Between Temples, Palms & Monkeys: Road Bike Riding in Thailand

Rabea is to blame. Because without her, we would never have come up with the idea of cycling in Thailand. And when Rabea told us about her plan sometime in the fall to participate in a ten-day guided road bike tour in northern Thailand, we thought – and said – exactly what we now hear all the time ourselves. Because we copied Rabea's basic idea, though not in northern Thailand and not as part of an organized, guided tour, but still on road bikes. And we loved it. From the second minute to the very last.

The reactions or reservations that are thrown at us now, we can recite by heart: "Road bike? In Thailand? Are you crazy? I didn’t even dare drive there with a rental car. Aren’t the roads absolutely terrible? And then there’s the humid heat ..." And so on.
If Rabea had let herself be deterred by all of that last fall, she would never have flown. She wouldn’t have ridden with the Huerzelers for ten days. She wouldn’t have shared a million unbelievably beautiful moments with us via Strava, Insta, and WhatsApp. She wouldn’t have triggered us to follow her lead. And then this story wouldn’t be here.

With that, Rabea's part in this story would be finished for now: We were hooked. We wanted it too. And we checked out the page of the Swiss cycling travel specialist Huerzeler.
"Huerzeler - the cycling experience" is the brand's official name. The brand is well-known. Partly because of the bike trips and camps in Mallorca, Lanzarote, or Greece. But above all, because Huerzeler customers proudly continue to wear their shirts for years afterward. But: Thailand?

Yes, Thailand. On the website - in spring 2025 - there were a few options. But either they didn’t fit timewise. Or they were fully booked. Or both.
However, the Swiss also operate a rental station in Thailand - just like in "Malle" (Mallorca) and other places. The bikes can still "work" even when there’s no group around. There are also partner hotels. Routes, they said, are a given. Riding is said to be straightforward - Rabea had already told us that. (Besides: If cycling doesn’t work out, you can always go island hopping or enjoy a beach vacation in Thailand.)

Of course: In the north of the country, near Chiang Mai, where Rabea had set off (and where at the same time some bike influencers had been riding), we wouldn’t be cycling. Because the Thai Huerzeler bike spot is located elsewhere. Namely near Pattaya. About two hours south of Bangkok by car.
And actually, the station isn’t even in Pattaya, but rather significantly outside: By a lake. The "Map Prachan Reservoir." However, the Huerzeler partner hotel is located in the middle of Pattaya.
No problem: On the first day, a taxi was supposed to take us from there to the bike rental, and from then on, we’d be bike-mobile. On the last day, we would "drop" the bikes at the station by the lake – and take a taxi back to the hotel. Sounds good.

In reality, this failed due to two things. First: As a precaution, I always ask in hotels if it's okay to take the bike into the room ("I carry it, it stays on the balcony"). Most of the time, this is not a problem. Here it was.
The reception team was unaware - and indifferent - that they were partners of a cycling tour operator. Also: "Riding a bike in town is crazy!" A first glance at the city traffic made this seem not entirely unreasonable.

So, off by taxi to the rental shop - and we'll sort everything else out later. Only: At the "Huerzeler-Station," a small storefront by the roadside near the lake, the shutters were down.
However, the neighboring shop is also a bike rental. Its operator ("Call me Tommy.") is also responsible for the Huerzeler hub. And even though both shops appear unimpressive from the outside: Tommy and his brother may be grumpy, but they know their craft.
The Huerzeler bikes (Scott Addict 30) are excellently maintained. Adjustments, pedal changes, mounting your own accessories - all no problem. However, there are no routes or map materials available here. "But look, Tony is just arriving. Maybe he can help you."

Tony is Tony Rominger. Yes, exactly THAT Tony Rominger. The three-time Vuelta (1992, 1993, and 1994) and Giro winner (1995) spends about half the year in Thailand – and, of course, rides his bike here. Among other things, as a guide for Huerzeler groups or to welcome individual cyclists like us.
Maps or routes? Rominger is briefly surprised: "I can send you routes from home tonight." Including the best route into the city, to the hotel. But in reality, Rominger says, it would be smarter, safer, and more comfortable to leave the bikes with Tommy at the rental station.

For a warm-up, the route goes around the lake: twelve kilometers along Map Prachan on a bike path that is structurally separated from the road. Perfectly paved and including ground markings indicating the directions of travel. Next to it, usually separated by a strip of grass, is the pedestrian path.
There is busy bike, walking, and running traffic—and everyone follows the rules. We are surprised. Even more surprised are we when, after about eight kilometers, we come across a bike shop with a coffee shop: the "Cycle Hub."

