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