After months of planning , our international team touched down in Hong Kong in November , as the political discord ramped up a notch . We ’ d questioned the wisdom of continuing with this instalment in our Urban MTB Adventure Series – the third after Trans Angeles and Trans Napoli – which aims to explore the contrast between nature and large urban areas . However , scrapping our plans was not really an option , so we set off understanding that there could be potential roadblocks along the way and we would have to be adaptable to altering our schedule if and when events unfolded .
DAY 1 NEW TERRITORIES
The first day of our Trans Hong Kong Urban MTB Adventure saw us in the New Territories region , north of Kowloon and near the border with mainland China . Despite the rapid urbanisation of this region – about 50 % of Hong Kong ’ s 7.5million population live in the New Territories – there are still large areas of green , forested spaces , and plenty of purpose-built MTB trails .
An energetic Hans , eager to hop on his bike after our long flight , was joined by Tiger So – a local ripper who grew up watching Hans ’ videos . He races on a local level and runs a bike repair shop from his small apartment . Together they ’ d be sampling the trails in the area , some specifically for mountain bikers and others in dual use .
First up was Tai Mo Shan Country Park , and a ride up the highest peak in Hong Kong , at 957m . From there they headed north and then swung to the west , traversing the New Territories and edging closer to mainland China on the Ho Pui Contour Trail . The riding was super fun , not too technical and not too steep , and only requiring intermediate skills for the most part , suiting many levels of rider . They rode through miles of sub-tropical vegetation , featuring canopies of exotic looking plants , bamboo groves , streams and waterfalls . The temperature was perfect , with a very tolerable level of humidity and the sky a clear , azure blue .
Hans and Tiger continued on towards the west coast finishing their journey on Tin Fu Tsai , or the Tin Man trail . We discovered that there is quite a mountain biking scene in Hong Kong and this is possibly its most popular trail , descending on a super flowy run with packed dirt and bedded rocks to help you glide over the areas that might be a bit wet and boggy .
DAY 2 KOWLOON
While our first day had unfolded in rural and peaceful surrounds , day two was set to be a true urban adventure . Hans was joined by Belgium ’ s Martin Maes , one of the world ’ s top Enduro and downhill racers , and together they ’ d be traversing the streets and neighbourhoods of Kowloon .
This densely populated metropolis was once home to Hong Kong ’ s international airport , the planes flying so low over the tightly packed
28 | MTB | urban bike adventure