(as the author of the epic sierra cycling thread, a bit of a juxtaposition).
Having spent Munqe Chick's 30th in Morocco with Cycleactive (a holiday we regularly rave about and hawk pics for on here) the challenge was to find something similar for my 40th. After rave review from some old cycling buddies (who went to spain with us...) and occasional poster (and dive guide 🙂 ) Trimix, we went out to do the 10 day tour with Mike of mountainbikekerala.
Mike tweaked the itinerary and sorted out a couple of days of touristy stuff for us prior to the tour (so I spent my b'day relaxing on a houseboat). Mike met us at the airport, and there was a birthday card waiting in our hotel room.
We did the 10 day riding tour
http://www.mountainbikekerala.com/tours/mountain-bike-kerala
but as for most if it it was just me, MC and Mike, he took the opportunity to experiment, explore and tweak a bit. We forewent the big jungle last day ride as we were flying home that night.
the riding is terrific, lots of technical and flowing single track through exotic scenery, and each section of the holiday (based out of 3 sites) has a different flavour. MC preferred the first set out of Kuttikanam as it had a natural flow, compared to the other extreme of the Top Station ride which was a 40km road ride for a 2hr singletrack descent. I liked it all, and my sledge of an Alpine 160 with coil shock and lyriks wasn't too onerous on the climbs, and excelled on the descents. MC's 26lb 5" FS was perhaps better suited as an all-rounder. Mike rides an old Commy Meta 5.5 with oldish Bomber ETA, so I spent the whole time expecting some or all of it to implode underneath him....
Mike is really good company, Trimix described it as like riding with a mate which was a good summary. He is pretty much a one man band and uses local drivers, extra guides etc as and when. I was impressed when despite only being a threesome he gave MC a mobile in case we got separated (we also got whistles for emergencies) and he was almost apologetic not to have a second guide as a sweeper. We were joined for the weekend by fit, fast and 50 ex-US pat Rob, and Mike's non riding old buddy also called Mike. Every evening was spent sharing banter and setting the worlds to rights over Kingfishers, and exploring the local towns.
Despite his laid back demeanour, Mike obviously does a lot of work behind the scenes to make it work. It turned out he met us at the airport at stupid o'clock as his driver let him down, he had to re-arrange our house boat at the last minute, he loaned us cash when our cards didn't work, he loaned me armour when I randomly lost an elbow pad. The bikes were well packed on transfers with foam camping mats and sustained no damage, and Mike humoured my OCD comment about wanting to clean the bikes prior to bagging them up at the airport by getting his driver to get me a brush, shampoo and rags on the way there 😳 8)
A brilliant holiday, a really nice guy to spent time with who has put a lot of effort into plotting loops, and has become part of the community there to the extent he attended a memorial ceremony for a cafe owner who had passed away. I know a couple of STWers are contemplating a trip with him. If you haven't got it by now, we would recommend it! Just don't beat him at Cluedo.
A few pics
MC and Mike contemplate the view prior to a pinchflattastic descent
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workers in a tea plantation
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MC descends through a plantation
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me riding through a village
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MC on a hot steep climb
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tree house, home of intense Cluedo sessions
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Mike and me on easier (!) sections of the Top Station descent
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That looks ace, never though og going to India MTB'ing
What were the trails like? and what sort of altitudes did you ride?
Had the best holiday ever out there this time 3 years ago. Have been thinking about it this week and wishing I could get out there again, but will be a while yet. Hi mike if you're online, from nick and em
Looks bloody great.
Put more pics and words up please. India is so incredible anyway, mtbing there must have been amazing.
Yossarian, all my pics were on fotopic, so went pop about a year ago, but mike's gallery here has many pics from our trip... I can't praise mike, Kerala, or the trails out there highly enough http://www.mountainbikekerala.com/gallery/kerala-tours?nggpage=2
trails a mix of smoothish s/track, rocky s/track and double track. The Kuttikanam stuff is on your doorstep, the other areas involve some tarmac and in the Top Station descent a 2hr vehicle transfer as you finish in another state. This is the highest ride which IIRC was just over 2000m, so its not high altitude.
The Top Station descent is 2hrs of rocky bouldery hell or fun depending on your riding level and interests, Trimix did it on one of Mike's rental hardtails. I'd considered taking my Dialled Alpine due to the airline weight limit but I'm glad I didn't, it really is full sus territory.
