From Chumpon to Pattaya. 700 kilometres. On a bike. That was the plan, and so it went. “Now we wait for next year,” said one the cyclists as he arrived at the Norwegian Seamen’s Church in Pattaya today, finishing off the annual Tour de Gulf of Thailand 2023.
22 November 2023, was the last day of the 10-day trip – and despite the last stretch from Chonburi to Pattaya being 93km long, the first cyclists arrived already at 11.27, just three and a half hours after the 8am departure.
A different way to experience Thailand
How was it? ScandAsia asked Gro Jørgensen, one of the participants who arrived at the church early.
“It’s been great, really. Because of this trip, we’ve just gotten to see parts of Thailand we perhaps never would have,” she replied.
Was it hard, physically?
“Nah… Even though I haven’t biked a lot prior to this, it’s definitely do-able. But of course, it’s not short distances,” she said. And it makes sense, because when other cyclists arrived, they were indeed sweaty – but not necessarily out of breath. They simply came with smiles on their faces, ready to chat with fellow participants over a drink before heading home.
To celebrate the finish line, the cyclists were met with pancakes, coffee and soda at the church. But besides, there wasn’t any further collective celebration, since that took place the night before, at the hotel in Chonburi. There, all cyclists enjoyed a last dinner together, and toasts were held to share memories from the trip.
See you next time!
Organiser of the trip, Hans Konrad Nyvoll, also checked in at the church in a good mood. He expressed how the trip has been a pleasure, full of nice people and good routes. Also a few accidents, ‘but everything alright,’ he said.
“This year was special because we had a rest day in the middle of the trip for the first time. Beforehand, we would just bike for 7 days in a row, but this time we had a day to relax, and it had a very postive impact,” he added, and explained that next year they’ll even implement more rest days.
After all, Tour de Gulf of Thailand is not a race. It’s simply a unique way to experience Thailand, and it’s supposed to be flexible and enjoyable. An accurate description of this year’s trip, one could conclude.
