Chamundi Hills

Date: 11 January 2017 - 12 January 2017

Total distance: 331 Kilometers

Start Time: 4:30 am 11 January 2017

Return Time:  11:00 pm 12 January 2017

With: Madhu Mandanna

Altitude Profile:
Koramangala – Mysore

Chamundi Hills

Mysore - Koramangala

I had been itching to get 2017 started. Had missed on a couple of occasions when I could have gone for rides however I missed on account of slow recovery from the 600BRM and also laziness. When Madhu Mandanna said that we should go for a ride, I agreed immediately. From the time Madhu Mandanna had restarted riding we had been discussing about doing the Bangalore - Mysore ride, however we could not agree on a date. Madhu had not done any long distance rides and this would be his first ride. I was doubtful about Madhu making it for the ride as he had cancelled in the last minute on a previous occasion. However, when he came the day before the ride and we booked the hotel room I knew that he would definitely make it and the ride was on. A small discussion on what we should carry as luggage and also the start time was set at 4:00 am.

I set the alarm and woke up promptly at 3:00 am. I got ready and waited for Madhu. The clock ticked to 4:00 am and there was no sign of Madhu. I guessed that he would not have woken up as yet and called him. I was surprised when he said that he was on his way. He reached in 15 minutes. It was not as cold as I had expected and the jacket was kept in the bag which added to the weight. A little tinkering with the cycles and we were ready to roll at 4:30 am.

It was a full moon night and the sight of a beautiful moon got us going. We rode through Bangalore city on the main roads. We avoided the side roads so that we don't run into dog trouble. We made it safely out of the city. As we made it past Raja Rajeshwari Nagar the road narrowed down due to the Metro construction and we were constantly troubled by heavy vehicles which tried to push us off the road. The clock had ticked past 6:00 am, however it was not day break as yet. I wanted to get as far as possible before day break and was happy that it was a delayed sun rise. Madhu was doing fine and did not show any signs of tiring. The speed was up and we made good progress. We decided that we should stop at Kamat Lokaruchi near Ramanagar for breakfast. I did not want to risk riding further as it was Madhu's first ride.

It was day break when we crossed Bidadi. Vehicles were streaming past us keeping us alert. Madhu's pace was dropping just a bit. Ramanagar came by quickly and in a short while I was at Kamat Lokaruchi. Madhu came by in 5 minutes. He wanted to continue riding, however I told him that we should stop since it would serve as a rest stop. I had a Masala Dosa and Sugarcane juice, Madhu had Masala Dosa, Khara Bath and Coffee. It was a relaxed breakfast as there was no time pressure. We took our time and resumed cycling at 8:00 am.

The Sun was up, however the temperature was still cool. We started slowly and picked up the pace gradually. As the effect of the Sun began to increase, Madhu's pace began to drop and he was feeling the effects of the ride, however he kept pedaling and did not stop. We got past Channapatna and I rode ahead and stopped after half an hour. Madhu came by in 10 minutes. We wanted to have coconut water, however, I said that we should push on and try to make it to Mandya before we stop for coconut water. After Maddur the climbs began to kick in and Madhu started to fall behind. I rode ahead and stopped for Coconut water about 5 kilometers before Mandya. Madhu came by in 20 minutes and was struggling on the climbs, however, although he was slow he was still making progress. We had coconut water, refreshed we started again. I told Madhu that the gradient picks up from Mandya for about 15 kilometers and if he made it past this section then we would get to Mysuru easily. He said that I should ride ahead and wait for him rather than riding with him. We started the ride and by the time I made it out of Mandya I had lost sight of Madhu, I rode a further 8 kilometers and stopped to wait. The clock ticked by and there was no sign of Madhu. I was confident that he would make it and waited. Madhu came by in 20 minutes and we sat for a further 10 minutes during which time I got to know that he was hungry and had to fill up on food. I had carried snacks, however he does not eat any sweet stuff and we had to refill soon. Just ahead we reached a food court and we stopped. A sandwich and banana milkshake and we were ready to complete the ride.