Me n Mike got 2 pinchflats each on one descent but that was pretty much it for the holiday. MC got one slow overnight flat, when I replaced it we found she'd happily been riding 100grm Maxxis Flyweight tubes (grace vs brutality)...
Mike's driver Tampy has to be the most cautious, considerate native driver out there, India makes Thailand look like an Advanced Motorists meeting.
We were worried "delhi belly" might ruin the holiday but we were both fine, Mike has never had a client sick from food he's supplied. We always drank bottled water but Mike is happy drinking tap. The first venue is quirkily run down but feels like home and we actually preferred it to the posher more touristy hotels we stayed in. His other buddy Mike spends long winter hols out there and he was also great company, and got stuck in helping out so we grandly titled him Director of Logistics.
In the hills we were greeted by locals who would run out and test their limited English. Being blond and blue eyed MC got a lot of attention, men would openly stand and stare at her. Nothing sinister but good job she has a thick skin.
Assorted pics hastily uploaded. Mike and Rob have some nice ones they will hopefully send us.
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Never ridden in India, but its by far my fav country Ive been to. Its true it is a beautiful country in every way. Amazing place, unlike anywhere else.
As soon as my lad is old enough to have jabs and take antimalarials, were going back.
Defo reccommend as a place to go.
Nice exotic gnarr!
What was the tea like then?
good and lots of it. A few tea stops every day, some in very basic tin shacks where we and bikes drew a crowd. Did a quick tour of a factory too. Surprised how long the trees live, over 100yrs so there are plantations that date to the original colonial planting (apparently the quality drops off after 50 yrs though!).
MC wanted to try chai but that is a northern india tradition and she got blank looks. The curries are less heavy than northern curries (which are more akin to UK curry house food) and we got quite into curry for lunch and dinner. They do a perota (sp?) that is like a really light, fluffy version of a nan/roti bread which Mike introduced us to and we both became big fans of, UK nans will always seem stodgy in comparison.
I would also recommend pads/armour if you have it. MC had one silly off when she tried to get going mid-rock garden, I had 2 small wash outs, but less than crashing some of the trees and rocks hugging the trails are surprisingly hard, I had a bit of tea tree go straight thru the foam part of my dainese pads (stopped me getting cut/grazed though). Mike is concerned pics of padded riders might deter people, but I think if your'e into your riding enough to spend £500 on a flight to India, you know your riding limits and whether or not you need or want armour.
We were totally incommunicado for 2 weeks so it was a bit of a shock to go from 30C to the current UK conditions...
If anyone is considering it, Emirates fly direct to Cochin, and checked allowance is 30kg. A truck of an Alpine 160 in a planet X bag, with loads of carboard, bubble wrap + trail tools etc came in at just under that. I took all my riding kit and clothing in hand luggage (7Kg allowance which was enough for 3 of everything).
this is the pic that just showed as code, 3 bikes in the back of an auto-rickshaw with loads of foam padding. I have a real bugbear about bikes getting damaged in transit (crash damage is fine and goes with the territory, transit damage is pointless and normally more damaging as its sustained). Both mike and his driver were careful about packing and they survived multiple transfers completely unscathed.
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Shhhhhhh,
Don't tell everyone! I went to Kerala in 2005. The group I was in were the only tourists we saw for 3 weeks!!!!
Even when we went to Cochin - which smelt of poo. Lovely place though!
Lol at DrDomRob kind of thought the same!! Absolutley blinking fantastic holiday, loved every minute of it! I'm now on a mission to find parotta's in the UK (not that they will taste anything like the same). Mike is a fantastic guy and great to ride with, he's even a good laugh having lost at Cluedo (rematch Mike?). Definately worth every penny, you only need cash for evening meals and water/beer when out there. A 660ml bottle of Kingfisher (which would be near on £6 in the UK) was about £2 max) so we spent maybe £100 each for 2 weeks. Brilliant, get booking.
Thanks for posting, great write up and photos.
It looks like you had a great time and the riding looks good. I have to say that this is the sort of thing I could be very interested in, so I'll go and have a look at their web site.
That looks brilliant! I'm trying to coax the Mrs to Kerala, not neccessarily with the bike as she's a beach bum.
Does Mike do bike hire & day trips?
Mike will basically try to cater for anything. He does bike hire. Whilst we were there the ex-pat Rob joined us for 4 days. In November Trimix was working out in India for 2 weeks and he joined a tour for 3 days (and hired a bike). He will definately try to cater for people if it's possible. Piha if you have any questions once you've looked at the website feel free to drop us an e-mail. cannot recommend it enough.
