The Tour Of Nilgiris in December last year was the fruit of some huge commitment from the volunteers who conceived and executed it in the space of a few short months from a scratch. For us riders, it was unforgettable memories and joy.
This year, the TFN machine is starting to get oiled, greased to roll out a bigger, better ride for 2009. The route's final, the numbers are being worked out - both the number of participants and volunteers as well as the financials that go into supporting and managing a huge event like this. Potential sponsors are being spoken to, and the
TFN Facebook group has grown to double its strength in two short weeks!
There's also anticipation and excitement getting built up amongst bikers around here -
53 people have started logging their training and this time around
tweetdom is alive too! Not surprising, since high end cycling has really really taken off in the last year, and for many, the TFN is something they aspire to do.
Here's the story so far for this year.
The Route:Its a little easier this year, with the 160kms days being avoided based on feedback from last year. Most days are 80-100kms or thereabouts.
Day 0 - Dec 15 - Pre tour breifing - Bangalore
Day 1 - Dec 16 - Bangalore - Mysore
Day 2 - Dec 17 - Mysore - Hassan
Day 3 - Dec 18 - Hassan - Mercara
Day 4 - Dec 19 - Mercara - Irupu
Day 5 - Dec 20 - Irupu - Sultanbathery
Day 6 - Dec 21 - Sultanbathery - Ooty
Day 7 - Dec 22 - Ooty - Mysore (Transport riders + bikes + luggage to Bangalore)
There's more exploration of Coorg, and the ride to Sultan Bathery is a little less torturous since it starts from Irupu and not Madikeri itself. There is no rest day, since there's enough rest everyday! The trip should be as fun as last time, and more.
Accommodation and Support:
Enthusiastic support was what made the Tour doable even for us novices last year, though the guys doing it hardly caught a decent nap over the trip. This time around its being planned to be even better, and more predictable. There's likely to be support stations at pre-set intervals, and a couple of guys "patrolling" the highways to look out for those who may need help.
There were a couple of holes in the acco (and the blankets!) last year, and those will surely be plugged in 2009. Shorter rides and better acco - hmm - its starting to sound almost like a nice vacation ;) Of course, the Gudalur-Ooty slopes are unlikely to get less steep and there pedal-pedal-pedal days are still very much on.
200+ Enthu Aspirants!
The waitlist of those pre-registered for the TFN is huge! Bikers around here have already been trianing with the TFN firmly in their sights. Weekends towards Nandi Hills are starting to turn into cycle-jams, and the leaderboard on Dailymile starts at a 1000kms+ already!
See you all at the TFN! And I must start doing the longer weekend rides once again ....
This year, the TFN machine is starting to get oiled, greased to roll out a bigger, better ride for 2009. The route's final, the numbers are being worked out - both the number of participants and volunteers as well as the financials that go into supporting and managing a huge event like this. Potential sponsors are being spoken to, and the TFN Facebook group has grown to double its strength in two short weeks!
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