In every sporting discipline ,hobby or activity ,there is always A big challenge that one aspires to attempt,as it is something they believe to be ultimate challenge of physical skill/ strength and mental toughness.So,in my opinion for any amateur bicyclist living in this part of the world,climbing the Segur or Kalhatti ghats would be considered a huge challenge.The ghat section alone is 12.5 kilometres long with 36 hairpinbends or switchbacks with a climb of nearly 1200metres at an average of over 9.5%grade.Those stats are impressive by any standard.
In October of 2010 when I started bicycling,I would not have, even in my wildest dreams thought that a little over a year later, I would be planning my first century ride in the mountains, which included climbing the legendary Kalhatty ghats .
Jacob and I rode along with the Tour Of Nilgiris on their last leg from Ooty to Kodanad via Doddabetta during the second week of December.It was shortly after this ride that I decided to climb kalhatty in January of 2012 as part of a 100k ride that I have been waiting to do for ages.I told Jacob this on our ride to Valparai and he as usual was game for it.He had not done the kalhatti ride either so it was something for both to look forward to .Unfortunately the happenings on the ride to Valparai meant Jacob would be off the saddle for a few months.The thought of doing a big ride without him was strange and postponing the ride did cross my mind,but I knew I had to do it now or wait for a year to do my century, which I decided had to be in the mountains.When I informed my ride plans to the rest of the gang Vijay Mohan(TV) and Shantharam(shantha) agreed to ride along,but not before calling me crazy to even want to do such a thing.A few weeks later Prasanna said he would ride as well,to my utter disbelief to be honest.He had done only a handful of rides in December and just a couple in January and decided to take on Kalhatti .I was seriously impressed with his confidence.
January 28th was the chosen date for “THE BIG RIDE”.I have to say it took a fair bit of planning,not just our resources but also draw up a rough time line for the ride.We were to have 3 support cars with Sanjay and Gopi anna(Gopi) in a car each and the 3rd with my driver in the landcruiser.A spare bicycle as well(Sanjay’s Cannondale Trail SL3)mainly for Shantha because we were not equipped to fix a flat on a 29er tubeless tyre.I was super thrilled when Jacob told me that he would join us all and ride with Sanjay in the Yeti.Iknew I was going to miss having him ride alongside me but this was the next best thing.
We got to coonoor on the 27th and the ride was to start from the Ooty Golf Club on the 28th morning.The route was Ooty golf club-Gudalur-Mudumalai-Kalhatti-Ooty Golf club.The ride distance was to be around 100.6km as we came to know later,but we knew the route was long enough for a Century.Kalhatty was the only thing on everyone’s mind.As mentioned earlier,It was a 9.7% average gradient with grades exceeding 12% in some places.Catagorised as a Hors Catagorie(HC) climb which basically means its beyond catagorisation and ranks equal to the steepest climbs in the world.
We unloaded our bikes at around 7.30am on the 28th at the Ooty golf club.It took longer than expected to unload our bikes and get set.
Sanjay
Unloading
Gopi
Jacob and Shantha
Prasanna
Deep in thought about the day ahead!
TV
Setting up our Computers and HRM's
All set to go...
At around 8.20 which was already 20 min past scheduled departure, delayed chatting with some friends and onlookers who were curious as to what was going on,Jacob mentioned that we are going to make things difficult for ourselves time wise if we did not leave right away.The first stop planned was Gudalur around 50 odd kilometers into the ride.After downing a very large glass of banana smoothie each we wished each other luck and set off on what was a very cold Saturday morning.
Start of "THE BIG RIDE"
The Support Crew!
The early morning temperatures of 4degrees C had settled down to a more comfortable 8 degreesC by the time we left.The cold weather gear we were wearing especially the balaclavas worked like a charm and we were very comfortable even on the descents.
Within a few kilometers of leaving the club the group split up and we found ourselves riding alone.Sanjay and Jacob in the Yeti decided they would keep a watch on TV and myself, with the landcruiser following Shantha and Prasanna not far behind.Gopi was doing photography duties and pretty much covering everyone at different points in time,also keeping an eye out for any dangerous wild life close to the road.We had studied the maps and gradients in great detail before the ride and knew pretty much the climbs and their distances all the way through the ride.Or atleast we thought we did.There were many small to medium climbs for almost 20kilometres out of Ooty.
Arjun
Prasanna
Shantha
TV
Jacob came up alongside and told me to pick up the pace and cover the first 60km or so quickly.The idea was to give ourselves as much time as possible for the climb up kalhatti. Around 25 odd kilometres in we got to the 26 kilometer downhill blast to the town of gudalur.With the road dropping at an average grade of almost 5.5percent it was going to be seriously fast.
