International Mountainbike Challenge Of Chiang Rai

[Limbo]

Without any doubt the finest mountainbike event of Chiang Rai.

About 75 kilometer each day, of which half are racing stages.

International Class for the real cracks (Flupke) and a Sport Class (for lesser gods like myself).

Start at the Rimkok Hotel early in the morning (put some newspapers under your shirt for the cold)

and finish at the same place.

The route is extremely beautiful, straight through the mountains, but murderous.

It is in the area of the hot spring Huay Mak Kliem (spelling?), Nam Tok Huay Mae Sai (spelling?), Ban Ruammit (yes, we all cross the Kok River on elephant back) and the forest between Ban Du and Chumchon Huay Pakan.

The atmosphere is great. Most participants are Japanese, some from Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and of course a big Thai contingent from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. The last years also foreigners started to participate. The organization is perfect and there are a lot of extra's (police escort and ambulances , you just name it).

I have been participating five times (this is the seventh challenge) and I loved every moment of it.

The peak experience was of course the crossing of the finish line, wow!

Information at 'Fat Free', the bicycle shop in the middle of town at the crossing with the First Church and Tsutaya. Untill now the start fee for foreigners living in Thailand was the same as for Thai participants. I think I paid 800 Baht two years ago. It includes food, drinks, a big festive buffet and a medal for memorizing the event and to prove that you participated.

Dear Jozef, can you get the 'Thaivisa.com Hamburgers BC' together again? 5 Days left!

Limbo.

[jozef]

My team is ready for it ,see you on saturday good luck Limbo.

[flupke]

here is the link ,

7TH Chiang Rai International MTB Challenge 2006

looking forward to it ,

i think i know about 70 % of the track already , but would like to explore all the track

home advantage , can make a difference

[jozef]

Good luck Flupke do the same as on Doi Thung and we have another trophee in the team we are proud to have you in the team To all the Belgians support Flup

[Limbo]

Our Flup (Belgian Ronny Langmans) is going strong again. He rides in the International Class in the category 41 - 50 year. He has some very strong Thai and Japanese contenders.

The first day two stages were done. In the first Flup ended number 4 and in the second number 1. The first stage was murderous. It even got Flupke out of the saddle to push his bike up the mountain at Boon Rawd (Nong Moa area). On some places the tracks weren't wider than 40 cm. Sometimes complete with rocks to tease riders and material even more.

After the race Flupke was off to the bicycle shop to buy a new frame. Some cracks occured during the day and he was lucky that the material enabled him to reach the finish line. A lot of work to rebuild the bike. And changing in the middle of a race is not something which normally spoken would boost the moral.

The supporters team of Thaivisa Hamburgers BC will meet at the start at the Rimkok Hotel at 8 o'clock in the morning to give him the best wishes for the day. Don't forget to bring a pullover. It will be chilly with only about 14 degree Celsius. Our hero and his friends will be riding in the fog the first twenty kilometers.

Dear Flupke, the members of the Chiang Rai Forum wish you all the best!

Limbo.

PS. The finish line of the first stage of to-day will (not 100 % sure) end about 11.00 o'clock at the Huay Mae Sai waterfall. There the cyclists will have lunch.

Edited January 29, 2006 by Limbo

[Limbo]

Belgian Flupke did it again! Third price in the category 31 to 40 years (not 41-50 as I wrote above).

4 Minutes after the over-all winner who finished in 4 hours and 32 minutes.

He won the last stage of 12 kilometers over the killing mountain between Ban Lao and Ban Ruammit (in this one he took back more than a minute on the leader). His specialism is the jumping in sharp curves which the descent requires. In his category a semi-professional from Japan finished first and a Thai cyclist took the second position. Flupke was two minutes behind the Japanese cyclist.

During the last stage the oldest participant of the race, a Japanese cyclist of 75 years old, fell.

He is now in the Overbrook Hospital.

We al wish him a quick recovery.

The oldest female participant was also Japanese. 68 Years old. She made incredible good times as well.

Limbo.

