Yercaud - Kolli Hills - Thanjavur

Date: 4 October 2018 - 6 October 2018

Total distance:  541 Kilometers

Start Time: 6:00 am 4 October 2018

End Time:  12:15 pm 6 October 2018

With: -

It had been over 6 months since I had done a cycle tour. I was itching to go on a tour, however I did not have sufficient time to go on a weeklong tour. The 400 kilometer brevet in Trichy on 6th October gave an opportunity to do a little touring before riding the brevet.

The plan was to ride to Trichy, since I had a couple of days available, decided to ride to Yercaud, Kolli Hills and Thanjavur. I had missed out on Thanjavur on my previous visit to Trichy and did not want to miss the opportunity this time around. Knowing that doing a tour after the brevet would be difficult, I opted to finish the tour before the brevet. Further, the plan was to avoid the national highway as much as possible and to ride interior roads which included the state highway.

Since I had ridden from Hosur to Salem on the National Highway on numerous occasions, I opted to ride on the state highway instead which would pass through Rayakottai and Palacode before joining the highway at Dharmapuri. Also, the plan was to climb to Yercaud from Thoppur - Kanavaipudur route rather than the Salem side. Drew up a rough plan, and told myself to stay flexible with the plan. As long as I was able to make it to the start point at Trichy at 2:00 pm I was fine with any changes to the plan.

Day	From	To	Distance	Ride Time (hrs)	Total Time (hrs)	Departure Time	Arrival Time
1	Koramangala	Namakkal	280	14.00	16.00	5:00	21:00
2	Namakkal	Thanjavur	190	10.00	12.00	6:00	18:00
3	Thanjavur	Trichy	60	3.00	5.00	9:00	14:00
			530

The plan was drawn, however, with a lot of work the day before the ride I was unable to pack for the trip and left it for the morning since I got back home late.

Day 1: Koramangala - Yercaud - Rasipuram:

Date: 4 October 2018

Total distance: 249 Kilometers

Start Time: 6:00 am

End Time:  20:00 pm

Altitude Profile:

Koramangala - Palacode - Dharmapuri - Thoppur - Kanavaipudur - Yercaud - Salem - Rasipuram

Although I woke up in time, not having packed and prepped the cycle yesterday, cost me an hour. Packing the bag, tieing it to the carrier and pumping sufficient air into the tires delayed me and I was able to start the ride only at 6:00 am. I had lost an hour and with that the plan was revised to getting to at least Salem if not Rasipuram by the end of the day.

Day break had already occurred when I started. It was not the start that I wanted as I had planned to get past Hosur by day break, however, I was happy that I had at least started and there would be no cancelling from here on. I was confident that I could make up for the lost time on the road.

I got to Hosur, crossed the road to get onto the road next to the Hosur temple and in a short while was onto the state highway to Rayakottai. The hunger pangs were already biting and it took a focus of the ride. The route being rolling terrain did not help either and the inevitable comparison between the National Highway and the State Highway began. Every passing kilometer where I could not increase the pace, the feeling that I would have been better off on the national highway since I would have been faster and would have made up for the delayed start was growing. It was only after getting past Rayakottai that I was able get into significant downhill stretches and increase the pace. This calmed the mind to an extent and I was able to enjoy the ride since there was minimal traffic.

There had been a cloud cover and the horizon had been hazy. Rain was the last thing that I wanted on the ride as I was wearing shoes and in case of rain knew that there was not sufficient time for the shoes to dry. The thought of having to ride in wet shoes was not very appealing. Although I was touring, I did not have the luxury to wait out the rain since I was short on time and the plan was rather tight since it included hill climbs.

As I got closer to Palacode, the heavens did open up, luckily it was a drizzle. I was able to cycle and made it to Palacode when the drizzle got heavier. I took the opportunity to stop for breakfast. I had a plate of Dosa's and waited for the rain to abate.

100 kilometers completed in 4 hours 23 minutes, just over 20 kilometers to get to Dharmapuri, it looked like I had made up for the lost time. The rain did not stop, however it had changed to a drizzle and the excitement of having made up the time got me going in the drizzle. Just being in the positive on the time front had changed the focus of the ride, I was enjoying the drizzle as well now.