We were done with the climbing and what was remaining was the ride down to Srirangapatna and then the ride into Mysuru. We had 25 kilometers to reach Mysuru. The Sun had sapped Madhu's energy and he was slow even on the descent to Srirangapatna. I rode ahead and reached Srirangapatna. I took the opportunity to ride into Srirangapatna and planned to visit the Nimishamba temple and get back to the highway before Madhu reaches. I estimated that Madhu would be about 20 minutes behind based on the previous waiting experience and gave myself 10 minutes to get to the Nimishamba temple. However, I took the wrong turn and went towards a different temple, by the time I realised my folly it was too late and I had to turn back. I took a couple of photos and just as I made it back to the highway Madhu was about 50 meters behind. I rode out of Srirangapatna and stopped when I crossed the Mysuru by pass junction. Madhu came by in 5 minutes and by this point the exhaustion was visible, however he was still pedaling and was now within touching distance of the destination. We took a 20 minute break and then resumed the ride.

I knew that we would have to ride to the Mysuru Palace before going to the hotel, since it would be difficult to ride after settling in the hotel. I told Madhu that we should go to the Palace first. I had planned to ride to Chamundi hills and based on Madhu's condition I knew that he would not be joining me for the Chamundi hills ride. As we got closer to Mysuru Madhu was having a difficult time and pushing the cycle had become a viable alternative on the climbs. The progress was slow and the Mysuru palace was not arriving. When we did reach the Palace we were at the wrong gate and had to ride around the palace to get to the correct gate.

We reached the Mysuru Palace at 3:30 pm. There was no one to stop us and we were able to take the cycles right up to the gate. A quick photo session and a little bit of tension when the phone hung. I did not want to lose out on the Strava recording and was tense for 5 minutes during which time getting the phone to work had taken precedence over getting to the hotel. Fortunately the phone came back to life and the Strava recording was not lost, I immediately saved the data, I had lost 50% of the battery charge during the 5 minute period. Checked on google maps and we were 3 kilometers away from the hotel. 15 minutes later we were at the hotel. It was 4:00 pm, as lunch was not available, we ordered Masala Dosa's for lunch as soon as the check in formalities were done. We checked on movie timings and were able to get tickets for 'Kirik Party' 9:55 pm show. It was 5:00 pm when we were done with lunch, I had planned to ride to Chamundi Hills after lunch, however I decided to ride the next day morning in the hope that the rest might just change Madhu's mind and he would join me for the ride.

We freshened up, rested for a while and it was time to head out for dinner. We went to RRR hotel at 8:00 pm. We had expected dinner to take about an hour, however we were done in 15 minutes, thanks to the super fast service at the restaurant. We had nothing to do and headed to the Mall of Mysore for the movie. We had 90 minutes to kill which was spent at Barista before going for the movie. Enjoyed the movie and headed back to the room to catch up on sleep. It was 1:45 am when we hit the bed and I checked with Madhu if he would come for the ride to Chamundi hills, he was sure that he did not want to ride. I did not want to push him as it was his first ride and we still had to get back to Bangalore. The plan was that I would ride to Chamundi Hills and that we would start to Bangalore after having breakfast which automatically put the start time to at least 9:00 am.

I woke up at 4:30 am and got ready and headed out of the room at 5:00 am. Went down to the basement where we had parked the cycles and fixed the accessories onto the cycle and started the ride at 5:15 am. Rode on empty Mysuru streets and enjoyed the ride through the well lit roads around the Palace. Took a couple of photos of the Palace and then rode towards the hill. It was still dark when I started the 7 kilometer climb. Within a couple of kilometers of the climb I realised that the climb is a gradual one and will not be difficult. I could see the light flickering from the tower at the top and mentally it eased the pressure as I had a marker.

There was very little vehicular traffic, however there was a lot of human traffic. A lot of people were up early and were walking up the hill, many without a torch. As I made my way up there were no hair pin bends and the road led gradually up. I could see the lights of Mysuru city and was longing for day break. I was not climbing fast, however it was quick enough for me to get to the top before day break. I reached the Mahishasur statue at 6:15 am and took a pic. A lot of devotees were already making their way to the temple, as it was still dark I dropped the idea of going to the temple and started the descent.

