Awesome Day Mountain Biking 700 Year Stadium

Last night I went out to a local bar in Chiang Mai to socialize. While at the bar I was introduced to Mike, a fellow mountain biking enthusiast! Along with my passion for travel and meeting new people is biking so I was psyched to meet someone else that shared that same passion!

I left the U.S. and my bikes in February of this year and have only ridden cruiser bikes for running errands while visiting different towns. I have been keeping an eye out for the opportunity to get back on the mountain bike!

There are several tour companies that offer mountain biking tours in Chiang Mai. Prior to meeting Mike, I was planning on signing up for one and getting introduced to the local trails.

Fortunately, Mike offered to do the same for free! After meeting each other and exchanging mountain bike beta (local knowledge) he invited me to go explore local trails the following day, close to 700 year stadium, a local recreation facility.

Where Is 700 Year Stadium?

The following day on Saturday, I researched local shops that rent mountain bikes. I also asked Max, the owner of the guest house that I am staying in, “Max, do you know of any local rental bike shops?”

Fortunately, Max was able to find some local shops that I should check out. After he shared the locations of the shops on the map, I decided to venture off with my motorbike to see what I could find.

The closest shop to my guesthouse is in the old city of Chiang Mai within the water canal that surrounds the city. The shop is called, “Mountain Biking Chiang Mai“ (who would have guessed…) and it is located on the map below.

Where I Rented My Mountain Bike

After finding the shop and looking at their rental fleet, I decided to rent a bike for the day. The cost for a one day rental is 250 BHT or $8USD. The rental comes with a bike (duh), helmet, and bike lock. The bikes are in descent shape and are mid-range bikes. The bike I rented was a 26” wheel, XL Aluminum Frame, Mid-Range Components, hard-tail.

After testing several bikes in their fleet I found one that rode pretty good. The mechanics and owner were friendly and helpful in the bike selection process. After renting the bike, I hoped on and went to my favorite smoothie shop, “The Fruit Shack.” Nat, the owner of the shop hooked it up with an amazing, lime, green apple, mint, and honey smoothie! Nutritious and delicious!

Following, I called Mike and met him at a local market close to his house, a short 15 minutes away on the bike. I followed him to his house and got the opportunity to meet his family. While he was changing and getting ready I had a great conversation with his mother and we talked about Chiang Mai and how it is changing very fast.

His mother was also a student at the school that I am teaching at which was interesting. Afterwords, Mike loaded his truck with our bikes and we drove to pick up a friend of his named, Joe. After picking up Joe, loading a 3rd bike in the truck, we were off to 700 year stadium!

After arriving to the facility which is huge, we parked and got ready to ride! 700 year stadium has many recreational facilities including but not limited to; Olympic size swimming pool, weight room facility, tennis facility, soccer stadium, lakes, trails, single track, and much more!

After riding on a short distance on the road, we veered off and hit the single track! I have ridden single track in Alaska and Colorado and they each have unique trail features, foliage, and animals to watch out for. The trail at 700 year stadium started out wide and quickly narrowed.

The trail consisted of clay dirt, rocks, sand, sticks, and was surrounded by a variety of trees and tropical foliage. It was hot and humid! Whoa. I am not sure I have ever sweated this much while riding my bike. My eyes were stinging from the salty sweat dripping from my face.

Mike and Joe were awesome to ride with and I appreciated them showing me around. We biked two loops and we took a short break in-between at a small shop along the lake.

In all we biked 14km which was perfect since I have not ridden in 2 months. At the end of the day, it was easy to determine that the biking at 700 year stadium is nothing short of EPIC! I look forward to many more rides! Now…. I just need to find a permanent bike to ride…. See YOU on the trails!