Hills of Hong Kong: Peel Rise

Following hotly on the heels of the third instalment, comes the fourth part in the series looking at the Hills of Hong Kong. This time we return to Hong Kong Island for one of the lesser/un-known climbs, Peel Rise.

The ‘road’ takes its name from Sir William Peel, the Governor of Hong Kong from 1930 to 1935, and in fact sections of it form part of section three of the Hong Kong Trail. Sections of it are certainly more suited to hiking.

Old Man Peel

The Route

This climb is approached from Pok Fu Lam Road / Aberdeen Praya Road, via the streets of Aberdeen, a town more famous for its floating village and floating seafood restaurants than its cycling scene.

Negotiating the traffic, a left turn at a set of traffic lights takes you up Aberdeen Reservoir Road and the start of the climb. A sharp left quickly follows onto Peel Rise. A path which, with the road surface gradually decreasing in quality, winds up to the base of Mt Kellett and Matilda Hospital.

The climb totals 3.4km in length with an average gradient of 10.8%, there are a few flatter sections but the gradients generally remain consistent throughout the climb. The road is obviously steep, but the road surface and the sharp, narrow hairpins can sometimes offer the greater challenge.

The Climb

Apart from the brief respite, the climb rarely dips below 10-12%

The climb starts with a bang as you turn up Aberdeen Reservoir Road to be faced with a wall, hitting 18-20%. But it is only 100 metres before a left-hand turn towards Peel Rise and relatively steady, if challenging gradients through a local graveyard. A brief respite comes as the road levels off temporarily before the remaining 2.5km of leg burning climbing.

It is at this stage that the question of whether or not bikes are really allowed on this section of the road perhaps explains the lesser-known nature of this climb (Strava only has four riders logged as having completed this climb…). After the flat section, crossing the storm drain the road you are faced with rises sharply up and the asphalt is replaced with a potholed, leaf covered, tarmac rubble. The climbing legs are tested, but so are the bike handling skills. A number of sharp, steep and tight hairpins on the way up means that those with mountain bike experience may fair better than pure roadies (although having completed this climb on a mountain bike, the road bike remains quicker).

A great road surface, some leaves and a good covering of trees...

The gradients for the next section of the climb remain consistently above 12-13% with steeper sections to get you out of the saddle. Adding to this the road itself offers a number of challenges and you will often be faced with wet leaves (days after it last rained), fallen trees (on occasion requiring a CX style dismount) and landslides (once having taken away 60% of the path with it). The tree canopies, close overhead, keep the road damp and can add a slightly oppressive feel to the climb.

Coming out of the trees for the final 0.5km, the road finally returns to a smooth asphalt; this luxury, however, comes at a price as the road kicks up for the last incline, pushing 19% as you reach the top of Peak Road and the base of Mt Kellett / Matilda Hospital.

Summary

An atmospheric climb that is consistently steep and can challenge even the best bike handlers, Peel Rise is an, as yet, undiscovered Hong Kong Island gem.

Just don’t let the park ranger catch you climbing it on your bike.

Its Strava leaderboard can be found here.

Hills of Hong Kong: Big Buddha

As the, long overdue, third part in the series looking at the Hills of Hong Kong, we return to Lantau Island for the climb to the "Big Buddha".

The Tian Tan Buddha, commonly known as the Big Buddha, is perhaps Lantau’s biggest tourist attraction. It was ‘the world's tallest outdoor bronze seated Buddha’ prior to 2007 (I am not sure which Buddha now holds this venerable title…) – impressive I hear you think, but it was only built/completed in 1993 and seems to have been erected chiefly with tourists in mind (the nearby Po Lin Monastery, a genuine ‘centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong’ was founded as far back as 1906), something that is confirmed by the nearby Disneyfied ‘village’ of Nong Ping 360 (more of a tacky retail and entertainment centre than a village).

Tourists are brought up to the Big Buddha from Tung Chung by the Ngong Ping Cable Car; the more adventurous cyclists start their climb to enlightenment under their own steam from Shek Pik reservoir.

Hello Buddha!

The Route

The majority of cyclist will have already tackled (and conquered?) the Beast before dropping down to Pui O Wan and heading west along South Lantau Road. South Lantau Road provides a welcome respite and some rolling terrain before arriving at the dam at Shek Pik Reservoir – the reservoir to your right and a view over Shek Pik Prison to your left.

There may be some difference in opinion as to when the real climb to the Big Buddha starts, but there is little argument that the road turns quickly upwards as you leave the reservoir behind and hit Keng Shan Road.

The climb totals 4.4km in length with an average gradient of 8.2%, but there are many changes in pitch along the way that flatter to deceive. The climb to the crest of Keng Shan Road is consistent, before a right turn towards Nong Ping offers some extreme pitches, a nice flat section and then a wall to the finish.