Within a kilometer of the descent it was day break time and I stopped at a junction where the road takes a deviation to go towards the Nandi temple. I opted to go by this route and made it to the Nandi temple in about 15 minutes after making stops to click pics of the valley.

The descent from the Nandi temple to the base of the hill is steep and I would have preferred to climb via this route rather than the route which I had taken. However, the number of people walking by this route was almost 3 times of the other route and I had to descend very slowly as the people were walking  all over the road and many of them refused to step to the side when I was approaching. I found that strange and was wondering if this route is open only for pedestrians and I had made a mistake of taking this route. I reached the base and saw a lot of cars parked, the route was indeed closed for vehicles, but I guess cycles are exempted ;)

It did not take long for me to get back to the hotel where Madhu was still sleeping. It was 7:00 am when I reached and I did not want to rush Madhu, he was still very sleepy and he went back to sleep. I took the opportunity to catch up on a little sleep myself and woke up around 8:30 am. The 9:00 am start was not going to happen, I woke Madhu at 8:45 am and told him that we had to get ready if not we would miss out on the 'complimentary' breakfast. We got ready and headed down for breakfast which was not very appetising as the stuff that they served was cold. I had a very light breakfast and we headed back to the room to get our luggage. Checked out, fixed the accessories back onto the cycle, filled up on water and we started our return ride at 10:00 am.

The Sun was up and the heat was beginning to kick in. The ride through Mysuru city was quick and before we knew it we were at the Columbia Asia signal. A one minute wait at the signal seemed to be long especially with the Sun belting down on us. When we restarted the ride I was pleasantly surprised that Madhu was riding fast, I had expected a slow start and that he would be struggling, however on the contrary he was riding at a good pace. We made it quickly to Srirangapatna and the climbs towards Mandya began to kick in. The pace dropped here and before I knew it Madhu had fallen back. The previous days ride was beginning to show. I rode ahead and stopped when the climb's were done and waited for Madhu. He reached in 10 minutes, we rested for a further 10 minutes before getting back on the saddle.

We had decided that if the gap opens up then I would wait for Madhu after crossing Mandya. I usually take a stop for coconut water after crossing Mandya and I knew that I would be waiting for Madhu at this location. I rode quickly making the most of the descent towards Mandya and managed to carry the speed, I covered the 20 kilometer stretch in about 30 minutes and stopped for coconut water at 12:20 pm. The average pace for the day was at 22 kmph and I had made up for the slow start. I gulped down a coconut water and the wait began. Madhu came by 20 minutes later, not a bad time and I was happy that he was still pedaling. A further 20 minutes were spent during which time we decided that we would stop for lunch after crossing Maddur. Madhu told me not to wait for him and that I should ride ahead as that would motivate him to keep going.

When we restarted the ride it was 1:00 pm and we made it to Maddur quickly. We were riding together till Maddur. However the Sun was taking a toll and energy levels were dropping as well. The gap opened up and began to increase. I made it to '1959' a new hotel which has opened on the highway which is about 9 kilometers from Channapatna at 2:20 pm. Madhu arrived in 20 minutes, we freshened up and had a south indian meal. We were given free ice cream and extra butter milk as we were cycling in the 'hot sun'. The meal had filled us and I was hoping that we would burn it quickly when we restarted the ride.

It was 3:15 pm when we started the ride. The ride till Ramanagar was going to be easy before the gradient starts to kick in. We were done with 73 kilometers of the ride and still had over 70 kilometers to cover. We started the ride and Madhu was slow off the blocks. I made it past Channapatna and was feeling the weight of the bag. Just a litre of water on the back was making a huge impact and as soon as I got it into my mind that the bag was heavy I wanted to get rid of the weight. I managed to ride out of Channapatna and found a place with shade and stopped. It was 3:45 pm, Madhu was behind and I was waiting for him to come by. It was a further 20 minutes before he came by, he was struggling and the alarm bells were beginning to ring since this was the easy part of the route. We spent about 30 minutes resting before resuming the ride. We rode about 4 kilometers before stopping again for Sugarcane juice. The stops were increasing and also the time spent at each stop was beginning to hit us on the time front. I suggested that if it was getting very painful then we need to look at the option of loading the cycles onto a luggage auto and making it back to Bangalore. However, Madhu was very determined to complete the ride, he said that he would ride although it might be slow. We were 5 kilometers from Ramanagar, we decided to stop at the Coffee Day which is 5 kilometers after Ramanagar. That was our next rendezvous point, we restarted the ride at 5:15 pm.

