Munnar Hill Camp 2023: A Three-Day Cycling Adventure in Kerala's Hills
As a kid all of us look to summer holidays for full days of playing, reading story books and non-stop fun. As we grow up some parts of us refuse to do so. Being a cyclist probably allows us to revisit that childhood summer fun days. Is that the reason for our summer hill camp ritual? Well, we just need a reason to ride, don't we?
Ooty has been our go-to destination for a few years. It has two of my most favourite climbs – Mettupalayam to Kotagiri and the masochism-inducing beast that Kalahatti is. But we took a departure from the norm and did Madikeri last year. This year we started our quest for the summer climbing camp with Kodaikanal. One thing led to another and we got lucky that Krish knows Munnar like the back of his palm and curated a beautiful three days for us.
To save a few bucks, I recommended an insanely early flight out of Hyderabad. While most of the riders must have cursed me through the early hours of Wednesday, we had a beautiful drive out of Kochi to Bodimetu on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. We utilised the time to quickly assemble our bikes. When you have shining steeds ready to be ridden there is only one thing you do – ride.
Day 1
We were 6 of us including a 13-year-old boy with a lion's heart amongst us – Ansh Mantena. Ansh's dad Pradeep accompanied us and became our de facto tour director. The first day started with a 20km, 1000m descent and climb into Tamil Nadu.
Every successful team needs players with specific roles and skills. The number cruncher amongst us was Rishendra. He had identified the key segments, the distance, gradient and much more. Since the climb was similar to the Kotagiri climb I knew exactly what I could and more importantly what I could not do. So I kept a 1:20 target for the 20km climb.
Rishendra aka BS 6
Oldest (yours truly) and Youngest (Ansh)
I started the climb without discounting a poor lead-up to the tour. I didn't realise it was a poor decision till the last 20-odd mins when I lost a bit of steam. Thankfully I still managed to be on target. The rep had taken a lot out of me and it started showing as we approached lunchtime. Stupid of me that I didn't realise that I was bonking. But somehow by instinct, I took a small break an hour before the lunch stop, had a couple of sugary cold drinks, and tried to catch back Rishendra and Balaram. I somehow got out of a cramping episode quickly with a salt cap and stayed away from it for the rest of the ride.
Seeing Rishendra chug along without ever stopping at the catchup points, our support vehicle driver gave him a beautiful sobriquet – BS 6. BS 6 didn't stop for lunch and reached the resort for the day. It was a beautiful resort housed in the middle of a cardamom estate. Balaram and I managed to get an abridged version of the plantation walk admiring the various plants, trees and birds in the area.
Day 2
The breakfast started on time but finished much beyond the planned roll-out time as we had to do justice to the tasty spread. My HR monitor battery died towards the end of the first day's ride and my power meter battery also died. Thankfully my Rotor crank-based power meter runs on a traditional ubiquitous AA battery.
The route was beautiful and the cloudy/misty weather provided the perfect lighting for the great panorama all around. As we crested Munnar visibility was poor and I had to remove the sunglasses as we inched our way up. The weather made the climb not only beautiful but also a tad bit easier.
When 4 guys ask Gambitt for sponsorship while saying it wasn't me!
Counting bajji's before the climb
Day 3
This was going to be the longest and possibly toughest day of the camp as the bulk of the climbing was in the second half. The first half had a short climb followed by a beautiful, fast, narrow descent.
No prizes for guessing who FTA is
The climb started fast with even a genuine negative gradient for a while. I stayed positive and kept a strong tempo. Although my power numbers were nowhere near the first day's climb, I still met my objective of staying below the 1-hour mark.
Durgesh's bike may be monochrome – but everything else about him is colourful
Som searching for Payasam spots in the jungle
With a heavy heart, I had to pass on Pradeep's offer for some refreshments and continued to the top. Was delighted to find a shop with old-fashioned lime juice and downed one too many while I enjoyed the curious stares of the locals eyeing a semi-naked cyclist drinking like a camel. Some of these stares and admiring twinkles in the stranger's eyes can make those cramps go away in a jiffy.
I took the descent back to Munnar carefully as I knew my instincts and energy were dwindling. After a quick shower and packing bikes, the night continued with cyclists who were more hungry than thirsty. Thus ended this summer camp – we are back to the grind and to planning and longing for the next one.
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