The annual Tour of Nilgiris (TfN), a cycling expedition passing through the Nilgiris in three south Indian States — Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, is scheduled start on December 10 and conclude on December 17.
A total of 128 cyclists from all over the world, including eight women, are set to begin the tour from Atria Radisson Blue Hotel in Bengaluru on December 10 and pedal through Mysuru, Madikeri, Sultan Bathery, and Udhagamandalam (Ooty) before finishing the expedition in Mysuru.
The 10th edition of the grand cycle tour, coinciding with the 200th year of the invention of the cycle, has drawn talented cyclists from not only India, but also from The Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, the United States and Russia. Eighteen of the cyclists are from abroad.
TfN, organised by RideACycle Foundation (RAC-F), a not-for-profit advocacy organisation engaged in popularising cycling for commute and leisure, will test the endurance and grit of the cyclists in the most demanding terrains across the three States. The cyclists will cover around 1,000 km across seven stages through curves, speedways, amazing terrains, including plains, mountains, coffee and tea plantations, and three wildlife sanctuaries.
TfN 2017 has attracted cyclists such as Alexi Grewal, the Indian American who won an Olympic Gold in road cycling in 1984, Lt. Col. Dr. Srinivas Gokulnath, India’s first RAAM finisher (Race Across America – 5,000 km in 11 days, 18 hours), Naveen John, a national road race champion, and Kiran Kumar Raju from Bengaluru, the National MTB (mountain bike) championship winner in 2015 and 2016.
While adventure, nature, tourism, and endurance are factors that lure cyclists to take part in TfN, charity riders will also turn up to support social initiatives. Rajanikanth Puttabuddi will be the charity rider for Kenneth Anderson Nature Society, which focusses on wildlife conservation in the Melagiri forest region spanning the Hosur and Dharmapuri forest divisions of Tamil Nadu, while Shankar Jayaraman will raise funds for Sita Bhateja Speciality Hospital to make spine surgery affordable and accessible to all. Vivek Radhakrishnan and Rajkumar Knot will pedal for Iksha Foundation, a trust focussing on eye cancer.
The rally will begin at the Atria Radisson Blue Hotel in Bengaluru at 10 a.m. on December 10 and reach Mysuru’s Rio Meridian Hotel at 4 p.m. on the same day.