The Sun had begun his descent and the temperature was dropping. I made it into Ramanagar town and as I began the climb towards Bangalore, the thought began to cross my mind that Madhu would struggle on the climb and would lose time. I thought about stopping, however when I got to know that the Coffee Day is just 5 kilometers out of town, I decided to wait at Coffee Day. I reached the Coffee Day at 5:45 pm, ordered a tea and sat down. The tea was served, I ate a couple of laddoo's as well, a couple of phone calls, surfing the net, still there was no sign of Madhu. The clock ticked past 6:30 pm and Madhu had not arrived, the panic bells were ringing. His phone was switched off as well which added to the tension. I got ready, got back on the saddle and started riding towards Ramanagar. I had cycled about 20 meters when I saw Madhu pushing his cycle up the slope. I returned to Coffee day, it was 6:40 pm. Madhu freshened up and had a juice, relaxed for some time and he reiterated that he would complete the ride. He was determined not to take the easy option and said that he would continue to ride even though it is difficult. As the temperature had dropped I thought that we should ride on and if the speed hung around at 5kmph then we should call it a day.

We started the ride at 7:15 pm, it was cold, however within a couple of kilometers the body temperature was up and I did not feel the cold. Surprisingly, Madhu was back on speed and was riding above 15 kmph. We made the most of the down hills and paid a little bit on the climbs. The target was to cover small distances, first get to Bidadi, then to Wonder La junction, then Mysore Road Decathlon, NICE Road junction, Kengeri. Madhu was pedaling quickly and when we got to Kumbalgodu and he was still looking good for more, I knew that we would be completing the ride.

We discussed about dinner and decided that we should ride till about 9:30 pm before stopping for dinner. Based on our speed I was confident that we would be close to home by 9:30 pm. We still had the climb from Rajarajeshwari Nagar to city market to negotiate and the ride through this section would determine the finish time and dinner location. Madhu made it through till the Satellite bus stand on Mysore road, however the climb from the bus stand to the Sirsi circle fly over was asking for too much and he had to push the cycle. We decided to ride below the flyover and made our way through a crowded market which was preparing itself for the Sankranti festival. Truck loads of sugarcane were waiting to be unloaded. The ride was slow and when we got to Wilson garden it was 10:00 pm. We stopped for street food where we had lovely idli's which were so soft that they melted in the mouth. I don't remember the last time when I had such lovely idli's. Had a plate of lemon rice as well before starting the ride home.

Bangalore was relatively empty and we reached home at 11:00 pm. Madhu was exhausted and quickly got onto his bike and rode home. I was very happy that he had completed the ride and that he had pulled through the difficult sections. As for my ride it was the first time that I have ridden the distance without changing gears, a la single speed ride, I rode on the 3X6 gear except on the Chamundi Hills climb. The Chamundi Hill climb was relatively easy and I should have probably attempted the climb also in the high gear.

Ride details:

From	To	Distance	Ride Time (hrs)	Total Time (hrs)	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Avg Speed
Day 1
Koramangala	Ramanagar	58	2.75	2.75	4:30	7:15	21.09
Ramanagar	Mandya	47	2.50	4.00	7:15	11:15	18.80
Mandya	Mysuru	50	2.75	4.25	11:15	15:30	18.18
Day 1 Total		155	8.00	11.00			19.38
Day 2
Mysuru	Chamundi Hills	14	1.00	1.00	5:15	6:15	14.00
Chamundi Hills	Mysuru	14	0.75	0.75	6:15	7:00	18.67
Mysuru	Mandya	45	2.00	2.25	10:00	12:15	22.50
Mandya	Ramanagar	55	2.75	5.50	12:15	17:45	20.00
Ramanagar	Koramangala	48	2.75	5.25	17:45	23:00	17.45
Day 2 Total		176	9.25	14.75			19.02
Grand Total		331	17.25	25.75			19.18