Winter destination for road biking (Thailand vs Spain)

pollnow

Thinking of getting away from the Swedish winter, leaving for somewhere warmer in the middle of October and be away for at least 3 months. Probably more. To do mostly road biking. Spent some time in Girona in April and liked the place a lot, and had almost decided to head there for the autumn/winter, but have now also got some advice of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in Thailand as good places for winter training. Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai would definitely be cheaper in cost of living and less hassle of finding a affordable accommodation, but not sure of it having as many options of routes as Girona. Does anyone have any advice?

I found this article about road cycling in Ching Mai that made it sound really good:
http://cyclingtips.com.au/2013/05/cycli ... nd-beyond/

bernithebiker

I went cycling up the local mountain on a hotel bike in Chiang Mai last Xmas. Pretty good fun, and it's also good for MTB.

But, traffic is busy and dangerous. Think the Thai baht has come down now, but it wasn't THAT cheap when we were there.

Given that flights for Spain would be cheaper, I'd prefer that.

jameses

Wouldn't have thought Thailand would be great for cycling - poor road surfaces (on the whole), limited route options, little consideration from local drivers and quite hot and humid (although winter is less humid, I think). Great food, though!

Dippydog2

Majorca

negativelycra

OP,
Have you been to Thailand? The road standards are not really anything you can compare to Europe.

To be honest, I found riding in a taxi / bus scary enough, never mind being buzzed close by one. The concept of "personal space" doesn't exist on Thai roads so close passes are inevitable. Personally, I can't imagine a road cycling holiday would be good there.

Deffo go to Thailand for a normal holiday tho - it's such a marvelous place. The people, surroundings and totally different way of life are just fab.

thegreatdivide

Mallorca is full of cyclists so mainland Spain.

homers_double

JamesEs wrote:

Wouldn't have thought Thailand would be great for cycling - poor road surfaces (on the whole), limited route options, little consideration from local drivers and quite hot and humid (although winter is less humid, I think). Great food, though!

Pretty much this.

I went to Thailand a few years ago and whilst it a spectacular place and definitely on my list of places to go back to I wouldn't want to go vycling there.

Not sure how readily available spares would be as well, the Thai standard of bike is quite low.

handful

You'd get a better post ride massage in Thailand

mekong_velo

Hi, I live and cycle in Thailand around four months of every year, the link in your original post sums up the cycling scene in Chiang Mai and Thailand pretty well and is very accurate in my experience. It is, at this time a relatively unknown destination for cycling, there are plenty of locals and expats in numerous clubs especially around Chiang Mai and to a lesser extent Chiang Rai areas, the clubs are growing all the time as road riding is really taking off in Thailand just now.

Try and meet up with a local club they will make you really really welcome and on the whole are pleased to have visitors ride with them. I'm a member of Nakhon Phanom Cycling Club and have a great time when out on the road with them. The mountains in the North of Thailand (if they are your thing) nearly rival the best Europe can offer, loads of routes in and around the area.

Although I agree that the major cities in Thailand are very congested and not really cycling friendly, if you get out onto the quieter rural roads then it is a different world altogether. I think the roads are in far better condition than the UK's (well certainly better than the NE of Scotland). The road accident statistics for Thailand are horrific, but I honestly find the Thai drivers far more considerate and display far less road rage than their UK counterparts, giving me plenty of room when passing.

Yes it is very hot and humid, but you will be arriving just as the cool season (relatively) is about to begin. Just keep your liquid levels well topped up with stopping for extra water etc. As you stated the accommodation and food are far cheaper there especially if you eat the fantastic local grub. Flights will obviously be more expensive, but I think on the whole for a three month visit it will work out cheaper. Loads of bike shops all over the place for spares etc, and local labor is very cheap if you can't do your own repairs.

Book for North Thailand you won't regret it and will have a fantastic three months cycling. I might be up that way in a couple of weeks myself, still to confirm though.

If I can be of any further help, just drop me an PM.

Regards

mrbenj

Great to read opinions on Thailand road cycling from people who haven't been to Thailand OR haven't been there to cycle I've visited Thailand for 7 winters and spent a month in Chiang Mai in January this year specifically to go Road cycling. My thoughts are follows:

1. The cycling in the Chiang Mai area is brilliant. There is plenty of flat riding on quiet roads and LOADS of fantastic climbing to do (also on quiet roads). There are long semi-alpine climbs (e.g. 10 miles) and shorter steep climbs (up to 25% in places). There are some fantastic day rides from Chiang Mai (message me for details and routes if you go), the Samoeng Loop being a classic with many others to go at.
2. Road Safety. Outside the city and in the hills or lanes the roads are quiet and, in my experience, safe. Traffic is relatively slow and drivers considerate. In the city traffic is also slow and the traffic law of 'go anywhere you like at anytime' seems to apply. Highways between cities are to be avoided at all costs (both on a bike or in a vehicle). Thailand has the 3rd highest road deaths in the world and most of these seem to involve highways with vehicles travelling at speed. I never cycled on a highway and would only travel by air for internal country travel.
3. Road Surfaces. On the whole road surfaces are good (similar quality to the Lake District, where I live) but nowhere near as good as Mallorca or France. They are probably slightly less predictable than the UK i.e. the road surface changes may be unexpected and for sure it's important to be alert. I didn't find this a significant problem.
4. Other cyclists. I travelled to Thailand on my own and discovered a local cycle group online. I made contact before I departed and this was a great source of local cyclists. There were people riding everyday at a range of paces, some very fit and semi-pro. They were all American or European and very welcoming to someone visiting. I'm happy to send you details of the group.
5. Weather. Every day in January was sunny, 25C and no wind! Nothing else need be said. November and December will be cooler for sure. February would be OK too but from the end of Feb there are lots of fires as locals burn scrub/bush, the air quality deteriorates and the temperature increases.
6. Food. As someone has already said, the food is awesome. Super healthy if you want it. Chaing Mai has a very international cuisine and I found great Italian and Mexican as well as traditional Thai.
7. Massage - plenty of it around although it's traditional Thai massage which is different to a sports massage. I searched around and managed to get a reasonable sports massage (cost £5)
8. Costs. It's still very reasonably priced. Ensuite room in the city £10 per night (and it's nice). Meal in a restaurant for £3.
9. Coffee. The North of Thailand produces a lot of coffee and coffee culture is big in Chiang Mai. Great espresso everywhere
10. Bike shops. You'll get any spares you need in the city (as well as plenty of 'replica' team kit!)