The 40-odd members of City Cycling Club-Madurai can tell you where to get the best vadas in Vadipatti or energising tea in Chatrapatti; the perfect place for a photograph against the imposing Yanaimalai; the direction in which you can find a forest within stone’s throw from Madurai; and where to go for a quiet weekend.
For them, the past couple of weekends have been all about happy discoveries marked with some serious wheeling on rustic village roads and dirt tracks, banter and bonding over paniyarams from wayside shacks and the pleasure of travel. The idea is to travel local and explore our backyard first, they say.
Last Sunday, a group of cyclists — from children and young students to professionals and senior citizens — pedalled to Mavoor Dam, nestled in the foothills of scenic Sirumalai. “The dam is less than five kilometres from the Madurai-Dindigul highway, but not many know about it. The ride is through a deserted road flanked by coconut plantations, and we were pleasantly surprised by the calm and serenity,” says K Kuttimuthukumar, founder of the club. “We have stumbled upon quite a few lesser-known pockets around the city during our cycling expeditions. Cycling is fitness, friendship and travel clubbed into one, and the benefits and joy it provides are countless.”
Cycling has become a popular fad in the city, with many people taking to professional bikes and gear. They ride for a minimum of 20 kilometres every day inside the city and head out on long rides to Palani, Sivakasi, Kodaikanal and Theni during the weekends. “It’s a community building activity, where we meet people from various walks of life and exchange ideas. People from different parts of the city ride in small groups and post pictures of their daily rides on WhatsApp groups. That way, it’s a motivation for more people to join in and for the members to take up cycling regularly,” says Badri Narayanan, a septuagenarian and the oldest of the members.
Rajnesh Kumar K of Freedom Riders Club says that cycling is as good as meditation. “There’s a difference between riding a bike and a cycle. You concentrate and observe more when on a cycle and don’t miss out on the beautiful Gulmohar in full bloom or the distant clouds lacing the hill slopes. You absorb and freeze every moment.”
Many of the cycling trips are planned, but groups also take detours. “And, that’s how we discover lesser-known routes,” says RS Satish Kumar. Adds Sridhar Ramasamy: “Once, we did some off-road cycling from Palamedu to Natham, which included a steep climb through the dense Sirumalai jungle, and a downhill ride for 10 kilometres. It tested our strengths and skills, but was memorable. To think, we did not know there was a place so beautiful within 20 kilometres from the city!”
Nagamalai in the Western side of Madurai is another perfect spot for cycling, says S Anandaraj. “The hill is more like an escarpment and there’s a dirt track along its periphery that offers a rugged cycling experience. There are also 12 natural springs, including the Kakkaoothu and Pulloothu that hold water round the year.”
“We are motivated by the Kashmir-to-Kanyakumari (K2K) cyclists who pass through the city. We make it a point to take them around Madurai and exchange our experiences,” says Narayanan, who cycled for 40 kilometres in Madurai with Ravi Kiran, a techie from Hyderabad, on a K2K cycling mission. “We have planned our next long ride to Kanyakumari, and the practise rides are on.”
Check these trails
The Jain beds of Yanaimalai
Thenparankundram caves
Karanthamalai forests
Keelakuilkudi lotus tank
Andipatti pass
Alanganallur countryside
