An 8-day tour of Nilgiris to pass through & end at Mysore

Hailed as the mother of all Cycling Tours in the country, Tour of Nilgiris (TFN), is an annual event with Montra TFN-2013 being the sixth edition and scheduled between Dec. 16 – 23.

The riders will get a chance to pedal across different terrains and an opportunity to ride through three wildlife sanctuaries and splendid mountains of Western Ghats.

Montra Tour of Nilgiris 2013 will witness 103 riders (including 15 overseas & 12 women riders) covering a distance of around 800 + kms across Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Starting from Bangalore, cyclists will pedal through Mysore, Ooty, Sultan Bathery, Madikeri and finish the tour by riding back to Mysore.

The tour of Nilgiris will begin in Bangalore on Dec. 16. Cyclists will arrive in Mysore on 16th evening and after a stay overnight, will pedal to Ooty the next morning (Dec. 17). The tour will return to conclude at Mysore on Dec. 23.

Speaking to ‘SOM,’ Sridhar Pabisetty, co-founder Ride A Cycle Foundation (RAC-F) said “Cycling is the need of the hour owing to the sheer versatility it offers – Extreme / endurance sport; sustainable transport; daily commuting; Cycle tourism/ eco-tourism / local tourism; technology; social awareness; technology window; health benefits, etc.”

He also said that RAC-F intends to promote cycling with the Tour of Nilgiris, an annual event and the riders will get a chance to pedal across the picturesque Western Ghats and the nature behind them.

Deepak Majipatil, Operation Head, “Montra Tour of Niligris” said that the highlight of the Montra Tour of Nilgiris is the “King of Mountains” climb to Kalhatty from Masinagudi to Ooty. The Kalhatty climb gains 1200mtrs of elevation in about 12kms giving an average elevation gain of around 10% with a few stretches going upto 15% or more of gradient.

The competitive distance will not be longer than 40kms on any day, with option to riders to ride individually or as a team.

TFN and Charity

The Tour of Nilgiris goes beyond cycling as a sport, with riders keen to make their pedals count by giving something back to the society. Tour of Nilgiris will witness charity riders riding to support the social initiatives of Aarohi and Vidyodaya society.

This year TFN as part of its initiative to encourage youth to embrace cycling as a sport has sponsored two young talented youths from Aarohi to participate in Montara Tour of Nilgiris 2013.

Advantages of Cycle Tour

TFN leverages innovative technology that has great potential to address connectivity, support and medical assistance in remote places. The tour is completely covered through GPS tracking of every rider and medical support through a medical team and ambulance assistance provides a blanket of security to the riders.

Also the Cycle tour is aimed to revive the cycle culture by popularising cycle as a mode of transport for the twin benefits it offers — easing traffic congestion and being environmental friendly. Through the event TFN is keen to communicate the twin challenges of global warming and pollution.

In short TFN is keen on promoting cycling culture and popularising cycling for the sheer versatility it offers.

The tireless efforts of Breakaway Sports Unlimited and RAC-F has propelled TFN as the preferred cycling tour of India and attracts riders from various backgrounds including corporate honchos, highly ranked officers from the Armed Forces and Civil Services, women, teenagers, kids and entrepreneurs. Log on to www.tourofnilgiris.com for more details.

Ride a Cycle Foundation

Ride a Cycle Foundation (RAC-F), a not for profit advocacy organisation, is pioneering an initiative to popularise cycling for commuting, leisure and as an agent of social change and usher in a bicycle freedom revolution in the country. Hope Mysoreans will come forward in large numbers and cheer the cyclists enroute to Ooty, Sultan Bathery and other places.-OSR

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / December 08th, 2013