After reaching the highest spot in Thailand atop Doi Inthanon on the first day, day 2 was about climbing more on the ride from Mae Chaem to Mae Sariang.
After breakfast we started riding at 8:30am. As we got out of Mae Chaem, there was a slight nip in the air. Whatever chills we were feeling in the initial meters quickly vanished as we hit the first hill within 5km of the start. The steep kickers woke up the legs and every muscle in the body.
The road was going either up or down. Most of the time it is sharply up or sharply down. There seemed to be no concept of flat roads in this part of the world. From the course gpx file, Garmin recognized 14 climbs for the day coming to about 2600m of total elevation gain.
The climbs in the first part of the course were short and steep followed by one long steady climb which was then followed by many smaller and gentler climbs. At no point on the course were we going above 1200m of elevation which meant there were as many downhills as there were uphills.
After negotiating the first five kickers in the first 25km, we had about 10km of downhill. Just as I was about to start the downhill, I got a call from Krish Basu, informing me that the support van broke down and asking me to stop at the first rest stop at the 36km mark at a riverside cafe called Nita Cafe and ask others to stop there as well.
The setting was amazing with a giant tree in the middle of the cafe and a river flowing right next to it.
As most riders assembled at the cafe were indulging in cold coco, Krish arrived with more refreshments. The ever energetic Giri Yandamuri arrived with his friend Dr. Ashwin and informed us that it was Ashwin’s 40th birthday today. We broke into a quick birthday song and celebrated his birthday with cake and refreshments Krish got.
We started riding towards the first big climb of the day. The lunch spot was at the 60km mark after 10km of climbing at 5%.
I got into a nice rhythm on the steady climb and arrived at the lunch spot by 1pm. The lunch spot was a nice picnic spot called Bow Kaew Silvicultural Research Station Urban Forest.
After a leisurely lunch, we started riding. The next 45-50km had a fair bit of climbing before the last 20km which was a nice downhill. The places where there was no tree cover felt a little hot although the max temperature for the day was 33 degrees Celsius.
At 92km we had a coffee break to refuel before the home stretch.
After the cafe stop we still had about 14km with a few gentle climbs before the descent onto Mae Sariang.
Sampath and I rode together until the start of the downhill.
The Exhilarating Downhill!
The downhill started with a straight stretch of super fast road. I hit 75kmph and didn’t feel even slightly unsafe. I managed to stay close to Sampath till that stretch but he quickly disappeared soon after.
The downhill was a very nice flowing road with no sharp turns. So, it was easy to go fast safely. The road was in great condition as well. The downhill was all the more welcome after all the pounding the legs got in the last two days on the climbs.
At the end of the downhill before we entered the town, Sampath stopped and waited for me so that we could ride to the hotel together.
We rode to our stay in Mae Sariang, a beautiful riverside property called River House. It is a teak house built mostly of wood with a beautiful view of the river that flows right next to it.
What’s Ahead!
After nearly 5000m of elevation gain over two days, the legs will enjoy a well deserved rest day at Mae Sariang today. Tomorrow we ride to Kun Yuam with about 1700m of elevation gain over 97km of mostly rolling hills.
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You mentioned about the weather, Venky. Was it hot throughout or manageable?
MJV it was actually quite cool most of the time. Only hot at a few exposed sections of the climbs because we move at a much slower pace.