Chiang Mai, Thailand - Climbing the Tallest Mountain in Thailand

Get on the Strugglebus!
Doi Inthanon is the highest point in Thailand and one of the hardest climbs in Asia, if not the hardest.  Seven thousand feet of climbing up to 8,300 feet in just 24 short miles.  Endless servings of gradients in the high teens that made the rare bits of ten percent feel like a welcomed relief.  I went with a group of my riding friends to Chiang Mai, some of whom did mountain biking.  Three of us chose this crazy climb.  Odd, from Norway and Winnie, from Singapore - climbing on a mountain bike. 

Muar, Malaysia - Long Bike Ride

260 Miles in 36 Hours
I have hardly a friend here so when I get an invite I jump at it without thinking.  Since my last big ride in Indonesia, I've been getting more invites, this one from a Norwegian named Odd who asked if I'd like to "take a spin in Malaysia."  I immediately said yes without asking for details.  A few weeks go by and he explains that we're to get up early and ride to Muar, which is 130 miles north of Singapore.  "So, we're taking the bus back?" I naively asked.  No, he countered, we'll ride back in the morning.  I was stuck.  I'd been hoping to get invites and here I had one, so I pretended.  "I was just joking, come one, of course we'll ride back."