3km of steady climbing before a small rest and then a final push to the finish

The final section of the climb; 2km of contrasts.... flats and walls

The Climb

The climb to Big Buddha offers it all; some consistent (if steep) climbing, extreme pitches, a section of flat and a ‘wall’ to finish it off. It is a climb that can be brutal the first few times, but once you have tackled it and know what to expect it becomes less of a challenge.

The climb from Shek Pik to the crest of Keng Shan Road, after an initial gentle start, maintains a consistent gradient of 10-12% for 2kms+, enough to get the heart pumping and the legs burning. If that doesn’t raise the heart rate, the tight, steep corners with buses taking tourists to the Buddha whizzing (far too closely) past you will.

As you reach the crest of the initial section of the climb, instead of following the road as it drops down to Tai O a right turn takes you up towards Nong Ping and the Big Buddha – from here on the terrain is more varied.

The first 700 metres includes short pitches of 21% and 29%, which require periods out of the saddle, before levelling off completely for 800 metres of recovery time.

Water buffalo roaming around 

Having had the opportunity to take a rest, carefully cycling past Lantau’s feral cattle and water buffalo that often roam this section, the road straightens and reveals the last 800 metre ‘wall’ with gradients never dipping below 11% and for the majority of the time sitting comfortably at 18-21%. You can see the crest of the road stretched out in front of you, but every time you find the energy to raise your head it rarely seems to be getting any closer.

On hitting the top, you can see the Big Buddha ahead and freewheel the last 100 metres to the tourist circus surrounding him.

Dogs are circling me everywhere (out of shot...)

Summary

The climb to enlightenment may not be an easy one, but it is certainly rewarding. Heading up to the Big Buddha can at first seem daunting, and the unpredictable nature of the road can catch a few riders out, but once you have had Buddha in your sight a few times the climb becomes more predictable and allows you measure your efforts.

There are some brutal gradients and some more forgiving ones, making the climb a perfect opportunity to test your climbing skills on varying terrain.

Its Strava leaderboard can be found here.

Goodbye Lantau...

This last Saturday, I headed out to meet Kelvin for what was to be my last ride on Lantau Island. The plan was to get a decent ride in before meeting Vicky at the TaiO Heritage Hotel where we would be spending Saturday evening as part of a short ‘staycation’ (a very thoughtful wedding present).

Arriving a little earlier than planned I made my way along the platform at Sunny Bay MTR station (front wheel of course off my bike) and noticed a minor scuffle between two ageing Cantonese guys. There was a bit of shouting and a little bit of ‘hand-bag at twenty paces’ type shoving. Not too unusual, so I skirted past and made my way out through the turnstiles. Next thing, one guy pushes past me muttering under his breath, throws down his bag and pulls out what I thought was a pen (to write a complaint?!). As soon as the other guy left the station he launched himself at him with, what was now apparent to me as, the screwdriver in his hand and started wildly trying to stab him in the ribs, kidneys, head and neck. Total chaos ensued!

The Cantonese labourers weapon of choice - more dangerous than one might expect

I wasn’t quite sure what to do, I was unarmed and didn’t fancy catching a screwdriver in the face. I thought about throwing my bike at them, but it was new (and expensive) so I quickly dismissed that ridiculous idea… A quick scan of the area revealed no readily adaptable street weapons. Deciding that I was going to be no use I also briefly considered whether I should film it (or maybe even Instagram the action….). I stood there uselessly.

A very ineffective street weapon

Eventually the unarmed guy wrestled him to the ground and got him in some sort of leg lock whilst the crazy guy flailed around on the floor with his bloodied screwdriver. The victim was streaming blood from his face and neck and clearly had several puncture wounds. Phone calls were made and the aggressor got up and legged it for a bus (from which he was refused entry) and then into the distance. People gave chase, then a typically unnecessarily large number of police (three paddy waggons?) and ambulances arrived. Shortly followed by Kelvin in all-white kit…

Try not to look too closely, you might get an unpleasant surprise

Is all white kit every really acceptable? I am not sure it ever is. I was wearing a white jersey, fine, it gets hot and it is a cooling colour. White bibshorts though, they are frankly indecent – a tiny bit of rain or getting a little threadbare after being loved too much and they reveal far too much of areas no one really wants to have to see. I resigned myself to spending as much of the day riding in front of Kelvin (or at the very least side by side) to avoid unwanted images being etched on my retinas.

