On the banks of the Mekong

SOME 500 CYCLISTS, several of whom had travelled from Laos and Vietnam, turned out to Mukdahan City Hall last Sunday morning eager to take in the popular cycling event, the Tour of Mukdahan-Savannakhet.

“I arrived in Mukdahan by bus together with other 14 cyclists yesterday,” Vinh Nguyen told XP as he tucked into a power breakfast at the nearby Grand Hotel.

Local club Muk Bike and BikeFinder from Bangkok led riders through Mukdahan city and along the bank of the Mekong River before crossing the second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, which spans 2.7 kilometres into Laos. 

Energetic pedalling quickly led us to Savannakhet, where we turned right at the Dinosaur Monument roundabout, topped at Royal Thai Consulate-General then paid our respects to the statue of Mukdahan-born Nouhak Phoumsavanh, president of Laos from 1992 to 1998. 

Our next stops took us to Wat Xaignaphoum, the oldest temple in Savannakhet where we were blessed by a monk, to Savan Night Bazaar near St Teresa’s Catholic Church and the huge commemorative site for another famous leader, Kaysone Phomvihane, |the first prime minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic from 1975 to 1991 and president from 1991 until his death in 1992.

After brief stops at the Lao Immigration Bureau in Savannakhet and the Thai Immigration Bureau in Mukdahan as we crossed back into Thailand, we entered into the mountain stage of the tour, pedalling furiously up to Wat Roi Phra Bat Phu Manorom, which sits on a hill overlooking the city and the river and serves as the finishing post.

Participants cheered as the winners of the King of Sprint and King of Mountain categories were announced.

 “Before the finish, I was ahead of other cyclists including the former national cycling team of Laos’ winner of last year,” said Yuttapong Chatchawanwan, aka “The Kuii Bike, who was crowned king of the mountain for the third year and recently returned from a three-day race in the Swiss Alps.