Roller Coaster Country Roads

We started an hour earlier today to avoid as much of the heat as possible and another threat of rain that luckily held off. The first 35km were amazing on a tree lined not too busy highway that provided great shade. The shoulder was pretty bumpy, but we were able to ride away from it with cars and trucks giving us plenty of room. With our mirrors on our glasses we had enough time to respond from our rear view and only had to ride on the rough pavement a couple of times. We stopped on this highway for a coffee but unsuccessful in finding a breakfast option beside cakes and slices of pie that we didn’t want.

We had an option to stay on the highway or exit through backstreets that may or may not have been paved and we both said YES to the exit to enjoy the countryside. After 15 months of touring now, we know that our Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires and Specialized Diverge Bicycles are made for decisions just like this. It was the perfect exit as we pedaled through quaint little farming villages and dirt roads. At one point we had to turn around just to take a picture of the stunning mountains, clouds, pond, and beautiful lotus flowers.

At 43km we turned again and Tim said to me “this is where the rollers and climbing begins” and I said “WHAT?, I thought it was flat to Phuket”. We found a mom & pop store to load up our water bottles and finish the last 40km of this ride. It was beautiful scenery but those rollers were no joke with 6-8% grades, one after the other, after the other finally before reaching the last one that I said, “that’s not a roller, I’m walking”…and Tim agreed. At this point it was reaching 40 degrees Celcius with 70% humidity and we were both fried physically and emotionally with just 10km to go that felt like 💯.

As any cyclist knows, there can be numerous emotions that go into a long and even short ride depending on the weather, road conditions, rest stops, climbing (that I still hate after 2.5 years and Tim loves), and time spent in the saddle. We both need new padded shorts that I just ordered on Voler and had shipped to one of the carrots meeting us in Phuket. When you only have one pair of shorts that you wear 4-5 days a week, they tend to wear out quite quickly lasting us 6-8 months. We started with Voler and love the brand so much that it’s worth it to wait and get a good quality pair. 🙏🏻 for our taints though 🤭thank you. We had plenty of snacks and drank sufficient amounts of water we thought but both said we could definitely use more water and we will going forward. We grabbed a late lunch in the small highway town we settled into for the night and then relaxing in the room now until the sun goes down in an hour before we grab dinner and go to bed early. It’s the life a a cycle tourist that we love and hate at times on this amazing roller coaster ride around the world.

We love the use of these old sewing machines made into dining tables at restaurants and coffee shops all throughout Thailand.

This little guy let me pet him at our first rest stop for iced coffee, but then back away and wasn’t too sure about me. Maybe it was my sweaty scent?

A picturesque photo opportunity that we had to turn around for on the dirt road.

Tim in perfect form for the next rolling hill on the quiet country roads.

Our bungalow with a king bed and plenty of room inside for bike parking…500 Bhat ($15.67 USD).

Our Khao Soi chicken leg for lunch. It was just okay. We became a little too spoiled by our favorite one in Chiang Mai called Khao Soi Nimman that we ate at 3-5 times a week. 40 Bhat (94¢ USD)…so you can’t beat that.

A new electrolyte drink in our room that we needed after the long hot ride and it’s better than Gatorade. It will be easy to find now after we picked up more at the 7-11 nearby and it’s only 10 Bhat (31¢ USD)

Start Time & Temp. 7:20am, 23C (73.4F)
Saddle Time 4:15:35
Distance 83.8km (52 miles)
Elevation 771m (2529ft)
End Time & Temp. 1:05pm, 40.6C (105.1F)