anyone cycling in Kerala 29th Jan

Hello Karen.

I'm booked on this trip too. Can't wait!

Naomi.

Hi Naomi

good to hear from you. I was out cycling yesterday and one of the guys I'd not met before did the same trip two years ago. He said its the best gropu holiday he'd done!

 I cant' wait either!

 

K 

Hi both,

I've a chance to go on this trip due to a last minute drop out but am slightly worried that I'm not going to be as fit as the rest of you - I'm a short distance, abliet regular cyclist but certainly no training. Have you both done loads and for a while now?

Eden 

     

 

Hi Eden

that's great news. and you've still got loads of time to train -  Ive done trips like this before and it certainly helps to have done some longer rides, but it is a holiday and not an endurance event so dont worry! A frined of mine did the same trip two years ago and he cycled to work very day and then did a longer ride at the weekend. I'm not doing that much outside of spin classes and the gym right now but am planning to do some longer weekend rides too. 

all the best

 

Karen

 

I did this trip (or its predecessor) in 2003. Half the Group were cyclists that trained regularly and half just used their bikes for commuting and general 'getting around'. One was just there because her husband was. Everyone was fine though the hill at Ooty was a test! We did it on Christmas Day and I recall getting to a section (after about 20 or so of the hairpins?) which was relatively flatter. I hit my wall at that point and was really struggling as I got towards a large building near the next bend. I thought I was hallucinating as I could hear 'Mary's Boy Child' in my head. It turned out that the building was a church and they had a 'Christmas Hits' cd playing over the speakers.

All the way up there were loads of kids asking for sweets who would run directly up each bit of the hill while we laboured around the hairpins.

Our guide had threatened us with the sweeper van if we were too slow which made me shoot up the hill as if my life depended on it but once I got to the top on the verge of a coronary it turned out I was the only one who didn't know he was joking!

All in all it was a fabulous trip - ours took us off the beaten track and we often found ourselves in little villages where kids would come running out of school to chat to us and fiddle with our bikes.

Have fun!

C

The holiday is almost over for me, and it's great to have this trip to look forward to. Time for a hard months training! Looking forward to meeting you all, Naomi.

its been blowing a gale along the coast here for most of december so it makes training kind of fun! see you soon  

 

Karen