Steve Thomas rides the Cameron Highlands. Source: Images by Steve Thomas. Debesay beats Bayly in the Cameron Highlands. Share this with family and friends. Taking a fling at the Cameron Highlands The Tour de Langkawi peloton does it every year and you too can tackle the mountainous Cameron Highlands.
This misty and deeply green high ground of extreme contrasts was where it all begun for me some 16 years ago; the ride that led me to a life in Southeast Asia.
On my very first day in Southeast Asia the destination was Cameron Highlands, where arrived to shoot a feature for a major cycling magazine. The climb officially starts at 49 meters above sea levels in Tapah Road and then winds like a very long snake through dense jungle to reach the race finish line in the second and most popular of the staggered hill towns of Tanah Rata, which sits at 1, meters high. Source: Steve Thomas. Back then this old main road was the only link between the Highlands and the steamy and busy lowlands.
Many of the less tropical produce you find throughout Malaysia is grown in these cooler climes. Trucks ply the road with little relent each morning and evening, meaning that riding uphill is best done in the searing mid day heat. About 14km from the summit you drop down slightly to Ringlet, the lowest and perhaps most industrious of the highland towns.
Strawberries, orchids, and tea are the most prized commodities, and from here on up you will pass by spectacular greenly carpeted tea gardens. They became a cool retreat for heat-weary colonials and provided an ideal climate for growing their more favoured vegetables and produce. These days the Highlands still produce huge amounts of tea, fruit and vegetables. The colonials are long gone and have now been replaced by tourists who flock hear year-round to take in the amazing scenery.
