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Arun Marc D’Silva

…is a philanthropist on wheels

For me the TFN has become a means to express myself. The discipline of training reflects my attitude to life in general. The solitude of cycling allows me time to myself, which normally I would never have been able to set aside. My passion for the sport has inspired many others to take it up, and a few to even ride on the TFN. Cycling has blessed me with a set of friends who are continuously challenging me…(read Vishnu) J, and the Charity Riders initiative has given the sport a greater meaning than just fitness and adventure. I know that I am sharing my passion with some youngsters who may in turn do it for someone else someday!! The BSA TFN, is also the most organised event in cycling that I have encountered, and since it is a Bangalore based event, it suits me perfectly. Also the timing is just right. My clients and my office close for Christmas, so it’s a great way to spend the holidays.

Balakrishna

..is living his dream

I would like to be part of one of the premier biking tour and here I am, deam come true “I am riding TFN Eleven”.

TFN is one of the prestigious tour in India & I want to cherish the journey (not the destination). the biking group is what excites me, I am looking forward to meet the biking enthusiasts.

Priya Kulkarni

..is doing the sequel!

This is my 2nd TfN. Last year I was a last minute entry. Had a wonderful time riding those hills but the last two days were difficult as I had a bad shoulder pain. Decided this year was going to be different. Prepared with lots of training, I am going to make sure I have a pain-free TfN 2011. It all started when a bunch of us took up cycling as an alternate form of exercise. Bought a Trek 7100 and did the TfN 2010 on it and have now graduated to a road bike. The best cycling trip so far has definitely been tfn 2010 and looking forward to this one now. I am an Architect and freelance which fortunately gives me time to pursue my cycling

Ameet Bhide

…wants to do the TfN for ever!

Participated last year and enjoyed it, this may become a yearly ritual. The usual 9/5 job. Not trying to change the world in any shape or form.

Venkatesh

… aka BikeVenky is living proof that cycling is therapeutic

I’m your typical 30 something guy working in the software industry. I have a young family with a very supportive wife and an amazingly naughty 3 year old son.

With a new job, I’ve moved to Bangalore in December ’10. I was quite out of shape when I landed here. But all the biking friends I have here didn’t let me stay like that for long. I’ve slowly started riding more regularly. When I started riding nearly three years ago(Oct’08), I started with commuting to work in Hyderabad. It was my way of keeping active and trying keep-off the 16kilos that I managed to lose at that point. But soon I found myself doing longer rides on the weekends mesmerized by the freedom the bicycle offers to explore the outskirts of the city. There was no looking back. My life was changed forever. Cycling has helped me connect with people and forge friendships wherever I visited. Helped me stay active in the harsh winter months of Vermont too!

TFN is going to be my first big cycling tour. It has been an inspiring tour for many over the last 4 years. It is not just one of the most beautiful tours but is also one of the toughest. Because, the same hilly terrain (Nilgiris) that brings beauty to the tour also makes it a tough tour. Everyone knows that it is not going to be a stroll in the park. So, it has inspired many to train regularly and intensely over the last few years. It has done the same for me. The tour has been both a big motivation and a cause of trepidation for me over the last 3 months when I started training for the tour. I’m looking forward to meeting and riding along with a lot of great riders.

Editor’s note: Well, what can we say, Venky? You’re welcome!

I used to cycle to school in the 80′s and have done a couple of longer trips to Jaipur and Chandigarh.

While at school, the first long ride I did was a circumnavigation of the ring road with a friend on a BSA SLR. I also used to cycle to work while living abroad but got into serious cycling only a few years ago. My most memorable cycling experience was a trip to the Dolomites in Italy in the summer of 2010 with some work-place colleagues from Europe and Australia. We did 600 kms in 6 days which had about 10000 mts of ascend. Though a challenge, the highlight of this trip was the Maratona Dles Dolomites, where we rode 139 kms with almost 4000 mts, vertically.

I have also taken part in several marathons with a personal best of 3.109.

