Langkawi

APIII

I have a week's holiday at the end of November, and thinking it would be nice to go somewhere where I can ride my bike for a few hours a day while my wife sits by the pool. It worked quite well in Majorca during September, I'm wondering if Langkawi is any good? Obviously I'm aware of the terrain from watching the Tour of Langkawi on the telly, but I'm wondering how safe/pleasant it is to cycle there. I was in Penang a few years back and while it had some good climbs, the standard of driving by the locals was a bit of a joke :evil:

pollys_bott

Went to Langkawi for my honeymoon - it's a lovely place. I also thought that what I'd seen on the ToL was on the island but it wasn't - the lumpy stuff in the Tour (Genting Highlands I think) is actually on the mainland. Langkawi itself is pretty flat. There weren't an awful lot of cars about, it's not the richest place around...

airwise

I was there with my bike earlier in the year - took in the first stage of the Td L and rode around.

Roads were far better than British roads - traffic was quite noticeable however coming from the equally superb (but quieter) roads of SW Thailand.

The only issue was lack of routes. The climb in the centre of the island, Tanga Helang Seribu Kenangan , is a real challenge given the temperatures and the humidity. I found tropical riding to be great providing I was moving through the air quickly enough. The climb which features countless 10% + ramps made this really hard and ranked alongside any of the climbs I've done in the Alps and Dolomites for sheer hardship!

pollys_bott

I stand corrected :oops:

The wife has reminded me that we went on a cable car ride up a mountain, so there are clearly a couple of decent peaks on Langkawi. Genting Highlands definitely on the mainland though, and can recommend the Tanjung Rhu Hotel.