Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a great place to cycle and has a thriving cycling scene. As this is a busy metropolis, picking your route and time of day is vital to get the best out of cycling in Hong Kong.
The Peak
The classic Hong Kong ride is riding up to the Peak. Starting form Stubbs Road in Happy Valley, this 9.5km ascent rises to 550m from almost sea level and offers great views all round.
Fist you climb above Happy Valley race course, then above central Hong Kong with views over the city and harbour. After the Magazine Gap the road follows at the back of the Peak overlooking Aberdeen and offering stunning views over the sea. Once past the Peak Tower, Mount Austin Road gets seriously steep but offers great sea views from the top. Wonderful ride, best done at the break of dawn into the sunrise.
Check out this route to the Peak:
Route tip: The Peak climb is best ridden in the morning before the rush hour traffic. There is an alternative route. Turn right onto Barker Road after Magazine Gap. It weaves up the hill at the front of the Peak with great views over Hong Kong harbour. Then turn onto Plantation Road at the Barker Road tram station which brings you back to Peak Road. From there, a little loop around Mount Kellett can also be included which has great views over Aberdeen.
Shek'O
Hong Kong's weekend ride. The city's riding population gets on their bikes, past Wong Nai Chung Gap and the down to the South Side of Hong Kong Island. The up and down coastal road then goes past the beaches of Stanley.
The route goes further along the Tai Tam road with a fast loop of the Redhill Peninsula, over the Tai Tam reservoirs dam, and along the Shek'O peninsula, winding its way to Shek'O.
A well earned coffee stop awaits. You won't be alone on this ride but this is a great road, varied and with wonderful views.
Checkout this route, the "HK weekend ride":
Route tip: At Repulse Bay, this route includes a spur road to South Bay Beach which is great for a stop. Back on the route and when you reach the first Stanley turn off, stay on the main road for the downhill and come back up through Stanley on the way back. The main road to Stanley is better suited for a downhill. Further on, the road is crossing the Tai Tam dam which is regulated by a traffic light and they can be timed tightly for cyclists. Lastly, the road to Shek'O is a real treat with great views.
Lantau Island
South Lantau
Cycling in South Lantau Island is like cycling in the countryside, leaving the city behind to ride on country roads. There are steep climbs with gradients of up to 20%, roads past beaches and to hidden coastal villages. Cycling here is truly challenging, especially at the height of summer.
Riding all of South Lantau starts in Mui Wo with a killer ramp right from the off and continues all the way the South Lantau Road to Tai'O.
The road is challenging in its own right but there are further climbs which add some spice. The Reverse Beast to Pak Kung Au (to extend the ride, descend the Beast to Tung Chung and climb back up) is a lovely way to get an panoramic view of the islands around Hong Kong. A fast downhill is followed by a ride along beaches and then a killer climb up to the Buddha at Ngong Ping. If that is not enough, after a descend to Tai'O, the way back up features the climb out of Tai'O and a couple of steep ramps on the South Lantau Road. Overall, the ride is about 55km long and climbs 1600m. Wonderful.
Riding South Landau covers a number of outstanding climbs, tough but truly unique.
Reverse Beast and Beast
The Beast is famous. What a road! Steep, hot and sweaty. Coming from Tung Chung it climbs to Pak Kung Au, the gradient tops at 20% and stays above 10% most of the way, the vegetation keeps the heat like a steam room and busses trying to overtake you but seem to be working as hard as you are getting up this road.
My favourite side is the backside or Reverse Beast which comes from the sea and offers great views over the coast, the Lantau Peak and the outlying islands. The pass at Pak Kung Au is at 320m and gradients rise to 17% but there are some part of the road below 10%. With steep gradient and tropical heat, this is hard but rewarding.
Tai'O
The road up and down to Tai'O is my favourite road in Hong Kong. Once you leave the turnoff to the Buddha behind on the right, it is a delightful descent though the hidden side of Lantau.
You come past monasteries and the occasional cow on the road. The climb back up is equally tranquil and has a really great rhythm to it. Just wonderful.
The Buddha
Starting at the Skek Pik reservoir, the road climbs over 4.6km and 368m elevation gain to Ngong Ping at 428m altitude. There are a couple of false flats and a little downhill which makes some of the ramps incredibly steep with gradients of over 20%.
This is one of the hardest climbs in Hong Kong, especially the last ramp makes you feel you are riding right into the sky. On the way dow, there is a steep long ramp ending at the turnoff to Tai'O that gives you the impression you will continue riding straight into the sea.
Hong Kong has super great routes in Kowloon and on the Island.
To the highest peak - Tai Mo Shan
Route Tip: Tai Mo Shan is the highest mountain in Hong Kong at 957m. There is a military weather and radio installation on top so don't expect refreshments.
Starting from Tsuen Wan, take route TWSK to the turnoff to Tai Mo Shan. Route TWSK started out as a military road and is great and twisty.
After the turnoff to Tai Mo Shan, there is a parking and a kiosk for refuelling. The road becomes single lane with traffic allowed halfway up. After the boom gate, the road becomes even smaller and steeper.
You are totally in the open, no trees or shrubs and Hong Kong is just laid out on a plate underneath. Great and challenging climb, be careful on the way down.
All of Hong Kong Island
Route Tip: Riding all of the climbs on the Island is a fantastic but strenuous ride. It starts off with the Peak climb from Happy Valley and descends the steep Magazine Gap Road to central. Busy streets take you to Kennedy town and up Mount Davies. Around Mount Davies to Cyber Port and then on a stretch of the highway before climbing Won Nai Chung Gap. The downhill takes you to Deep Water Bay and onwards to Stanley.
From Stanley, the road goes to Shek'O and then back via Won Nai Chung Gap to Happy Valley.
Stops can be included on route in Cyberport, South Bay Beach (turn off at the roundabout in Repulse Bay), Stanley and certainly Shek'O.
Great day riding, just watch the traffic.
A word on Hong Kong roads
Hong Kong roads normally don't offer a smooth ride. Often the road is made of concrete which has frequent expansion joints. These are perfect for a wheel to get stuck.
In Lantau, roads are raked when the concrete is poured to allow for better water run off which makes for a very uncomfortable ride (it might shake the teeth out of your head at speed).
Lastly, normally road engineers ensure that both sides of the road are joint together smoothly when resurfacing the road. Not so in Hong Kong. There can be step of around 1-2cm between the right and left side of the road, especially dangerous when overtaking or downhilling. Like in the UK, potholes can spring on you, especially around drainage covers. Apart from that, enjoy!
Discover more cycling in Asia Pacific
High on this list is Taiwan. The centre of the island is wonderfully mountainous and this video gives a sense of what riding there is like. It is warm and humid which I always find a great combination for riding. Some further thoughts on climbs in Taiwan.
Japan is another great riding location. Due to its length, Japan has a large variety of riding landscapes. Nice areas are the north - Hokkaido for bikepacking, the southern provinces of Fukuoka and Myasaki or the centre province of Nagano. Japan is mountainous, has high quality roads, courteous drivers and great food. Oscar Boyd's video diary is very good to get a feeling of bikepacking in Japan, highly recommended. Further reading on wonderful Japan can be found here.
New Zealand is a great place for almost any activity and cycling is included on this list. A vast and empty country with amazing scenery which lends itself for bikepacking and multi day rides. This might get you started.
