Mercari – Sultanbatteri

The day to forget!! The day started with 6 visits to the toilet in a span of 30 minutes and by the time I was done with it, Dr Renu had put me on antibiotics. I was advised to take rest and stay off the bike. I took the advice and went back to my room. Though after viewing cyclists gearing outside my window the temptation to ride had the better of me and within minutes I was down in my jersey. I decided to take it easy after 2 intense days and just ride my way to Sultan Batteri. I knew it was a tough day. The initial plan was to ride the first 45kms to Gonikoppal. The 40kms stretch after that to the border was bad and that would give me a chance to rest by hitching a drive. I was one of the last to leave the guesthouse in the company of my brother and luckily the ride started with a downhill. Once the uphill started we began to pass most riders. It seemed to me that the fatigue was catching with most riders and everybody had decided to take it slow. I decided to give my odometer a break for the day!

The roads were extremely scenic and the slower pace was just right to indulge in it. The rolling terrain with rice fields on the both sides surrounded with palm trees was the perfect backdrop for someone on antibiotics! We passed over a few bridges with rivers streaming past below and we stopped on one to oblige the TFN photographers and bloggers to get a snap or two. Small trails branched out to smaller villages, my mind followed those trails while the rest of me was still very much on the tarmac road. Several long fast descends added to the excitement only to realize that at the end of the turn you were hanging on to your brakes and life to avoid crashing into the biggest potholes you could find. After the first 2 days of big highways and bigger roads the smaller rural roads were an absolute delight. We were greeted to the village of Gonikopal with chalk marks on the roads to guide us thru the town. Most cyclists arrived together. I helped myself to the gas station toilet for the 7th time and I was left without fluids in my body. Both my bike bottles were filled with Electrol and by the time I reached the 45km mark I had consumed quite a few bottles. I decided to put my bike in the car and give the bad roads a pass. As more riders arrived the discussion to ride the bad patch or not started with a few willing to brave it out. 

Riders who were ahead on those patches had reported that roads were not all that bad. It was not the condition of the road that bothered me, it was width of the road. Two vehicles could not pass at the same time and if you were riding at that time, where do you go? As I passed those roads in my car I felt it was dangerous for the riders. The road for the most part was not more than 8 feet in width and the sides of the road had a deep gradient of atleast a feet or more leading into very rough patches of stones. The vehicles were passing at their best speeds and I was happy to stay in my car.

We crossed the border into Kerala and soon dense forest and an elephant immediately greeted us. I was starting to feet drowsy due to the antibiotics and soon I feel asleep. I was later awakened by sounds of numerous vehicles in the border town where TFN cyclists had stopped to have lunch. As soon as I got out of the car I could not practically stay on my feet and the severity of my condition set in. I felt I was totally dehydrated to my bones with severe headache. I quickly had lunch with other cyclists and decided to call it off for the day and head to Sultanbatteri in my car. I shared the table with my brother, Ulhas and another cyclist. Ulhas was really indulging in the kerala cuisine served on a banana leaf and asking for all kinds of translations. It was a pleasure to have lunch with him. I left the restaurant very worried for the rest of my tour as the Ooty climb was waiting the next day.  After lunch I slept in the back of the car and headed straight to Sultanbatteri hoping to find a good room and take some rest. My sleep was interrupted by a phone call from my brother who reported that Ulhas had crashed his bike and had hurt himself. I was very upset to hear it and it really sent me shivering. I quickly got on the phone and frantically called Dr Renu to get more updates and was a little relieved to hear that they had brought him to the hospital. I reached Sultanbatteri exhausted mentally and physically. I got myself the first room and stayed in the bathroom for the rest of the evening!! A quick visit later to the TFN hotel to meet Ulhas and others in the evening and a dinner at the restaurant brought an end to a dismal day with a big question mark lingering for the next day to Ooty.