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Week 184 update of the Cycling Monks Strava Group. Week ending 10th December 2023.
Club Stats. 3151 members collectively rode 127213 km in 3020 rides, climbing 711488 metres in 5982 hours!
The number of members are up by 7 as compared to last week. The week saw everyone collectively ride more. With total distance, elevation gained, number of rides and time spent on the saddle were all up.
21 riders averaged more than 100 km a day.
3 rode 1000s and 68 rode at least a 200.
58 averaged above 30 kmph for the week.
22 climbed more than 4000 metres.
Incredible riding by everyone.
Kudos to all the riders who have been working hard on their saddles…
Leaderboard: Overall
21 riders averaged more than 100 km a day!
Utkarsh Verma from Uttar Pradesh was top of the charts. He rode an incredible 1552 km.
In second place is Soma Sekhar Raichur from Telangana who rode 1214 km in the week.
Third spot is taken by Mohit Agarwal from Telangana. He rode 1213 km.
Leaderboard: Women
The women’s leaderboard has gotten tougher this week. To be in the top 10, you needed to ride 270+ km…
There are 18 women in the top 100 this week, 1 more than last week.
Rekha S from Telangana was top of the charts this week. Riding an incredible 1040 km. She is 7th overall. She was first last two weeks as well.
Next up is Pradnya Bhadang from Maharashtra. Who rode an impressive 509 km. She is 35th overall. She was second last week.
Third is Vaishali Pawar from Maharashtra who rode 420 km. She is 47th overall. She was third last week as well.
Leaderboard: Longest Ride
1000s from Tamil Nadu!
Top spot goes to Pradish Sandanaraj from Tamil Nadu for the longest ride. He did a 1004 km long ride!
Next up is Aariyan Sree from Tamil Nadu having done a 1004 km long ride.
Third is Jai from UAE, who did a 1003.6 km long ride.
Leaderboard: Fastest
The top 58 have been riding at a seriously impressive pace.
Fastest of the lot is Deep Sharma from Punjab who averaged an incredible 34.8 kmph over the week!
Second fastest for the week is Ashwin Govindasamy from Tamil Nadu whose weekly average is a fantastic 34.8 kmph.
Third is Sudhev MB from Kerala averaging 34.3 kmph over the week.
Leaderboard: Queen/ King of the Mountain
The climbing leaderboard went to the Western Ghats!
Climber of the week is Rohan Gauns from Goa having climbed 7276 metres. He was first last two weeks.
Second is Kapil Sharma from Maharashtra who climbed 7084 metres.
Third is Soma Sekhar Raichur from Telangana, who climbed 6686 metres during the week.
Join the Strava Club Today!
Week 183 update of the Cycling Monks Strava Group. Week ending 3rd December 2023.
Club Stats. 3154 members collectively rode 128012 km in 3160 rides, climbing 686610 metres in 5942 hours!
The number of members are up by 5 as compared to last week. The week saw everyone collectively ride more. With total distance, elevation gained, number of rides and time spent on the saddle were all up.
17 riders averaged more than 100 km a day.
11 rode a 400 and 61 rode at least a 200.
56 averaged above 30 kmph for the week.
22 climbed more than 4000 metres.
Incredible riding by everyone.
Kudos to all the riders who have been working hard on their saddles…
Leaderboard: Overall
17 riders averaged more than 100 km a day!
Rohan Gauns from Goa was top of the charts. He rode an incredible 1318 km.
In second place is Rekha S from Telangana who rode 1307 km in the week. She was third last week.
Third spot is taken by Praveen Kumar Goel from Telangana. He rode 1218 km.
Leaderboard: Women
The women’s leaderboard has gotten tougher this week. To be in the top 10, you needed to ride 272+ km…
There are 17 women in the top 100 this week, same as last week.
Rekha S from Telangana was top of the charts this week. Riding an incredible 1307 km. She is 2nd overall. She was first last week as well.
Next up is Pradnya Bhadang from Maharashtra. Who rode an impressive 702 km. She is 17th overall.
Third is Vaishali Pawar from Maharashtra who rode 450 km. She is 48th overall.
Leaderboard: Longest Ride
400s from across the country.
Top spot goes to Anirban Das from West Bengal for the longest ride. He did a 411 km long ride!
Next up is Anish Phalle from Maharashtra having done a 410 km long ride.
Third is A Chatterjee from West Bengal, who did a 407 km long ride.
