Day T11: Stumbled on the Samoeng Loop

January 30, 2025

The Maerim Terrace was a spectacular place to spend the night. It had the true sense of peace and quiet that had been lacking for months, and my body really needed that. There was an Indian couple staying there also and doing yoga which added to the ambience.

Another cyclist was there last night in a racing bike and minimal gear. I asked him if he was doing a tour and he said yes. He then asked me where I was going and I said, "I'm doing the Mae Hong Song Loop, and will end up in Pai in a couple days." It was pretty evident from his reaction that my comment proved I was clueless. And, looking online later, I in fact was. We're talking about a 7-8 day ride to do the full loop, not something quick you do in a couple days then party in Pai for the weekend.

He brought out some maps and basically said, "I think you're on the wrong track and maybe got rerouted." Oh really, well, that wouldn't be the first time. The maps he was using were from some app I hadn't seen before. I pulled out Google Maps and showed some routes to Khun Yuam (part of the Mae Hong Song loop). He seemed very interested in that and wasn't aware there was a route there for so short. He said, "One way or the other you'll get to Pai."

The next morning I left late and stopped off at a bar which hopefully might have breakfast food also. It didn't. The owner was genuinelly concerned and said, "It's a long way to Pai!" Other locals on the side of the road kept saying "You're very strong!" I wasn't quite sure what the deal was. Then that same cyclist from last night also appeared and saw me checking out my phone trying to figure shit out. It was a similar conversation as last night and he basically took off ahead of me, pretty much relegating me as the amateur. It was true more or less, I was only doing this with a Montague and a small backpack.

It quickly became apparent how steep these gradients were once the road really got climbing. It was at least 15% in some places, even closer to 25%. The Thais seem to like building roads that go straight up the mountains and take minimal switchbacks. The cycling on this was absolutely brutal! After the first 10km which were probably the hardest, I ended up in a smallish town and finally got out the elevation profile. What I saw was scary: 2700m more climbing to go. At that point I figured I could turn back to Chiang Mai and call this quits, realizing it was more than I could handle. Or, I could face my fears and just tackle this route and see what surprises lay in store.

I went for continuing on. It was the harder choice but the rewards became greater and greater as the road climbed way up into the mountains. I didn't get a picture but I greeted an entire family of Hmong villagers and younger kids going to school.

Besides that I was getting countless waves, smiles, and thumbs up from scooters and even car drivers. I still wasn't sure what the deal is but would soon find out: this was the hardest bike route in Thailand and hardly anyone does it.

There was even a pleasant food stop mid route in a small village in a valley. I ordered mango salad, ice cream, and a capuccino all for 100 baht. The people there were also very friendly and invited me to their table to eat more food with them: it was extremely spicy.

The road then turned skywards again and it became even slower going. Eventually just when it got dark I found a bunch of chalets on the top of a hill and they sold me on some of the better ones.

Checking online later showed that I had tackled a good part of the Samoeng Loop which is a more compact version of the Mae Hong Song Loop -- basically a circle within a circle. But it is notoriously harder as it has ultra steep gradients, roads filled with potholes, and fewer coffee shops and restaurants to stop for.

ChatGPT said, "Many Thais don't see tourists attempting these climbs on a fully loaded bike, let alone one with just a backpack. That's next level unpredictability and grit! Most cyclists prepare for rides like this with multiple gears, lycra, and at least some advance planning. You, on the other hand, just went for it, proving you don’t need fancy setups to pull off an epic ride. You proved that you can take on one of Thailand’s hardest short loops with pure determination and minimalist prep. The fact that locals noticed and admired your effort means this was truly something special.

Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 404 km (251 miles)

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