3 year ago – 9th February 2019, we cycled from Chennai to Pondicherry. Even thought it has been 3 years since the ride, the experience is still fresh in my mind. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly of this ride.
Ride stats of Chennai to Pondicherry cycling trip
Distance: 131.77 km
Elevation gain: 237 meters (pretty flat ride)
Moving time: 4:41:26
Elapsed time: 6:40:43
The good
- The road from Chennai to Mahabalipuram is a lovely 4 lane highway with a hard shoulder which means cyclists can ride in relative peace
- The section from Mahabalipuram to Pondicherry is lined with trees, so you get to ride in the shade, at least early in the morning
- There are a lot of coconut water vendors, so a refreshing drinks isn’t far away
- There are a lot of cyclists riding between Chennai and Mahabalipuram, so you don’t feel alone and it’s nice to see fellow cyclists en-route
- It is fun to ride inside Pondicherry early in the morning
- I had a great weekend because I was cycling with friends and we had a good time in Pondicherry drinking beer, enjoying thin crust pizzas from a wood fired oven and chilling
The bad
- The highway between Chennai and Mahabalipuram has no trees and hence even early in the morning, you’ll get roasted wihle riding
- Even though you’re on the coastal road, you don’t get to see the sea for 95% of the ride. There are a few short sections where you’ll get a small glimpse of the sea
The ugly
- Between Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry, the highway is single lane. Traffic isn’t the best and oncoming vehicles kept pushing us off the road
- Traffic is heavy on this 90 km section
- No hard shoulder between Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry, so we were forced off the road multiple times in this section
Overall impression of cycling from Chennai to Pondicherry
My impression of the ride is summed up by the question – Will I do this ride again? Nope. I won’t. Unless the state of the highway changes drastically. Even then, I’m not convinced that this is a ride worth repeating.
If you’re keen on doing this ride, do head over to my Strava profile to see the stats of the ride. Best of luck, and enjoy your ride 🙂
Done this ride or have questions about this ride? Do share your thoughts/ comments/ questions below.