Need Help - Planning Mysore -Chikmagalur Bike Ride ..

[Ravi]

I am Planning a relaxed  solo ride from Mysore to Chikmagalur  this weekend . 

Planning to cycle to Hassan on Day 1 , Day 2 from Haasan to Chikmagalur via sakleshpur and Mudigere and Day 3 ride around Chikmagalur and back to Mysore by bus in the evening. 

Have anyone done this recently  , if so would love to get any pointers . 

Are there any smaller /scenic/peaceful  roads that I need to consider , as of I am planning to stick to the main highways as I dont see any other routes on google maps . 

Also any recommendations for a relatively cheap bilke friendly place for stay in Chikmagalur . 

Thanks ,

Ravi

[db]

Since I have been telling multiple people about this, and might have also slipped this in on some earlier discussions, I finally wrote this up on my blog -- http://velotab.blogspot.com/2021/01/planning-bicycle-tour-route-google-maps.html

This bicycle tour route planning tip has served me well; hope it works just as well for you.  Ofcourse, this is a very generic tip; so any info folks can provide specific to the sections you listed, will be definately be lot more valuable.

But just incase you feel you don't have enough specific info beforehand, I think you can feel quite confident going with the above tip, and end up with a very memorable tour. :)  Do post details of your tour later, so rest of can benefit from that info. :)

tc,  -{db}.

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[Praveen M]

If you are on bike you are not really missing anything, scenic or otherwise. 

But if you want more scenic and less traffic route (partly),  then you could take a detour from Hanbal and go to Devaladkere, Devarunda, Devaramane (All starting with Dev) and then reach Mudigere- Chikmagalur.

And if you are ready to take bus one time, you can take bus two times and you can take bus from Mysuru to Sakaleshpur and start from there instead of riding from Mysuru to Hassan. And from SakaleshPur, you can go to Kottigehara - Kalasa - Balehonnur -Chikmagalur loop. And this way you soak up in beautiful Western Ghats.

These routes are spread over these below ride reports.

https://mysrbike.blogspot.com/2015/12/few-days-in-western-ghats.html

https://mysrbike.blogspot.com/2017/01/a-short-tour-in-western-ghats.html

https://mysrbike.blogspot.com/2019/01/detour-in-hills.html

Around Chikmagalur? maybe you can go to Bababudangiri for example.

[db]

I had done a tour in 2015-Dec, which covered various sections that Praveen mentioned.  Would highly recommend all of those; some sections might have bit of traffic, but other than one where we were taking a road to Southadka (IIRC), nowhere was the traffic a hassle.  Ofcourse, less is always better. :)

I checked on the Garmin Connect website, but it is_not showing any of my 2014/2015 rides.  Not sure if it's related to timeframe, or the Garmin hack/data loss some time back; I suspect the latter.  Checked to see if Strava is showing the rides, since my Gamin Connect account syncs to Strava; but nothing on Strava either for 2014/2015. :(

Anyway, the 2015-Dec tour (and a similar one in 2012-Oct) was mostly the 'main' roads, between various places, so you can look them up on Google Maps / Komoot -- Kukke Subramanya / Sakleshpur, Dharmasthala (via Southadka), Ujire, Charmadi, Mudigere, Kalasa / Hornadu Annapoorneshari Temple, Kudremukh, Karkala, Aghumbe, Sringeri, Balehonnur, Chikmagalur.  From Chikmagalur, we had done Mullayangiri and Bababudangiri in one day ride; depends on your fitness level, but it is fairly comfortable for a day ride.

tc,  -{db}.

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[Ravishankar Balasubramanya]

Writing a ride report after more than a decade . My last long tour was from Mysore to Cochin via Ooty in 2009 and after that somehow did not get to ride much . 

My only rides in the last 5-6 years were max 1 Hour rides for fitness when I did  feeling like running or a fun ride with my 5 year old son . 

A close friend of mine was doing the Tour De Malnad and was asking me to ride with him . But I did not have a road Bike and moreover a very planned , expensive tour like that was not something that I wanted to do . So I decided to do parts of the tour on my own . 

