Image credit : Illustrative image

Coimbatore : As many as 110 cyclists will pedal over 950 km through the pristine Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve across Western Ghats from December 9 during the 11th edition of Tour of Nilgiris (TIN), the annual flagship event of RideACycle Foundation.

There are 29 international riders, including six women, from 13 countries winding through Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the eight-day tour, which concludes on December 16.

Starting from Mysuru, the cyclists will pass through Hassan, Kushalanagar, Sultan Bathery, Udhagamandalam (Ooty), Kalpetta and return to Mysuru.

On day four, while pedalling from Sultan Bathery to Ooty, the cyclists will climb the mighty Kalhatti Ghat, considered among the toughest cycling climbs in the world.

The eight-day tour will take them through breathtaking terrain, offering a myriad of natural sightings across different topography, including plains, coffee and tea plantations, three wildlife sanctuaries and mountains.

They would get to taste the unique regional cuisines and capture in their lens the beauty of Nilgiris Biosphere, a statement said.

Tour of Nilgiris epitomises ‘Experiencing Nature through Cycle’ and this would be no different, RAC-F co-founder Deepak Majipatil said.

There are seven cyclists from Denmark, four from the US, three each from Australia, Germany and the UK, two each from Belgium and Canada and one each from Austria, Greece, Malaysia, Philippines and Poland, he said.

The tour this year has attracted not only record international riders, but also 11 women cyclists both from India.

This year ‘Charity Riders’ will be pedalling for- Kenneth Anderson Nature Society, Sita Bhateja Speciality Hospital, Iksha Foundation and Vidyodaya School, among others.