Roojai deliver Jambaljamts to Tour of Phuket glory, Tan takes solo approach to title
February 9, 2020
Two different approaches were used to clinch the main titles at the 2020 Cycosports Tour of Phuket and Phang Nga yesterday, as Jambaljamts Sainbayar had the support of his powerful Roojai.com team to help him win the Men’s Elite Open contest, while Chelsie Tan (BikeLabz Racing) had to do it all on her own as she defended her Women’s Elite crown with aplomb.
That the race even took place was a minor miracle, such was the global drama concerning the coronavirus, including news reports just two days before the event that residents of Singapore, the source of the majority of the competitors, would be barred entry to Thailand. But not only did the fifth edition of the three-stage race proceed as planned from March 6-8, it was generally accepted among the participants to have met or maybe even have surpassed the high bar set in terms of organisation by the 2019 event.
While the format of a short individual time trial and two open road races remained the same for the 2020 race, there were a few tweaks to the racing categories, including an increased number of pelotons. This was a winner from a safety viewpoint, especially as there were also more and better-drilled motorbike marshals attached to each of the five bunches. The other most notable changes were the inclusion of time bonuses for the intermediate Sprint and KOM primes.
Two different approaches were used to clinch the main titles at the 2020 Cycosports Tour of Phuket and Phang Nga yesterday, as Jambaljamts Sainbayar had the support of his powerful Roojai.com team to help him win the Men’s Elite Open contest, while Chelsie Tan (BikeLabz Racing) had to do it all on her own as she defended her Women’s Elite crown with aplomb.
That the race even took place was a minor miracle, such was the global drama concerning the coronavirus, including news reports just two days before the event that residents of Singapore, the source of the majority of the competitors, would be barred entry to Thailand. But not only did the fifth edition of the three-stage race proceed as planned from March 6-8, it was generally accepted among the participants to have met or maybe even have surpassed the high bar set in terms of organisation by the 2019 event.
While the format of a short individual time trial and two open road races remained the same for the 2020 race, there were a few tweaks to the racing categories, including an increased number of pelotons. This was a winner from a safety viewpoint, especially as there were also more and better-drilled motorbike marshals attached to each of the five bunches. The other most notable changes were the inclusion of time bonuses for the intermediate Sprint and KOM primes.
The Men’s Elite and Men’s Elite Masters fields enjoyed standalone races in pelotons 1 and 2, while the Men’s Open, Men’s Masters Open and Men’s Veterans combined to race in the third bunch. Peloton No.4 saw the Women’s Elite, Women’s Open and Men’s Sport start together, with the Gran Fondo riders making up the last bunch.
Another notable addition to the race was that the Tour of Phuket and Phang Nga is now part of the Gran Fondo World Tour (GFWT). Not be confused with the UCI's Gran Fondo World Series, the GFWT is a new concept that groups 14 races around the world in such destinations as Andorra, Kazakstan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and the USA. Further details can be found at the Gran Fondo World Tour website.
Stage 1, the Phuket Gateway ITT
As per the previous few years, the Stage 1 time trial involved a 4.6km circumnavigation of the Phuket Gateway Park, which is situated at the northern tip of Thailand’s largest island and globally renowned tourist destination. The race didn’t start until 2pm which allowed most of the participants to fly in from around the region on the morning of the event and only have to take one day off work. Blue skies and accompanying scorching temperatures greeted the riders as they gathered at the Gateway Park and the times set on the track were red hot too.
Another notable addition to the race was that the Tour of Phuket and Phang Nga is now part of the Gran Fondo World Tour (GFWT). Not be confused with the UCI's Gran Fondo World Series, the GFWT is a new concept that groups 14 races around the world in such destinations as Andorra, Kazakstan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and the USA. Further details can be found at the Gran Fondo World Tour website.
Stage 1, the Phuket Gateway ITT
As per the previous few years, the Stage 1 time trial involved a 4.6km circumnavigation of the Phuket Gateway Park, which is situated at the northern tip of Thailand’s largest island and globally renowned tourist destination. The race didn’t start until 2pm which allowed most of the participants to fly in from around the region on the morning of the event and only have to take one day off work. Blue skies and accompanying scorching temperatures greeted the riders as they gathered at the Gateway Park and the times set on the track were red hot too.