L-R Arjun,TV
By this time TV and I were riding together and found a good rhythm , Shantha and Prasanna were about a kilometer behind pacing themselves very well.So all was good as we headed down the hill,the support cars finding it quite difficult to keep up since the roads were broken in quite a few places and the bikes were at times hitting over 50 kilometres an hour despite us trying to keep the speeds low.Sanjay was quite comcerned about the speeds and told TV and me to stop the chit chat and concentrate till we got to the bottom.Prasanna had a bit of a scare when he hit a big bump while he was stretching off the saddle.He was very fortunate not to go off the bike at that speed,but did hit himself very hard on the saddle.Going downhill we all appreciated the quality and ability of the bikes we were riding.The stress on the forks and especially the braking system was huge,and the bikes performed brilliantly.Again I was the one having the easiest time going downhill with the rear suspension on my ORBEA Oiz set to soft I was seated all the way through the downhill bit while the others had to get off the saddle every time the road got really rough.
The Ooty –gudalur road is one of the most beautiful roads I have bicycled on.On the way down we saw around 8-10 bicyclists all on MTB’s heading up to Ooty via Gudalur.We all waved and gave each other the thumbs up and headed towards Gudalur town .Gudalur was scheduled to be a food stop but since we were there well on time and feeling good we decided to press on until Mudumalai and then take a call as to where to take our first break.Around 10.35am we were at Mudumalai ,10 kilometres from theppakad.We took a short break to remove our Jackets and balaclavas,the sun was out and it was getting a bit warm.
Gopi,Arjun,Sanjay,TV
Jacob,Gopi,Arjun,TV
The roads were just fabulous,rolling hills with just the right length of climb and descents, we were able to maintain a super pace.The speedo showing over 30km/hr constantly…I pointed this out to TV and very happily informed Jacob and Sanjay that we would stop at theppakad for lunch.
Arjun,TV
Just then,around a corner I saw Gopi parked with his hand raised out of the car,indicating to the lone elephant to his left not far from the road.I rode by while TV slowed down to get a good look at the young tusker.
Arjun,TV
Shantha,Prasanna
We enquired where Shantha and Prasanna were and were told they are about a couple of kilometres behind.We reached theppakad at around 11am.Santha and Prasanna arrived around 10 minutes later and were feeling good as well.This was 66.3 km into the ride.The ride average up to then was around 26km/hr which put us in a very comfortable position to deal with the rest of the day-time wise.
Prasanna,Shantha
Lunch was pasta ,moussakka ,chapatti and minced meat(forSantha)and some baked chicked from tv’s place, chocolates thanks to Gopi ,..Whew! Food was great,big thanks to my mom for that and we ate lots- at least I did.At this point none of us knew that this would be our only major stop for the day.
Analysing the ride thus far.66.3km in.
Sanjay and Jacob decided to split the water and hydrates between the three cars and also split the tools ,pumps and lubes as well.In hindsight this proved to be a great decision.The stop lasted around 40 min with Jacob again reminding me its time to start.It was 11.48am,we started the 20 kilometre ride to the foot hills of kalhatti ,where we had all decided to take a final break before the “BIG CLIMB”.
Arjun
TV
Shantha
Prasanna
Prasanna and I were the first on the saddle and headed out followed by TV and then Shantha with the landcruiser leaving last.Looking at the maps this 20km ride to the foothills did not seem like a big deal with only 200metre elevation changes on rolling terrain.But just as we left theppakad we were straight into a good climb albeit a short one,and then very quickly the next and the next.Thats when we all realized that this is not going to be as easy as we thought.
I saw Prasanna fall back a bit but in my sights,behind him TV and also Shantha.The Yeti was behind me and Gopi had gone ahead resuming his duties with the camera.I thought TV and I would ride together as we did in the morning and so slowed down a bit for him to catch up which he did very quickly,only to fall back again and this was around 7-8 kilometres after lunch.Just then I came over a crest and saw this big herd of wild buffalo’s to the left of the road waiting to cross.I looked back and saw Sanjay coming in quickly to my left so I could safely ride by with the car for cover.
I was then told to wait at the top of the climb so they could go back and help TV cross the herd as well.Just then I met a lone bicyclist from Bangalore on an MTB who was on his was down from Ooty via kalhatti.I told him to wait until the buffalo’s had passed,wished him luck on his ride and decided to get going by which time TV had arrived and we had the Yeti behind us.
The plan was to do the ride to the foothills non-stop,and even filling our water bottles was done on the fly thanks to Jacob who always had a full bottle mixed with hydrates ready to had over.This worked brilliantly for me as it allowed keeping a steady pace and I was generally feeling very good.
