Getting fit in Trang

October 21, 2019

When I came back to Trang last April I decided to rent a property and keep it even during my absences from Thailand. A few reasons for this:

- The little house is now fully equipped and gives me some sort of "at home" feeling.

- As I brought my Rohloff bike and the related equipment down here this time, I am well fitted for all occasions while in South East Asia: The racer for the local spins and some competitive rides, the Patria for my multiple-day trips within Thailand or in neighbouring countries. The only challenge: The whole gear has to be kept somewhere. Problem solved!

-The 4500 Baht (approx 130 €) rent per month are no more expensive than putting all my gear into a professional storage whenever I leave the country for a few months

As I already stated on the previous page I never came to Thailand for some touring cycling with less preparation than now. I am probably a bit over the top with my desire to be in the best possible shape; overall this is still supposed to be a holiday on two wheels and not any sort of serious competion. I know, I know. But.... Once you made the nasty experience of having to delay or even suspend your ride because of hurting knees or bum you may understand my attitude. The tropical climate here in combination with the heavy load of the bike is certainly unforgiving if you approach it too slack. I read about many fellow cyclists who say:"Just get going and get fit in the process". I personally disagree with that but probably I am just too impatient to start at a slow pace with low intensity.

Anyways, I have been down here in Trang for almost 4 weeks now , exercising around town as much as the wet weather and my shoulder allowed. The good news about my shoulder is that I had a lot of excellent treatment (physio) and my regular visits to the local hot mineral pools were more beneficial than I thought some warm water could possibly be. So, ready to fly up to Chiang Mai from Krabi on Thursday (Oct 24) and then back on the bike two days later...

The terrace of my little house in Trang. TrueSport doesn´t sponsor my rent but provides essential sun protection in the afternoon. Mind you looking at Wayne Rooney all day is not everybodies piece of cake...

No, I am not in Guantanamo! This is the attractive Trang Hospital outfit. The lovely ladies next to me are my regular physiotherapists Nong Fang and Nong Dao, both masters of their trade!

6 am at the Khuan Khaeng Hot Pools. You want to be there before the sun comes out and the water at 44 degrees Celsius certainly keeps you awake

Stopping over at the Elephant Cave while daytripping around Trang

My favourite full day ride takes me to Hat Pakmeng for a swim, followed by lunch right on the beach and back to Trang. Easy 110 km in total

Part of my preparation is having some decent food and I can get seriously furious if I believe somebody tries to take it away from me!

The cargo boat taking me over to Koh Mook for one night on the island before returning to my house in Trang. Makes for two wonderful days out

I used to prefer running over cycling but haven´t done much about it over the last few years. The Trang Night Run prior to this visit was just one of the many fun-run opportunities to revive that and get a nice reflective shirt at the same time. Which is perfect for cycling in the dark by the way...

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Henna JanieschI`m curious to see you back on the road, my friend.
Good luck!
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5 years ago

Frank RoettgenVery kind of you, Helmut!
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5 years ago