The quickest times were set as expected in the Men’s Elite category. With the starters seeded based on previous times, the theory was that the place in the hotseat would continually change as the fastest men took their turn at taking on the superfast circuit. But after starter No. 21 Reuben Bakker (Allied World Treknology3) set a scintillating time of 5 minutes, 37.05 seconds, his mark was still standing at the top of the rankings with just the top three seeds to go. Last year’s runner-up Romain Barbier (MatadorRacing), couldn’t beat it and neither could Bakker’s teammate Pierre-Alain Scherwey, leaving only Jambaljamts between the Canadian and perhaps unexpected glory. The Thai rider came up short too by 1.5 seconds, giving Bakker a famous win and the yellow jersey. Scherwey took the last podium spot in third.
In the Women’s Elite race, it was Tan who took the win, her time of 6:28.51 turning the tables on last year’s TT winner Lucy Richardson (Velo Supersports), who finished 3 seconds behind. Third place went to Rita Fast (Nich – La Vela Cycling Team) a further 2 seconds back.
Earlier, in the Men’s Elite Masters cat, the results went to form with the top three seeds finishing 1, 2, 3, and separated by less than two seconds. The win went to Konstantin Fast (Nich – La Vela Cycling Team), with a time of 5:44.16. Ben Arnott (Specialized Roval Mavericks) was second and Todd Sinclair (CyclingTraining.cc) third.
In the Women’s Elite race, it was Tan who took the win, her time of 6:28.51 turning the tables on last year’s TT winner Lucy Richardson (Velo Supersports), who finished 3 seconds behind. Third place went to Rita Fast (Nich – La Vela Cycling Team) a further 2 seconds back.
Earlier, in the Men’s Elite Masters cat, the results went to form with the top three seeds finishing 1, 2, 3, and separated by less than two seconds. The win went to Konstantin Fast (Nich – La Vela Cycling Team), with a time of 5:44.16. Ben Arnott (Specialized Roval Mavericks) was second and Todd Sinclair (CyclingTraining.cc) third.
The Men’s Masters Open win went to Sven Grundmann, his time of 5:58.78 edging top seed Michael Boesiger (Matador Racing) into second, with Matthew Lodge (Specialized Roval Mavericks) taking the last spot on the podium.
Henrik Pedersen (Specialized Roval Mavericks) took the win in the Men’s Veterans contest with a 6:12.73. Peter Missingham (Anza Cycling) was the runner-up 5 seconds back, with Kjell Olsen (Velo Supersports) in third.
The last of the categories to take on the time trial was the Men’s Open (rebranded from Men’s Sports in previous years). Marko Johanson (GCFC Estonia) was the champ with a 6:07.36, from Donlawat Luangsawai (Velo Supersports) and Jin Yi Toh (Specialized Roval Mavericks).
Stage 2, the Phang Nga Beauty
The first open road stage was the classic 137km journey through Phang Nga province. Phang Nga is on the mainland of Thailand and is connected to Phuket by the Sarasin Bridge, which the vast majority of the competitors crossed from their hotels on the island to get to the Stage 2 starting area. While Phuket has the fancy hotels and tourism infrastructure, Phang Nga has vast, relatively undeveloped areas of tropical countryside with a network of well-paved roads; perfect terrain for a bike race.
Henrik Pedersen (Specialized Roval Mavericks) took the win in the Men’s Veterans contest with a 6:12.73. Peter Missingham (Anza Cycling) was the runner-up 5 seconds back, with Kjell Olsen (Velo Supersports) in third.
The last of the categories to take on the time trial was the Men’s Open (rebranded from Men’s Sports in previous years). Marko Johanson (GCFC Estonia) was the champ with a 6:07.36, from Donlawat Luangsawai (Velo Supersports) and Jin Yi Toh (Specialized Roval Mavericks).
Stage 2, the Phang Nga Beauty
The first open road stage was the classic 137km journey through Phang Nga province. Phang Nga is on the mainland of Thailand and is connected to Phuket by the Sarasin Bridge, which the vast majority of the competitors crossed from their hotels on the island to get to the Stage 2 starting area. While Phuket has the fancy hotels and tourism infrastructure, Phang Nga has vast, relatively undeveloped areas of tropical countryside with a network of well-paved roads; perfect terrain for a bike race.