When I’m not on the bike, I’m a Corporate Lawyer, who specialises in Energy and Infrastructure, besides a Husband and a Dad of four daughters (2 sets of twins) and a dog and a cat!

Editor’s note:
The TfN should be a good way to refresh your memories of the La Maratona.

Vijay C P (… is a cycle-holic)

I work as a Sr Systems Analyst at Accenture, I commute to office on Cycle daily commute is around 30 Kms, My First long was to Nandi Hills, distance from home – Nandi Hills – home was around 150 Kms.

Editor’s note:
TfN has always been known to make turn a believer into a fanatic!
Welcome aboard, Vijay!

Abhilesh Gupta (… is addicted to cycling)

I work for a Japanese Industrial Sewing Machines as Director-Operations, India. My office is in Singapore but I am based out of Bangalore.

After five years of a strict exercise regimen that includes working out at a gym, running, dieting (careful eating), yoga, I’ve lost roughly 20 kilos! A group of friends from Sherwood had started cycling in the begining of 2010 (Ameet Bhide and Priya Kulkarni, fellow TfNers) and I also bought Trek 7100 on 14th April. My first ride was 20 kms but I slowly increased my distances. Did my first century ride in July 2010. I was able to complete this ride with just one bottle of water, some chikkis and thatte Idlies at Chikka Tirupati. I did a Nandi climb in the same month, which is the first of the most memorable rides I’ve had. Have done plenty of century rides since then.
Bought Roadbike Cannondale CAAD 8 in the month of Oct last year and I’ve done more than 1200 kms on it since. After a short break that I had to take because of a back injury, I’ve since recovered and have continued riding whenever I get the chance. My regimen includes a 40 km rides which can go upto 70~80 kms too, without a break! I feel great while cycling and the feeling is amazing. I have already started preparing for TfN by trying and doing minimum 150~200 kms per week ( My job takes me out of Bangalore, almost every week so I try and catch up on the weekends).

My most unique experience will be the TfN Eleven! As part of my preparations for the Tour, I’ve been following a regimen of a century ride for two consecutive days, gradually increasing it to three and four consecutive days. I have also taken to running and when travelling, I try and run upto 7~10 kms/day. However, being flatfooted, it is difficult to increase this distance, by running. Cycling will always remain my love!

I am looking forward to meeting all the TfN’ 11ers, including the wonderful people, who take all the pain to arrange this one of the best rides of India.

Editor’s note:
Well, Abhilesh, it is riders like you that make TfN one of the most sought after Tours in Asia! We are proud to have you with us.

Chidambaran Subramanian(Chiddu) blogs about his experiences in BSA Tour Of Nilgiris 2010.
A Good One to Read….

http://chiddu2k.wordpress.com/

Now, we at TfN know we are trendsetters. Be it with the writings on the road or the unmatched support on the tour.

Knowing that we have been responsible in no small part in ensuring cycling has come of age, starting this year, BSA TfN 2011 will have competitive segments on every tour day.

Vasu is no stranger to TfN and having been associated with competitive cycling, he was a natural choice when it came to choosing a Race Director.

The BSA TfN 2011 Editor(Navin) : sat down with the its first Race Director- Vasu Mishra for a quickfire interview.
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BSA TfN 2011 Editor:You can start by telling me why TfN?

Vasu: I was a part of the TfN team in the very first year of TFN and then also the second year. If I were to describe why I love being a part of TfN in one word – People. The team behind TfN is one fun group to work with. The riders come from different backgrounds and it is awesome to meet such a diverse bunch. I do not think I’d ever find another place where such a diverse group of people would get together.
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BSA TfN 2011 Editor: I’ve heard that you’ve cycled a lot. So why did you get into volunteering?

Vasu: I’m a cyclist first and volunteer later. While I would love to ride the TfN one day, I don’t really get the time to train for that kind of riding i.e. endurance riding. I am more of a one day rider. Since volunteering is the next best way to do some awesome work at TfN I’ve chosen that.
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BSA TfN 2011 Editor: As a volunteer, what makes you tick?

