Tour de Thailand - Bicycling in Thailand Forum

This Saturday there will be a group of us riding from Bangkok to Ayutthaya to enjoy a 90 KM casual ride along some back country roads to the  former Capital of Siam.  We will meet at the Mo Chit BTS Station at 8:30 and attempt riding off at 9:00 AM.  We will start with about 20-25 KM on roads with some moderate traffic until we get past the old Don Muang Airport and then take small back roads from there.  We will plan on having rest stops every 20 to 25 KM for drinks and snacks, and lunch is scheduled at Bang Pa-In Royal Summer Palace where we will take some time to tour the grounds and eat across from the entrance.  This is just a group of friends getting together to go for a casual ride with most of us riding mountain bikes at a moderate pace.  There is NO CHARGE for this ride but you are responsible for yourself.  The plan is to take the Train back to Bangkok on either the 4:00 PM train or the 7:00 PM train (both have cargo cars to hold our bicycles). 

Riders will need to bring money for the following:

• Train ticket
  Cargo fee for bicycle
  Money for water, snacks, lunch, and other refreshments.
  Getting home from Hua Lampong Train Station in BKK (or ride).
  Entrance fee for Bang Pa-In Palace - if you care to see it's beauty.
  We may pitch in to rent a shower to rinse off at a local guest house.
  

 
I will be carrying pannier bags with a few mountain bike inner tubes (26 X 1.95), a pump, and some other basics.

Riders may want to bring a change of clothes for the train ride back.

It will be fun and touristy with a good exercise built in. 

200-500 baht should be more than enough unless you drink a lot of beer after you ride or want to buy souvenirs or massage.

*This is not a Tour de Asia event, but if someone would like to rent a bicycle or buy a Tour de Thailand jersey they can do so in advance.

Please come and join us for a ride!

As of today (25/07/07), there are the following riders signed up for Saturday's Ride to Ayutthaya:

Christopher Byrd     081-173-5549
Vic Rollins         +1-215-353-6672
Romain Lalouette    081-903-3986
John Bern              081-258-3580
Scott Coates         087-035-0705
Khun Nerice
Craig
Peter Friar             087 126-1702
Dr. Gilles Baenziger  081-554-6426
Laurie Osborne       089-550-0287
Daniel Boon            089-810-6200
John Gram

Wow!!!  Saturday's ride was AWESOME!!!  We ended up being a group of 9 and it was a great day for a ride.  Traffic was light and very receptive to "Farang" riding bikes, which is the norm here in Thailand.  As an American I am used to people honking and screaming "get off the road".  Or as Vic said, "they throw beer bottles and other things at you in the States".  I have to admit that even after being here for over 5 years I still can't get the fear out of my system from when I rode back home and got abused constantly.  When someone honks at me here I turn and expect to have words with them or fear being forced off the road, but instead they are waiving at me and smiling while saying "hello", "good-good", or even "I love you".  Once again, we reaffirmed that Thailand is one of the best places in the world to ride a bicycle (outside of Bangkok). 

We all made new friends, had a great time, got to see Ayutthaya and Bang Pa In Palace, and got some much needed exercise (for me at least).  By the time I got home my bike computer had calculated 100 KM and it was a great reconnaissance trip for future 2 day tours to Ayutthaya.

I would like to thank everyone that came along as well as their comments:

Vic Rollins - "Great day yesterday.  Epic, I'd say!"
John Berns
John Graham - "Had a blast on the ride to Ayutthaya!"
Tabitha Davis
Peter Friar
Laurie Osborne - "Thanks again for a very memorable day!"
Romain Lalouette
Dr. Gilles Baenziger

Though it was an all-around great trip, we all agree that it will be better if we make it a 2-day tour for tourists and let them spend more time in Ayutthaya.  We plan to list this as a Tour de Asia tour for both locals and incoming visitors but with some added amenities and support to really enhance the experience.

Stay tuned for some Ayutthaya to Bangkok photos and more future ride information as we put it together.

Cheers,

Chris

Just to let everyone know that I arrived home safely but have had to spend the past two days in bed with a bad tummy bug. Looking forward to riding with you all again soon.

Would anyone be doing this again?