This F1 driver would rather ride 350 km of gravel to get to his next Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas has found a rather unique way to travel between two Formula 1 Grands Prix. Instead of flying from Malaysia to Singapore, the Finnish driver has decided to cover the approximately 350 kilometers that separate Sepang from the venue of the next race by bicycle.

A small adventure lasting several days that perfectly fits a driver for whom cycling has long ceased to be just a supplementary training.

From Sepang to Singapore on a Canyon gravel bike

Bottas headed south from the vicinity of the Sepang circuit with the intention of pedaling all the way to Singapore. A journey that normally takes around four or five hours by car or just about an hour by plane thus becomes a route of around 350 kilometers through Malaysia.

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The Finnish driver has planned the route in several stages, crossing rural areas and secondary roads until reaching the border with Singapore. The schedule also allows for few distractions as he needs to arrive on time to fulfill his commitments for the next Grand Prix.

On his first day of travel, Bottas completed 56.6 kilometers to Port Dickson in 2 hours and 8 minutes, with a positive elevation gain of 268 meters, and the second day he covered 161.91 km with 473 m in 5 hours and 45 minutes.

And all of this on his new Canyon Grail, a brand with which he has a particularly close relationship. In fact, Bottas has already made headlines related to Canyon, such as when he leaked a new Aeroad before the model had been officially presented.

Bottas's cycling goes far beyond a hobby

Although cycling 350 kilometers between two Grands Prix may seem eccentric, it is much less surprising knowing the recent trajectory of the Finnish driver.

Bottas has been training and competing on the bike for years, especially in gravel. A dedication that he has explained on several occasions when talking about how he manages to combine cycling with the demands of Formula 1.

His level is also not that of an occasional cyclist. In 2023, he qualified for the Gravel World Championship after finishing sixth in the Swartberg 100 in South Africa. For this season, he has also secured a spot for the World Championship after finishing fifth in his category at the Hlinsko Gravel Tour in the Czech Republic.

A large part of that connection to cycling is also linked to his partner, Australian cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, who is accompanying him on this journey, and has been a rider for Canyon//SRAM for years and also specializes in gravel.

The journey between Sepang and Singapore is, therefore, a new demonstration of how much two wheels are part of Bottas's routine. While much of the paddock resolves the travel between races by getting on a plane, the Finnish driver has preferred to turn those 350 kilometers into another adventure on the bike.