The sun was already beating down as the Elite Men’s bunch rolled out a little after 7:30 on a beautiful Saturday morning. The attacks came fast and thick as the other teams led by Roojai.com, MatadorRacing and KGB set about wearing down Bakker and his Allied World squad. The yellow jersey was still in the thick of the action, though, until the treacherous descent of the first KOM prime of the day at the 66km mark. Despite numerous warnings about this short but steep and technical descent, there are crashes every year and on this day one of them unfortunately belonged to the race leader. Bakker survived relatively unscathed and managed to finish, but his race for the title was effectively over.
Attack and chase was still the nature of the beast for the rest of the stage, but despite the constantly high pace, the heat and the 800 metres of elevation gain, a relatively big bunch of over 20 riders was still together as the race entered the finale. Adulwit Phosangda (KGB) proved the strongest in the sprint, edging Tanaphon Seanaumnuayphon (Roojai.com) for the win and the 10 bonus seconds that went with it. Sakchai Phodingam (KGB) was third.
Thanks to time bonuses from the intermediate primes and his Stage 1 advantage, it was Jambaljamts who donned the yellow jersey at the end of the day, with a 4-second lead over teammate Valentin Midey.
Attack and chase was still the nature of the beast for the rest of the stage, but despite the constantly high pace, the heat and the 800 metres of elevation gain, a relatively big bunch of over 20 riders was still together as the race entered the finale. Adulwit Phosangda (KGB) proved the strongest in the sprint, edging Tanaphon Seanaumnuayphon (Roojai.com) for the win and the 10 bonus seconds that went with it. Sakchai Phodingam (KGB) was third.
Thanks to time bonuses from the intermediate primes and his Stage 1 advantage, it was Jambaljamts who donned the yellow jersey at the end of the day, with a 4-second lead over teammate Valentin Midey.
In the Men’s Masters Elite race, an ultra long-range attempt at glory from Pichet Puenaraeng (Nich La Vela Cycling Team), didn’t quite succeed but it reaped a stack of bonus seconds. He and fellow escapee Ruairi Brown (Specialized Roval Mavericks) built a big lead, and even when Brown faded, Pichet rode relentlessly on and he was only caught by a much-reduced peloton just after the second intermediate KOM prime at the 103km mark. He still had the legs to contest the sprint too, but the stage win went to Rick Dumpleton (Specialized Roval Mavericks), with Pichet in second and Sinclair third for the second day in a row. Thanks to a maximum 15 seconds of Sprint and KOM bonuses, it was Pichet who moved into yellow ahead of Sinclair with a 10-second advantage.
The combined Men’s Masters Open, Men’s Veterans and Men’s Open saw another long-range attack. This time it was Matt Lodge (Specialized Roval Mavericks) racing in the Masters who went early. He swept up the Sprint prime at the 46km mark uncontested and then when he was joined by the Veterans pair of Missingham and Peter Williamson (Anza Cycling), the trio pressed on towards the KOM at 66km. They made it over the top snaring more bonus seconds before being caught by the bunch shortly after the descent.
The next big move came on the second KOM, which Boesiger crested solo giving him a significant gap which he used to then simply ride away from the bunch. Some initial indecision behind meant he built a huge lead before a chase of sorts was finally formed, but it was too late and Boesiger went on to claim a fine solo victory. Colin Pearson (Matador Racing) won the bunch sprint for second place, while Thammasorn Witsarutsin (Velo Supersports) finished third. With the yellow jersey of Grundmann having suffererd an untimely mechanical at the foot of the second KOM that saw him drop off the front group, Boesiger assumed the race lead, some 30 seconds ahead of Lodge
The combined Men’s Masters Open, Men’s Veterans and Men’s Open saw another long-range attack. This time it was Matt Lodge (Specialized Roval Mavericks) racing in the Masters who went early. He swept up the Sprint prime at the 46km mark uncontested and then when he was joined by the Veterans pair of Missingham and Peter Williamson (Anza Cycling), the trio pressed on towards the KOM at 66km. They made it over the top snaring more bonus seconds before being caught by the bunch shortly after the descent.
The next big move came on the second KOM, which Boesiger crested solo giving him a significant gap which he used to then simply ride away from the bunch. Some initial indecision behind meant he built a huge lead before a chase of sorts was finally formed, but it was too late and Boesiger went on to claim a fine solo victory. Colin Pearson (Matador Racing) won the bunch sprint for second place, while Thammasorn Witsarutsin (Velo Supersports) finished third. With the yellow jersey of Grundmann having suffererd an untimely mechanical at the foot of the second KOM that saw him drop off the front group, Boesiger assumed the race lead, some 30 seconds ahead of Lodge
Marco Baggioli (Integrated Riding) took the win in the Men’s Veterans in a sprint from Pedersen, with Olsen again third. Pedersen retained the yellow jersey with a 14-second lead on Olsen.
