3200 kms on a cycle across Tamilnadu, Coimbatore and Dindugal

This is a writeup about my ride to Coimbatore and Dindugul.

 

After completing Ooty on May 11, I rushed to Coimbatore which is 50 kms. Except for those plain roads, Coimbatore is same as Ooty. Surrounded by western ghats on all sides, Cycling was breezy with great roads. 

 

Coimbatore has a lot of places to visit Top slip( which the British used to slip teak trees downhill to make ships), Vellingiri hills, Maruthamalai temple, malls and a number of engineering colleges along the hilly Kovaipudur road.

 

After servicing my cycle at Just buy cycles due to the downhill ride, I had to push towards Dindugul 154 kms on the same day

 

Despite the rain, I decided to ride and I took the route via Dharapuram and Ottanchatiram. Again I had to ride on a state highway with two lanes, pull force of the vehicles from the opposite side was another problem combined with rain. Anyway, I reached Dharapuram at 6.00 pm and Ottanchatiram( famous for its vegetable and fruits marketplace) at 9.00 pm. From that point, in utter darkness, I decided to push on to Dindugul 30 kms away.

 

Dindugul is an important junction of Tamilnadu and once you enter, the city greets you with a fort atop a small hill. I learnt from people that the fort was attacked and ransacked as a part of defaming campaign by Mughals. Other than this Dindugul district has Kodaikanal, a hill station and Pazhani temple, a famous temple for Lord Murugan, who has scores of devotees worshipping him all the year round.