Bangkok to Phuket

After my plan to cross America on a bike becomes more concrete, I had to test many things. This includes

• my gravel bike itsself

• how my body reacts to a week of uninterrupted cycling

• what pain occurs when and where

• how much luggage is reasonable and realistic

• how many daily kilometer are reasonable

• how mountains limit my daily mileage

• etc. etc.

For this reason, I rescheduled my trip to this year's training camp Thanyapura in Thailand and instead of flying from Frankfurt via Bangkok to Phuket, I got off in Bangkok, set up my bike, sent my luggage to the training camp straight from Bangkok airport. Stayed overnight at the airport hotel and was then ready for the adventure 900 km through Thailand the next morning.

Originally, it was planned to do this trip in 7 daily stages with 1 or 2 days break. But when I got the message from the camp that the 30th edition of the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon was taking place on Sunday 17th, I had to cut down the itinerary to arrive on time on Friday already. The relaxing days were therefore cancelled. Bringing my flight forward was not an option.

Below I will share impressions of the trip, but before I share some essential findings.

• The gravel bike is perfect for that purpose.

• Luggage is also not too much of a burden, although every single piece of clothing has to be double-checked if really necessary before it is packed.

• A power bank to be able to constantly charge electronic devices such as navigation, mobile phone etc. is indispensable, even if it weighs 800 g. It gives a better feeling to know you are not in danger to loose suddenly orientation just before batteries are empty.

• The exact GPS data, that I am used from cycling in Europe is not available. So the garmin can show the planned path, but it cannot adjust dynamically. This is important to know. So knowing where you go before you leave is essential.

• My big question as to whether my knee can withstand my meniscus surgery in summer '23 is answered unreservedly with yes. No pain, on the contrary, all minor aches and pains were resolved after the trip.

• How much I can expect my butt, on the other hand, is unanswered. Not taking breaks was definitely not helpful. So there will definitely be a rest day in the US after 3 days of riding.

• Daily distances of 200 to 230 km, as I do with the road bike, are not realistic. It's easy to plan such long stages sitting at your desk, but implementing them on the saddle is a big challenge that also degenerates into stress when you have to keep moving - and the slightest break triggers a guilty conscience since I don't intend to ride in the dark.

• Taking coffee breaks, other interruptions, red lights, traffic, detours, road work, breakdowns, etc. I only get an average of 15 – 20 km per hour. I had assumed much more. I deliberately didn't turn off my watch during interruptions to determine the realistic cut.

• Searching for the booked accommodation was associated with extreme time losses and additional kilometers. The address from booking.com must be transferred directly to Komoot so that the navigation system CLEARLY leads to the destination. This sounds weird, but don't forget many addresses are in Thai letters that I can't read. So copy and paste is the best option.

• If you have a pre-booked daily destination, sufficient time should be used on the evening before the stage. At the end of my 2nd stage, I searched for an hour, asked different people in different hotels and drove in circles for about 10 km until I found the beach hotel somewhere 2 km inland 😊

• Don't put a backpack with valuables - even if it is not much - on your shoulders. It will cause neck pain very fast. Buckle it up to your other luggage so you can take it easily when leaving the bike.

One question that remains is how I organize running and swimming training in these 2 months. After all, I intend to compete in the Hamburg Ironman one week after returning. Probably I have to plan my running training schedule and move the bike stages around that, knowing 100 km easy is like recovery workout. Here in Phuket, I already noticed during the 12 km run as part of the triathlon thatcycling is not compensating for a deficiency in running

Arrival in Bangkok

Obviously I travelled with my bike and a large suitcase for my stay in the camp. When arriving in Bangkok my bike arrived on time - the case was lost 🤦‍♂️The most inappropriate moment that this could happen. All my stuff for the trip was inside. I couldn't wait some days until they find it somewhere. So I claimed heavily at "lost and found" and explained the situation. People were very helpful and identified my suitcase at another terminal in Bangkok. So with an hour delay and tripple adrenalin I collected everything and tried to find an appropriate and reliable freight forwarder. Yes, I could have managed that in advance, and I did so. But two days before the trip my mobile phone broke and I had to use an older one, so all hardcopies I prepared were lost.