A day before I started on the ride,  I gave my 12 Year Gary Fisher which was collecting dust for the last 5-6 years for service at Cyclopedia Mysore . The guys did a great job and got the bike working like new quickly . Brake wires were changed , Chain was replaced , Gears were tuned and my bike was shining like new . But there was a problem , because I got a new chain. The first 4 gears were slipping like crazy because the cassette tooth was worn out and there was no 8 speed  MTB cassette available in Mysore. I wanted to start my ride on the next day , and Lokesh from Cyclopedia suggested that I  use a compact  road cassette as that was the only available option . I was in two  minds because a compact cassette was expensive and more because the gear ranges would be much limited which might bite me while riding the long uphills  , But since I did not have any option I had them put the compact cassette and  left . 

Day 1 - Started from Mysore at around 7:30 in the morning . I had planned to go Hassan and take the bypass to KR Nagar via Sagarkatte which is a beautiful route as you would be riding in between Kaveri Back waters . But I missed the turn near Eliwala and ended up taking the longer bus route through Bilikere . The rest of the ride, about 120 Kms was  pretty boring all along the highway . But given that I had not done a 100+ kms ride  in a long time , It probably was good to get some flattish miles under my belt before the Ghat roads for the next 2 days . I skipped lunch and just had some Sugar cane juice , Reached Hassan at around 2:30 . 

Day 2 - The tour de Malnad was starting from Hassan to go Subramanya , I decided to stick to the same route Started by 6:00 , about an hour before the tour guys started . Reached Gorur and decided to walk around in Gorur Dam ,The guard allowed me to park my bike inside the gate  and  II walked around the dam for some time . I was told that the  house of famous Kannada writer Ramasmamy Iyenger ( father of Capt. Gopinath of Air Deccan ) is somewhere close by . Just remembered  one of his stories we had in primary school and  left the place . Because of my extended break some of the tour guys caught up with me and we rode together on some stretches . After Gorur the route became interesting , we rode through ArkalaGudu , shanivarasanthe where I stopped for a quick breakfast . After Shanivarsanthe it was mostly downhill all the way to Bisle . The view point was a little crowded and the view a little hazy due to the clouds , But nevertheless it was still breathtaking  . After a brief stopover at the view point , rode towards Subramanya , 105 kms mostly downhill for the day . Reached Subramanya at around 3:30 . The road from Hassan to Subramanya was mostly very good except for 2 bad stretches for about 4 Kms  which was being repaired .  Had a great Darshana of  Subramanya at the temple in the evening .

Day 3  -Went again to the temple  for a morning darshan and left Subramanya after breakfast at around 8:00 AM , Everyone that I had met on the previous day had warned me about the tough Shiradi Ghat .The initial 20-25 Kms was on  great, gentle rolling hills  to a small place called Gundya . From Gundya , it was relentless uphill all the way till sakleshpura .I made the mistake of not refilling water bottles at Gundya and after that there are no stores for the next 20 kms . I was riding on the smallest gears , I did stop at a couple of view points briefly . On this stretch you will get a  stunning view at every corner , since I had to go all the way to Chikmagalur by evening and take a bus back to Mysore. I did not stop anywhere for a long time . The traffic is definitely a lot more on this road as it is the bus route and truck route , But the road is in very good condition .  Took a long time to reach near Sakleshpur and then took a deviation towards Mudigere and then to Chikmangalur . After Sakleshpur  it was mostly downhill and some small rolling hills . There is very little traffic and the road  goes through coffee estates ., But after the tough climb to Shiradi Ghat , I just wanted to just reach the finish . Maybe next time I should plan  a break in Sakleshpur at least in Mudigere to make it more enjoyable . Reached Chikmangalur at around 6:00 PM . Went straight to bus stand and was told that there are no Airavata/Rajahamsa to Mysore . The next red bus was at 7:30 , so decided to explore around and drink some Chikmangalur coffee, I went to a fairly upscale coffee place called world of coffee and tried their Filter Coffee and next went into a Darshini and had their filter coffee , I somehow like the Darshini coffee better than the expensive place .. Came back to the bus stand at 7:10  to take the bus to Mysore . But the conductor refused to take my cycle reasoning that the bus might get crowded in Hassan causing inconvenience to other passengers .  He did allow to take my bike in and try ,But even I was convinced that it would be very tough if the bus got full . So while sitting in the bus stand and pondering what next , a thought occurred that I might as well stay back and ride to Hassan next day and probably get a Airavata to Mysore from there . Booked a room ,got freshed up and while biking to get some dinner , I noticed a big rubbing sound on the rear wheel , I thought the rear wheel might had been bent and the brakes are rubbing the wheel and I removed the rear break , but the sound was still there , later on close inspection I realized that it was side stand which was loose and hitting the wheel . I decided to live with that and fix it later in Mysore . 