The Men’s Open race saw Donlawat emerge as the winner as he outsprinted the Specialized Roval Mavericks pair of Toh and Andy Goh. Stage 1 winner Johanson was dropped on the first KOM, so Donlawat took over the yellow jersey.
The Elite Women riders lined up together with the Women’s Open and the Men’s Sports Open competitors, which, like in the third peloton, has the potential to muddle the picture somewhat, but Tan and Richardson made sure that wasn’t much of an issue as by the time they entered the finishing stretch it was just the two of them left among the women to settle the issue of stage honours. The win went to Tan, just, but with time bonuses accumulated throughout the day, she increased her lead on the GC over Richardson to 13 seconds. Third place on the day, but some 7 minutes back, and taking that position on the overall standings too was Michelle Tse (Chain’s Sprockets Shanghai).
Yuri Arakawa (Anza Cycling) claimed the Women’s Open win in the sprint from Elizabeth Hodges (The Rebelles), with Laurence Buelens (The Rebelles) in third. The Men’s Sports Open saw Romain Raimbault (GOTP) take a comfortable solo win from Stefano Artosin (Aman Racing) and Matthieu Bedard (Anza Cycling).
The Men’s Open race saw Donlawat emerge as the winner as he outsprinted the Specialized Roval Mavericks pair of Toh and Andy Goh. Stage 1 winner Johanson was dropped on the first KOM, so Donlawat took over the yellow jersey.
The Elite Women riders lined up together with the Women’s Open and the Men’s Sports Open competitors, which, like in the third peloton, has the potential to muddle the picture somewhat, but Tan and Richardson made sure that wasn’t much of an issue as by the time they entered the finishing stretch it was just the two of them left among the women to settle the issue of stage honours. The win went to Tan, just, but with time bonuses accumulated throughout the day, she increased her lead on the GC over Richardson to 13 seconds. Third place on the day, but some 7 minutes back, and taking that position on the overall standings too was Michelle Tse (Chain’s Sprockets Shanghai).
Yuri Arakawa (Anza Cycling) claimed the Women’s Open win in the sprint from Elizabeth Hodges (The Rebelles), with Laurence Buelens (The Rebelles) in third. The Men’s Sports Open saw Romain Raimbault (GOTP) take a comfortable solo win from Stefano Artosin (Aman Racing) and Matthieu Bedard (Anza Cycling).
Stage 3, the Phang Nga Bay double loop circuit
While Stage 3 of the Tour of Phuket and Phang Nga is 35km shorter than Stage 2, for many of the veteran riders it’s considered more challenging, as contained in its 102km of distance is over 1,000 metres of elevation gain and a number of nasty climbs. Throw in tired legs from the previous day’s exertions in the heat and you have a recipe for one tough cookie.
The course for the Sunday finale is traditionally a two-loop affair with a modification near the end of the second lap that takes the riders up the other, much steeper side of the KOM climb from lap No.1. And then when that’s been negotiated and the riders think they’re on a fairly straightforward run for home with 20km to go, another unclassified killer climb hits them slap bang in the face. The double whammy usually shreds the fields leaving small groups to contest the finish.
So the fact that some 30 riders were still together in the Men’s Elite finale as the bunch approached the finish line yesterday is testament to how strong the field was. But perhaps also the dominating performance of a Roojai.com team determined not to let anything get away also had something to do with this state of affairs.
While Stage 3 of the Tour of Phuket and Phang Nga is 35km shorter than Stage 2, for many of the veteran riders it’s considered more challenging, as contained in its 102km of distance is over 1,000 metres of elevation gain and a number of nasty climbs. Throw in tired legs from the previous day’s exertions in the heat and you have a recipe for one tough cookie.
The course for the Sunday finale is traditionally a two-loop affair with a modification near the end of the second lap that takes the riders up the other, much steeper side of the KOM climb from lap No.1. And then when that’s been negotiated and the riders think they’re on a fairly straightforward run for home with 20km to go, another unclassified killer climb hits them slap bang in the face. The double whammy usually shreds the fields leaving small groups to contest the finish.
So the fact that some 30 riders were still together in the Men’s Elite finale as the bunch approached the finish line yesterday is testament to how strong the field was. But perhaps also the dominating performance of a Roojai.com team determined not to let anything get away also had something to do with this state of affairs.
