Tour de Self Edition 3: Leg 1

October 27, 2024 and October 28, 2024

My First 200 km Bikepacking: Bangalore- Yercaud- Salem

by Chandra Prakash Agarwal with inputs from Saurabh Mittal

During one of our weekend off-roading rides (we do many such trips in Sarjapur, Bannerghatta and South Bangalore), our veteran rider Saroj Panda suggested a ride to Salem. “Arre Salem chalte hain na, bahut maza aayega” (let's ride till Salem, it will be great fun). Also, I wanted to challenge myself with a multi day cycling ride beyond our regular routes. After weeks of contemplation and planning, Saurabh Mittal and I finally drew up a plan for a 2-day ride wherein we cycle to Yercaud mountains and Salem as Leg-1 of Tour de Self. The target was to have a weekend getaway, enjoying nature, culture while ensuring the safety of the ride. For Leg-2 of the Tour de Self to Muthathi, see the blog on Tour de Self Edition 3: Leg 2.

Saurabh had done dozens of multi day bike packing rides in the past [including first two editions of tour de self documented by Sauvik: Edition 1, Edition 2], but it would be my first. To give you a perspective, Yercaud is 1,515 meters above sea level, and we had to start climbing from Bommidi at 453 meters above sea level. Thus, the climb is more than 1,000 meters and is equivalent to 3 Nandi hill climbs. Yercaud climb is categorized as ‘hors category’ (rides are categorized as category 4, 3, 2, 1 and hors in increasing order of difficulty at tour de France, hors category being the most difficult one). The plan was to ride at least till Dharmapuri and reach Bommidi or Thoppur on Day 1 (135 km, all downhill), stay overnight in a hotel and subsequently climb to Yercaud and descend to Salem on Day 2 (65km, 1200m climb). Fair portion of our ride would be through forest areas and there would be no help in case of a breakdown. Bangalore and the rest of South India including our entire route had experienced heavy rains in October until 2 days before our ride.

Another tricky part about such rides is to travel as light as possible to enable ease of climbing elevations. Also, since we were to ride on highways and Ghats we had to ensure that our luggage is fastened tightly on the bicycles to avoid any of our stuff from hanging loosely (if weight is not balanced well it can lead to difficulties on the ride like losing balance, overturning the bicycle, creating hindrance of view of the road, etc.). We were prepared to ride in the dark and in rainy weather. There was also the risk of the slippery and muddy Yercaud climb if it rains. We had to ensure that we carried as little weight as possible, and bikes were in good condition. Do refer to the Essentials for Bikepacking section for things to carry on such trips. While there was the thrill and excitement of the ride, I did have multiple thoughts about not being able to complete the ride. Saurabh, my wife Khushali, Saurabh’s wife Anubha and my neighbors (Bala and Viji) encouraged me a lot and provided the much-needed confidence. I still remember the call with Saurabh which included Anubha, Khushali and Viji as well wherein the final conclusion was “Ye dono pagal hain, kuch bhi kar rahe hain, lekin kar lenge, inko inke haal par chod do” (these guys are crazy, they are doing whatever they feel like, but they will do it, leave them to be themselves).

Preparation for the ride 

Considering the route, weather and terrain, we decided on using mountain bikes for the trip. We ensured that our bicycles are in fit condition, brakes are working fine, drive chains are degreased, chains are lubricated, cycle tires are well inflated, the lights, power banks and mobile phones are fully charged, etc. Lots of effort and time went into deciding which bags and what all to carry and ensuring the stuff can be fastened well on the bicycle. We finally zeroed in on carrying 3 small bags each (with maximum 2L capacity) – one to be fastened on the handlebar, one on the saddle post and one on the top tube. We had multiple trips to Decathlon to gather our essentials.

