Proposal - Saigon to Siem Reap and Ankor Wat 1/2 marathon

Saigon to Siem Reap. The ride takes 4 days via Phenom Penh, departing November 29th arriving in time for the 2011 Ankor Wat 1/2 marathon on the 4th December....

Roads are surprising good this entire route. Even on the Vietnamese side of the border.
There is absolutley NO hills the entire way which makes for a relatively easy push.

Plan to average 24km/hr.
I prefer to do Sgn to Prey Veaeng day 1.
PV to PP day 2.
1 more over night stop between PP and SR on day 3
Arrive at SR on Day 4.

Fly home! :)

Saigon to Siem Reap

http://www.bikely.com/

Prices;

• AWHM              = $75 (Ankor Wat 1/2 Marathon)
• AW100km          =$75 (100km ride)
• *Accommodation= $100
• *Sustenance        = $250
• Visa                    = $25
• *Other costs       = $100
• flight home          = $250

Total = $875

Tour of Beauty I

Here it is. TOB Part 1 - EPIC rides through Vietnam. TOB 1 goes from the coast of Mui Ne to the mountains of Dalat! Then back down to sea level to the coast at Nha Trang.

Riding distance = 408 km's & Elevation of 3.2kms! (That's 1.6 up and 1.6 down!)

Departing Saigon Vietnam (HCMC)

Day 1 - Train SGN to Phan Thiet  - Easy ride (15kms) to Mui Ne (or Suoi Ngoc + 35kms).
Day 2 - 160kms Mui Ne to Phan Rang Thap Cham (coastal ride)
Day 3 - 100km + 1.6km climbing to Dalat.
Day 4 - 135km descending Dalat to Nha Trang.

Tour of Beauty I - Option 1

http://www.bikely.com/

Tinh Lo 15 - Interesting and pleasant road to the tunnels

I was not expecting too much when Shaun suggested taking 'back roads' to the Cu Chi tunnels for our Sunday morning ride but I was pleasantly surprised by Tinh Lo 15. This long straight road connects the Saigon with the Cu Chi district and is a fascinating ride through typical southern Vietnamese village life.

Tinh Lo 15

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Weekly training for the Vietnam International Triathlon, 10th Sep. Hoi An

...If you’re aiming for the Vietnam international Triathlon, getting the base fitness back after the summer break may require a real push!

I have planned some extra training events during August to help get on the start line in Hoi An on September 10^th.... Remember, your own nutrition needs should be adjusted to suit your program. 1 or all of the following events may require you to consider this.... if you need any advice on nutrition or general advice on getting ready for the triathlon, please post me a message... 

• Saturday 6^th August - Ride to Cambodian Border. 5am departure, (6 hours - 156km)
• Sunday 14th August - Big bike ride ... Monkey Island (130km return).
• Sunday 21st August - Cu Chi Tunnels ride. (120km return approx)
• August 20th and 21st - Triathlon Training Clinic AIS Sports Center (organised by AIS and MetaSport See Noah Beaumont)
• Cycling - Wednesday mornings East/West Saigon city cycle (D2,D7&D4). 60kms/2 hours (Departs Thao Dien 5.45am) and Sundays for long distance.
• Running - Week day running - Thao Dien (Mondays and Fridays)...and Saturdays with Richard Padfield at 6.00am)
• Swimming - Saturdays at 7am and  Sundays 2pm  at AIS sports center pool. (Membership req'd)

Other activities;

• Saturday 3.45pm - Footbal at Parklands with Franz - Kids can come too.!
• Saturday Mornings at 7.30am Footbal (9.y.o and under) AIS astro turf at AIS sports center
• Crossfit Saigon– week day mornings at 5.45am (See link, Contact - Richard or Leith)
• Auskick - TBA. (Currently on hold until new ground negotiated)

• SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER Olympic Distance Triathlon 1.5km Swim, 40km Bike, 10km Run Individual & Relay Team
• Chua Chan mtb and trail run - Sunday 25th September See Vietadventures; Vietnam (150 Km East from Ho Chi Minh City)
• Bitexco Vertical Run Oct 31st (Check out their interesting website for training tips on stair running)

Statistics - Stay safe when cycling on the roads in Vietnam!

