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Striking a little bit of fear into me with that description. It looks like a very challenging route no doubt, at audax pace I am 50-50 if I could complete, if I was to, probably would be without much sleep.
motoko-
It was such an epic ride for me mainly because I was a lot less experienced, didn't have much info, was completely on my own, and it was at the level of difficulty where I was just able to do it. If you've prepared better and know what you're talking on it's probably not as hard as I made it sound.
Looking at the climbing it's similar to the hardest UK audaxes like the Pendle, maybe a few more metres but some is 'easier' climbing like a 1000m at 5-6%, rather than all being brutal up/down like the pennines (although there is a bit of that). I'm sure rides in the Alps or other mountain regions will have more climbing.
The weather is definitely better, the roads are lovely and smooth and the food is wonderful. I particularly remember the teak forests, massive trees with their leaves just starting to fall (in December), the fried rice and noodle soup available from stalls almost everywhere (apart from up that steep climb!) and the really sweet fun-size bananas...
I'd love to do it again, of all the rides I've done it's probably my all time favourite.
frank9755
The Mae Hong Son loop!
I've done that - not as an audax but as a tour, over 4 days. I'd definitely recommend - wonderful route, lovely roads, some brutal climbs (the short ones, rather than the long ones), great food, lovely towns and villages, friendly people.
A bit of main road to get out of Chang Mai, then two great, long climbs in the first half ,then some really brutal short climbs round about 200km. One of them made my rear mech collapse out of shape.
Then it is some easy stuff through forest, before my favourite bit, which was after you turn left to cut back towards Chang Mai at 324 km. A really quiet, hidden valley, again with some steep climbs that had me on the edge. A very pretty section by a river.
I did it 10 years ago in December. I didn't have such good info on the route then so wasn't sure what to expect on some of the sections in terms of gradients and resupply options. And I didn't eat enough, so by day three I was struggling for energy. I'd done PBP that year so thought I knew how to ride long distances, but didn't really understand nutrition then.
I didn't do the out and back bit at 210mi / 338km, and I turned left at 282mi / 454km with the intention of going up Doi Inthanon (the highest mountain in Thailand). But that road turned out to be brutal - about 4km at an average of 13% - and I was on a steel tourer with panniers / luggage for a 4-week tour. Probably the hardest ride I've ever done. I quickly ran out of food, there were no resupply options. I ate a couple of tomatoes that fell on the road from a passing farm trailer. I had my worst ever bonk and had to walk the last few inclines as I couldn't ride any more. I definitely couldn't manage the out and back to the top of Inthanon. I found food on the way down and was able to roll back to Chang Mai, but was ill for a couple of days, and didn't get my riding strength back for the best part of a week (went on to tour Laos).
But ignore that as you are not doing that bit! The road to the south is much less hilly. I'm sure it would be a really memorable 600.