The thought of touring various regions on a cycle was really exciting and scary at the same time having never ridden back to back for 4 days.
BHPian harshithkashyap recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Tour of Karnataka (TOK) is a cycling event that takes place every year spanning 4 days and covering 450+kms towards the end of November. What started out to be a pure cycling event has turned into so much more over the years!
My cycling journey started 4 years ago and I got introduced to TOK during one of our group rides with team Cadence90. The thought of touring various regions on a cycle was really exciting and scary at the same time having never ridden back to back for 4 days. Sure enough, I signed up and this was a fantastic experience riding various terrains from the Western Ghats to Coastal regions across Chikmagalur, Kumta to Dandeli/Ganeshgudi. This was the 4th edition of TOK and I ended up taking up part in the 5th edition as well.
Fast forward a couple of years, it was TOK 7 and I was not going to miss this year. I signed up as soon as it was announced. Before, I write about my experience with the latest edition which I was procrastinating, here’s the teaser to the documentary which gave me the push to start the travelogue.
Tour Stats:
- Total Distance: 473kms
- Elevation Gain: 5690m
- Duration: 4 days
As a training event a month before the tour, a 100K ride near the Turahalli Forest, Kanakapura road was organized. The training event was a difficult circuit with continuous rolling terrain. This was an assessment ride for me and found myself struggling and just managing to complete the circuits. The lack of training was very evident and it was crucial for me to get some training before the main event sure enough I managed to get back in form with a back to back 100K rides a few weeks before.
Note: All the images used in this post have been captured by Vinod Krishna and Rabinandan of team Tour of Karnataka.
Day 0: Bangalore to Chikmagalur (Bus Ride)
A total of 62 riders had signed up for the tour. The ride starts from Chikmagalur and we headed on a bus from Bangalore having dropped off our cycles a few days before. The cycles were carefully transported to Chikmagalur. The tour briefing was conducted in the evening with an overview of various terrains, routes, food and hydration points stationed along the way. We verified our bikes were in the right condition with correct tyre pressure, lubricated chain and for any other mechanical and called it a day.
Briefing by the Tour Director
Day 1: Chikmagalur to Shimoga
- Distance: 108.6KM
- Elevation Gain: 914m
This was one of the easier days compared to the remaining three days both in distance as well as the elevation. With some fresh coffee and ragi malt, we got into our riding gear and assembled outside the hotel. With a small route and control point briefing, the TOK7 and Day 1 was officially flagged off. The rest of the days also had a similar format.
We headed towards Kaimara from the city and the route quickly turned scenic as we entered the ghat regions. The roads were excellent and we could see the misty Mullayanagiri and surrounding mountain ranges along the way. This was such a delight to experience and we rode through the Gonakal ghats happily. The breakfast was set up at around 26 km mark at Honey Dewwz Hotel and we were served some amazing food and a much-needed filter coffee at the hotel.
After requesting and posing for some photos from the official TOK7 photographers, we continued our ride towards Tarikere descending the Shantaveri climb. Soon after the descent, a peloton started forming with 6 riders riding one behind the other like a train, drafting each other. We decided to take turns and switch every few km to ensure we all work together and get some aero advantage against the wind resistance. In no time, we were at lunch point around 70km and spent some resting and finishing our lunch.
We continued our ride as a peloton and rode beside Bhadra Dam. The drones from the videographers captured the scenic backdrop as we rode past the bridge. A few km into the ride, the sun was out and were out of the tree cover from the ghats. Our pace had slowed down and we stopped at the hydration point set up by the organizers. We gulped some chilled buttermilk and red bull and were on our way. We reached Shimoga around 12 PM and checked into our hotel rooms.
Day 2: Shimoga to Udupi
- Distance: 148.7km
- Elevation Gain: 1504m
Day 2 was one of the longest days of the tour in distance. Since we were descending down to sea level, the thought of lesser climbs gave us some comfort. But this was quickly taken away soon after the descent, more on this later.
We started towards Thirthahalli from Shimoga and after 15kms or so, we entered the Sakrebyle/Gajanuru forest stretch. This was a beautiful stretch with a tree canopy covering the entire road and backwaters of the Tunga river on one side. This lasted for a good 15kms before we stopped for breakfast which was set up at 33 km.
Food continued to be a highlight of the tour and we were served some amazing Upma and Kesari Bath. The cloudy weather until the breakfast quickly turned sunny. We had some oranges and were on our way. The peloton was back after breakfast and we had more riders joining the train.
The peloton was riding at a very good and steady pace ensuring all the riders keep up. A couple of shoutouts were followed along with a hand signal. Slowdown, in the case of the riders at the back, had to drop their pace. Watch out, to signal any potholes, hazards and people riding in the wrong lane ahead. Switch to keep the riders in rotation to lead the group usually every 2kms. This was quoted more often than expected as everyone was waiting for their turn to lead and pull the train. Within no time, we had covered around 40kms without a break and were mandatorily stopped by the organizers for some yummy aloo-chapati rolls, oranges and buttermilk.
We continued riding towards Agumbe and decided to break the peloton ensuring enough gap between the riders as the descent was steep ahead. Having climbed Agumbe ghat 2 years ago which also had a Time Trial competition, the steep descents and hairpin bend left us wondering how we managed to conquer one of the toughest climbs we had ever done. Another 10kms after the descent, the lunch was organized at Hotel Seethanadi. The coastal humidity was near and it was tiring along with the heat. We had a few fresh lime sodas along with lunch and decided to recharge ourselves with a small power nap.