And the mighty blue and red train didn’t just keep the yellow jersey, they did it style by dropping off Jambaljamts at the pointy end of the action just as the final battle for the line unfolded and he delivered by the taking the stage win. It was another close thing, with Jambaljamts prevailing by just a tenth of a second from Sakchai, with Midey in third.
The Roojai.com leader had also accumulated some more intermediate bonus seconds on the primes and so his winning margin on the final GC standings to the runner-up Midey was 14 seconds. And with Witsawakorn Keawthong third overall, it was a clean sweep on the final podium for Roojai.com. Witsawakorn also claimed the green jersey, while Jambaljamts and Midey tied for the polka dot jersey. Roojai.com not surprisingly won the Men’s Elite team prize.
The heat and the accumulated fatigue brought on by the hills saw the Men’s Elite Masters contest follow the more expected blueprint for such a tough stage, with only seven men left in contention after the final KOM and its just-as-evil brother had been negotiated. Pichet was left isolated after his teammate Fast wasn’t among the seven, but the Nich man proved more than able to follow the attacks that followed. And just as his compatriot Jambaljamts had done in the Men’s Elite race, Pichet put down a final stamp of authority by taking a clear victory in the sprint. James Loh (Integrated Riding) was second on the day, with Stage 2 winner Dumpleton third. Pichet donned the yellow jersey again on the final podium, then added the polka dot and green jerseys for good measure. Arnott was second on GC, 31 seconds back, with Dumpleton in third. The Specialized Roval Mavericks took the Men’s Elite Masters team prize.
The Roojai.com leader had also accumulated some more intermediate bonus seconds on the primes and so his winning margin on the final GC standings to the runner-up Midey was 14 seconds. And with Witsawakorn Keawthong third overall, it was a clean sweep on the final podium for Roojai.com. Witsawakorn also claimed the green jersey, while Jambaljamts and Midey tied for the polka dot jersey. Roojai.com not surprisingly won the Men’s Elite team prize.
The heat and the accumulated fatigue brought on by the hills saw the Men’s Elite Masters contest follow the more expected blueprint for such a tough stage, with only seven men left in contention after the final KOM and its just-as-evil brother had been negotiated. Pichet was left isolated after his teammate Fast wasn’t among the seven, but the Nich man proved more than able to follow the attacks that followed. And just as his compatriot Jambaljamts had done in the Men’s Elite race, Pichet put down a final stamp of authority by taking a clear victory in the sprint. James Loh (Integrated Riding) was second on the day, with Stage 2 winner Dumpleton third. Pichet donned the yellow jersey again on the final podium, then added the polka dot and green jerseys for good measure. Arnott was second on GC, 31 seconds back, with Dumpleton in third. The Specialized Roval Mavericks took the Men’s Elite Masters team prize.
In the third peloton, it was again those twin climbs near the end of the course that finally splintered the field and this saw Men’s Masters Open leader Boesiger left isolated with no teammates. The other GC contenders couldn’t take full advantage of this, though, in part because Boesiger still had good legs. But the leader did have to handle a tricky situation when with some 7km to go, three riders, Robert Walpole (Vanilla Residence), Xavier Lecourt and Michael Bogoevski (Specialized Roval Mavericks), escaped off the front. None of the trio would have been considered GC threats at the start of the stage as they all sat about a minute back, but when their lead started to grow and they were nearly out of sight, Boesiger had to go to the front and drill it. The escapees stayed away, with Lecourt prevailing in the sprint from Walpole and Bogoevski, but the gap in the end to the reduced bunch was 22 seconds, so Boesiger successfully clinched the overall title. Thammasorn was the runner-up on GC some 29 seconds back, with Lodge in third. Lodge also took the green jersey, while there was a three-way tie in the KOM contest between Marcus Hancock (Integrated Riding), Walpole and Prasert Chitmart (Velo Supersports).
In the Men’s Veterans race, only two riders survived the last two hills to stay with the combined bunch. One of those was the yellow jersey of Pedersen but with the other being a man out of the GC picture, Robert Herries, the pressure was off the Specialized Roval Mavericks man. It was Herries who took the stage win, but Pedersen’s second-place saw him clinch the overall title by some 3 minutes from the same man. Third on the day was Missingham, while Baggioli took the final spot on the GC podium. Herries won the polka dot jersey, with Olsen securing the green jersey.