Day 4 - Left Chikmangaluru at 6:30 and started riding towards Hassan on Belur road. After about 30 minutes saw an arch welcoming to the village Halmidi . I stopped by and enquired if the 1st Kannda stone scripture was somewhere closely and the villagers told that it was about a 4 km detour , Made a note to self that I will try and go there on my next visit , The road was mainly flat or downhill , But I was mentally not prepared for this ride . My plan was to take a bus from Chikmangaluru , so that made the ride less enjoyable . Stopped at the Yagachi Dam for a quick water break , Yagachi Dam is built on river Yagachi and it is about 2 kms before Belur . They dont allow inside , But it is a good place for a quick break . Next stop Belur , I decided to spend some time at the temple , The carvings here is  just out of the world . I had planned the quick break , But the temple is so amazing that I speant more than an hour there , had a quick breakfast and rode to the Belur bus stand to enquire if I can find an Airawata to Mysore . The people there told that  there is no Airvata from there and not even one from  Hassan . OMG  that means I would need to ride back all the way to Mysore . Next stop Hassan , Again went to bus stand asking for Airavata and was again told the same thing . It was already Noon and I still had to ride an unplanned 120 kms on a boring highway . Only good thing is that it has more downhill sections . I had come via the same road 2 days back , so I had a good idea on where I can find sugar cane , tender cocunuts to fuel my ride . Stopped by at Holenarsipura for a quick lunch and started towards Mysore , this time keeping a close watch for the deviation via SaagarKatte and Gungral Chatra instead of the bus route via Bikikere . This road is just before we come to KR Nagara and the road is very scenic , , the surface is good and it also cuts the distance by a good amount . By the time I reached Eliwala it was 7:00 and already dark and I was till 20 kms away from home on a very busy Hunsur road . But this being my home strech , I was confortable riding in peak traffic in the night eventually reaching home at around 8:00. I had done about 175 kms , the longest ride that I have ever done in a single day . 

Overall it was a wonderful  tour . I bumped into  the crew /riders of Tour De Malnad and they were all very nice . Although I felt some were like why is this guy riding with us without registering . One of their  drivers kept asking me when I  am going to Mysore every time he saw me . 

Thanks to Praveen and Db for your suggestions on the routes . 

Notes to Myself for the next trip - On each day , Plan ride time to be not more than 5-6 hours so that there is enough time to explore , or just gaze at the vistas or even just sleep if I feel like . Also try to avoid the Junk Miles ( Like the Mysore - Hassan- Mysore part ) and  ride more on the scenic sections , instead riding all day on the Highway . So probably start in Madkeri or Sakleshpur and go to ... 

Thanks , 

Ravi

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Cheers,
Ravi

[Praveen M]

Well done, thanks. Taking bikes on red bus is a hit or miss. Good that you rode back to mysur.

Yeah yeah. That is what I meant but I did not want to put you off before starting by telling that it is boring to ride to Hassan or on highways.

I don't know, just constantly looking at wide roads of the highways itself is a big turn off. Narrow, small roads are ideal.