I got onto the National Highway in an hour's time and was welcomed by a steady drizzle and water on the road. The kick back from the road was a lot and the shoes did get rather wet. Familiar road and having joined in the part that I find boring in this route did not help. I had to grind my way past the Dharmapuri bypass and it was a relief when I made it past the bypass. The Thoppur ghat was ahead and I was looking forward to a quick downhill.

The rain picked up its intensity just as I entered the ghat and along with it came truck traffic to douse any hopes of a quick descent. I took it easy on the downhill and took in the view of the hazy hills in the horizon. The sight of the hills was an indication that I was going to be starting the climb pretty soon.

When I made it past the Thoppur Ghat, it was time to look for the turn to Kanavaipudur. A little slow to get to the junction as I kept checking the phone. When I got to the junction it was 12:45 pm, although I was not very hungry, I had to make the lunch stop here as I was not sure of getting anything further up. I looked around and found a place serving Chicken Biriyani. Perfect food for the upcoming climb as I was sure that it would be sufficient to get me to Yercaud.

I spent half an hour at the restaurant, bought a Coca Cola as well for the climb and started at 1:15 pm. Got past the crowded junction and entered empty interior road and was surrounded by agricultural fields. The hills in the back drop made it a superb sight and I was enjoying the ride. It was a gradual gain in the gradient and I was slow, however it did not matter as I was enjoying the view.

The cloud cover did not change and it drizzled on and off. I had to ride through puddles from the overnight rain in the area. The ride to make it to the turn to Yercaud was slow but enjoyable. A board indicating 28 kilometers to Yercaud came as a small shock as I was expecting the distance to be 20 kilometers. I stopped at the turn, bought a couple of biscuit packets for the climb and started the climb which starts immediately.

After the initial ascent, there is a section of rolling terrain. The road is not in good condition, however, this route is rather deserted and passes through the forest. I was passed by 3 locals on a bike and as they overtook me one person's cap fell. I braked and turned back, picked it up and handed it over to them, this was a gesture which helped me a lot in an hour's time. When I did it I wasn't thinking of how it would help me, however, I was happy that I had done it.

Post this the climb started and it was a steep ascent on a road surface which was rather bad. I was happy that I had got the MTB and was not on the road bike. There were very few people and over the course of the 28 kilometers to Yercaud I was passed by 2 trucks and one car in the opposite direction, that is they were going downhill while I was climbing. I reached the first village on the route, the road gradient lets up here before picking up again. This route is about steep climbs and then the gradient easing out before kicking in again. I was enjoying the ride a lot, passing through villages every few kilometers and getting downhill sections as well. The scenery was different to the usual Yercaud climb where I am accustomed to a good road and having to see the hill on one side and the GRT resort at the top, this was passing through the forest and villages in between and was giving the view of the trees and the hills in the back drop.

I had ridden about 15 kilometers and still had 13 kilometers to get to Yercaud. I came across the next steep climb and shifted to the low gear at the back. The chain jumped and landed in between the spokes and the rear cassette. Damn! how did that happen. Looked like an easy task, ease the pressure on the chain, get it out and fix it back on the cassette. Easier said than done, the chain was stuck and I was unable to pull it out. It was jammed, not stuck, to make things worse it had to start drizzling at this point. I was stuck, either I push the cycle 13 kilometers uphill or get back 21 kilometers in rolling terrain to get back to the highway. The idea of riding on interior roads with no vehicles suddenly seemed like a very bad idea.

I decided to push uphill and got about 200 meters in which time I got to know that the I had to either load the cycle onto a vehicle or had to get the chain out since pushing it was not an option. The chain was jammed and was hampering the pedal movement which resulted in a jerk every few meters. I was in panic mode and stopped near a parapet wall. Overturned the cycle and came up with the idea that if I remove the wheel, the chain will come loose. Bad idea, the chain was not allowing the wheel to come free.