Many transport services were available but nobody could garantee arrival of my luggage within 7 days at Phuket. Most of them ship only into surroundings of Bangkok. So I ended up at the Thai National Post. That is known as a reliable service, but hard to find in the airport. After 3 hours finally I got rid of my stuff and checked into the airport hotel, tired from a sleepless 12 hours flight from Europe.

The Novotel at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.

After a good night and very early breakfast I planned to leave full of motivation at sunrise. I had to overcome 6 hours of jetlag somehow anyways.

After riding the first 4 km I arrived at the only airport exit and had to notice that only highways are available, forbidden for bikes, police all around. This would not necessarily hinder me to go there, but it was super dangerous. I couldn't believe that, it was not visible on all my apps when I did the planning. So I googled again, and indeed, NO ROUTE for bikes. What to do? Back to the terminal and taking a train to get out of the airport. But during rush hour no bikes allowed. I was not up so early to waste 3 hours for that. So the only remaining option was a cab. One that could take my bike.

You need a ticket to get allocated to a car. It is an efficient system if you know how it works. But I had to figure it out. Took another 20 minutes. So after all that hassle I decided to use the taxi to drive me around Bangkok and drop me only after the worst traffic jams. Otherwise I may have missed my first day target.

Somewhere in that area I got dropped and finally my trip could really start

First stage to Phetchaburi (130 km)

After having skipped the first part, I had unexpected time. Those floating markets in Amphawa seemed worth a detour.

Very nice stay in a small hotel run by a local family. Very nice people, I promissed to recommend them, here we go

Nice small city Phetchaburi with a very recommendable restaurant.

Second day to Khiri Khan via Hua Hin. Breakfast break in Cha-Am

The first reasonable coffee since Bangkok

I was completely surprised by the great quality of the bike tracks. At least 50% of the entire way for bicycle only. And almost no traffic in the countryside anyways.

After 40 km through open fields under the sun I was almost running out of water. So happy to find these nice small stations.

Arrival on day 3 in a nice resort

Ready for day 4 until Chumphon 156 km. A nice day with an unexpected detour. Komoot was missleading for the first time. It suggested to pass a national park, the entrance was open but no exit could be passed in the jungle, finally 12 km retour and took the highway to be on the safe side.

Some unexpected obstacles due to heavy rain the days before

In the evening I arrived pretty tired at my destination

And took a relaxing dinner

Sunrise was good for a swim in the Golf of Thailand

Followed by nice Thai breakfast

This morning I had to make a difficult decision. The next stage to Surat Thani was about 200 km and a detour somehow anyhow. On the other hand, many local people asked where I go and most of them recommended to pass through the national Park of Khao Sok. That was another bigger detour. So I decided to call a driver who would carry me 160 km. It was against my plan to do the full way on my bike. but I did several detours and I had to arrive on time to have at least 2 days to recover before the triathlon. So I asked to be dropped at Surat Thani airport where I then can continue westbound to the other coast.

The detour was definitely worth the effort. So much, that I even returned the 160 km from Thanyapura the week after and spend more time there (The pictures on Lake Cheow Lan were taken then)

The final stage led me through the famous Phang Nga area until I arrived at the camp Thanyapura

The real tour was the above. It covered 840 km riding (including all detours) plus two taxi tours. In the morning of day 5 I covered 2 hours in a taxi to be able to spend some extra time in the Khao Sok area.

In Detail:

Day 1: 118 km, 130 m elevation gain, Hotel Sweet Dreams

Day 2: 116 km, 220 m, The Beach Village Resort

Day 3: 134 km, 570 m, SiraRun Resort

Day 4: 154 km, 730 m, The Nest

Day 5: 107 km, 620 m, Green Village Resort

Day 6: 124 km, 1100 m, Doisky PhangNga

Day 7: 55 km, 310 m , Thanyapura

Where I can relax, train and get fresh clothes as my luggage was there on time

Ready to join the Thanyapura Triathlon team

And race at the legendary Laguna Phuket triathlon

And attend a great after race party with our team mates