Vasu: What makes me tick? Well, the one thing that makes me feel satisfied is the smile on a riders face at the end of the day. I still remember the day we did the Ooty climb when I was TD and not one person got swept. Everyone completed the ride that day and each one of them was beaming with the sense of achievement. It was a great moment for me!
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BSA TfN 2011 Editor: Why RD and not tour director?

Vasu: RD is new. Besides, I have had some experience timing races at the awesome Bangalore Bicycle Championships. Hence, I wanted to handle the racing bit of TfN.
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BSA TfN 2011 Editor: What else do you enjoy doing and why?

Vasu: Apart from cycling, I enjoy working on large scale databases and data warehouses. I also listen to a wide variety of music from Indian and Western classical to Progressive Rock and mostly everything in between…
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So the rest you can hear from him on the tour….
–
BSA TfN 2011 Editor

The Link to his Photo on Facebook ]]> http://www.tourofnilgiris.com/vasu-as-bsa-tour-of-nilgiris-2011-race-director/feed/ 0 http://www.tourofnilgiris.com/francis-as-bsa-tour-of-nilgiris-2011-tour-director/ http://www.tourofnilgiris.com/francis-as-bsa-tour-of-nilgiris-2011-tour-director/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:45:41 +0000 admin http://www.tourofnilgiris.com/?p=441 Every December, the TfN is a perfect place to unwind, unravel and rub shoulders with the most eclectic bunch of people.
People who you wouldn’t otherwise meet.
You’d meet the serious types; who come here only because they want to photograph nature and you’d meet the fun type; who’d make sure even the serious folks have fun.

So when we started looking for a fun Tour Director, we had a pretty hard thing choosing. But, we’ve finally made our minds.
And so without any further ado, allow us to present to you, the Tour Director for the BSA TfN Eleven **drum rolls**
Francis lobo, overall fun guy and the wit behind all the ‘writing on the road’, he is an absolutely amazing guy to work with.
Both on the tour and off, he’ll make sure that you’ll never have a dull moment.

As BSA TfN 2011 editor(Navin), I got the opportunity to sit down with Francis over a cup of coffee and put him through a few questions.
Yes, we do grill too!
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BSA TfN 2011 Editor: So why did you really choose TfN?

Francis: TFN for me is a piligrimage. A rare chance to meet 100 (almost) strangers from different walks life and share some helluva good time with them.
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BSA TfN 2011 Editor: But you’ll get to meet all these strangers even if you are a Rider, so why volunteer?

Francis: While the first edition in 2008, gave me the first taste of multi day bicycle touring, in 2009, I gatecrashed just before midnight of day 1 as a volunteer.
And lo! Behold! I was hooked to it. The sheer joy of being there when a huffing puffing cyclist needs you, waking up before daybreak to run inventory checks, painting road signs in dark, the recces, getting thrown all over in the support truck, meetings at 10:30pm, racing against time to set up support stations, campfires, song and dance, countless anecdotes, the fun, the frolic, Plan A, plan B, plan C, plan X… it’s infectious, it’s addictive. And not to forget.. a huge learning experience.
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BSA TfN 2011 Editor: Why not Race Director?

Francis: Being a lazy bicycle tourer myself I feel I better fit in the tour segment.
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BSA TfN 2011 Editor: Hmm, what else do you do?

Francis: A software tester by profession, I enjoy travelling and photography. Always looking for an opportunity to feed the wanderlust I indulge in one long lazy tour every year. And of course TFN has a permanent place on my calendar.
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BSA TfN 2011 Editor: Have you done any other tours besides the TfN?

Francis: Oh yeah! Besides volunteering for the three previous TfN’s, I’ve rode my cycle from Kanyakumari to Bangalore (total distance of 1100KM), Bhutan – the tri peaks – Chele La, Dochu La, Yotong La.
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BSA TfN 2011 Editor: WOW! That is impressive! So do you have a wishlist of places you’d like to visit?