TV then fell back again,Sanjay and Jacob at that time told me not to keep enquiring about TV and to concentrate on doing my ride,and also said i was on my own from there on since TV had some minor cramping issues.Gopi then started following TV, the Yeti behind me .Shantha and Prasanna were pacing themselves very well with the Landcruiser for backup, and were not that far behind.
I reached the foothills at around 12.40 and decided to take a small break before the climb up kalhatti.TV was there soon after and we were all very happy to see him there so quickly.But just as he stopped he felt discomfort in his legs and had to do some stretches on the road helped by Gopi.
Final stop before "THE BIG CLIMB"
It was 12.50pm and I decided to start before the body cooled down too much.Wished TV good luck ,said bye to Gopi and headed off .Just as we approached the first right hander I looked up to see if the top of the hill was visible, but no chance,it is an unbelievable sight from the saddle of a bicycle especially when you know u have to get to the top.Just then Sanjay pulls up alongside and Jacob says”Look Arjun its staring you in the face,good luck” I give both of them the thumbs up,locked the fork and the shock on the Oiz, dropped to the 24 ring with a few gears to spare in the rear and went up the first right hander….the climb had started.
At that moment I realize that my plan to do this with a max of 2 stops(what was I thinking) was not going to be possible and decided to take it as it comes.It was going to be a long climb so I had to find a rhythm and pace that does not put too much load on the legs.I told Sanjay to hang back a bit as the noise of the engine was bothering me.You need to almost go into a trance to do this climb with minimal stops.If there is one word to describe the kalhatti ghats it has to be “relentless”.It just keeps coming at you harder and harder with absolutely no let up for the entire 12.5kilometres.The first 3 kilometres climb at well over 10percent grade.I had decided not to pay any attention to the hairpin bend boards which at the start read 36/36.They go down very slowly so if you keep looking at them your mind is going to start playing games.When you are already on the lowest gear the bike will allow, and then see the climb getting steeper ahead,it becomes obvious that this is a battle that will be won with not just the body but the mind as well to a great degree.The body is at what u think to be the maximum right from the start,but the truth is, I discovered as I went on…. it can take a lot more. The target was not just to reach the top but to do it at a decent pace and then carry on to finish my 100.
My first stop came around 20 min in after about 3 hairpin bends.It was at the end of a very steep initial section after which the climb eases a bit.My regular stops were not more than 2 minutes most of the time.Just enough to get a drink and give the legs a break.Since the speeds are low you are pedaling all the time and drinking on the move was getting to be very difficult after a while.An hour went by so quickly and we were not even close to half way.Sanjay used to pull alongside every once in a while to ask how I was doing,while Jacob was taking at least one picture of me on every hairpin bend so we could plot the ride time exactly later on.
At this time while looking around just to keep my mind off the effort I saw TV riding down below and also noticed that there was no support car behind him.Informed Sanjay and Jacob about this and told them to head back down to see how he was doing.They decided to give gopi a call to find out how things were back there.As I kept rolling on they informed me that TV and Prasanna had loaded up and that Shantha was on his way up ,maybe 20-30 minutes back,He was pacing himself brilliantly.TV cramped up badly and prasanna’s morning episode on the saddle I think made it impossible for him to stay seated anymore.Their determination was just incredible as they even tried their best to push as much as they could not wanting to give up.I take my hat off to them.They had registered 89(Prasanna) and 90(TV)kilometers.With around 6kilometres to the top of the hill their disappointment was obvious but to have attempted such a ride in such a short span of time and come this far was a brilliant effort .
TV
TV,Prasanna
Jacob and me.
The next hour passed by with no major dramas except for the chain on the Oiz falling off a couple of times.The second time this happened I stopped and got off the bike.Sanjay and Jacob came over to check it and decided that the rear derailleur needs to be adjusted.As Sanjay was doing this he noticed the chain was very dry and decided to do a full lube on the chain in his usual meticulous fashion.I was getting impatient as the clock was ticking and also did not want the body to get too cool,Jacob voiced the same concerns but Sanjay would have none of it.Job done the bike rode great and I never had a problem after that.That stop to me felt exactly like a pit stop in motor racing.
