Cycling Yogis : 10th edition REPUBLIC DAY HERITAGE RIDE & NATIONAL TOURISM DAY RIDE

21st, 22nd & 23rd January 2022

Ramanathapuram District

Every Cycling trip has the potential to take you to some new place. The best way to connect with sights, culture of a region and new friends is only by a good cycling trip. This Cycling trip for 3 days had all the elements of seeing novel places, new experiences and most importantly making new friends.People from different walks of life gathered on 21st January 2022 in Viceroy Residency Manor in Ramanathapuram with loads of expectation on an exciting cycling trip in the anvil.

Day 1 ( Distance covered 75 Kms)

9.30 am – Flag off was done by the President of Rotary club of Ramnad, Safety briefing was done by Ramanujar Moulana and all the riders started with a roar. Happy to see riders from Indian Coast Guard to join us in this trip.We rode through the beautiful and historical city of Ramnad and reached Sethupathi palace. This palace was built in the 17th century portrays the past glory of King Sethupathi. This palace is a heritage building which is under the control of State Archaeological Department and is best known for its mural paintings with natural dyes picturing the historical days of King Sethupathi. The palace also holds complex weapons which were used by King Sethupathi on various wars. It stood tall as a souvenir from Sethupathi reign. Due to Covid restrictions we were not allowed inside the palace, but we had a good glimpse from outside and took enough pictures covering the portals of the palace. We moved from Sethupathi palace towards temple town of Thiruvadanai, with its softly rolling terrain, quiet roads, abundance of outdoor attractions and idyllic rural countryside, the ride was quite awesome.

“If the photographer is interested in the people in front of his lens, and if he is compassionate, it’s already a lot. The instrument is not the camera but the photographer”

- Eve Arnold

A true epitome of above saying or statement is our photographer Mr. Madhan. He kept us busy all thru the ride and made us feel very light. His engagement with every rider was unbelievable and he is a photographer par excellence. We reached Thiruvadanai for Lunch around 2 pm. Post lunch due to time constraints, we had 1hr of cycle ride and then we hopped on to a bus and reached Kanadukathan Palace in Karaikudi. The palace we visited was composite of art, architecture, and tradition. Ornamental lights, teak wood materials, glasses, marbles, carpets, and crystals were imported from overseas for the construction of the building. Valuable teak wood, marbles and granite pillars are found. It has a vast porch. The doors and the windows which are constructed with the teak wood imported from Burma showcases the beauty of the palace. They are majestic and intricately carved. We finished the day 1 and returned to our hotel by Bus.

Day 2 (Distance Covered 110Kms)

The distances we cycled each day were well chosen. We also had a support vehicle to carry our bags and to give us a ride if we wanted. Our support person Rajashekar from Probikers was excellent, he was knowledgeable, kept our bicycles running smoothly and was great company. We started at 6am for a ride to Rameshwaram, throughout the ride the scenery as beautiful, riding along the coastline, breezy weather always keeping our interest levels up.We reached Indian Coast Guard Station (ICGS), Mandapam. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is a maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency of India with jurisdiction over its territorial waters including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. We had an enthralling experience of visiting the Hovercrafts parked in ICGSa nd had a wonderful explanation and demo of the Hovercrafts. It was really a once in a lifetime experience and it was mind blowing. We had nice photo sessions in ICGS along with the Coast Guard team. We finished our Breakfast in ICGS and started our journey for another exciting place which is Pamban Bridge. Pamban Road Bridge is a engineering marvel and took 14 years to complete the bridge. The Pamban Road Bridge connects the National Highway (NH 49) with the Rameswaram island. It stands on the palk strait and between the shores of Mandapam (Place on the Indian Mainland) and Pamban (One of the fishermen town in Rameswaram island). And it stands parallel to the Pamban Rail Bridge. Riding on this bridge was a lifetime experience. The Pamban Road bridge spans the length of 2.345 km. The arch shaped architecture of the bridge, and its height from the sea level let the ships and boats pass beneath its piers (Pillars) without any disturbance.Our Photographer Mr. Madhan was on a Song in this Bridge and some of the best memories of this trip was captured by Madhan over this Bridge.All riders were on a burst mode or continuous shooting mode for over an hour, and they were in no mood to leave this place. After Pamban bridge we moved to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial in Pei Karumbu, captured some moments there and then we headed to TTDC Rameswaram for Lunch.

Post Lunch Thiru. Sandeep Naduri, IAS & Chairman of TTDC did the flag off for the final leg of the tour, the ultimate ride of the trip…The ride to Lands end of India Arichal Munai in Dhanushkodi. Ride to Arichal Munai was a mind-blowing experience, very peaceful and tranquil place to ride & enjoy. A roaring ocean on one side and calm still sea on the other side of road. At tip of the ruins of the Ghost town is the spectacular meeting of the oh-so-calm Indian Ocean & wow-so-playful Bay of Bengal. Pair of eyes are not enough to take in this sight. Green on one side and loud blue on the other side. A drive all the way to the end of the road gives you great views and the water in the beach at the end is pristine clean and the sand is white. Spectacular and mesmerizing place with Nature at its best. This is an unforgettable experience for all riders and will remain in the heart forever. To be honest I was feeling blessed to visit this place. It was a paradise and heaven in Earth. Again, all riders were on burst mode along with Madhan on a continuous shooting mode to capture the best memory. When we thought everything is over here comes the best surprise, the return ride from Arichal Munai to our Hotel. With support wind or tail wind at the back the return ride was amazing, and all riders were zipping with ease for a good stretch of about 25 Kms. It was in fact a refreshing ride back to the hotel and finally we retired at TTDC in Rameswaram.

Day 3 (Lockdown Sunday)

Being a lockdown due to the pandemic, there was no ride but was compensated with a joyful early morning exploration along the beach and a brief medal ceremony followed by farewell lunch.

To wrap it up, one of the finest cycling trip we ever had and will cherish these memories for ever. Seeing new novel places and making new friends and having a good time was always in the cards. Once again thanks a lot to Cycling Yogis to put up this wonderful trip, see you all next time in another trip… until then Keep Cycling