We were told that today would be an amazing day as we ascend to reach the Nilgiri Hills and the beautiful hill station of Ootacamund.
Ooty, as it is known, served as a summer capital for the British who named it ‘Queen of Hill-Stations’ because of its stunning beauty and spring-like climate. Despite its location in the tropics, in stark contrast with most of South India, Ooty generally features pleasantly mild conditions throughout the year. Temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the year; with average high temperatures ranging from about 17–20 °C (63–68 °F) and average low temperatures between approximately 5–12 °C (41–54 °F).
The ride to Ooty takes us up, and I quote, “steep ascent” to reach the town. So, defibrillators at the ready!
As we set off on this epic bike ride we were informed that it was 3km to the start of the climb. What we were not told was that 3km was all up-hill! As we cycled the winding mountain road through the 36 hairpin bends the going got harder and harder. It was seriously intense and a ridiculously difficult ride. I was sure that if people had known how bad it was going to be they would have sponsored me more!
A lot more!
With every turn the views were great, and they improved with the altitude… but tragically my physical state was deteriorating and I was in less of a state to enjoy the views as they got better. If it wasn’t for the encouragement from rest of the team, I don’t think I would have made it to the top.
From here we were told that it would be mostly flat, with a few ups and downs for the next 12km. That was a lie. We still had another 300m to climb! In all we climbed 1481m over 26km.
After a buffet lunch at the hotel the afternoon was free to explore the town at a leisurely pace. Situated in the cool climate of the Nilgiri Hills, it gave us a break from the hotter plains below.
At least it should be an easier day tomorrow; we can’t go up hill any further from here. Oh, hang on, what’s this…?
Our total cycling distance today was approx 26 kilometres
That makes the running total roughly 157km.
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Yesterday we did a 4km ride up Chamundi Hill to see a large bull statue. It is a Hindu god and not actually as impressive as we’d been led to believe. The view however, was much more inspiring. Then there was a lovely long downhill ride, although we did pass several signs saying “Protect the leopard”, that was a little disconcerting!