We consumed enough protein and kept ourselves well hydrated from 1 week before the ride. Saurabh insisted that we pack all our stuff 2 days in advance, load everything on the bicycle and do a 10 kms test ride to ensure that everything is fine. He instructed me "Nothing should shake, nothing should be loose, and you should be able to ride the cycle smoothly. Hope you understand that we could face problems at 55 kmph speed and on the highway which could be fatal". I did as told. I tested on a route around my house that covered bumpy terrain, smooth road, bad road, gravel-based road, sharp turns, etc. and rode at slow speeds, medium speeds and fast speeds. Saurabh drew up the route on the Komoot app not to exhaust ourselves on day 1, so that we can climb easily on day 2. We skipped work out for a couple of days before the ride to ensure full energy and fresh legs. We were aware that we will not get a mobile network on many parts of our route, so we loaded the routes and the maps offline on a spare mobile to be used as a GPS device. Considering the weather and terrain, we decided to ditch shoes in favor of waterproof sandals which is a tested formula for bike packing rides. 

My house in Sarjapur was closer to our planned route, compared to Saurabh's house in HSR layout. Accordingly, we decided that Saurabh will cycle to my place one night before the ride and stay overnight to save time in the morning. The idea was to start at daybreak to avoid traffic and use the cooler morning weather conditions to our advantage. He arrived at 10:30 pm the previous night. We did a final check of everything, chatted for a while and called it a day around midnight. While we were both excited, we did manage to catch some sleep.

Day 1 – Bangalore to Bommidi – 135 kms 

We woke up by 5:30 am on 27 October 2024 and got ready for the ride. We prepped our bicycles, filled water, prayed to God and left at 6:30 am flagged off by Khushali. The weather looked apt for riding and didn't seem like we will face weather-based challenges for the day. We took an internal route from Sarjapur until Anekal junction and hit the Bangalore-Hosur-Chennai Highway. Once on the highway we were able to gather good speed and move ahead fast. This trip was a few days before Diwali and both sides of the road after Atibelle toll were laden with shops selling crackers until Hosur and beyond.

We continued on the highway for some distance and left the Chennai Highway after Shoolagiri, onto Shoolagiri-Rayakottai Road to avoid the annoying heavy vehicle traffic on the highway. After completing 42 kms by 8:30 am we decided to stop for breakfast at a local eatery near Shoolagiri. We were served a wood fired omelet and dosai. After a sufficient meal, we resumed our journey by 9 am. After staying on this stretch for about 15 kms, we hit the newly constructed Hosur-Palacode-Dharmapuri Highway. At about 11:30 am, we stopped over for a water refill/ loo break at a local tea stall. After a half an hour break, we resumed cycling again at 12 pm. 

Around 12:15 pm, I felt my bicycle wobbling a bit and to my surprise I had a rear flat tire, just before Palacode. Saurabh had gone ahead, and I called him to inform about the first obstacle for the day. He found a police check post in Palacode and asked me to reach there. I dragged my bicycle until there and on inspection of the tire, we realized a thorn being stuck causing the damage. Since we had carried extra tubes, we were able to quickly change the same. The policeman at the check post was surprised with our preparedness and wished us luck for the remainder of the ride. We changed the tube, ensured both our bicycles had sufficient air and resumed back at 1 pm, losing about an hour in the fiasco. 

At about 3 pm we were 8 kms away from Dharmapuri which was the minimum target of Day 1. We stopped for a quick break, and I was able to grab a puff and a few biscuits at a nearby bakery and Saurabh chose not to eat anything. We had decided to go to Bommidi braving the fear of not being able to find a hotel/ lodge. Hunger struck us soon and we had to stop at a roadside fruit vendor on the Dharmapuri bypass. We gorged on water apples and guavas until we were full. To our delight the fruit vendor offered us two free water apples, which we happily agreed to accept and gobbled down our throats. Also, he assured that there will be hotels in Bommidi. The people were extremely nice and helpful.

The scorching sun had sucked out a lot of energy from us and we felt drained out and we took multiple short water-refill/ loo breaks to ensure we were hydrated. At about 4:30 pm (we had completed around 120 kms until then), I felt my ankle was itching constantly and realized I had developed a shoe bite from the sandals. After brief bandaging, we decided to continue the ride with the pain. We slowly entered the Bommidi R S-Thoppaiyar Road and lost our mobile network as the area was through a forest reserve. We could barely find humans and were soon accompanied by farm animals. After traveling on the same road for 1 hour, we found a small shop in the Nagalamman Kombai village and stopped for a water refill break and ate nuts carried by Saurabh. On enquiring around we found out that Bommidi has a lodge and the road ahead is in good condition. We realized that we were about 10 kms away from Bommidi and it had started to get dark. We turned on our headlights and rear lights and continued further.