Leaderboard: Fastest
The top 56 have been riding at a seriously impressive pace.
Fastest of the lot is Andrew Raistrick from Tamil Nadu who averaged an incredible 36.9 kmph over the week! He was second last week.
Second fastest for the week is Sid Sharma from Maharashtra whose weekly average is a fantastic 36.3 kmph.
Third is Sonia Taneja from Haryana averaging 35.9 kmph over the week.
Leaderboard: Queen/ King of the Mountain
The climbing leaderboard went to the Western Ghats!
Climber of the week is Rohan Gauns from Goa having climbed 11197 metres. He was first last week.
Second is Vivek Deshmukh from Maharashtra who climbed 7648 metres.
Third is Rupesh Bali from Chandigarh, who climbed 6275 metres during the week.
Join the Strava Club Today!
Hey
Welcome to India!
Here’s our recommendation for the best back roads on this stretch.
Land in Mumbai and catch the ferry from Mumbai to Alibag. Start your cycling from Alibag, rather than from Mumbai itself.
From Alibag, you ride along the coastal road all the way to Goa. This route has multiple ferry crossings and has minimal traffic.
After Goa, enter the Western Ghats in Karnataka and ride along the Western Ghats all the way to Ooty, which is the highest point of this entire region.
After Ooty, you can cut back into Kerala and ride till Kochi along the coast or the Ghats, as per your preference at that point of time.
This way, you will get to enjoy the coast and the Ghats, try out different foods, cultures, and see a mad variety of things.
For the Mumbai to Goa leg, have a look at this travelogue. It is in the opposite direction as you intend, but it will still help you a lot. It contains all the Strava routes and elevation profiles: https://cyclingmonks.com/topic/cycling-from-goa-to-kanpur-via-mumbai/
For the Goa to Ooty leg, have a look at this travelogue. It again contains all the Strava routes and elevation profiles, which you can download:
Part 1: https://cyclingmonks.com/cycling-goa-to-ooty/
Part 2: https://cyclingmonks.com/cycling-through-western-ghats/
Part 3: https://cyclingmonks.com/cycling-nilgiris/Alternately, if you prefer riding from Bombay to Kochi along the coast. Have a look at this travelogue, it contains the entire route: https://cyclingmonks.com/cycling-mumbai-kanyakumari/
For ‘must see’ places, I would recommend Googling along this route. There are a number of beaches, forts, temples, churches etc. which are considered ‘must see’ by tourists.
For your second question. There are many bicycle stores in Mumbai who can help you pack your bikes for the return journey. It depends where are you planning to stay in the city. But if you plan to fly back from Kochi to Mumbai, then you would need to get your bikes packed in Kochi itself. That also is possible.
I would recommend riding down all the way to Kanyakumari (south of Kochi), which is the southernmost part of India. You can Google a bit about the place and why it is significant geographically 🙂
And if you are riding through Goa, do let us know. We are based here, and would be happy to catch up with you guys for a coffee 🙂
Week 182 update of the Cycling Monks Strava Group. Week ending 26th November 2023.
Club Stats. 3149 members collectively rode 111322 km in 2999 rides, climbing 593184 metres in 5250 hours!
The number of members are up by 13 as compared to last week. The week saw everyone collectively ride less. With total distance, elevation gained, number of rides and time spent on the saddle were all down.
13 riders averaged more than 100 km a day.
7 rode a 500 and 61 rode at least a 200.
64 averaged above 30 kmph for the week. 17 climbed more than 4000 metres… Incredible riding by everyone.
Kudos to all the riders who have been working hard on their saddles…
Leaderboard: Overall
13 riders averaged more than 100 km a day!
Mohit Agarwal from Telangana was top of the charts. He rode an incredible 1072 km.
In second place is Rupesh Bali from Chandigarh who rode 1053 km in the week. He was first last week.
Third spot is taken by Rekha S from Telangana. She rode 1049 km.
Leaderboard: Women
The women’s leaderboard has gotten tougher this week. To be in the top 10, you needed to ride 301+ km…
There are 17 women in the top 100 this week, same as last week.
Rekha S from Telangana was top of the charts this week. Riding an incredible 1049 km. She is 3rd overall.
Next up is Niharika Reddy from Maharashtra. Who rode an impressive 667 km. She is 17th overall.
Third is Alo Chatterjee from West Bengal who rode 434 km. She is 46th overall.
Leaderboard: Longest Ride
600s from across the country.
