Hills of Hong Kong: The Peak

As the first part of a short series looking at the 'famous' climbs of Hong Kong, here is "The Peak" on Hong Kong Island.

Whilst Hong Kong does not offer long Alpine style climbs (5-6 km would be considered a pretty long climb here) it does have a number of easily accessible roads that are great for getting some climbing training in. Across a number of posts I will attempt to provide a brief (insightful?) write up of some of those climbs, from the more gentle and scenic to the some of the short, but brutal, 'wall' like climbs.

The Peak, a 'mountain' on the western side of Hong Kong Island with an altitude of 552m, is probably one of the most famous landmarks in Hong Kong, offering panoramic views across Central, Victoria Harbour, Lamma and outlying islands

Originally the exclusive retreat of wealthy (non-Chinese) residents who reached their homes by sedan chairs and later by the Peak Tram funicular which opened in 1888, the road leading up to the Peak now finds a plethora of cyclists grinding their way up it every morning via the circuitous Peak Road.

At 1.4km long and gaining just under 400m, the Peak Tram is the most direct route to the top...

The Route

Starting at the base of Wong Nai Chung Gap Road and halfway up Stubbs Road, Stubbs Road climbs west, merging into Peak Road, before continuing towards the leisure and shopping centres found at 432 meters above sea-level.

Lots of blue.... just what we like to see

It is 5.3km long with an average gradient of 5.2% making it a relatively tame climb, despite the audible gasps non-cyclists let out when cycling up the Peak is mentioned in conversation. Despite sounding impressive, it really isn't that hard to cycle up - there a certainly plenty of climbs in Hong Kong that are much tougher....

The Climb

As with most roads in Hong Kong it is a road that is best cycled early in the morning, as it quickly becomes heavy with traffic making the experience more fraught then most would like, but when quiet it offers some sanctuary from the bustle of the city below as you cycle away from it - often into the clouds...

Despite a few short ramps the gradient remains relatively constant, meaning you can quickly find a rhythm and a feel for whether your legs are good (or not). On days when the pedals are turning freely it is easy to build and maintain a pace that will keep you at your threshold the whole way, regularly making for a painful, leg burning last 1.5kms.

Once at the top you find yourself thrust into the tourist melee, keen to catch your breath and (having briefly taken in the views) to cycle back down and escape.

Summary

One of the longer climbs in Hong Kong, with a gradient that lets you ride at speed/threshold the whole way, making it a useful benchmark for your training. 'Testing' myself up here has left me barely able to stand and close to vomitting on a number of occassions - I always promise myself I wont do it again anytime soon.
The Strava leaderboard is pretty hotly contested that is for sure!