[flupke]

It sure was a great event and good organized (thanks also to Fatfree).

the difficulty of the track for international class can sure be compared with other worldwide cross country competitions ( i am surprised that only 5 of 109 participants ended in hospital after the 2 day event )

for next event i would not really recommend it if your not used for some extreme biking , better to participate in the sports class

for me going on foot uphill ( tooo much ) , because it was to steep or impossible to ride because of rocks was the only negative thing

i also had the pleasure to meet some senior riders who couldn ' t participate this year but i remember the promises made for next event

it reminds me of a topic : everything is possible in chang rai : it would be a nice surprise

keep on biking

[bkkmadness]

Looks like fun. When I was younger always read the mountain bike mags and dreamed of that expensive Trek/Marin etc. bike, but had to be content with me raleigh lizard on the flat roads of Dagneham.

I was really thinking about getting into some biking this year since I now live in a country with some decent hills and great tracks. Course I'll need a bike first! Are the better makes of bike more expensive in Thailand than back in the UK being imports and all?

[Scottbiker1976]

Wow great to see some bikers around here in this forum

I just quit competition Mtb-biking this year because i'm leaving Belgium in July to start a business in Koh Samui and start a new life there with my future thai family(I hope so ) So as soon as i have my things arranged over there i start back with training for the next edition which there hopefully is in 2007 .

I'm 29 now so my best years are coming hehe.....so hope to join you guys in a challenge in the coming year....see ya

Nico

[Limbo]

Ronny 'Flupke' Langmans winning the 4th stage! He celebrated it with the little jump which uses to be his signature.

Ronny 'Flupke' Langmans winning the 4th stage! He celebrated it with the little jump which uses to be his signature.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was not the meaning to repeat this text twice.

The idea was to show a picture.

But I suppose you understood that already.

I think I did something wrong.

Sorry!

Limbo

Edited February 3, 2006 by Limbo

[Bull]

Looks like fun. When I was younger always read the mountain bike mags and dreamed of that expensive Trek/Marin etc. bike, but had to be content with me raleigh lizard on the flat roads of Dagneham.

I was really thinking about getting into some biking this year since I now live in a country with some decent hills and great tracks. Course I'll need a bike first! Are the better makes of bike more expensive in Thailand than back in the UK being imports and all?

Mountain bikes in Thailand are cheaper than in the UK, which I think must be one of the most expensive countries to buy a bicycle in the world anyway. On the con side...choice here is somehow limited...

Bull

[Limbo]

Maybe it works now. For text please look above.

Limbo

[Limbo]

Gentlemen!

It's time to oil the legs again and intensify your training, because the eight International Mountainbike Challenge of Chiang Rai is coming up.

It will be held 10 and 11 February 2007.

Two days of suffering, two days of enjoyment!

The organization will be as usual at the hands of the owner and founder of the Bakery Steakhouse (known to most expats, many consider it the best in town, otherwise check the 'restaurants in Chiang Rai thread). In the evening you will find him at his badminton court next to the restaurant.

I suppose Northern Bike and Fat Free are the other places where you can get more information.

Limbo

PS: Hope Flupke is back in time

Some pictureds of last year (2006):

[flupke]

i ' ll be back in time ,

but not sure of joining

i had a minor problem coming home in stormy weather this week

pic not for sensitve eyes

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[flupke]

yes , finally got back

and already explored the first stage with the team of northern bike

just 5 riders of the team jumped over their steer while going steep down hill , great fun

surprise , the japanese winner of last year is already a week here in preparation and joined our group also

Fatfree gave him accomodation in their new ecostyle resort : ` Birds nest `, behind the old airport

beautiful quiet place where i will be staying also for the next months

[gagabel]

What happened to the Challenge in 2008? I can't find any information about it.

[flupke]

What happened to the Challenge in 2008? I can't find any information about it.

hi Gagabel ,

i put the topic in community events

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...0&start=100

http://www.acutech.co.jp/mtb/english/index.html

so tomorrow the next race

japanese professional won today and thai chiangrai rider ' Tee ' got second ( see picture , Trek shirt )

just before crashing

pictures are taken steep downhill from Akha hill