Thomas Tapken and his wife Jezzi founded the Cycle Hub here a good ten years ago. Originally both active in top-level and business hotel management, the Thai woman and the German ex-pat switched professions out of love for road cycling (and triathlon).
Today, their "Hub" (as well as their bike and triathlon hotel nearby) is the center and hub of a highly active, colorful, international road bike community: ranging from the "locals" who have lived here for generations, to diplomats, managers of international automotive or IT companies (and their partners) from all over the world, to scientists and university lecturers on foreign teaching assignments. In addition, there are—rarely, but increasingly—tourists like us. Or top athletes like the aspiring Swiss professional triathlete Chinouk Tschan, who spent six weeks in Thailand preparing for the climatic conditions of her main event of the year, a tropical long-distance race.
Starting in September 2025, according to recent information from the Swiss cycling tour provider, the Cycle Hub will also operate the Huerzeler rental station. This, as we will later notice, has its definite advantages.

Tapken explains a simple beginner's tour to us: "To the Monkey Mountain." About 70 kilometers over hills (a total of about 700 meters of elevation gain) and through villages, forests, fields, and plantations on roads with little to no traffic. And at the end, "by the temples at the lake, turn left up the hill. That's where the monkeys are."
Up until that moment, we were moderately skeptical about whether Rabea's Chiang Mai enthusiasm was justified here in the south, but that changes fundamentally in the first few kilometers: We had - even in the days that followed - not a single close, aggressive, or otherwise unpleasant (and not absolutely self-inflicted) near-death traffic experience.

On the contrary: As chaotic as the traffic may seem from the outside, most people are very attentive on the road. Everything flows - and we learn how it works. Moreover, there are seemingly random bike paths or lanes popping up again and again. Occasionally, there are even bike streets. Then, we quickly realize, you are usually approaching touristically significant temple infrastructure.
Tapken: "The King is an enthusiastic cyclist. So bike paths are being built everywhere. It's just now being recognized how much this can benefit tourism." Perhaps this also explains the abundance of bike influencers in Thailand on Instagram.

Riding on your own is actually easy. And it feels safe. But riding in a group and with locals is just a bit better.
In this sense, it's ideal: From Tapkens Cycle-Hub, social rides start three times a week. Open to everyone, divided by pace if needed. Usually, the routes are 70 to 120 kilometers long, including elevation. Sometimes there are beach detours, almost always with a coffee stop.
In the group, we dare to do something that is supposedly legal here but felt too intense to try alone: riding on the highway shoulder. Not exactly fun, but we aren't honked at even once. Trucks mostly move to the second lane, and cars demonstratively shift toward the middle of the road. When we collectively cross three lanes at one junction to take the (also signposted) U-turn exit, it goes smoothly and peacefully. Still, such maneuvers aren't enjoyable.

We experience this all the more everywhere else. Whether it's cycling through morning misty jungle scenes or along palm plantations. Whether we work our way uphill or ride downhill past monkeys, monasteries, and temples. Whether we suddenly find ourselves facing the sea or take a break at a roadside stand with fresh coconut and durian (stinky fruit). Whether we become a photo attraction as "long noses" at the "Buddha Mountain" cliff relief carved into a mountainside during the arrival of a busload of Vietnamese tourists, or flee a few kilometers further to the "Cat Café," where the air conditioning is set to "Arctic" in our honor. Whether we have a five-member family on a moped drafting behind us, or a group of ten-year-olds on junk bikes escort us through the Chinese market district of their village: road cycling in Thailand is simply and utterly fantastic.

It does, however, come with a catch. Even in late winter, but especially in spring, the Cycle Hub social rides start between six and half-past six in the morning. This is because the afternoons can become humid and hot, and sometimes stormy. The downpours never last long but wash sand onto the roads. Until the roads dry, corners can become slippery and slick.
However, anyone wanting to start riding by the lake at six in the morning has to leave their hotel in Pattaya shortly after five. This creates a problem, as the Huerzeler station doesn't open until nine o'clock. The simple solution: our bikes are kept at the Tapkens' "Hub" – where, on non-social ride days, at least the cleaning staff is present.

Of course, it would be even easier to rent the bikes directly at the "Hub." The Tapkens do have a few. However, these older individual pieces can't compete with the almost brand-new Scott Addicts from the Huerzeler station.
The "classic" rental dilemma: procurement, maintenance, availability, and logistics of a fleet designed solely for rentals and organized groups is a completely different challenge compared to running a bike shop and building and supporting a local community.
It's great that the obvious symbiosis will apparently become a reality in September 2025, with the Cycle Hub, under the leadership of Thomas Tapken, also taking over the operation of the Huerzeler cycling station starting in September. Under these conditions, the market, demand, and the region's reputation as a cycling destination are likely to continue growing.

Rabea has definitely set the ball rolling: In December, she will take part in a Huerzeler tour starting from Pattaya and cycling all the way to Cambodia, to the temples of Angkor Wat. We would love to join her. However, the approximately 70 spots for this tour were gone the moment the trip was made available on the Huerzeler website.
Apparently, 50 people are on the waiting list. We are not. But we will still come back here for cycling in January or February. Preferably together with Rabea.


Compliance notice: The bicycles were provided free of charge by "Huerzeler - the Cycling Experience".