We were finally able to make it to Bommidi by 6:30 pm. To our surprise, Bommidi turned out to be a lively small town and were able to locate SP lodge opposite Bommidi railway station soon thereafter. Saurabh had come to Yercaud several years ago with Rajasundaram Balakrishnan, and immediately remembered that this was the same lodge he checked in last time. After freshening up and calling our respective spouses, we sat down to decide the plan for the next day. We decided to stock up on some essential food for our ride on Day 2. We went out into the small market of Bommidi and picked up two tomatoes, carrots, radish each along with curd, paneer, cashews and almonds. To our surprise, the cost for the vegetables was merely Rs.20/- and the vegetable vendor wanted to give us free dhaniya (coriander) leaves as a gesture (a typical village ritual where coriander leaves are never purchased but given free of cost) which we politely refused. We managed to find boiled eggs as an addendum to our dinner at a biryani shop, who was kind enough to boil the eggs for us. I realized that the ankle above the shoe bite had developed some swelling. 

Day 2 – Bommidi to Yercaud and Salem – 65 kms 

We woke up at 5:30 am and packed our bags on cycle to begin our onward journey. We realized that the swelling in my leg had increased. I was able to walk around without much trouble and decided to continue after bandaging the area. We left the lodge sharp at 6:30 am. 

We planned to climb Yercaud via Lokkur until a few locals informed us of an alternative route which was more straight-forward than our planned route. However, that route was not available either on Google maps or Komoot. After insistence from the locals, we decided to continue onto their suggested road. To reach Yercaud, we had to cover a 29 kms climb and it was a bright and sunny day. Reaching Yercaud by 2 pm, and then riding downhill of 20 kms towards Salem by 4 pm would enable us to catch the Salem-Bangalore bus by 5 pm. 

Yercaud is Yeri + Kaadu = Yercaud; Lake Forest in the language Thamizh.The new route was scenic and through Yerimalai and Mallapuram forest reserves. We were welcomed by coffee estates with silver oaks having pepper vines on them. However, the sun decided to make things difficult for us despite recent rains and my leg started troubling again. In the worst case, we even considered stopping at Yercaud and finishing the ride to Salem the next day. 

For a long stretch with unforgiving climb with gravel, we walked uphill enjoying the breathtaking views of the hills. We stopped at a small medical shop at 9:30 am to tend to my swollen leg and refill water. The medical shop owner was extremely helpful and allowed Saurabh to use her personal washroom at her home (amazing ‘atithi devo bhavaha’ attitude). We wanted food and there was a possibility of an eatery 100m ahead. The shop owner even offered to cook food, if we ran out of luck with the eatery. The eatery was a Tiffin shop in a local village where we had dosai for breakfast and packed 8 boiled eggs for the remaining route. We had never seen such big eggs (Periya-Muttai in Tamil) in Bangalore. It was surprising that the shop owner remembered Saurabh from his last cycling trip to Yercaud a few years back. We had long chats in Tamil with the people visiting the eatery and then finally continued the ride at 10:30 am with another 15 kms of climb left (we were informed that there were no shops/ eateries after this until Yercaud).

The climb kept getting tougher and there were no humans around. Out of nowhere, a man on a TVS Luna who was carrying ‘Boli’ (Tamil word for puran-poli or obbattu) offered us some and asked us to not bother paying. Nevertheless, we paid him 30 rupees. We were mesmerized with the selfless attitude of the locals who were willingly helping us. At about 11:30 am, we were able to spot a café called Bethel Plantation Cafe and Restaurant in the coffee estates. The owner Mary Nisha told us how she inherited the estates from the British through two generations and the evolution of the plantations in Yercaud. Most of the plantations were acquired from the British by a family known as MSP, by paying a hefty price for transfer of land records to the British. It was interesting to learn that all knowledge required to set up plantations was already figured out by the British. After Independence, the same farming and plantation practices continued at Yercaud by locals without any significant changes. Also, the Montfort Boarding School (a French school) and other British boarding schools continued to preserve the Anglo-French legacy. We also picked unroasted coffee beans, allspice leaves (Sarvsugandhi herb in Tamil) and lichens (also known as Kalpathi or Black Stone Flower) from her store which were not so common to Yercaud. Refreshed and rejuvenated we continued our remainder climb of 10 kms, which had excellent roads.