Top spot goes to Agnivesh Patel from Karnataka for the longest ride. He did a 644 km long ride!
Next up is Niharika Reddy from Maharashtra having done a 642 km long ride.
Third is Pavan Madhusudan from Karnataka, who did a 642 km long ride.
Leaderboard: Fastest
The top 64 have been riding at a seriously impressive pace.
Fastest of the lot is Madhav Nair from New Delhi who averaged an incredible 37.4 kmph over the week!
Second fastest for the week is Andrew Raistrick from Tamil Nadu whose weekly average is a fantastic 37 kmph.
Third is Shourya Sengar from Karnataka averaging 36.3 kmph over the week.
Leaderboard: Queen/ King of the Mountain
The climbing leaderboard went to the Western Ghats!
Climber of the week is Rohan Gauns from Goa having climbed 9930 metres. He was second last week.
Second is Some Sekhar Raichur from Telangana who climbed 8365 metres.
Third is Mohit Agarwal from Telangana, who climbed 7132 metres during the week.
Join the Strava Club Today!
A question that popped up while conversing with Baba, ace bicycle mechanic and racer. You can read that conversation here.
He mentioned that very few cyclists in his experience know much about cycling. A tiny bunch of cyclists know how to repair a puncture. He carries spare tubes on every ride of his, because he knows that he will end up helping out a hapless cyclist stranded on the road.
So we asked the CyclingMonks community. Do you know how to repair a puncture on your bicycle? Here’s the response we got!
70% of cyclists said yes, they know how to repair a puncture on their bicycles. 15% stated they did not know how to repair a puncture. And 15% said they know how to change a tube, which allows them to ride home or to the next destination where they can get the puncture repaired.
This 70% is in stark contrast to the experience shared by Baba and many other experienced cyclists we spoke to from all the metro cities of India. These regular cyclists often find riders stranded on the road with a puncture and unable to do anything about it.
What could explain this difference? Here’s what we think:
As cyclists, we tend to notice that 1 rider standing by the roadside, and miss seeing the other 100, who rode past without any issues. The empirical evidence is skewed by our own bias.
People following CyclingMonks on Instagram and voting in this poll are more likely to be regular cyclists and those who have upgraded their skills over time.
People are less likely to vote in a poll that they ‘don’t know’ something, as compared to stating that they do know.
Week 181 update of the Cycling Monks Strava Group. Week ending 19th November 2023.
Club Stats. 3136 members collectively rode 126582 km in 3126 rides, climbing 716376 metres in 5876 hours!
The number of members are up by 11 as compared to last week. The week saw everyone collectively ride more. With total distance, elevation gained, number of rides and time spent on the saddle were all up.
7 riders averaged more than 100 km a day.
1 rode a 500 and 66 rode at least a 200.
65 averaged above 30 kmph for the week. 16 climbed more than 4000 metres… Incredible riding by everyone.
Kudos to all the riders who have been working hard on their saddles…
Leaderboard: Overall
7 riders averaged more than 100 km a day!
Rupesh Bali from Chandigarh was top of the charts. He rode an incredible 1351 km. He was third last week.
In second place is Gajendra Dutta from Uttar Pradesh who rode 1090 km in the week. He was first last week.
Third spot is taken by Pritom Barman from Assam. He rode 775 km.
Leaderboard: Women
The women’s leaderboard has gotten easier this week. To be in the top 10, you needed to ride 198+ km…
There are 11 women in the top 100 this week, same as last week.
Naazia Farhein from Tamil Nadu was top of the charts this week. Riding an incredible 512 km. She is 27th overall. She was third last week.
Next up is Pradnya Bhadang from Maharashtra. Who rode an impressive 441 km. She is 36th overall. She was second last week as well.
Third is Bhavana Dwivedi from Maharashtra who rode 384 km. She is 62nd overall.
Leaderboard: Longest Ride
400s from across the country.
Top spot goes to Jigs Kanzariya from Gujarat for the longest ride. He did a 513 km long ride!
Next up is Heyram Kruthik from Karnataka having done a 419 km long ride.
Third is M Peer Mohamed Sardhar from Karnataka, who did a 418 km long ride.
Leaderboard: Fastest
The top 65 have been riding at a seriously impressive pace.
Fastest of the lot is Mayank Tripathi from Canada who averaged an incredible 40.1 kmph over the week!
Second fastest for the week is Ashwin Govindasamy from Tamil Nadu whose weekly average is a fantastic 36.7 kmph. He was second last week as well.