It was 3:30 pm. Time lost here would definitely hit me hard and I was running out of ideas. Just then the 3 guys on the bike came by and enquired if it was a puncture. I had been passing them when they stopped at the villages en route and was happy when they stopped to help. I told them the situation and within 10 minutes I had more guys coming from the nearby village to help. There were 12 guys explaining what had to be done and none of them were ready to listen to what I had to say. On a closer look, 2 chain links were jammed and it was a matter of yanking them out. After about 30 minutes, one chain link was yanked out and in the next 5 minutes, the other chain link had been pulled out as well. The chain was free, I was relieved. I fixed the chain back on the cassette and just the sight of the pedal rotating freely was a beautiful sight. I thanked the folks and started fixing the wheel back. That's when I saw that in the process of yanking the chain, they had bent the hangar and I could not fix the wheel onto the frame. Instead I had to keep the wheel off the frame and passed the quick release through the small gap in the hangar and checked of the wheel is rotating, it was, it was sufficient to get going. I thanked the folks as they had made it possible for me to get going again. It was a very steep section ahead, given the experience, I did not want to put too much load on the pedal right away, I pushed for about 200 meters for the gradient to let up before getting back on the saddle.

The immediate feel was that the cycle was very smooth. I checked if I could change gears and avoided getting into the lowest gear at the back lest it drops off again. The gears were shifting and that was all I needed, rode steadily and was back to enjoying the ride. It took 30 minutes for me to realise that I was in time trouble again. The gradient was steep and the kilometers were coming down slowly. I had about 10 kilometers remaining when the clock ticked past 5 pm, I was apprehensive if I could make it to Yercaud in daylight. I had serious doubts and was pretty sure that it would not be possible if the gradient did not let up.

I had made it past the forest area and was not in Estate area. It felt like Yercaud was getting closer however I was still not close enough. With about 8 kilometers remaining to Yercaud I joined a road with a good surface. Along with this the gradient let up a little and I was able to ride a couple of kilometers quickly. Passed a village in which I saw the local buses plying to and from Yercaud, this gave a little kick to ride quicker as I was getting closer. I had run through a biscuit packet and the Coca Cola during the climb and was running low on fuel. The sight of the bus was the kicker that was required and it got me going. A little more gradient to negotiate and then a little flat section later I was coasting into Yercaud. I got to the Yercaud lake just before 6 PM. The customary lake photo and I started the downhill, wanted to make it down in daylight.

Just over 30 minutes to make it downhill. Just as I got down it got dark as well. I had managed to make it down before dark and now was heading towards the city. I had enough adventure for the day and the appetite to ride was non-existent. I wanted to rest and decided to stop at Salem. I wanted to get to the exit of town before stopping and rode out of town and started the search for a hotel near the road towards Namakkal. Unfortunately, all the hotels around the area were expensive and I was told to ride back to town if I wanted budget accommodation.

It was beyond 7:00 pm and I was low on energy, however, I was not ready to ride back to town, I cajoled myself to ride a few kilometers and was sure that I would find a hotel on the highway. Few kilometers onto the highway I realised that I would have to make it to Rasipuram if I had to get any sort of accommodation. Rather than heading back to Salem I rode towards Rasipuram. It took a lot to coax the mind to keep going rather than the body. I rode quickly, thanks to the easy gradient and made it to the outskirts of Rasipuram. The sight of a hotel with A2B as well in the same complex was sufficient for me to get weak again and rather than riding into town which was 5 kilometers away I decided to stop. Took up the room which cost 1k for the night and got about freshening up, had dinner and crashed.

Day 2: Rasipuram - Kolli Hills - Thanjavur:

Date: 5 October 2018

Total distance: 238 Kilometers

Start Time: 5:45 am

End Time:  20:00 pm

Altitude Profile:

Rasipuram - Kolli Hills - Musiri - Srirangam - Trichy - Thanjavur

Had a nice sleep and woke up when the alarm went off. Packed and got ready. It was still dark when I stepped out, however, by the time I loaded the bag onto the cycle and started the ride it was day break. It was a slow start and within a few kilometers I took the turn towards Rasipuram. As I exited town I was into rolling terrain and was slow on the climbs. I had to constantly check the phone for the route to ensure that I don't miss the route. When I passed through Rasipuram it was too early for breakfast. Breakfast was the only concern for the day as I was not sure if I would get anything near the Kolli hills base.

It was a pleasant ride as I was off the highway and the imposing hills in front of me. Started speculating as to which hill I would be climbing in an hour's time. The sight of beautiful roads with a tree canopy was wonderful and I was enjoying the ride a lot.

