Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are 4-5 hours apart by car and just 1 hour by plane, but why settle for a comfortable yet mundane traditional journey when you can venture out on a bike for 350 km exploring jungles, swampy areas and endless rural territories? The Finnish F1 driver racing for Cadillac, Valtteri Bottas has decided to move from the Sepang circuit, venue of the last GP, to the next one in Singapore on his beloved Canyon gravel bike, organizing a mini Tour of Malaysia right at the end of the Tour de Langkawi. Bottas is sharing the small feat on social media, testifying to his well-known passion for two wheels without a motor - moreover, also a family affair.

Bottas's Journey

Just as Mathieu Van der Poel does with golf, F1 driver Bottas has long practiced with excellent results (see below) a discipline quite different from the one that made him famous. In the case of the 37-year-old Finn, it's the bike and more precisely gravel biking. In these hours, the mustachioed Cadillac man is pedaling through the often challenging rural roads of Malaysia from the Sepang circuit near the capital Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. The objective is to complete 350 km and present himself in time for the qualifications of the next GP that will be held at the demanding Marina Bay Street Circuit, with the now iconic night race. And precisely when the sun sets and the temperature becomes more bearable, the Finn will grind out the distance between the two tracks.

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A post shared by Valtteri Bottas (@valtteribottas)

The latest official activity uploaded to Strava illustrates the first section of 56.6 km to Port Dickson, completed in just over two hours (2h and 8') with an elevation gain of 268 m, for an average of approximately 26.4 km/h and 164 watts average. The likely route that Bottas will undertake could partially resemble that of last year's Tour de Langkawi, which indeed pushed to the border with Singapore - before returning to Kuala Lumpur for the final, classic, stage in the capital.

The Great Passion for Cycling

It's worth remembering that Bottas's partner is Australian cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, who hung up her road bike just days ago following the Philadelphia Classic, in Canyon Sram kit: she will conclude her career in gravel with the final races of the season, including the World Championships that will be held in Australia, in Nannup. Her boyfriend will also be there, who has been practicing gravel at an almost professional level for years now. In 2023, Bottas qualified for the first time for the specialty World Championships after achieving an excellent sixth place in South Africa at the Swartberg 100. He then finished in 133rd place in the 35-39 age category. This year he will also be present at the world championships thanks to the pass secured with a fifth place finish in his category at the Hlinsko Gravel Tour in the Czech Republic.