Ride like a champion
One of the Kingdom’s oldest destinations for downhill mountain biking, Khao Makha in Wang Nam Khieo, Nakhon Ratchasima, holds an almost legendary status. Well, at least among downhillers.
Located in the northwestern part of Thap Lan National Park, 70km or so from the nearest downhiller community in Korat (the old-yet-still-widely-used name of Nakhon Ratchasima), the DH trail here is not regularly ridden, let alone maintained. But if you want to test your skills on this feared track, which over the years has claimed quite a few casualties, both riders and bikes, there’s no better time than now.
Cleared and recently used as the racecourse for the downhill mountain-biking event of the 43rd National Games which took place last month, the track is still very much visible. Some of the course-marking tapes are still in place. Even the start platform is intact. For the first time in the 10 years since I lost a rear rim at Khao Makha, I recently got to ride there again. Two fellow riders, Thagoon Laokosakul and Frenchman Yann Garin, came all the way from Hua Hin to join me in taking advantage of this rare opportunity.
Just a few metres from the start platform, we were greeted by the first obstacle, an intimidating drop, which forced us to stop and assess the risk and possibility. After a thorough examination, we agreed that it was doable. But we had to make sure we launched off the boulder at the right speed to land safely on the tilted wooden slope, but not so much that we shot ourselves off the curve almost immediately ahead.
Yann and Thagoon cleared it on the first try. I, on the other hand, narrowly escaped a disastrous crash. Coming off the big rock with not enough speed, my front wheel dived. Luckily, I managed to keep the bike’s balance and survived unscathed. On the second attempt, I just increased my speed a little and it was a smooth flight. We pushed the bikes back up and did the drop a few more times just for fun before proceeding down the trail.
Along the way, we found a couple more drops, both natural and man-made, a hairpin turn and a short yet nasty rock garden. The final highlight of the track is near the foot of the hill behind Ban Huai Nam Khem primary school. It’s a rocky section where the fastest line is in the air. During the recent National Games, some of the top racers launched themselves off a rock and literally flew over the others. None of us three dared to do that though. The landing was strewn with large protruding rocks, some of them sharp-edged. If anything goes wrong, which for me was likely to be the case, one of us could end up going home with broken bones. So we skipped that and rode on the safe, normal line between the rocks instead.
As a result, there is no photo of that section. You will have to go see it, and ride it, yourself. There are still a few more months for you to do so since even with zero maintenance, the trail should remain in good condition until the rainy season sets in.
Well, see you here again next Thursday. Until then, if you have questions, news or biking insights you wish to share, please feel free to send an email to pongpetm@bangkokpost.co.th or go to Freewheel Bangkok community page on Facebook.