A day-by-day cycling story shaped by new roads, shared effort and the changing landscapes of Thailand.
A good challenge starts with the right questions. Use the ideas below to understand the experience, shape your preparation and decide what will work for you or your group.
What to consider
There is no single approach that suits everyone. Think about your goals, experience, available time and the kind of support that will help you enjoy the journey.
Thailand Blog by Cedric!
Hello, remember me? I am Cedric the Challenge Central mascot. At just over 4 years old, here is a picture of my debut to this world. With my special hiking boots, I have climbed Ben Nevis, Scafell, Snowdon (and many more of the Welsh 3000’s), Carrantoohill and Kilimanjaro…
Thailand Cycling Tour - Day 1
Our Thailand adventure officially gets underway today with an evening out to get to know each other and meet the full support team. After meeting at the hotel reception at 7pm we take short walk to the ferry port for a cruise down the river to a local hotspot for some delicious Thai food and few drinks. One of the best things about having Thai guides supporting the challenge is that they order a wide range of tasty food that we’d never be brave enough to order ourselves!
Thailand Cycling Tour - Day 10
It has been a truly awesome adventure from start to finish and everyone has thoroughly enjoyed cycling through Thailand. The ride today was pretty straight forward, with only gentle undulations, no rain, not too much sun and only 60 miles, which we now consider a short distance.
Thailand Cycling Tour - Day 2
The day we have been waiting for arrived today with our group’s first chance to experience cycling in Thailand. After a carb-loading breakfast, we met with the entire support team at the hotel reception at 9am to load the minibus with all our kit. As Bangkok is such a busy city, cycling out of the capital would simply be a nightmare! The cycling therefore starts a couple hours away in a city called Hua Hin. The minibus journey was broken up with a short stop at a historic cave in Petchaburi where monkeys are running around freely!
Thailand Cycling Tour - Day 3
We kicked the day off with a buffet breakfast overlooking the beautiful lake that the Thai bungalows are surrounding. The second shortest day of the cycle tour allowed a later start time of 9am compared to the rest of the week, so we made the most of the extra time by fuelling ourselves with extra coffee! Heading south along the east coast of the country, we were treated to continuous flat and fast roads whilst viewing some spectacular sea views. It didn’t take very long until the hustle and bustle of Hua Hin faded away to a different quiet and rural Thailand.
Thailand Cycling Tour - Day 4
With the two shortest days of the cycle tour complete, our 68-mile journey today was our first big test. After the overcast weather yesterday, which resulted in a rather wet ending, we experienced the opposite today with sunshine throughout the cycle.
Thailand Cycling Tour - Day 5
For the fourth consecutive days, our mileage has increased up to today’s distance of 86-miles; plus a few more miles for some members of the group who missed a turning! Another solid day of riding through this fascinating country, where we could have counted on two hands the number of cars we saw on the wide and gently undulating roads.
Thailand Cycling Tour - Day 6
Chilled day today for the team to recuperate after cycling 243 miles over the past four days. A later than normal breakfast was followed by a special treat in the form of a Thai cooking class provided by one of the Thai guides. It’s amazing how many different flavours can be incorporated into a single dish with fresh and local ingredients.
Thailand Cycling Tour - Day 7
The longest and toughest day today as the team cycled across the country with a whopping 91-miles over undulating terrain. Moving from the east to the west coast of Thailand we used a busier main road than previous days but there was barely a vehicle that didn’t beep us with encouragement as we pumped out the miles.
Thailand Cycling Tour - Day 8
78 exhausting and very wet miles completed today as we move closer to our final destination in Phuket. Huge contrast in weather compared to yesterday, as it literally hasn’t stopped raining all day! Despite the constant and relentless rain, the team opted to miss lunch and push through to the resort.
Thailand Cycling Tour - Day 9
After a wonderful night in the forest with a collection of unique noises making us feel like we were deep in the jungle, we set off on our way for the penultimate section of the tour. The rain wasn’t as bad as yesterday but it was pretty consistent once again, not that it slowed us down with another 17+ miles per hour group average.
Thailand Cycling Tour - Pre Challenge
I absolutely love Thailand, it is such a welcoming, varied and fun country to travel in. With Challenge Central’s first organised cycling tour to Thailand, I’ve taken the opportunity to spend a few extra days before and after the cycling begins. Apart from eating Thai food and drinking beer in Bangkok with the Challenge Central crew, I’ve also visited the Grand Place, been measured by a tailor and had my muscles annihilated from a Thai massage.
Make it work for you
Routes, conditions and participant needs vary. Build up progressively, use the information supplied for your chosen challenge and speak to our team whenever you need help understanding the next step.