in for a surprise or rather shock.

The Dam was almost dry with the water level not even reaching the dam gates. At first thought I was wondering that there had not been sufficient rainfall and that the State was facing a water crisis again. However, a little more thought and I was left wondering where the water from Hogenakkal had vanished. Was it being diverted or is there genuinely no water was a question which was left unanswered. The positive that came out of the no water situation was that we did not spend time at the Dam and were able to start the ride at 5:00 pm from Mettur.

The plan was to ride to Mecheri, take the right to Omalur and then ride to Salem. We wanted to make it close to Omalur before dark so that we would be on the highway and would not require lights for the ride. We rode past Mettur town which had a lot of traffic and by the time we made it to Mecheri it was 5:45 pm. We still had daylight and took the turn to Omalur. Within a few kilometers, we realised that there was a lot of traffic on this road. The light faded very fast after 6pm. It became dark in 5 minutes and switching on the lights made no difference as the oncoming traffic were using the high beam and we were being blinded. I was cursing the rider/drivers for being insensitive and was riding by following the white paint on the road. I almost crashed into a lady who was crossing the road, I could not see her as she was wearing dark clothes and neither did she see me. I saw her in the last second and was able to avoid the crash. A further cursing session on oncoming traffic and high beam before realising that I had to calm down and be careful.

We reached Omalur and made it to the highway at 6:30 pm. I was very hungry and was feeling weak. We had only 14 kilometers to reach Salem, however, I was very tired and asked Rajkumar to stop at a bakery. We ate a couple of sweet dishes before getting back on the cycle. The ride to Salem from here was quick. We came across a fellow cyclist who told us that we would get good hotels near the new bus stand and made our way near the new bus stand and found Vinayaka lodge and checked into it.

I had enjoyed the days ride and was very satisfied with the way the ride had gone. We had been able to see Hogenakkal falls and had a beautiful 80 kilometer ride from Hogenakkal to Mecheri. Mettur Dam was a letdown, but it will remain a mystery until we get an answer to where the water has disappeared.

Salem - Yercaud - Kiliyur Falls - Salem:

Date: 5 November 2017

Total distance: 64 Kilometers

Start Time: 6:30 am

Return Time:  12:00 pm

With: Rajkumar Khot

Altitude Profile:
Salem - Yercaud - Kiliyur Falls - Salem

The highs of the previous day were over and a new challenge lay in front of us. The climb to Yercaud always seems daunting because of the length of the climb. At 22 kilometers it is a difficult ask especially with the gradient hovering around the 7% mark for most of the climb. I had failed at this climb on my first attempt and then managed to climb the hill on my second attempt during the 600 km BRM last year. This was another opportunity to test the climbing skills and also to enjoy the scenery as I had missed it on the last ride as I had climbed at night.

Although the plan was to start at 6:00 am we got delayed as we were not able to wake up on time and started at 6:30 am. We rode through the city and had to ride 9 kilometers to get to the base of the climb. Just when we were about to start we thought that it would be a good idea to eat a little before starting since we would not get anything for the next 20 kilometers. We went to the bakery at the base and ate a sweet dish.

Now that the stomach was taken care of, we started the climb. It was 7:15 am. The weather was cool and we were keen on warming up the body. We started to ride at a steady pace. Not pushing the pace neither were we riding slowly. We saw a lot of people walking and there was minimal traffic. We made steady progress and I had a couple of gears in reserve and was not feeling the pressure of the climb.

We had made it up about 6 kilometers when we came across a couple of cyclists. On a closer look, Rajkumar recognised them. They were his cycling friends from Bangalore with whom he had started off his cycling journey. He got to know that a couple of other riders were also riding and they were further up the hill. A few pleasantries were exchanged and we rode past them stating that we would meet them at the top.

