Read the following story by Pongpet Mekloy from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow
Over the past two years since the launch of this column, I’ve been lucky enough to ride, and write about, several bike routes in different parts of the Kingdom. Today I’ll tell you about a new purpose-built single track which is now one of my favourites — the Hin Lek Fai all-mountain trail.
A lot of people know already that Hin Lek Fai is the name of the hills that stand right on the west side of Hua Hin, a popular beach town. And if you have been a regular reader of this column you might also know that Hin Lek Fai is home to a number of challenging downhill trails. The new track is in the northern part of the hills.
This new trail was built by the same team of local mountain bikers led by Khun Ae, or Thagoon Laokosakul, who runs a bike shop in the town. An important supporter for this project is Niyom (Guillaume Salet), a French guy with a Thai name and a Thai wife. Niyom lives near the trail and whenever he has free time he cuts the grass and makes the hills better for riding.
The new track starts from an old rock quarry. The first part is a series of ascents, the last of which is pretty tough. After that you’re already up on the hills and the winding trail takes you through different types of terrain, from meadows to rock gardens. A variety of natural obstacles test your riding skills, and there are also banked turns and small jumps to spice things up.
This new addition on Hin Lek Fai is bringing Hua Hin closer to becoming a mecca for mountain bikers. If there is strong and sincere support from the authorities, I’m sure it won’t be long before that becomes true