This looks great. Spent Xmas in Kerala a couple of years back after going to a wedding. Beautiful place and an amazing amount of christmas decorations and carol singers! Went up to the hills but didn't have a bike - wish I had done some riding now.
I saw quite a lot of snakes and scary spiders in the mountains, which didn't please everyone. In the words of our brilliant 70-year old guide when asked if they were dangerous... "no they're not dangerous... but the venom can be deadly if they bite you" (said whilst gently flicking/irritating spider with binocular cord)
I found the food brilliant there, and I think that light fluffy roti you mention was the best bread I've ever tasted.
Great stuff...spent a few weeks in Kerala several years ago 😀
Beautiful place and an amazing amount of christmas decorations and carol singers
its known as Gods Own Country as its predominant religion is Christian (though apparently its a roughly a third Christian, Hindu and Muslim). Which apart from anything else means there's a lot of beef on the menu.
Saw a couple of snakes, usually vanishing into the bushes as we approached along the trail.
Excellent info and pictures - I'm really up for this - a lot of the people I work with and come into contact with in Doha are from Kerala and they are always saying how fantastic it is and how I must visit.
Your posts have helped make up mind especially as the flight time is short from ME - I've already looked at Mike's website!
Great write up. I cannot recommend Mike highly enough.
It was really like riding with a good mate, next time I go back to India for work I will spend some more time riding with him again. A brilliant balance of fun, adventure and support.
But Im not sure if I could do the Top station decent again on a HT, I missed my Covert a bit too much 🙂
Beautiful riding, great photos! I'm jealous; I could get the OH to go to Kerala, but not riding, as she doesn't do MTB 🙁
Actually, last time I was there, up in Shimla, I did think that some of the trails from the railway line down to Kalka looked like they'd be great for biking...
Trimix you need to get up to Kuttikanam and do the riding up there, which was our first 5 days, I preferred it a lot more just because it had a really nice swoopy flow! remember the first time we went to Woburn? It was like that! Grinning from ear to ear at discovering some superb trails. Misty Mountain resort is great too. But remember to brush up on Cluedo before you go!
Well Im due back there later this year, so I may well give Mike a call and arrange something.
Yeah, that swoopy singletrack we found was ace, I remember it well. And dont forget our chav spotting and chicken drumstick munching episode afterwards in Asda !
Forgot about ace trip to Asda, anyway back on course Kerala MTB awesome!
Saw a couple of snakes, usually vanishing into the bushes as we approached along the trail.
Awwwwww man Was about to convince Jo that we should go there on a busmans holiday next winter....I HATE snakes.....
Wont stop me though, got used to snakes (mostly grass) ones here in Italy.
Just one question, what size are their groups normally like? was it just you two on this trip? I guess it's cheap enough in India to accommodate just two people... and I also quite like the idea of a very small group or just two
Anyway thanks for sharing
When I went there it was just me and Mike for some days, one other rider for some of the time.
I seem to recall he dosent take large groups, but email him to be sure. He was very helpfull and friendly and fitted me into his itinery.
our group was 2 for most of the 10 days, joined by a 3rd client for a long weekend. We would/should (as far as Mike was concerned, not us) have had a second guide with us even on such a small group, he is training up a few local lads but the one scheduled to ride with us had last minute enforced plan changes. I got the impression most of his groups were small.
Don't be put off, in 10 days riding between us we had maybe 3 glimpses of snakes disappearing into the bushes as we approached, not exactly over-run with them! I guess the noise and vibration of approaching bikes is plenty of warning.
A couple of our riding buddies speak highly of riviera bike (I think they are having a return visit), shame 2012 is booked up for us as we are with bikeverbier this summer. 2013 on the cards then!
Will give Mike a shout later in the year, looking at his site a 14 day one would be great with relaxing thrown in, thats Christmas or new year sorted!
Hope to see you in 2013!
Buona serata!
Sounds interesting. Mrs B and myself have been on about going to Kerala for a while. I was wondering if I could add a few days with mtbKerala on at the end and that looks possible.
That looks great - I was talking with Mike about the possibility of a trip over Christmas but in the end I decided to "scratch a long term itch" by going to Nepal. Kerala is definitely on the radar for a visit at some time though!
my other half did a few months out there with a motorcycle company as a medic and she mentioned it was an amazing place. I think if we were to go i'd take my bike fo sho!
Oh Gary you should make the trip to Kerala this year instead! it was great.