When we watched the Top Gear episode where Jeremy Clark
and his fellows travel along route highway 1 and pass the Vinh pass 100 kilometres
south of Hue, we thought it would be a good idea to attempt that little road by bike.
As a result, we booked some tickets and casually planned a route over 2 weeks
which started from Hanoi and landed us in Saigon (750miles on the saddle).
It was quite an easy route to plan:
Put our bikes on the plane, land in Hanoi.. wake up very early to get out of traffic,
join Highway 1 and straight down south.
This was our first long ride out of England and it was certainly not short of its challenges.
How do you prepare for a challenge like this so far from home? We did the best we
could and it somehow worked. Despite the punctures, the broken spoke that could not
get repaired locally, the over weight bags on our racers, the heat, the traffic etc..
we got there.
Looking back on the experience, we only remember the best parts of it:
Incredible scenery, friendly people fantastic food, and the euphoria of getting through
the ordeal without an incident. As for the Vinh pass from Top gear that we dreamt about?
Well, by the time we got there, it was actually dark. We had been delayed through friendly
local encounters and a ripped tyre..
A couple of pics below, but quite frankly,
they don't make the trip any justice. The trip was a 10/10
South of Hanoi lunch break
Hue: a day break riding around the gorgeous citadel
Heading towards the Vinh pass
South of Hue, the hills start straight off the coast and
give place to a visual spectacle
Hoi An: we got into good conversations with the locals and
one in particular showed us his carbon frame and cycling kit
As we headed south, the climate and heat changed
dramatically. At this point we were heading for shelter
and a Vietnamese coffee every hour.
End of the day and the golden hour revealed an
incredible landscape
No comments:
Post a Comment