UDHAGAMANDALAM: Seventy cyclists who rolled out of Bangalore last Friday on an 8-day expedition, 'Tour of Nilgiris' covering mountain ranges in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, are to reach Ooty on Thursday, finishing their last stretch of about 46 km from Ooty to Kodanad View Point near Kotagiri in the Nilgiris, on Friday.
The annual cycling event organized by the Bangalore-based
Ride A Cycle Foundation (RAC-F) is such a hit that within an hour, the online registration closed on June 1. "This is the fourth edition of the RAC-F. About 350 aspirants registered for the expedition out of which we chose 70 based on fitness and cycling experience," said Sridhar Pabbisetty, one of the co-founders of RAC-F and COO of the Centre for Public Policy, IIM, Bangalore.
According to him, age is no bar for the expedition. The riders include three women, expats and foreign nationals from the US and Italy, ranging from 14 to 60 years. Among them, three cyclists , Arun De'sylva, Chacko and Vishnu Navda are riding to support the social initiatives undertaken by Aarohi (Uttarakhand), BR Hills Tribal School and Wayanad Girijana Seva Trust.
With seven support vehicles including three motorbikes and an ambulance with a doctor and a physiotherapist, the seventy riders will pedal at least 860 km in eight days from Bangalore through Mysore, Hassan, Madikeri, Kannur, Sultan Bathery, Ooty and Kodanad. The riders are also accompanied by 30 support staff members who have undergone a workshop in first-aid.
According to Sridhar, in 2008, five cyclists planned a long ride along the Nilgiris. They were joined by 45 others. In the next edition, the number climbed to 70 and hit the century mark last year. "In all the four editions of the annual bicycle expedition, the riders comprised of students, army personnel and professionals from IT, corporate and health sectors.
Besides hitting a maximum height of 2,240 metres at Doddabetta in the Nilgiris, the highest peak in Tamil Nadu, the riders have crossed three wildlife sanctuaries including, Bandipur, Vynad and the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve apart from the Western Ghats. "They have pedaled at least 110 - 120 km a day barring rest days," Sridhar said.
To make the breathtaking ride challenging, RAC-F has added a 'race component' this year. Every day, those finishing 30-40 km distance first would win a diving package for a couple to the Andaman Islands. "With the race sections being introduced this year, there has been highly spirited planning between participants to form teams and outpace each other," Sridhar said.
Stating that the event is essentially aimed at reviving the cycling culture and its benefits to the masses including social, health, environment, tourism, traffic and urban transport, Sridhar said, "The cycling tour is a serious circuit for seasoned cyclists".
"Cycling as an extreme sport is becoming popular, and this annual cycling tour has put India on the global cycling map. The participation of foreign nationals testifies to this. It can be considered India's
Tour de France," said Rajesh Nair, co-founder of RAC-F.
Source : TOI,
Shantha Thiagarajan | Dec 22, 2011, 07.26AM IST