There were boards indicating the distance to Kolli Hills which was in the vicinity of 40 kilometers. However, I knew that the kilometers would be irrelevant the minute I reach the foothill since the only number which would matter would be the 70 hair pin bends. For the time being it was about getting to the foothill and also about having breakfast before starting the climb.

I had to take a left at Kalappanaickenpatti town. There is a prominent board indicating the direction to Kolli Hills. It was just about 7 am and still too early for breakfast. However, as I did not know about the food options ahead, I stocked up on Coca Cola and biscuits at this town before resuming the ride.

The ride from here passes through agricultural fields and villages. Kolli hills is visible straight ahead and there is a slow increase in the gradient. Buses were plying on this route and the road was in good condition. As I got closer I could see the hair pin bends on the hill and within a kilometer I was at Karavalli town. The sight of restaurants was a relief and I stopped to have breakfast. A plate of Parotta's and an omlette was what I had and this allowed me to calm down as well as food had been a concern since the time I started.

I started from Karavalli just before 8 am and hit the climb immediately. Had to ride about a kilometer before seeing the board stating Hair Pin bend 1/70. The gradient was not steep and it was a relaxed ride. The roads were damp from the early morning mist I presumed and vehicular movement was minimal. It took about 30 minutes to get to 8 hair pin bends and I was worried about the slow pace of the ride, 30 minutes for 8 works out to almost 4 hours for the entire climb, which was too much. As the gradient was gentle I was able to increase the pace a little, further the hair pin bends come thick and fast after the first 10 and I was able to get through to about 25 rather quickly.

The gradient shoots up after this and is rather steep especially near the curves. I did not want to take a break and kept ticking off the curves. The road was good and the fleeting glimpses of the valley when the view opened up served as battery rechargers. The road began to narrow down as well making me a little nervous round the bends. Being particular about the rhythm, I did not want to stop while climbing. The only break that I took was a forced break since the rear brakes started rubbing against the wheel, I had to stop to tighten the rear wheel. A quick 30 second stop to attend to the issue and I was back climbing. Things began to get easier as I got higher as the count of the hair pin bends had gone past 35 and knowing that 50% of the hair pin bends were done was comforting. The time to reach the top kept getting revised every five minutes based on the speed with which the hair pin bends were being done. The hair pin bends were close together and in a short while I was past the 50th hair pin bend. Kept going and started the countdown when I got past the 60th hair pin bend. The gradient eased up a little after this and being in the last few hair pin bends it gave the opportunity to increase the pace as well.

Getting to the 70th hair pin bend felt good as I had climbed a hill which was on the wish list for the past year. The road climbs further into town. I continued to the town after the customary pic and was in town in a few minutes, but not before I had the familiar scene of being chased by a dog. Got into town, it was 10:00 am. To go around Kolli Hills would take at least an hour and I did not have the luxury of an hour. I had to get downhill to make it to Thanjavur tonight so that I could have a relaxed ride tomorrow and make it to the brevet with enough in the tank.

I started downhill and just as I got to the 70th hair pin bend it started raining. The damp road turned to a wet road making the surface very slippery. My hopes for a quick descent were dashed when I ran into a truck and a bus on the descent, following them was painfully slow and the slow moving vehicles resulted in a train behind them. Since we were in the hair pin bends and the bends were coming quickly, it did not give a clear opportunity to overtake the vehicles. The Truck driver was considerate when he pulled to the side to allow us to pass, although he had kept us behind for about 15 bends. The bus was slightly easier as he took his time to take a turn, I was able to squeeze past him and managed to open the gap sufficiently to be able to stop on a couple of occasions to take pics and keep him behind me. The rain was intermittent, would pour for a couple of minutes, make the road wet and stop, so I had a small window to make stops and take pics. Getting towards the foothill, the gradient reduces and I had to pedal a lot to keep the pace up which was not sufficient to keep the vehicles behind me and the bus and truck overtook me by the time I got to the base.

