Themed around the flavors of coastal districts of Karnataka, this 300 km event ‘Namma Kudla 300 km Brevet’ took riders on simple yet challenging terrains of the region, covering the lively cities of Mangalore, BC Road, Mani, Padubidri, Karkala, Nitte, Kaup, Udupi, Brahmavara, Kumbashi & Koteshwara.
28 cyclists had registered for the event. 24 riders began the ride, including 2 riders from Cochin, 2 from Udupi and rest from Mangalore. The event was flagged off at 6.00am, from Taj Cycles Kankanady.
The first stretch of 64 km ride from Mangalore to Mani & back was quickly covered by the riders within 3 hours and the next 35 km to Padubidri in 2 hours. The ordeal began when riders started attempting the Padubdri - Karkala route, as the riders were caught by the scorching heat, cross winds and the rolling terrains offered by this route. Few experienced riders completed this 56 km stretch within 3 hours and most others as long as 5 hours, just within the cut-off time for this mid-way control point!!
As the sun started setting down, the riders regained their lost energy and started pedaling hard towards the final check point at Koteshwara, another 55 km stretch, which was required to be crossed before the cut-off time of 8.00pm. The final stretch of 90 km from Koteshwara to Mangalore on NH66 kept the riders on their toes and every one rushed to complete the Brevet before 2.00am.
Out of 24 riders who began the ride, 17 completed within the cut-off time, 3 riders couldn’t complete due to various reasons. 4 riders who were slow and steady, did not lose their heart, but completed the Brevet beyond the official cut-off time of 20 hours for a 300 km Brevet. Despite being early hours, the organizers, volunteers & family members of the riders waited for the last rider to finish and kept cheering and motivating the riders.