Bangkok Hash House Bikers BHHB

The Bangkok Hash House Bikers is a mountain biking club that has been around for some time now. The club was originally started back in the early 90s by a group of hash runners who found that they also enjoyed riding their bicycles in the many beautiful countryside locations that Thailand has on offer. The club’s rides are great social events, allowing members and visitors to meet fellow cyclists, both young and old, male and female, Thai and foreign, from all over the world.

The adventure of hashing is similar to orienteering; hashers follow a trail laid down by the event’s organizer. This organizer is known as the hare. The trail laid out by the hare has a collection of puzzles that need to be solved in order to locate the continuation point of the trail. These puzzles can be as simple as a false trail, a trail that misleads hashers, or something a bit more complicated like a check, where hashers are required to search for a new trail within a 500-meter radius of a specific point.

Check out Wikipedia for the full back-story of Hashing.

With some clever planning the hares are able to keep the faster cyclists busy checking, searching, and locating the trail while allowing time for the slower cyclists in the group to catch up. This system enables the group to complete the ride in a reasonable amount of time, gives everyone the chance to ride at their own pace, and keeps the experience from becoming overly competitive.

Today’s membership in BHHB is strong, sometimes with over 100 riders rolling out at the start of a ride. The club schedules their rides on the last weekend of every month. Participants have the choice of joining either or both the Saturday and Sunday ride. The Saturday ride is the highlight of the weekend and is usually a hard 40-50km off-road trail not for the faint-hearted. The Saturday ride, although it is great fun, will test your legs and your will. The Sunday ride is usually 25kms and often follows a less difficult trail than the previous day. It is meant to be a bit easier to allow for the recovery of those hashers who may have a bit too much to drink the night before. The Sunday ride also encourages family participation and is hugely popular with hashers who are riding with children.

Bike Hash events are weekend affairs set at an inexpensive resort or hotel, prices ranging from 1,000-1,500thb/night. Most people drive to the ride site on Saturday morning, though some like to make it a bit more of a leisurely weekend by driving there on Friday.

If you’re interested in attending the Bangkok Hash House Bikers’ great weekend of mountain biking you have the option of paying as a visitor for the day’s ride and the drinks and sandwiches that follow. Membership in the club is currently 500thb and being a member has its privileges such as reduced pricing on every ride as well as commemorative prizes and give-a-ways.

For more information and to check the destination of the next ride go to:

www.bangkokbikehash.org

Plan yourself an amazing escape weekend you will not soon forget.