AKA: The Gold Standard of Cycling Holidays
After suffering through a few months of... err, insufferable heat in Chennai, we were ready for a short cycling break as soon as allowed. With the onset of clouds, a bunch of us decided to do a short riding break in Thiruvanamalai this past weekend (July 10/11): myself, SYKO, Abhishek, AK, Saru, Siva, Milam and Ram.
We all got in at various times on Friday evening - some of us at a
reasonable time, some of who drive like maniacs (Cou*Anand*gh) way too
early and others who drive very slowly a little later. But everyone
showed up, all the bikes were good to go and so, at stupid o'clock the
next morning, off we went.
SATURDAY
The day's ride was on Jawadhu Hills - possibly my single most favorite route here in the South. I had picked a nice, smooth climb (12km @ 5%) to start with, but the savages decided to go with a 10km/7% climb to kick things off.
Here we go!
Saru and Milam disappeared as soon as the road turned up, SYKO left soon after and soon, my fat ass was climbing the way I always go: off the back, solo and slow. Which is fine. While the climb was certainly punchy, it was absolutely magnificent - a
cool, overcast day, temperature in the low 20s and bird calls piquing my curiosity all along the way.
The top of the initial climb - except the jackass who made the Strava segment didnt have it end at the arch but some point further down
This got us to the top of the hills, after which the road turned into a rolling path meandering through forests, tribal villages and small farmlands. Being a no-development zone, there are no tourist amenities here: no hotels, no restaurants, no "Scenic Viewpoints" (well, the entire road is a scenic viewpoint)... just serene nature.
Pretty!
And did I mention amazing weather? For the first time in recent memory, I actually felt cool while riding! A further easy hour of riding got us to the same roadside shop where we had stopped last year: a somewhat dodgy place which served food and also doubled as an illegal bar.
The entire Day 1 riding plan was built around getting to this spot to eat. That shack in the back is the restaurant/bar
Well fortified with food, the ride back was mostly a leisurely affair. Mostly, I say - because my workout plan for that day was supposed to involve some AC/VO2 efforts, I decided to attack every climb... and in my enthusiasm, I made the mistake of attacking Saru,which pretty much ended the way you would expect it to end.
For those who dont know him - Saru set the KOM on the first climb despite not even targeting it. And I weigh.... well, a lot more than him. Saru is mostly Bruce Banner but attack him on a climb, and he Hulks up. He disappeared in the distance and I didnt see him anymore for the rest of the ride.
Saru - on a climb, this is the only perspective you will get of him if you ride with him.
To add a little bit of thrill at the end, AK played a game of chicken with a truck which ended.... well, let's call it a draw, once you factor in the size differential. All good, no injuries and the bike was ok, except for a bent rotor.
Ride summary: 85km ride with around 1400m of climbing - all in as perfect as riding weather gets: cloudy, cool and with a hint of drizzle in the air.
Recovery was beer, brownies and halwa, and far too soon after, dinner was biryani, parathas, chicken 65 and, weirdly gobi manchurian (yes, you know who you are, and you are being judged for it) at Nalla's.
SUNDAY
Today was Kalrayan - a longer drive from Thiruvanamalai to the base. All of us were in various stages of fatigue: my own legs were shot from all the multiple efforts on the rollers the previous day, and we all decided to make today an easy, social day with an emphasis on photography.
