Panchapalli Dam

Date: 20 January 2018

Total distance: 171 Kilometers

Start Time: 4:45 am

Return Time:  2:15 pm

With: -

Altitude Profile:

Koramangala – Denkanikottai - Panchapalli Dam - Rayakottai - Koramangala

Its been a slow start to the year on account of the recovery from achilles tendonitis. It was more than 20 days off the saddle before I could muster the courage (against medical advice) to get back on the MTB and go for a small ride. Did not feel any pain in the leg during the ride, however, the achilles still hurt when I got off the saddle. The more time I spent off the saddle, the more frustrated I was getting that I could not ride and the confidence and the fitness were taking a hit. I spent a week in the forest's for the Tiger Census and had to trek at least 5 kilometers every day. The leg felt better after I got back and I went for a couple of rides in the city. The leg is holding up well and I could not wait to get back on long rides. I had zeroed in on a location during my time off, Panchapalli Dam, near Denkanikottai which is about 80 kilometers one way.

I set the alarm for 3:30 am, however I did not hear it ring. I woke up at 4:00 am as has been the case ever since the Tiger Census. I was happy that I had woken up and got ready quickly and then spent a few minutes on prepping the cycle. I was ready to get going and was in a hurry to start.

It was 4:45 am when I started from home. It was very cold and as usual I expected that a few minutes of riding would warm the body up and I would be able to forget about the cold weather. However, it was not as I had expected and things were only going to get colder as I exited Bangalore and got into open area.

It was a steady ride through Bangalore and also a careful ride as I was paying attention to the feet position on the pedal and trying to make sure that I dont stress the achilles tendon too much. I spent more time on the saddle and tried to avoid jogging on the wheels as much as possible. I was feeling hungry and wanted to take a couple of swigs of water to fill my stomach. I realised that in my hurry to get going I had forgotten the water bottle. With no shops around I had to ride on. I was sure that there would be shops near the toll and I would definitely be able to buy water bottles and did not have to turn back. I rode about 20 kilometers before stopping to buy two 1 litre water bottles and had to stuff them a little on the bottle holders since they were big for the bottle holders. I was able to take the water issue off my mind and enjoy the ride from here.

I had crossed electronic city and was into rolling terrain and rode quickly and got past the Karnataka border. The ride to Hosur was also quick. The route was familiar and I knew where I had to ride carefully and the places where I could make up for the loss in speed. I turned from Hosur towards Denkanikottai and got onto slightly unfamiliar terrain. I had done the stretch from Hosur to Denkanikottai only once and as such am not familiar with the route. The actual test for the leg began from here.

It was still dark when I started from Hosur. I had to ride slowly so as to negotiate the route without using maps and I was trying to figure out the route based on past memory. I made it out of Hosur and just as I exited, it was day break. The Sky was beginning to turn red/orange from black. It was very misty and very cold. As the light improved the thick mist covering which was engulfing the road was visible. I was passing the Range Forest Office of Hosur and the view of the mist covered ground of the range office was beautiful.

As I got furter away from the city the visibility was reducing as the mist was thicker and it was getting colder. It was a struggle and as I was in rolling terrain I was dreading the downhills and was very happy on the uphills as it made me get warmer. My hands were hurting and it was like passing through ice. As I passed through a couple of villages I saw a few people huddled around a fire and it was tempting to stop and warm myself, however getting back on the saddle would be difficult once I warmed myself and I would be tempted to sit by the fire for a long time, so I opted against stopping and rode on in the hope that I would warm myself on the ride. On another day I would have pedalled hard and warmed myself, however with a dodgy achilles tendon, I had to be content with the present pace and not push hard.

As I got closer to Denkanikottai the climbs began to get steeper and I was happy that I could finally feel my fingers as I got warmer. The fingers had become numb and I was struggling to change gears. As the blood flow increased, I was finally getting back my sense of touch. I slowed down in Denkanikottai to confirm the route and I rode out of town slowly.

The mist was clearing as I got out of town and the Sun was out. However, it was still cold. I had seen the elevation map before starting the ride and it showed that it was downhill from Denkanikottai to Panchapalli, however, it was anything but downhill as I was surrounded by hills and I was still climbing. The road condition was deteriorating and it was a slightly bumpy ride from here. I was happy that the road was still climbing as I would get to enjoy the downhill on the way back. The road turned downhill 7 kilometers from Denkanikottai. However, it was not a quick descent as the road was bumpy and the road was absorbing the speed.

I was enjoying the ride as I was surrounded by hills and there was minimal traffic. I could ride in the middle of the road and not hear any honking. It was a nice way to restart cycling after a break.

It took a little time but I finally reached the vicinity of the dam. It was downhill to the dam and getting fleeting glimpses of the water was refreshing. I was looking for vantage points to click photos, but could not find any as there were trees or wires which was blocking the view. It was aslow ride downhill as I savoured the view of the back waters in the valley.

When I did get to a place which seemed to be clear, it was already taken by a group of tourists and they were busy with their photo session which did not look like getting over quickly. I rode a little ahead and finally managed to get a slight clearing.

I got back on the saddle quickly and continued further downhill. The Sun was above the dam and I was looking into the Sun everytime I looked at the dam. The reservoir looked small initially, however as I rode further dowhill I realised that it was a pretty large reservoir and not as small as it looked initiallly. Just as I was getting close to the dam, there was a gravel road which led to the back waters. I got off the cycle and pushed it along the gravel road and got close to the water.