I recounted the street fight / attempted murder as we cycled out of Sunny Bay, narrowly avoiding a pack of police dogs, and headed towards what in my mind was the mini-goal of the day – climb the Beast in my fastest time to-date. This would be the last time I would climb the Beast and to be honest I was a little glad about that. Hitting the bottom I tripped the lap timer on my Garmin and started to grind my way up (mindful of my power output – see previous, very interesting, blog here). Finally hitting the top I stopped the clock to a time that appeared to be 30 seconds slower than my previous effort a few weeks ago, but with a higher speed and greater average power. I tried harder, hurt more at the end but was slower - something was amiss.

Brushing my pathetic performance aside we headed towards Tai O with the promise of legendary coffee and cheesecake at a little stilted gem of a coffee shop – Solo.

Espresso time!

After a fab siphoned coffee, we started the climb to enlightenment and headed towards the Big Buddha (to be featured in the next Hills of Hong Kong blog entry). The cheesecake sat heavy in the stomach as we climbed and almost proved fatal in slowing us down when we needed to sprint away from a (wild?) dog that jumped out from a side road, teeth bared and started chasing us up the road. The dog was not mountain goat though and was quickly dropped.

The bad feeling amongst the canines continued as we tried to cycle to a good view of the Buddha at the top of the hill. We were surrounded by four or five dogs and every time we edged forward on the bike we were greeted with wild barking and snappy teeth.

Dogs are literally everywhere.... just out of shot

Not wanting to push our luck we headed towards Mui Wo along a storm drain which was significant flatter than the coastal road, free kilometres.  After a quick liquid refuel in Mui Wo we doubled back on ourselves and headed up the Reverse Beast – the, only marginally, easier side of the Beast At the top I left Kelvin to head off for his flight back to the UK and doubled back on myself and took advantage of the free-kilometre-storm-drain back towards Tai O to meet Vicky.

I am probably the first guest that the Tai O Heritage Hotel have had check in in full lycra.

Despite the Beast disappointment I uploaded my ride to Strava here – mercifully I had knocked 30+ seconds off my time for the Beast and moved up to 4^th on the leaderboard. I wouldn’t need to make the ride private after all.

I am currently in Taiwan for through days of riding through the mountains (and my highest every road pass next). Can’t wait (although the weather needs to improve).

Hills of Hong Kong: The Beast

As the second part in the series looking at the Hills of Hong Kong, here is "The Beast" on Lantau Island.

Probably only second to The Peak in notoriety amongst the lycra fraternity, this aptly named climb is found at the centre of Lantau Island, connecting the north and the south coasts of the island.

For most it means jumping on the MTR or grabbing a 'man with a van' to travelling out to Lantau Island, the largest island in Hong Kong. Lantau Island primarily consists of mountainous terrain and is often referred to as "the lungs of Hong Kong", because of its abundance of indigenous forest and relative scarcity of skyscrappers and infrastructure (despite being home to Hong Kong's international airport).

Tung Chung Road weaving its way up past Lantau and Sunset Peaks

The Route

Leaving the airport town of Tung Chung you quickly hit Tung Chung Road, heading south along a pass bisecting Lantau Peak (at 934m the second highest peak in Hong Kong) and Sunset Peak (at 869m the third highest).

The road rolls along gently for a brief time before hitting a small roundabout that signifies the start of the climb to the other side of Lantau, cresting at 295 metres above sea-level before plummeting down an exhilarating decent to Cheung Sha Beach on the south coast.



There are more 'hidden' black sections to this climb than it appears.... honest


The climb is a relatively short 2.6km with an average gradient of 10.2%, but that doesn't tell the full story, the last 1.5km rarely dips below 14% with numerous ramps hitting between 16 and 18%. There really is no let up.

The Climb

There are few roads in Hong Kong that I enjoy cycling up less than the Beast. It looms over every trip to Lantau. Despite arguably not really being the worse climb on Lantau, it is invariably the first climb of the day and is a brutal way to wake up your legs.

A gentle first 500m to 1km gives no clue as to the leg burning gradients that follow. A brief ramp flattens out before the true climbing begins at 1km with the gradients constantly flicking between 14-16%. With the road carved into the mountainside there is not much to distract your eye from the asphalt wall in front of you and the concrete slopes to your left.

Looking back to Tung Chung having tamed the Beast

A brief hairpin to the right at 500m to the summit provides a slight flattening of the road (still not below 12% though...) and a mental milestone allowing you to power the final steep ramp to the top.

The climb is unrelenting and, in all but the winter month(s), is exposed to the baking sun and humidty of Hong Kong. The climbing is difficult, but cooling yourself down and keeping your heart rate out of the red can be just as challenging.

Summary

In spite of its diminutive length and deceptive average gradient the Beast is a climb not to be taken lightly; even experienced cyclists have underestimated the demands, been found wanting and needed to unclip. It is a classic example of the short, wall like climbs that are Hong Kong's forte. It deserves its reputation and name!

Its Strava leaderboard can be found here.

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!