Around 1:30 pm we were able to reach the National Orchidarium and Botanical Garden of Yercaud. It was complicated to purchase the tickets, since the payment had to be made to the government website involving multiple steps, all for paying just 10 rupees per head as the garden entry fee. This was one of the best botanical gardens I have ever visited. It had a special section on orchids, bulbous and insectivorous plants, which are worth mentioning. Saurabh also met a staff member who worked for the Ministry of Environment and Forest at Coimbatore, who was also a photographer, and his photographs are regularly published in media channels of the Government. He was on an official visit to Yercaud botanical garden, and he always captured photos of all flowering plants in his DSLR camera. 

We reached Yercaud around 3 pm and took a break to celebrate our successful climb of the gigantic hills and saw figs as big as beetroots along with other rare fruits: butter fruit, pouteria caimito, rambutan, root vegetables, varieties of custard apple etc. We picked up fig and pouteria caimito and decided to continue our onward journey from 4 pm.

At a stone wall in Yercaud, Saurabh stopped to click a picture of his bike to mark the climb as finished. The next 20 kms were completely downhill, double lane ghat route with vehicles on both sides and 20 meandering hairpin bends. We had to ensure that our bicycles were well controlled and that we applied brakes at the right time before the hairpin bends. After being lectured on the right braking technique by Saurabh, we decided to proceed with the journey. We found a lot of monkeys and waterfalls on the way down and I stopped by to take a few snaps. With abundant caution, we were able to complete the downhill ride by 5 pm and reached Salem by 5:30 pm.

On reaching Salem, Saurabh called his friends Giri(from Salem) and Sagar(a cycle tour organizer) to check on the best way to head back to Bangalore while I checked online for available buses from Salem using my phone. Without much deliberation we decided to head to Salem New Bus Stand and take a call from thereon. We reached the bus stand by 6 pm and upon enquiring, we were able to locate an SETC (Tamil Nadu state bus service) AC seater bus that was scheduled to depart at 6:30 pm. The conductor allowed us into the bus along with our bicycles and he billed us for extra luggage without any under the table requests. We exchanged photos on the bus and had a relaxing time. I got off at Attibele toll gate at 9:30 pm and after a lot of difficulty found an auto and reached home by 10:30 pm. Saurabh got off at Silk Board junction, cycled for 3 kms till his house in HSR layout and reached by 10:30 pm.

It was an amazing experience for us and strengthened the bond as friends. The entire trip was an ultralight backpacking ride with immensely pleasurable interaction with rural people. I became a more confident cyclist. With this ride I completed one item on my bucket list and feel extremely elated. This has now given me confidence to undertake more such rides. I was able to complete this ride with an injury and that was the icing on the cake and my happiness knew no bounds. I would personally suggest all cycling enthusiasts to undertake such explorative cycling multi-day short bike packing journeys. 

Essentials for Bikepacking: 

1 t-shirt, 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of undergarments, 1 pair of cycling wear, cycling helmet, cycle lock, cycling gloves, socks, cash, toothbrush, small toothpaste, nail cutter, Swiss knife or equivalent, 1 towel, tissue paper, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, cycle pump, multi-tool, tire levers, zip lock pouches to protect mobile and essentials in rain, phone charger, power bank, hansaplast, ORS or equivalent energy supplements, nuts, puncture repair kit, sunscreen, chamois butter or coconut oil, raincoat, reflector jacket, essential medicines, highway lights (minimum 100 lumens for front and 35 lumens for rear and both having a run time of minimum 4 hours), 3 spare cycle tubes and 2 water bottles (at least 1 being a sipper bottle).