Cycling around Sapa
Visiting Sapa — the gateway to Fansipan, Vietnam and Indochina’s tallest peak — used to be on my bucket list. But over the past years since I gave up trekking and engaged more in bike riding, the small mountain town in northeastern Vietnam was edged out of the list by numerous other destinations. Recently, however, Sapa was once again blinked on my radar.
News about the Vietnam Mountain Bike Marathon (VMBM), a stage race set to take place in and around Sapa on Nov 4-6, was what brought my attention back to the area. Nope, I have no intention to compete in the event, knowing full well my fitness level is far from being up to the task. But the beautiful trails as shown in the photos and video on VMBM’s Facebook page and website were so tempting I was keen on checking them out.
The opportunity came when Thai budget airline Nok Air recently invited me to join a press trip to Vietnam, which did not require that I follow the set itinerary. With one full day in Sapa to spend on my own, I contacted David Lloyd, one of the key men in the VMBM organising team, and said I would love to see the trails. And he was kind enough to show me around. David explained to me that the November bike marathon will consist of three stages. The first, covering a distance of 55km, will take place in the mountains northwest of Sapa; the second, 68km, in the even taller mountains southeast of the town; and the last stage, 30km, in the hills right on the southern edge of the downtown area.
Many visitors choose to take a Sapa village tour to get around the poetic town and learn about the local enticing life.
With my limited time, and more importantly my minuscule amount of climbing prowess, David and his buddy Matt Larkin led me to try the first section of Stage 2 that was not too tough for a lame rider like me. The great news was that at the end of the section, there is a long downhill single track, which they knew I would enjoy.
We began our two-wheeled journey from Topas Ecolodge, a mountain resort 45 minutes’ drive from the town. To make sure everything would be okay throughout the ride, Kien, David’s Vietnamese colleague, also accompanied us on a motorcycle, which as I later found out was such a blessing.
The mountain road boasts picturesque scenery, with Sapa’s world famous terraced paddies of hilltribe farmers carved on almost every hillside along the way. It’s a pity most of the rice had already been harvested and it was raining that morning. Still, the air was super fresh and the view was awesome. However, as the ascent got steeper, my focus was on trying to survive the climb. But Kien and his motorcycle always came to my rescue. Well, it wasn’t race day so nobody was bothered by my cheating.
After reaching the highest point of the section, I was more comfortable since the roads began to descend. At a hilltribe village, we shifted onto a single track that runs along the hillside down into a valley. Because of the rain, the surface was so muddy and slippery we could not go down at full speed as planned. Luckily, there’s a stream at the bottom of the valley where we could wash the muddy gunk off the wheels.
After lunch, Matt took me to the downhill section of Stage 3, which was very technical and challenging. There was even a point where he was considering it might be necessary, for safety reasons, to require that every race participant get off their bikes and walk.
The VMBM will be held in three weeks. It will take place over three days, but the fact remains that even after the event it will continue to be a wonderful place for mountain cycling in Sapa. Besides, after having had enough of riding you can also visit the legendary 3,143m summit of Fansipan without the need to trek for days as before, thanks to the recently opened cable car service.
Well, see you here again next Thursday. Until then, if you have questions, news or biking insights you wish to share, please feel free to send an email to pongpetm@bangkokpost.co.th or go to Freewheel Bangkok community page on Facebook.
1 Comment