JonnyHK 

Just finished a morning ride around the west side of Hong Kong Island, bit pumped, need to blog...

I've already done the eastern side, so now that I've learned the roads and tried it all out I'm going to see if I can go all the way around on the next weekend ride.

Traffic down Hennessey Rd through to Queens Road Central is really light at 7am - not something I'd like to try at 9am on a weekday! The climb up Pokfulam Road out of Sheung Wan is a lot longer than I was expecting, but the reward is a nice 1:10 decent to Aberdeen on a wide smooth road. I was nudging 60kmph and I was brushing the brakes to hold it back! Couple of crazy bits of road where you have extra lanes entering from the side and all of a sudden you are in the 3rd of 4 lanes trying to tuck behind double decker buses!

The Wong Nai Chung Gap Road was a bit nasty, especially at the top where it has a couple of patches that have got to be close to 30% gradient. Heart rate was really working there (I soooo need to get a Garmin Edge 305 to track this stuff!) and I had to take a break.

Run home from the top of the hill is a breeze!

Woo-Hoo!

grahny

I was out there in the spring and was wondering what the riding would be like if I lived there. I stayed up in the mid-levels for the few weeks I was there and the walk alone back and forth from central kept my legs in riding shape for when I got home

I can only imagine there's some pretty good riding if you know where to go - and riding on Queens Rd central? That's gotta be fun

rollin

That is not an easy ride. Well done.

stevesurf

Glad you had a good time; I'm supposed to be in HK 1st week in December. Are there any bike accessories or gear that I should bring back to the US that I can't get here?

Wkend_Warrior

you are pretty brave to cycling in the heart of H.K.
when did you start and what is the usual time when you're done w/ riding?
All n' all, congrats.

fogrider

you must be starting before dawn to finish before traffic gets heavy. I think I'm pretty good in traffic, but I would have to think carefully to try riding in HK.

JonnyHK 

It was a 7.20am start from Tai Hang (to the east of Central, behind Victoria Park). I was home before 10am.

Sundays are pretty good. Traffic is manageable until about noon in busier areas.

Some parts of town (Wan Chai, Sheung Wan) are so busy that the traffic is quite slow. Parts of town that have wider arterial roads are more dangerous as the traffic is quicker.

JonnyHK 

I'm finding that because my road skills (driving, bike, whatever) are SOOOO much better than the local drivers that it is in many ways much easier to ride here - I'm predicting stuff and positioning myself way ahead of the average driver here who only thinks as far as his front bumper.

Other things to consider are my age (ie not young and silly), my size (no HK Cabbie wants a Clydesdale-size dent taking him off the road) and my race (you bet your backside that the HK Cabbie doesn't want to hit a gweilo - bad karma).

JonnyHK 

I've had a bit of trouble sourcing cheap/mid priced gear to build up a single speed bike to ride to work, but the local shops have plenty of current range and high end gear. The local racers and tri guys might have some feedback, but I'm just a weekend warrior and don't get through enough gear to know.

New bikes are fairly cheap. I bought my CAAD9 last year for a price that was fantastic compared to what I would have expected to pay in AUS.

wideAMG

i just arrived in HK two days ago and can't imagine riding fast in this town. driving is crazy and walking is just as dangerous. if there were no cars the ride would be awesome. i'm staying in causway bay which is a little quieter than central. temps are better at 30C than the last few days i spent in singapore where it was +40C.

there is one high-end bike store in kowloon that i will check out
https://www.flyingball.com/
i haven't seen any other stores around.

its inspirational to hear that someone is riding here . maybe next time i will bring my bike.

JetWave

Congrates on a great ride. I was born there & I wouldn't even want to drive a car there, traffic is plenty scary! BTW, have you heard of the guy Wong Kam Po, may be you can look him up & ride with him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wong_Kam-po

eric01

Have you ridden anywhere else in HK?

Riding around queens road does look a bit intimidating. Wondering if there are nice routes perhaps in the new territories? The thought of sharing the road with some really terrible drivers is quite scary!

JonnyHK 

You are not far from me then - Tai Hang is just around the corner. Give me a PM and perhaps we can meet up for a ride.

Got my C'dale from Flying Ball. Ask for BikeMan - old crazy English guy who has gone native. Or there is another bike shop in the back of Wan Chai on Wood Road.

JonnyHK 

There is a great ride out near the airport, but sadly I haven't done it yet as it is awkward to get to and I have crappy work hours.

phallenthoul

join me for a ride if you have a chance to come to Shenzhen.

phallenthoul

he has been training in mainland China for a long while...seriouly Hongkong is not a place for road cycling.

JonnyHK 

Just did the west side of the island again, but with different route.

Instead of taking Pok Fu Lam Rd out of Sheung Wan, I kept going along Queens Rd until I got to Victoria Road in Kennedy Town. This means more distance as the road hugs the coast much closer than the newer Pok Fu Lam Rd. View is nice at times through the trees.

What else was different? Damn minibuses (small 16 seaters that don't have set stops) pulling up all the time in Kennedy Town were not fun. Smaller climbs and descents, but more of them. Pok Fu Lam Rd has a big climb and a huge descent. I think I like the smaller stuff.

Took a different road home too. Instead of Wong Nai Chung Road up to the top of the hill, I took Repulse Bay Road to the same spot at the top. Tried to chase a couple riding on this climb, but didn't get close - they did look a lot fitter and just slowly pulled away! Ended up riding along with an older German guy on a brand new bike. He had SRAM Force (which he was new to and liked) and some nice wheels with DTSwiss 240s hubs that were very nice. He just glided down the descent on Stubbs/Tai Hang Roads. I'm glad he liked them because I'm about to build up a new set of wheels using a 240s rear hub (Alchemy ELF on the front). Hopefully my new wheels come in 500g lighter and help me get up the hills a bit easier! Or I could train more.

btom

Hey JonnyHK, if you get a chance can you post some pics of where you ride. I was in HK a few months back and picked up a jersey from flyingball. Nice shop, nice stuff but expensive.

JonnyHK 

Took the camera with me today as it happens...

Wan Chai, stuck at a pedestrian crossing on Hennessey Road.


Passing through Admiralty looking at Central. Look Ma - no traffic!


Sheung Wan and the trolleys that built this city.


Victoria Road out of Kennedy Town. This was the water company, but you can bet your backside that the gas company will be here next week digging up the same hole to do something else...


Up from sea level - look! a lighthouse. Westen edge of the harbour, might be the start of the Sulphur Channel.


One of the busiest ports in the world.


Looking back up the hill on Pok Fu Lam Road. Fast! Wheeeeee!


More to go!


Temple in Aberdeen - probably to Tin Hau (sea). Not on my path, but I had to detour to get a battery for the computer when it died!


Looking back over the HK Golf Club to Deep Water Bay. About half way up Repulse Bay Road on the way to the Wong Nai Chung Gap at the top of the hill. Down all the way to home from the top.

JetWave

What happened to all the traffic? Those pictures bring back some memories. I used to live in Mcdonnell Road off Garden road, don't know is it possible to ride up to the peak, I love going up to the peak, its one of the most beautiful place in HK.

yak

Nice shots. I spent 9 months there back in the 80's. Never was able to ride it, though, was working too much at the time.

Wkend_Warrior

Pok Fu Lam Road. Wow man, that is near where I grewup.
Thanks for those pics.
Haven't been back over 10+yrs. Sure miss it.

uke

Great pics. Always enjoy seeing life in different places.

blonduathlongrl

so do I..
amazing pics!

Garfield Cat

Jonny, how do you handle all that air pollution?