The Tour of Nilgiris (TfN), an eight-day-long cycling expedition through 950 km across Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, was flagged off on Sunday in Mysuru.

One hundred and ten cyclists will pedal across Hassan, Kushalnagar, Sulthan Bathery, Udhagamandalam (Ooty) and Kalpetta before returning to Mysuru on December 16. The participants, including a total of 23 international cyclists, will pedal through the pristine Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve across the Western Ghats.

After Mysuru City Police Commissioner A. Subrahmanyeswara Rao flagged off the expedition at Hotel Rio Meridian, the cyclists pedalled towards Hassan, about 125 kms away, via K.R. Nagar and Holenarsipura. After staying overnight at Hassan, they will pedal to Kushalnagar. On the last day, they will pedal back to Mysuru from Kalpetta, a distance of 133 kms, a press statement from RideACycle Foundation (RAC-F), expedition organiser, stated.

“The tour gives cyclists an opportunity to not only experience nature but also test their endurance as pedalling the chosen terrain is a task by itself,” said co-founder of RAC-F Deepak Majipatil. Further, he said, TfN, over the years has evolved as a training ground for budding cyclists to hone their skills in the presence of international cyclists. “The ever growing participation of international cyclists clearly points to fact that TfN has obtained the recognition of cycling community and found a place on the global cycling calendar. Likewise, in the domestic circuit, Tour of Nilgiris is hailed as mother of all tours which offers cyclists the experience they crave for,” he added.