Now, here is a proper adventure. As The Race reports, Valtteri Bottas decided that a straightforward flight between the Malaysian and Singapore grands prix simply wasn't wild enough, opting instead to pedal more than 200 miles across four days on a bicycle.
The whole thing started as a casual remark from his partner, professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, given how close the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur sits to the Marina Bay circuit. Bottas looked at the maps, checked if it would ruin his recovery ahead of Friday practice and sprint qualifying, and roped in local cyclists to map out a route supported by a following vehicle. He covered roughly 100 miles each on Monday and Tuesday, leaving a shorter spin for Wednesday.
Naturally, the wildlife proved to be a slight distraction. Bottas had to dodge a cobra and watched a python cross his path. He even had to bunny-hop his bike over a monitor lizard at the last second, got chased by a dog, and found himself stuck behind a herd of cows on a narrow track.
The real test, however, was riding through the jungle at night with only bike lights for guidance. The sounds in the dark started playing tricks on his mind, though he reasoned at the time that nothing in the wild was going to hunt him, reassuring himself that there weren't any tigers around. He was later informed during media sessions that Malaysia actually does have wild tigers, though they are rare and mostly found further north, while massive wild boars weighing upwards of 200kg and stretching two metres long were a much more realistic nocturnal threat.
Beyond dodging fauna and dealing with a bicycle seat that becomes 'like a cheese grinder', the expedition served a practical purpose. Bottas hoped the grueling heat would help with acclimatisation for one of the most brutal races of the year, while the night riding helped him adjust to the shifted Singapore schedule.
It also cleared his head after a painful Sunday in Malaysia, where he spun out of the race despite showing more competitiveness than usual. Now, his focus turns to the Singapore weekend with back-of-the-grid Cadillac, which remains the sole team yet to score a point this season.