It was 11:00 am when I got to the base. Checked Google maps for the route to Senthamangalam and got on track. I was riding through interior roads surrounded by coconut farms, it was an enjoyable ride. Once onto the state highway, the traffic increased a little. I was enjoying the ride and forgot about checking the route and assumed that I had already joined the Namakkal-Trichy road. The sight of a kilometer stone stating 40 kilometers made me very happy since I assumed that was the distance to Trichy and the thought of reaching Trichy for lunch was very appealing. I stopped for sugarcane juice when the kilometer stone was around 30 kilometers I guess and fortunately opened the Google maps to check my location. I realised that I was not on the Trichy road and was headed to Thuraiyur instead. Fortunately I was at the junction where I could take the turn and head onto interior roads for about 15 kilometers before joining the Trichy road.

The interior road passed through dry deciduous forest landscape with villages coming every few kilometers. Initially I could hear peacocks, and in a short while I got to see them as well. On 3 occasions they crossed the road in groups when I was riding. They seemed to be accustomed to human presence and did not make a dash when I was passing by. Minimal traffic again, however, there was a little tension creeping in as I was getting hungry and needed to stop to refuel soon. The sight of the Trichy road was a relief, however, I still had some Pepsi remaining and instead of stopping for lunch tried to push on with the Coca Cola. The decision was spurred to an extent by the thought that I wanted to stop just out of town or before town as I wanted to avoid the crowd at the town. Bad decision since I did not come across any restaurants which were not in town.

I rode only 6 kilometers from the time I got onto the Namakkal - Trichy road before stopping for lunch. These 6 kilometers were rather painful as I was low on energy and also the pressure of having to find a place was bearing me down. I finally settled on a small place and had a couple of parotta's and an omlette. The same menu which was there for breakfast was available for lunch as well. It was a quick lunch, followed by a stop when I got into town to refill water and buy Pepsi.

Now that the energy requirement had been taken care of it was time to look at the distance remaining and the time. I was 50 kilometers away from Trichy and 100 kilometers from Thanjavur. It was 2:00 pm, it was going to be another day when I was scheduled to be on the road till 7:00 pm at least. The hopes of making it to Thanjavur in time for the sun set were bleak.

Got down to pedaling. I was riding next to the Kaveri river and got fleeting glimpses of the river. It was largely a dry river bed and some water in the distance. The water was more than what it was when I was here in June. It was tempting to ride on the river bed and spend some time near the water, however I did not have time on my side and had to keep riding.

I reached Kulithalai and decided to ride towards Srirangam rather than crossing the bridge and heading to Trichy. From a distance perspective, both the routes were equi-distant from Trichy, the only difference being that on this route I would be riding next to the Kollidam river whereas if I had crossed the bridge I would have been adjacent to the Kaveri river.

The route was good in the sense it had a tree cover all through except that the buses were unforgiving in this stretch and pushed me off the road on a few occasions. The sight of the Kollidam river was good, seemed more like a back water stretch initially until I reached the dam. I was beginning to tire when I reached the dam and took a short break before resuming the ride.

I was about 6 kilometers from Srirangam. The afternoon heat along with the wind in spite of the cloud cover was slowing me down significantly. I crossed the bridge over the Kollidam river and Kaveri river and got onto the Trichy - Samayapuram road before crossing the Kaveri river again. This time there was a lot of water and I stopped for a pic.

I was back on a familiar road as I had ridden on the Trichy - Thanjavur road in June, 50 kilometers to Thanjavur, it was 4:45 pm. The road was filled with flyovers and traffic till I got past the BHEL township. After getting past the toll after the BHEL township the road was relatively empty and it was easing riding. I was very hungry by this time and was looking for a place to eat. I stopped a few kilometers after the toll and although I wanted to make it a quick stop, I spent 30 minutes to eat a Dosa and have a Pepsi. It was 6:00 pm when I started, rather clear that I would have to ride for a couple of hours more as I was 40 kilometers from Thanjavur.

It was an easy ride on the highway and the thoughts were oscillating between visiting the Bhrihadeeshwara temple tonight or in the morning. Given that I was rather tired, I decided to visit in the morning since I had missed the sun set and wanted to get to the temple at sun rise. It took a couple of hours to get into Thanjavur city limits and I rode through wide roads in the city and got onto smaller roads near the temple. A quick stop outside the temple for a click and then rode near the bus stand, it was a crowded area and settled into Raja Lodge. It was 8:00 pm when I reached and I wanted to sleep early

Freshened up quickly and went to a nearby restaurant and had dinner which was Dosa again and lots of juice. Headed back to the lodge and crashed for the night.