Road accidents kill an average of 32 and injure 142 people every day in Vietnam, according to the latest figures released by the Road & Railway Traffic Police Bureau under Ministry of Public Security.
According to the report, there are 26,871 road accidents throughout the country in the first seven months of this year, killing 6,704 and injuring 29,923 people.
26,555 cases among them involved street-goers, claiming 6,259 lives and leaving 29,723 injured.
However, the traffic situation in Vietnam “has yet to reach an alarming point”, a local official told Nguoi Lao Dong.!!?

WTF!

Some of my tips on staying upright on the bike in Vietnam;
1. Minimize time riding at night...
2. Good road selection. Pick safer over quicker..Even if its a longer route..
3. Mechanics - Good tyres (with tread probably a good idea) and brakes
4. Dont do as many bad riders do...especially riding wrong way along a street. Do whats right.

Saigon to Monkey Island and beach (Opposite Vung Tau)

"This was not one of the greatest rides I've ever done - however the beach at the end was an interesting point to note after a fairly un-interesting journey".

After a 5.40am departure from Thao Dien we negotiated our way out of D2, over the Phu My Bridge and onto the ferry at Binh Khanh to find ourselves on a desolate road which cuts its way through miles of mangrove forrest. Apart from a limited number of fruit sellers and drink stand proprietors calling us in to purchase thier goods the only sounds we heard (but never saw) were that of wild monkeys which populate the area. Infact a turn off to 'Monkey Island" just a few kms from our destination promised thousands of monkeys all over the road ready to accept your candy or fruit gifts - weather you offer them or not! We road on with out falling to the monkey temptation and arrived at the 'interesting' cua can' beach boardwalk at exactly 9.15am. I likened it to a 'warm blackpool' to which our english member of the group seemed to accept. Black beach, brown water, over crowded, tents and deck chairs for rent, extended family groups carrying bags of beers and fatty snacks... I rest my case.  However a quick sideways look we discovered a beach side eatery which served excellent noodle soup (mine with prawns) and the obligatory cafe da.  Fuelled up and feeling fine we saddled up and made the return run in around 3 hours - arriving home just prior to 1pm.

Total distance = 130km...door to door.(Including 2 x ferry crossings)
Average = 22km/hr + stops

Saigon to Cua Can Beach (Opposite Vung Tau)

http://www.bikely.com/

Vietnam Vertical Run

For something different and a great view - I am giving this a go...October 30th 

Vertical Run

....Training for this event has been surprisingly interesting. Actually there is a huge circuit out there of professional vertical runners. see VWC. They are freaks!

Some points to note I have read on their blogs and forums.

• Considered one of the highest fat burning activities known. Aerobic + resistance = high callorie burning. "Among the most interesting data to emerge was that of calorie consumption; 80% per cent of energy consumed is directed towards transporting the mass upwards. In line with studies carried out with Geneva University in 1999 on uphill walking, stair climbing represents an ideal weight loss instrument for non runners. In fact, walking uphill, compared to the same exercise on level ground, consumes up to 10 times more calories*."
• Training - Train with a weighted back back on to increase resistance
• Aim to average about 9 seconds per floor (for a 50 story race)

Personally I have been doing my 22 floors at the office each day..this takes me about 4 1/2  mintues so Im well off the pace still!...

This weekend I will try to access the Bitexo building for a real training session!

  
http://www.vietnamrun.com/

Vietnam Swams Asian Champs 2011 Promo

http://youtu.be/r6C0-48qG6w

Features footage from Shanghai, Cambodia and the Indochina cup in 2010, as well as the 2011Vung Tau ANZAC friendship match. Follow the Swans through their ground breaking campaign as they build up to the Asian champs in Bangkok, August 2011  - Bring it on!

Saturday Morning Ride......... to Cambodia...

Rob and I at the border - This is as far as they'll let you go...

Peter drafting the 'crisp' man

Time splits;
Rob & I departed Thao Dien at 5.05am...(met Peter at circle of death around 5.20).
Arrived Cambodian Border Crossing exactly 8.00am.
Departed Cambodian Border Crossing 8.30am. (group split up)
I arrived back in Thao Dien at 11.10am
Averaged around 29km/h...for the day.

Conditions;
Excellent on the way out. Mostly double lane road with a shoulder. Light (relatively speaking) traffic.
Heavy traffic coming back into Saigon...(Took about 45minutes from District 12 to home)...

Cambodia 4 a day

http://www.bikely.com/

Staying on the highway its 79kms....