Francis: Definitely (grinning). Someday, I’d like to cycle the Silk Route, and travel from Singapore to Moscow on train.
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So the rest you can hear from him on the tour….
——-
BSA TfN 2011 Editor

The Link to his Photo on Facebook ]]> http://www.tourofnilgiris.com/francis-as-bsa-tour-of-nilgiris-2011-tour-director/feed/ 0 http://www.tourofnilgiris.com/behind-the-scenes/ http://www.tourofnilgiris.com/behind-the-scenes/#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:14:12 +0000 admin http://www.tourofnilgiris.com/?p=361

Every year, we find thousands heading out of our overcrowded cities for a breath of some fresh country air.
While most countries in the west and some in the east are much more conscious of how rampant concretization of cities can play havoc on human minds, it is also true that we still need nature to soothe our city frayed nerves.

That’s where the TfN comes in.
The Tour of Nilgiris allows you to see the pristine beauty of the Nilgiris during one of the best seasons – December.Of an amazing 44 Reserves in the Nilgiris, you’ll be pedalling through seven of them! Where else would you be able to see a panther and a peacock up close and personal?

The tour this year will see you start from a centrally convenient point in Bangalore. Click here for the tour schedule
TfN Eleven will have some of the 70 riders traverse familar trails. Mysore, Hassan, Madikeri, Kannur, Sultanbattery, Ooty and Kodannad.
From the peak of Nilgiris to the coast of Kerala, no other major cycling tour on Earth will take you through such diverse ecosystems in the same biosphere.

While the route is awe-inspiring, the unique blend of volunteers is what brings many of it’s veterans back to the TfN every year.

Professionals in their field, nearly all of our volunteers share a passion that can be infectious. For most of them, their day starts at 3 am and won’t end until 1 am, the next morning. Truly selfless, they man support stations and make sure every Rider and every need is taken care of.

From recceing the routes to make sure you get your annual dose of nature therapy and identifying the precise spot of each support station, to making sure your every cycling need is taken care, months in advance, our core team members and volunteers start their work 9 months before the tour even begins.

With a passion to help above and beyond the call of duty, our volunteers like our Riders and the routes that we take is what makes the Tour of Nilgiris – The Best Cycling Tour in the planet.

By Navin Mathew

The TfN Editor

While running and walking is a popular workout, cycling is a thorough workout in its own league. While it allows you to explore nature where you are only limited by your stamina, cycling is a low impact workout that activates your immune system.

Here are a few pointers before you go out on that cycling trip-

o Inform your family / friends about your itinerary / Route: Keep your family / friends informed and updated on your route plans and itinerary throughout the tour. Also keep a list of phone numbers for emergency services handy and make a list of police stations and hospitals on the route you’ll be traveling. Carry prescribed medications with you and make sure you know first aid.

o Know your bike and your body: It is imperative that you know how much you can push your body and bike. Train sufficiently and most importantly, train consistently. Be sure to know what the limits are. Know the terrain well.

o Shed all ego and pre-conceived notions about people and places: We tend to stereotype and create notions about strangers and places that we haven’t been to. More often than not, this turns out to be grossly miscalculated.

o That said, don’t flaunt money/symbols of wealth like an iPod or a laptop when you’re traveling alone. Travel Safe. Be alert at all times

o Carry essentials: Carry only essentials on your bike and self if you are on a tour like the BSA TfN where Riders are supported by Support Staff on motorbikes and SUV’s. However if you are on a self supported bike tour, ensure you have packed smartly. Carry the right bike panniers but remember that every kilo that you add to your cycle/self translates into that much more effort you’d have to put to pedal.

o Blend in: Many times, we act like tourists when traveling, which might act against us when traveling between towns and villages. Engage the locals in conversations about the weather, movies and such neutral topics. Avoid politics. Dress as a local would and avoid getting into conflicts or arguments with any local.

By Navin Mathew

The TfN Editor