Third is Hemendra Upadhaya from Karnataka averaging 35.8 kmph over the week.
Leaderboard: Queen/ King of the Mountain
The climbing leaderboard went to the Himalayas!
Climber of the week is Limbu Ashok from Uttarakhand having climbed 12161 metres.
Second is Rohan Gauns from Goa who climbed 7848 metres.
Third is A Chandrababu from Andhra Pradesh, who climbed 6958 metres during the week.
Join the Strava Club Today!
We asked the CyclingMonks community whether they think it is essential to wear a helmet while commuting on the bicycle.
We always recommend wearing a helmet when going out for your morning ride/ training session. But what about the times when you just want to go to the grocery shop to buy a packet of milk. Are you expected to wear a helmet? Do you need to?
It isn’t a black and white answer. The risks on a commute should be much lower as compared to when you are riding a bicycle as a sport. But those risks can only be reduced, if there is proper urban infrastructure for bicyclists. Unfortunately, most Indian cities lack such infrastructure.
Which is why understandably, 79% of all respondents believe that they need to wear a helmet even while commuting on their bicycle.
What’s your take? Do you think you should wear a helmet while commuting on your cycle in India?
Week 180 update of the Cycling Monks Strava Group. Week ending 12th November 2023.
Club Stats. 3125 members collectively rode 107496 km in 3056 rides, climbing 552705 metres in 4985 hours!
The number of members are up by 8 as compared to last week. The week saw everyone collectively ride less. With total distance, elevation gained, number of rides and time spent on the saddle were all down.
5 riders averaged more than 100 km a day.
31 rode at least a 200.
68 averaged above 30 kmph for the week. 8 climbed more than 4000 metres… Incredible riding by everyone.
Kudos to all the riders who have been working hard on their saddles…
Leaderboard: Overall
5 riders averaged more than 100 km a day!
Gajendra Dutta from Uttar Pradesh was top of the charts. He rode an incredible 1172 km. He was second last week.
In second place is Shun Athi from Tamil Nadu who rode 923 km in the week.
Third spot is taken by Rupesh Bali from Chandigarh. He rode 908 km. He was first last week.
Leaderboard: Women
The women’s leaderboard has gotten easier this week. To be in the top 10, you needed to ride 202+ km…
There are 11 women in the top 100 this week, 2 less than last week.
Lavanya Reddy Kesari from Telangana was top of the charts this week. Riding an incredible 834 km. She is 4th overall. She was first last week as well.
Next up is Pradnya Bhadang from Maharashtra. Who rode an impressive 404 km. She is 29th overall.
Third is Naazia Farhein from Tamil Nadu who rode 373 km. She is 37th overall.
Leaderboard: Longest Ride
300s from across the country.
Top spot goes to Udhay Asokan from Tamil Nadu for the longest ride. He did a 450 km long ride!
Next up is M Peer Mohamed Sardhar from Karnataka having done a 340 km long ride.
Third is CK Nayak from Odisha, who did a 322 km long ride.
Leaderboard: Fastest
The top 68 have been riding at a seriously impressive pace.
Fastest of the lot is Sudhev MB from Kerala who averaged an incredible 38.2 kmph over the week!
Second fastest for the week is Ashwin Govindasamy from Tamil Nadu whose weekly average is a fantastic 37 kmph.
Third is Shourya Sengar from Karnataka averaging 35.2 kmph over the week.
Leaderboard: Queen/ King of the Mountain
The climbing leaderboard went to the Western Ghats of Goa. Again!
Climber of the week is Rohan Gauns from Goa having climbed 7903 metres. He was first last week as well.
Second is Manoj A from Tamil Nadu who climbed 6367 metres.
Third is Aneesh VP from Delhi, who climbed 4948 metres during the week.
Join the Strava Club Today!
Week 179 update of the Cycling Monks Strava Group. Week ending 5th November 2023.
Club Stats. 3117 members collectively rode 119942 km in 3281 rides, climbing 612992 metres in 5520 hours!
The number of members are up by 7 as compared to last week. The week saw everyone collectively ride more. With total distance, elevation gained, number of rides and time spent on the saddle were all up.
5 riders averaged more than 100 km a day.
87 rode at least a 200.
60 averaged above 30 kmph for the week. 12 climbed more than 4000 metres… Incredible riding by everyone.
Kudos to all the riders who have been working hard on their saddles…
Leaderboard: Overall
5 riders averaged more than 100 km a day!