We continued our ride and a few more riders decided to ride with our peloton. We had another 40kms to go and thought it was going to be easier since the descent is complete. The terrain quickly changed to continuous steep rolling climbs. Along with the heat and humidity, we were drained just 15kms into the ride. Against better judgement, I decided to have some cold water to quench my thirst. We continued to ride as this wasn’t going to get better and headed towards Manipal. Though it was only a few km, the Manipal climb seemed like it was forever after a long day. We reached the hotel around 3 pm and thought it was the end of the day.
Little did we know the organizers had a surprise waiting for us when we were asked to gather in the evening. It was the Huli Vesha/Tiger Dance which is unique to coastal Karnataka. Having never seen this in person, we were greeted to Udupi with an authentic folk dance seen mostly during festivals and temples. The dance team goes through extensive and painful processes to paint their body with tiger stripes and costumes. The mood was celebratory with everyone on their feet dancing along with the tigers even after a long cycling day. It was an amazing performance and a fantastic event to end the 2nd day!
Day 3: Udupi to Puttur
- Distance: 115km
- Elevation Gain: 1275m
Day 3 started out with a ride to Mattu Beach via the Malpe harbour. This was a beautiful 15km stretch that had the beach on one side and the Udyavara river on the other. We spent a considerable time along this stretch posing for plenty of photos thanks to the tour photographers who patiently clicked hundreds and hundreds of shots across various locations. The authentic coastal experience continued with Kotte Kadubu (idlis made with jackfruit leaves cup) for breakfast and was served right next to the banks of river Udyavara.
We continued our ride towards Kateel via Belman and were greeted with plenty of rolling climbs. Our flat/puncture account wasn’t open yet and happened so around 45kms with a tyre cut of one the riders. That location must have been a puncture magnet as we ended up fixing 2 more punctures and spent more than a half-hour to get things sorted. Thankfully, it ended there and wasn’t the worst as we had previously fixed around 6 punctures in a span of 2kms in a previous ride a few years ago. We picked up the momentum again and continued riding until the lunch point at 60kms. We helped ourselves to multiple servings of Vangi Bath, Curd Rice and Obbattu.
The rolling climbs turned into a good descent for a few km as we coasted along. The long descents while it’s fun, kept us anxious as we almost always have to climb back the lost elevation and sure enough we did. The sun was at its peak and with no tree cover along roads, we were baked. We were caught off guard when we came across a steep climb. It felt as if it was never-ending as it lasted for a good 6kms. Adding fuel to the fire, we came across a message from the organizers written on the road, Loving it?. The team sure did have to hear a lot from riders about the message, later on, all in good spirit. The hydration point was set up at the end of the climb and well stocked with fresh buttermilk, oranges and chilled Red Bulls.
PC: Sachin
Many of the riders in the peloton were drained out and we were starting to slow down. It was essential to motivate each other and ride together as it was a very tough day. With multiple stops, we reached Puttur around 3 pm.
Day 4: Puttur to Suntikoppa
- Distance: 103km
- Elevation Gain: 2083m
The final day of the tour was the toughest in elevation as we had a lot of elevation to gain. Added to this, an Individual Time Trial (ITT) competition was also organized for a massive 17km climb from Sample towards Madikeri. The day started out with excellent weather, a scenic route and a great company of riders. The breakfast was set up around 22kms and was served delicious Idli, Vada, Chutney and Kesari Bath alongside a lovely location.
After a quick coffee break, we headed towards Sullia. The peloton on the final day had close to 20 riders and everyone was in sync with the pace. We reached the lunch point near Sample in no time.
The ITT was a few km away from the lunch point and wasn’t set to start for another 30 minutes. Everyone was getting ready with stretches, power naps, energy gels to give their best. It was time to turn on The Beast Mode.
The ITT start point setup around 8kms from the base and gave a glimpse of the upcoming climb. Since this was an individual event, the riders were sent with a gap of 30s. With sufficient hydration for the ride, the ITT was away! I started out slow and found myself at a steady pace. As the climb was long, I had to ensure I pace myself for an hour-long endurance climb. The roads had plenty of markings to indicate the KMs covered and kept us motivated too. Halfway into the climb, there was a hydration point setup. I didn’t plan on stopping at this as I had sufficient water left but craved for some sugar as I was running out of energy. I yelled out Maaza, Maaza! from 100m into the hydration point and the volunteers were so kind enough to open a tetra pack and give it to me. I ended up stopping anyway for a bit as the straw fell through. Another volunteer quickly handed me a tetra pack and I was on the way.
Around 9kms into the 17km climb, I saw a marking with 3km to go and a message stating We had to cut it short.
Since the organizers were teasing us with Loving it? from the previous day, I was sure this was a joke again and didn’t push myself. I kept riding at my own pace until a few hundred meters at the 13km mark that I noticed the endpoint and the volunteers. I started with an all-out effort but it was too late. We realized later that due to ongoing road work at the 17km mark which made it unsafe for a timed effort, they had to cut it short.
After plenty of hydration and recovery, we continued our ride with 25kms to go. The terrain ahead was steeper and longer than the ITT segment and we had no energy left. With a few stops in between, we managed to reach Madikeri. We waited until the rest of our peloton came together and planned to finish the TOK7 together. We reached The Birchwood Retreat around 3 pm with a great sense of accomplishment, congratulating each other and thanking the entire TOK7 team for creating wonderful experiences throughout the entire tour! The closing ceremony was carried out in the evening with ITT results of each category and various riders sharing their TOK7 experience. We headed back to Bangalore the next day!
The entire organizing team including the photographers and videographers.
Tour of Karnataka 7 started out to be a cycling event but turned into so much more. Cycling was only a part of it and the experiences created along the journey be it food, dance, friendships and endless laughter on and off the bike has turned it into a memorable one!
Keyword: Tour of Karnataka cycling event: A 4-day 450 km experience