Day 3: Thanjavur - Trichy:

Date: 6 October 2018

Total distance: 54 Kilometers

Start Time: 8:45 am

End Time:  12:00 pm

Altitude Profile:

Thanjavur - Trichy

I wanted this to be a relaxed day, however while planning the day out, it looked like it was going to be another hectic day. It was going to be hectic since I wanted to visit the Thanjavur palace. A relaxed visit of the palace would take at least a couple of hours and with the palace opening at 10:00 am I was going to start from Thanjavur only around 12:30 pm after lunch. I did not want to take the risk of running against the clock and wanted to have a relaxed ride from Thanjavur to Trichy so decided against the palace visit. I would ride around and see the palace from the outside on the way out, however I would have to give the famous Thanjavur paintings a miss this time.

I woke up early and got ready to go to the temple. It was a gloomy morning, there was drizzle when I stepped out and had to walk in the rain till the temple. I reached the Bhrihadeeswara temple around 6:00 am. It was good to reach early as I got to see the temple without the cackle of people and it was peaceful. The majestic structure lit up the gloomy day. The place is very clean and it was a beautiful experience to be walking around the temple. The only sound was that of the birds flapping their wings when they took off and inside the temple of the priests chanting mantra's.

The drizzle kept giving breaks in between which allowed me to take a few pics of the temple. I enjoyed the temple visit a lot and would have liked to spend some time sitting in the temple premises, however, the influx of visitors had begun, their voices were resonating inside the temple walls and it was a signal that I had to get going. When I got outside the temple, the guides had arrived and were luring the visitors to hire their services. I did not realise that I had spent over an hour at the temple, it was time to get back and start the ride.

By the time I packed, got ready and came down it was 8:15 am. It was pouring and the hotel staff reminded me that there was a red alert in the area with respect to rain. I told him that I did not have the luxury of waiting out the rain and I had to ride irrespective of the alert. Loaded the bag onto the cycle which took time as the knot came loose the first time and had to redo it. I finally started at 8:45 am by which time the rain had eased to a drizzle.

The first location was to head to the Palace which was just a kilometer away. A couple of checks on the map in the drizzle to make sure that I was on the right track and I reached the Palace in 10 minutes. Surprisingly I was allowed to ride the cycle inside the palace walls. I rode around, saw the Bell Tower, the Art Gallery and the Sharjah Mahdi before starting the ride to Trichy. It took a while to negotiate my way out of Thanjavur and get onto the Trichy road. I was hungry and wanted to stop for breakfast. I was onto the highway and stopped at the first sight of a restaurant. It was Dosa and omlette for breakfast. It was 10:00 am when I was ready to start the ride.

About 50 kilometers to ride to get to Trichy. I had sufficient time, further the drizzle had stopped and I was on a relatively dry road. Dark clouds were hovering above, and I hoped that it would not start raining. I was light on the clothes front and did not have a fresh set for the brevet later in the day in case I get drenched.

It was a slow ride as I did not want to put too much effort to get to Trichy. The cloudy weather helped in keeping the temperature in check. Was riding at 20 kmph and was in a very relaxed frame of mind.

Everything was going to plan and a 1:00 am arrival at Trichy was perfect. I would get a couple of hours to relax before the brevet and I was fine with that. I was about 10 kilometers from Trichy when things changed. The Sun had made its appearance for the day and it was very hot. I had a puncture on the rear tire around the same time when the Sun came out.

As I was on the highway I pushed the cycle a few meters to get onto the service road. I was close to Trichy and in a crowded area. I turned the cycle over to remove the wheel. When I got the wheel off, second set back, the axle was broken. I knew that my ride was over and along with it I had doubts about being able to ride the brevet as well since getting the cycle repaired in Trichy might not be possible. I called Prashanth T K and enquired about repair options in Trichy, he said that we could try and told me to get to Trichy. I looked around and saw a lot of luggage auto's parked, enquired with one of them if he could take me to Trichy, he agreed, loaded the cycle onto the auto and that was the end of my ride. 20 minutes later I was at Track and Trail where Prashanth was waiting for me and we handed the cycle over to the mechanic to fix a new axle and a hangar so that I could ride the brevet.