In the Men’s Veterans race, only two riders survived the last two hills to stay with the combined bunch. One of those was the yellow jersey of Pedersen but with the other being a man out of the GC picture, Robert Herries, the pressure was off the Specialized Roval Mavericks man. It was Herries who took the stage win, but Pedersen’s second-place saw him clinch the overall title by some 3 minutes from the same man. Third on the day was Missingham, while Baggioli took the final spot on the GC podium. Herries won the polka dot jersey, with Olsen securing the green jersey.
Donlawat put in another dominant performance on the final day of the Men’s Open action, winning the sprint for the stage, the overall GC and the polka dot jersey. Second place on the stage and on the final standings went to Koh, with Toh third on both measures. Edmond Chew (Specialized Roval Mavericks) won the green jersey. There was a combined team classification among the Men’s Masters Open and Mens’ Open categories, and that was won by the Specialized Roval Mavericks.
The Women’s Elite race again was a two-way battle between Tan and Richardson, although Ponnie nur Ramirez Arfanah (KGB) did a great job of hanging with the top pairing for a good part of the stage. But when the finish line approached it was just Tan against Richardson, with the former once again prevailing in the sprint. To go with her three stage wins and the GC, the Singaporean Tan also took the polka dot jersey with a clean sweep of the four KOM primes. Richardson was of course second on the GC but the official 27-second gap belies how closely matched she and Tan were, with bonus seconds providing the bulk of the separation. Arfanah’s strong effort on Stage 3 elevated her to third on the final GC. Her teammate Gita Widya Yunika won the green jersey.
The Women’s Open saw Arakawa ride away from her rivals to clinch the stage and the GC, with Buelens and Hodges a distant second and third on the day. Those two Rebelles teammates swopped positions on the final GC podium. Arakawa had a clean sweep on the KOM primes on her way to the polka dot jersey, while it was Buelens who took the green jersey.
The Women’s Elite race again was a two-way battle between Tan and Richardson, although Ponnie nur Ramirez Arfanah (KGB) did a great job of hanging with the top pairing for a good part of the stage. But when the finish line approached it was just Tan against Richardson, with the former once again prevailing in the sprint. To go with her three stage wins and the GC, the Singaporean Tan also took the polka dot jersey with a clean sweep of the four KOM primes. Richardson was of course second on the GC but the official 27-second gap belies how closely matched she and Tan were, with bonus seconds providing the bulk of the separation. Arfanah’s strong effort on Stage 3 elevated her to third on the final GC. Her teammate Gita Widya Yunika won the green jersey.
The Women’s Open saw Arakawa ride away from her rivals to clinch the stage and the GC, with Buelens and Hodges a distant second and third on the day. Those two Rebelles teammates swopped positions on the final GC podium. Arakawa had a clean sweep on the KOM primes on her way to the polka dot jersey, while it was Buelens who took the green jersey.
Raimbault also took his second stage win in a row solo style in the Men’s Sports Open to comfortably take the overall title, while the runner-up on the day was Taketoki Isobe (Anza Cycling), with Bedard third again. Bedard was second on the final GC leaderboard, with Isobe third. The polka dot winner was unsurprisingly Raimbault, with Robert Smith (Anza Cycling) grabbing the green jersey.
For full results of the race click on this link, and to view the photos that illustrate this article and many more, visit the Cycosports Facebook page.
Including the gran fondo riders, well over 200 cyclists turned up for the 2020 Tour of Phuket and Phang Nga, which with global travel numbers well down amid the coronavirus situation, demonstrates how well regarded the race is by amateur road racers in Southeast Asia and beyond. And no wonder, the racing was epic, the organisation was excellent and the Thai people were as always the friendliest hosts possible. Kudos once more to Kent McCallum and his team at Cycosports.
Photos courtesy of Cycosports.
For full results of the race click on this link, and to view the photos that illustrate this article and many more, visit the Cycosports Facebook page.
Including the gran fondo riders, well over 200 cyclists turned up for the 2020 Tour of Phuket and Phang Nga, which with global travel numbers well down amid the coronavirus situation, demonstrates how well regarded the race is by amateur road racers in Southeast Asia and beyond. And no wonder, the racing was epic, the organisation was excellent and the Thai people were as always the friendliest hosts possible. Kudos once more to Kent McCallum and his team at Cycosports.
Photos courtesy of Cycosports.