I was waiting for the hair pin bends to start as I remembered that the ride eased up a little from the hair pin bends. When we did get to the hair pin bends I was surprised to know that there was still 10 kilometers remaining to the top. It did not seem to be so far the last time round. Further the gradient was not as easy as I had expected and I was beginning to feel the gradient. The mental aspect makes a huge difference in cycling, as I was expecting the ride to ease out at the hair pins, and when it did not ease out I was beginning to struggle. Although physically I was doing fine and was doing well as I did not have a cramp nor pain in the legs, mentally I was getting into the 'how much more before things ease up' zone which was not good. With 7 kilometers remaining, we stopped at a view point and took time to take a few pics. By this time Rajkumar's friends caught up with us and we spoke a little and sipped on water.

We restarted the ride and in the next couple of kilometers we had crossed another rider. As we got closer to the top, I was getting more comfortable and was able to relax. The sight of the GRT Resort brought a cheer on the face as I knew that I was done with the climb. Just as we made the turn we saw Skanda, another of Rajkumar's friends just about reaching the top of the climb. We caught up with him and then rode into Yercaud town. It was 9:00 am when we reached the top. It had taken 1hour 40 minutes for the climb, an improvement of 60 minutes over my previous climb. This was a huge confidence booster.

We stopped at a tea stall and waited for the others to come up before having breakfast. Diwakar came by in 15 minutes and Ramesh and Vijay came by in 30 minutes. We headed to a restaurant for breakfast. Poori and Pongal is what I had for breakfast. I was warm when I reached the top and was still warm when I reached the restaurant. However, half an hour of sitting in the restaurant had cooled the body and I was feeling the chill in the air and was beginning to freeze.

We headed out to the lake for a quick photo session and then said our bye's as Rajkumar's friends were going to ride downhill, whereas we planned to go to Kiliyur falls. A quick 2 kilometer downhill ride took us to Kiliyur falls. We parked the cycles and then walked down a flight of steps to get to the falls. The falls was beautiful as always. We had almost jogged down to the falls and when we started from the falls it was a quick walk back to the cycle.

The urgency was necessitated as we had booked the 12:40 pm bus from Salem to Bangalore and the clock had ticked past 10:45 am when we made it back to the cycles. It was going to be touch and go with respect to making it to the bus, since descending Yercaud is difficult if we get stuck behind a bus or truck. We had to climb back to Yercaud from Kiliyur and although it looked difficult when descending we made it up and started the downhill at 11:00 am.

We started a quick descent. A couple of hair pin bends and I saw a bus and was fortunate to get an empty piece of road and was able to overtake the bus. Few more turns and I saw a truck ahead. I was able to overtake the truck as well when I got favorable traffic which forced the truck to stop. From here I was making quick progress through the hair pin bends. A quick look back and I saw that Rajkumar was not behind, I got the feeling that he was stuck behind the bus or the truck and that would mean a delay to get to the base.

I stopped when the hair pin bends were done and waited a couple of minutes and was happy to see that Rajkumar had overtaken the bus and the truck and was on his way down. We started again and rode quickly down the slope and before we knew it we had made it to the base of the hill. The clock had just ticked past 11:30 am, we had taken just over 30 minutes to descend 20 kilometers. The weather had changed from cold to hot and I was wondering how the body would cope with the change in the weather and whether I would come down with a cold.

We rode through the city and made it to the hotel at 12:00 pm. We had 40 minutes to get to the bus. A quick shower, change of clothes and a 2 kilometer ride from the hotel took us to the pickup point. Just as we reached the pickup point, the bus pulled up and a quick talk with the conductor, luggage was booked and the cycles were loaded into the bus and we were in the bus.

It was perfectly timed. The bus stopped for lunch near the Salem toll and we discussed how we had a perfect tour. We were fortunate that we did not have any issues on either day. Even a small issue would have required us to change the plan for the day and we wouldn't have been able to make it to the bus in time or we would have to drop a place from the itinerary. We had luck on our side and we were happy to have completed the ride and would be home in a few hours.