Rupesh Bali from Chandigarh was top of the charts. He rode an incredible 1244 km.
In second place is Gajendra Dutta from Uttar Pradesh who rode 1170 km in the week.
Third spot is taken by Lavanya Reddy Kesari from Telangana. She rode 898 km.
Leaderboard: Women
The women’s leaderboard has gotten tougher this week. To be in the top 10, you needed to ride 248+ km…
There are 13 women in the top 100 this week, same as last week.
Lavanya Reddy Kesari from Telangana was top of the charts this week. Riding an incredible 898 km. She is 3rd overall.
Next up is Vaishali Pawar from Maharashtra. Who rode an impressive 461 km. She is 28th overall.
Third is Kamala R from Karnataka who rode 334 km. She is 67th overall.
Leaderboard: Longest Ride
200s from across the country.
Top spot goes to Kabir Rachure from Maharashtra for the longest ride. He did a 273 km long ride!
Next up is Rupesh Bali from Chandigarh having done a 269 km long ride.
Third is Padma Kumar from Tamil Nadu, who did a 265 km long ride.
Leaderboard: Fastest
The top 60 have been riding at a seriously impressive pace.
Fastest of the lot is Adhi from Kerala who averaged an incredible 37.2 kmph over the week!
Second fastest for the week is Aravindh Panneerchelvam from Tamil Nadu whose weekly average is a fantastic 36.6 kmph.
Third is Mayank Tripathi from Canada averaging 35.3 kmph over the week.
Leaderboard: Queen/ King of the Mountain
The climbing leaderboard went to the Western Ghats of Goa.
Climber of the week is Rohan Gauns from Goa having climbed 6947 metres.
Second is Diptesh Kurtikar from Goa who climbed 5631 metres.
Third is Roving Rana from Haryana, who climbed 5397 metres during the week.
Join the Strava Club Today!
Week 177 update of the Cycling Monks Strava Group. Week ending 22nd October 2023.
Club Stats. 3110 members collectively rode 125269 km in 3486 rides, climbing 646274 metres in 5891 hours!
The number of members are up by 4 as compared to last week. The week saw everyone collectively ride less. With total distance, elevation gained, number of rides and time spent on the saddle were all down.
11 riders averaged more than 100 km a day.
8 rode 600s and 43 rode at least a 200.
67 averaged above 30 kmph for the week. 10 climbed more than 4000 metres… Incredible riding by everyone.
Kudos to all the riders who have been working hard on their saddles…
Leaderboard: Overall
11 riders averaged more than 100 km a day!
Rupesh Bali from Chandigarh was top of the charts. He rode an incredible 1346 km.
In second place is Sirajudeen from Kerala who rode 1174 km in the week. He was first last week.
Third spot is taken by Arun Kumar Krishnan from Kerala. He rode 957 km. He was second last week.
Leaderboard: Women
The women’s leaderboard has gotten easier this week. To be in the top 10, you needed to ride 189+ km…
There are 13 women in the top 100 this week, 1 more than last week.
Pradnya Bhadang from Maharashtra was top of the charts this week. Riding an incredible 437 km. She is 38th overall. She was second last week.
Next up is Hema Dhakad from Madhya Pradesh. Who rode an impressive 371 km. She is 57th overall.
Third is Vaishali Pawar from Maharashtra who rode 365 km. She is 63rd overall.
Leaderboard: Longest Ride
8 600s from around India.
Top spot goes to Tushar Doke from Maharashtra for the longest ride. He did a 628 km long ride!
Next up is NH Nandu from Karnataka having done a 612 km long ride.
Third is Sanjaykanth N from Karnataka, who did a 611 km long ride.
Leaderboard: Fastest
The top 67 have been riding at a seriously impressive pace.
Fastest of the lot is Imaad Sait from Tamil Nadu who averaged an incredible 38.3 kmph over the week!
Second fastest for the week is Mayank Tripathi from Canada whose weekly average is a fantastic 37.7 kmph.
Third is Shravann Vaidun from Tamil Nadu averaging 37 kmph over the week.
Leaderboard: Queen/ King of the Mountain
The climbing leaderboard went to Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu.
Climber of the week is A Chandrababu from Andhra Pradesh having climbed 9226 metres. He did a Full Everesting.
Second is Rohan Gauns from Goa who climbed 9186 metres. He was first last week.
Third is Pavan Kumar Reddy from Karnataka, who climbed 6889 metres during the week.