A quick photo session before the group of riders saw the road to the back waters and they were there to click their pictures. I spent a short time at the back waters and looked up the route to return. I was close to Rayakottai and decided to ride to Hosur through Rayakottai rather than riding back to Denkanikottai. The Rayakottai route was longer by 10 kilometers, however, as it was just 8:45 am, I was not too worried about adding 10 kilometers to the overall distance. Further it gave the opportunity of covering a new route rather than going back on the same route.

I restarted and rode towards the Dam. I stopped near the dam and saw that the water level was low and was not reaching the crest gates. This river is a tributary of the Kaveri river and with 5 more months before the monsoon, it looks like the summer months are going to be difficult here.

The road from here was very good and I enjoyed the smooth surface. Just as I rode out of the dam I came across green fields and it was a beautiful view. The farmers here still had water and had cultivated their fields. The view of the green fields against the back drop of hills was wonderful.

I got into Panchapalli village and was given a "your not wanted here" welcome from 6 dogs which escorted me from the start of the village to the exit by barking all the way. It was an uneasy ride, as I had all the villagers looking at me as the dogs had alerted the whole village to my existence.

I rode a few kilometers before taking a left to Rayakottai. The road was slightly rough but was still in good shape. The speed had slowed down as I was hungry and I had only water as nutrition. I took a few sips of water and started the gradual climb towards Rayakottai.

I was beginning to get tired as my nutrition levels were dipping and I needed to get something to eat quickly. However, I was still 10-12 kilometers from Rayakottai and I began to countdown the kilometers remaining which were reducing in a trickle. I reached a junction where I could take a short cut to Rayakottai which reduced the distance by a couple of kilometers. Although I was apprenhensive about the road condition, I was surprised to see that the road was in very good condition and further there was not too much climbing on this route.

I reached the Rayakottai - Palacode road and as I joined I was back onto a two lane road. The road from Denkanikottai was a single lane road and although I was happy with a two lane road, it was disappointing to be back in traffic. I was just a few kilometers from Rayakottai and as I got closer I saw a board which said that there is a Saravana Bhavan just 2 kilometers away. I rode into town searching for the Saravana Bhavan and had ridden out of town. When I enquired, I was told that I had to ride back to town. Although I preferred to ride ahead, I rode back as I was very hungry and did not know if I would get anything ahead.

A little search for the hotel and I got it. It was in the same premises as a bakery and was situated behind the bakery which is why I had missed the restaurant when I rode into town. I parked the cycle against a sign post, walked into the restaurant and when I sat down I could not see the cycle. I ordered for a masala dosa and was feeling very uncomfortable since I could see the cycle. I decided to lock the cycle and walked out with the lock and locked the cycle and walked back in. I was comfortable now that the cycle was secure and I placed the key on the table against my better judgement.

I had a masala dosa and drank water from the bottle that I had carried. I got ready, paid the bill and took everything from the table and went to the bakery to have a slice of mysore pak. I realised that I had left the water bottle behind and went back in. I was holding the key in my hand all the while, but dropped it when I picked up the bottle. I did not realise it and enjoyed my slice of mysore pak. It was when I finished eating that it dawned on me that the key was missing. I did a quick search of the premises and enquired with the staff if they had seen the key. They had not seen it. I was in a fix.

I sat down, did a thorough search of my bag and my pockets and could not find the key. I gave up on searching for the key and was thinking of finding a mechanic to break open the lock. I enquired with the locals and they got the person from the adjacent provision store to inspect the lock and he said that he would be able to cut it. He got a axle blade from his shop and started to cut the lock. He had just about begun when the staff shouted out from the restaurant saying that he had found the key. I was relieved, the lock was saved. I opened the lock, thanked the people and beat a hasty retreat from the location before I could get a piece of advice from the locals about keeping the key safe.

I was 32 kilometers from Hosur and when I started from Rayakottai I was undercharged and the motivation was low as I was getting back to Bangalore. I rode steadily and never tried to increase the pace. I was happy with the slow pace and settled into it. I was given a small jolt when I realised that I had covered only 9 kilometers in over 30 minutes. I realised that at the present pace I would not make it to Hosur in time for lunch and I would again struggle when the nutrition level drops.

I tried to increase the pace. However, as I was closing in on Hosur, the climb had begun and I had could not increase the pace. Rather the climbing was taking a toll and I was getting a little tensed about not making it back in time. I had to calm down and stopped at a agricultural field when I saw that there was a bench under a tree and it had a nice shade cover. It took 10 minutes, however, when I got back on the saddle I was calmer and was not looking at the time. I was just 15 kilometers from Hosur.

I rode steadily and was back to enjoying the ride rather than thinking about the time or the distance. I realised that I was close to Hosur when I saw the Hosur temple on top of the hill. I had my marker for Hosur and rode the remaining distance quickly. I reached Hosur at 12:15 pm, earlier than expected and was able to increase the speed as well as I was back on a very familiar road. I had rejoined the Hosur road and made quick work of the distance from Hosur to the Karnataka border. When I got into Karnataka, I realised that I was drinking a lot of water. I was low on food and riding 30 kilometers was looking like a difficult proposition.

I started looking out for Sugarcane juice or a coconut water vendor. When I did find one I stopped and had a coconut water with thick malai. The malai was eaten to take care of the hunger. I was back on the saddle after the stop and rode quickly till Electronic City. After this it was a stop start ride, as there was a lot of traffic and with the Metro construction work it was difficult to negotiate my way through traffic.

I got back home at 2:15 pm. The last 10 kilometers was irritating to ride through traffic, however the ride was very satisfying as the leg held up and I did not feel any pain after. There is still a swelling, but having completed the ride gives me a lot of confidence about the leg holding up.