In your case you could have even started from Kushalnagar towards Somwarpet.

So Bisle road repair is more or less finished? Good to know.  Once, in the 90s I went to that viewpoint at midnight on a full moon to view that Valley.  a local who accompanied me (quite drunk with local liquor) was carrying a big Machete and I was wondering and asking him if there are smugglers that he is carrying a Machete and his answer was since it was full moon, there will be ghosts ( Mohini Kaata) near the view point and he was carrying the Machete to ward off the ghosts :-))))

I used  hike down that valley often and go to Kukke following the river down the Valley ( and stay with forest guards). It was Pristine forest then. I think it is still like that now.

[Pankaj Mangal]

Looks like a fantastic trip. Few notes for your next trip:

- Go via Shravanabelagola to Hassan from Mysore. It's a good rolling ride and mostly through the countryside.

- While going from Hassan to Chikmagalur, go via Halebeedu. Again a much better route than Belur.

I'm also working on creation of digital database of cycling routes to empower more people to travel by bicycle. Appreciate if you could submit your ride details here which shall stay in our record and provide easy access to any cyclist.

You might enjoy these day country cycling loops around Bengaluru. Working on getting one similar for Mysore as well.

Cheers,

Pankaj

[db]

Great ride / report, Ravi.  Any pics to share?

Try the google maps 1km zoom level tip; it should give good alternate options to highways.  National highway sections are ok once in a while, since having a straight section is also fun. :)

Komoot voice navigation is quite good; audio cues from devices like Garmin Edge 520 are also good.  Planning to buy Wahoo Elemnt Bolt; expecting the audio cues to be good with that as well.  Helps to stick to planned routes, without checking maps on the phone.  Can easily save ~60mins in a day ride on interior roads.

-{db}.

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[db]

Pankaj — a database to help cyclists, is a very good idea.  I was thinking of one, for routes... till I figured out the 1km zoom level trick. Now, I tend to feel quite comfortable venturing on new sections, around BLR, or even outside.  And as long as there are villages along the way, one finds shops for refreshments.

But having a database of nice places for overnight stay — like home stays or basic rooms/lodging — in interior places, would be awesome.  Roads & terrains can be figured out from maps these days, so as long as we have recommendations on staying options, that also tells us those areas are nice to go to; we can figure out the roads.  In many cases, in interior sections, there might be only one road. :)  Road conditions can anyway shift quite a bit over time, so unless someone gives us updated info from last few months, it will usually be hit/miss, IME.  We have to be prepared to take it as it comes, usually.

Cycle repair shop locations are also good to know, though on interior sections, there is anyway a good likelihood of finding a shop in some village.  In a town, knowing beforehand if there is a good cycle shop which handles higher end cycles, is very valuable info.  Those could be used to stock certain tubes/tyres beforehand, for planning long tours.

Recently used Google My Maps; something like that could be a good option to build up a database, which cyclists can navigate directly on the map.

If folks are pooling together to compile this, I would be very interested.

-{db}.

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[Pankaj Mangal]

Hello db,

I'm not aware of this 1km zoom level tip and not sure how does it work. Perhaps you can shade some light here.

I have done good bit of self-supported cycling in India, Southeast Asia and UK. In UK, discovery of routes is much easier and there are dedicated organisations who design cycling routes and keep the information up-to-date through volunteers and cyclists feedback. The info definitely needs to be looped in through community.

There is quite some info that needs to be added around cycling routes viz/ staying options, local mechanics, lunch/refreshment options, when to go etc.

We can start with Karnataka and try to build this as a base that can be replicated further for other regions in India. 

I'm happy to drive it if more people are pooled in. It has to be a community project, otherwise, will take years for few people to put it all together.

- Pankaj

[Ravishankar Balasubramanya]

Added a write up and some photos in at  https://brashbiketrips.blogspot.com/2021/02/malenadina-cycle-yatre.html

Ravio

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bangalore-bikers/b1971a65-4a7f-4dac-a9bf-4afadfb63cfen%40googlegroups.com.