The latter part of kalhatti gets steeper similar to the start and this begins with the long kalhatti climb.This is a 400 metre climb that feels never ending with some serious grade.Seeing cars struggling up the hill as you bicycle up and acknowledging the various people giving you the thumbs up was a thrill.The heart rate was around 180 beats and the legs were taking a pounding,so I decided to take a break after two thirds distance and then at the top again.Few kilometers later,with around 7 hairpin bends to go Jacob pointed to the last hairpin,which was now visible quite a way up and told me I was almost there.The heart rate was fine,quads and the calves felt great but I realised the hamstring muscles were marginal and I had to manage it if I was to make it to the top.Fortunately my plan of very short water breaks paid off and soon I was within a couple of kilometers to the finish, at which point I knew the hardest part is over and tried to enjoy the rest of the ride up.Gopi,TV and Prasanna by this time had driven up to see how I was doing and follow me on the ride to the top.
Shortly after, at around 3.40 in the afternoon I was at hairpin bend 1/36,2h50min after starting the climb.To my great surprise it was an emotional moment as I passed that last bend.Fortunately,I had enough time to settle myself down by the time I crested the hill where the Gang was waiting.I have no words to describe the feeling as I crested the hill,and to see everyone else as happy was just fantastic.I had told Gopi many weeks before that I wanted a picture as I crested the hill and he along with Jacob was there, ready for that and more.It was a great few minutes with the entire Gang,took a few pictures and it was time to get back on the saddle again. Getting to that 100 was paramount for me so, the ride was not done yet.
One more to go!
I asked where Shantha was and was told he is less than an hour behind,just about to do the big kalhatti climb..I congratulated TV and Prasanna on a super ride, hugely thanked Sanjay,Jacob and Gopi and got back on the bike for the ride up to the golf course followed by Gopi and TV in the laura.Shantha meanwhile decided to do the last bit of the ride with TV’s bike.He felt TV’s Cannondale Trail SL2 would be easier to ride on the big gradient than the 29er Orbea.By this time he was battling big emotions and was on the verge of giving up when Jacob and Sanjay got to him.
There was no way Jacob was going to allow Santha to stop…….being so close to the top.He told Sanjay to go ahead ,not to give Shantha the option to load up.From there on for the next 2kilometres he walked alongside him,drink bottle in hand right up until the finish crest.What a fantastic effort by Santha ,I take my hat off to him for a brilliantly paced ride.And what a job by Jacob,making sure Santha got to the top of the hill.It just went to show what an important role Sanjay,Jacob and Gopi played through this entire ride.Making sure everyone was safe,comfortable and also ensuring that each one did their best-I cant thank them all enough.
After kalhatti the climb up to the golf club seemed easy enough and i got there quite quickly.After a few minutes chatting with Gopi ,TV and I headed back hoping to see Shantha finish.He had just finished when we got there around 4.30 in the evening.It was a super moment for all of us.The other interesting part was ,I had said before the ride ,we should aim to crest kalhatti at 3pm,assuming we started the ride at 8am.I finally crested at 3.40 after starting off at 8.25.Could not have planned it better.
There was a lot that went on behind me with Santha,TV and Prasanna.Unfortunately we were not riding in a group so I am unable to write about their struggles and emotions during the later part of this incredible ride.My thanks to all of them for joining me on this Epic ride.
Finally a Huge Thank You again from TV,Santha,Prasanna and myself to Sanjay,Jacob and Gopi for the phenomenal support , for coming along and making “THE BIG RIDE” so enjoyable and more importantly,possible.Looking forward to “THE BIG RIDE 2013” with Sanjay,Gopi and jacob on the saddle and hopefully we will be there to ride along with them all the way to the top.Cheers Everyone!
Check out the route and climb details at:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/66832254
“THE BIG RIDE” stats.
Route:Ooty Golf Club-Gudalur-Theppakadu-kalhatty-Ooty Golf Club.
Distance: 100.6km
Riding time:5h37min
Total Time:7h30min
Max Altitude:2470 metres
Min Altitude:818 metres
Total Trip Climb:1995 metres
Calories Burnt:5800 kcal.
Max Speed:52.1 km/hr
The Bicycles..Cannondale Trail SL2(TV),Cannondale Trail SL3(Prasanna),Orbea H50 Alma 29er(Shantha).Orbea Oiz Carbon 3(Arjun)
Photographs by.Gopi(Canon EOS 7D),Jacob(Nikon Coolpix P7100),Sanjay(Nikon D200)
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At Droogs! L-R Shantharam,Divya,Sanjana,Nikethana,Hari,Prasanna,Jacob,Arjun,Viren
The Ride to Droogs!
With my sister Shanthini..
L-R Arjun,Jacob,Prasanna,Shanthini,My mom in the Land Cruiser:)
TV and Sanjay
Gopi on his new Mongoose Dualie.
Jacob,Sanjay and TV on one of the trails around Coonoor.
Last ride of the summer..Anand,TV,Sanjay,Arjun,Jacob
