In November of 2012, I visited Singha Park Chiang Rai to watch the year's final round of the Singha Mountain Bike Thailand Open, one of the country's oldest cross-country MTB competitions.
I was impressed by the park's sloped fields painted in bright yellow with millions of tiny sunn hemp flowers, making the race track the most beautiful in the Kingdom. Last weekend, I went to Singha Park again to attend the 19th version of the same event. Something was different.
The sunn hemp was nowhere to be seen. Taking over the vast fields this time were countless cosmos flowers of various colours, not just yellow but also pink, purple, orange and even white. In my opinion, the MTB course at Singha Park is still the reigning champion when it comes to scenery.
The race course started from the park's activity area, near the zip-line tower. This on-road section was flanked by the flower fields. Pity the racers who were too busy to stop and appreciate the beauty of the surroundings.
The next parts of the course were single tracks that took the riders through a tea plantation, then a couple of hills covered by rubber trees before going on-road again back to the start/finish point. I will not go much into details about the race track because it was not meant to be permanent. Much of it, especially the part that cuts through the tea plantations, is likely to be sealed off from cyclists after the event.
However, the single track in the rubber plantation, which could be easily accessed via one of the park's roads, is worth checking out before it is weathered away. The sooner you visit, the better chance you have at riding the most technical section of the race track, which includes a long steep climb that only the toughest of the racers could clear without jumping off the bike. The insane ascent can be seen in one of the accompanying photographs but its steepness is not fully shown. The real thing is very intimidating and challenging at the same time. Hopefully, visiting bikers will be allowed to try it. Check with bike rental staff at the park's activity area when you get there.
One thing for sure though is that the weather at Singha Park, as in the rest of the North, is very nice at this cool time of year. The cosmos fields will be around for a few more weeks. The weekend of Dec 23-24 is also a good time to visit, especially for families with young children since there will be a balance bike competition.
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.
Pongpet Mekloy is the Bangkok Post's travel editor and a mountain bike freak.
Singha Park, Chiang Rai
GPS coordinates (the park's activity area): 19°51'24.51" N 99°43'41.16" E
Trail condition: On- and off-road.
Distance: The off-road part may or may not be open. But the park also has two well-paved cycling loops. The short one is 1.8km and the longer one 9km.
Getting there: Singha Park is on Road 1211, about 20km from Chiang Rai's Mae Fah Luang Airport.
Parking: There are spacious parking lots.
Food & drinks: The park has two restaurants and a number of coffee shops.
What your family can enjoy while waiting: Try zip lining or join one of the guided farm tours.
Accommodation: During the cool season, luxury camping is offered at the park. Packages range from one night to two nights. If you prefer hotels or resorts, you can find a variety of choices in Chiang Rai.
Local contact: Visit www.singhapark.com or www.facebook.com/SinghaparkChiangrai. Or call 061-387-7592 or 091-890-7394.
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