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Cheers,
Ravi

[db]

Had posted the google maps 1km zoom level tip on this forum just few days back; here it is (my blogpost) — 

http://velotab.blogspot.com/2021/01/planning-bicycle-tour-route-google-maps.html

Btw, that tip should generally work with any map app, not just google maps.  But I would suggest trying it out few times; one should be familiar with what one sees on the map app, & what one finds in reality.  I am fairly well tuned in using the above, in google maps. :)

Yes, having detailed into about various aspects of the route, is always better.  Was just saying that with the above tip, venturing out w/o any prior info of the roads, has been more-or-less a breeze.  There are some surprises wrt road conditions, but they have been minimal... almost never had to backtrack.

Still very important to be aware of overall safety of the general area, plus aspects like forests/wildlife... but that level of info is much easier to gather.  And some refreshments will be available, as long as one is going through villages, small towns.  So only other aspect then, is places to stay.

For heavy touring, for many days in interior sections, or in thinly populated areas, the route database with rich details will definitely be invaluable.

Let us get this going... will ping you offline.

-{db}.

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[db]

Great pics / write up, Ravi.  Yearning now to rides these routes ... some for the first time.

-{db}.

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[Praveen M]

Thanks for sharing, very nice. Western Ghats of Karnataka is amazing. Hope it will be preserved.

Jog, Sharavati valley, Uttara kannada is amazing too. Not biked that part. Maybe next time if things work out correctly.

[Praveen M]

By the way, are so lucky that you are still in India escaping the winter and darkness.

I wanted to so badly extend my stay. Was even hoping my flight will be cancelled. But bad luck. Nothing happened. My friend's flight got cancelled the next day I flew back. And he is still there and he said he is having a blast and not want to return any soon. He's working from India.

If I had such a luck I was planning to go to malnad and work from Western Ghats :-))

That would be the ultimate escape.

[db]

Hah ha ha... I have stayed away from overnight/ multiple day rides, due to the pandemic; will probably keep it like that for a while longer, maybe up to vaccination.  Seeing how some doc friends have been working for the past year, just going about day to day stuff ‘normally’ has been a luxury, not to mention being able to do day rides.

Various resorts etc. are doing staycations here, not to mention arrangements various folks/groups are making for themselves, to go to some nature / touristy place & work remotely.  That is quite tempting.

-{db}.

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[Praveen M]

I think you or others can already do overnight (bike)trips there as Ravi did in this thread. I stopped at mysur because I had changed the saddle (again) to Selle SNP and it was not suitable for this kind of light touring with so much upright position.

So immediately next day after my return to blr, went for overnight trip by car to some of the places (Kalasa-Hornadu and beyond).

It was terrible to be doing such a ride in a Car and I was so cursing myself for not going there by bike.

[db]

The COVID-19 pandemic is very much on.  Cases on the rise again in various places in India, I believe.  Going out itself carries risk; an overnight bicycle tour & stay... it definitely carries more risk of exposure, further more if something does_not go as per plan, & one needs to interact with others, lot more than planned.

Sticking to day rides for now... hopefully in another ~6months, the situation will be very different with good levels of vaccinations.  Looking forward to pre-pandemic style travel / tours then.

-{db}.

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[Praveen M]

Ohh. Ok. Then its better to exercise caution and wait.

On another note,  it seems I am banned from using the word darkness ever again:-)). I was told separately. Because I said in this thread "escaping winter and darkness" and elsewhere in one of my ride reports, I make fun that urban folks are scared of darkness.

Had to tell that in these latitudes when talking about winter, it is associated pretty much always with darkness meaning lack of sunlight.

Also it is not really dark here. There is lot of artificial light. But there is just little sunlight.

I could say, escaping winter and lack of sunlight or grey skies. Good example how same word can be used contextually to make seemingly contradictory statements.

(Winter Lockdown boredom)

[db]

Wow... no talk of “darkness”?  Hmmm...

-{db}.

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[Praveen M]

no no. just joking.