Real Road Ride in Hong Kong

I did not think I was going to get to take a real road ride in Hong Kong, but thanks to Jonny (pictured above, with the awesome custom titanium beauty) I did!  He went above and beyond as my cycling host by inviting me for lunch and a tour of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club so we could meet in person.  Then he made special arrangements with Jobar, owner of Victory Cycles in North Point, to rent me a quality road bike for the 53km ride we took early last Sunday morning to Shek O from Wan Chai and back.  

Before coming to Hong Kong I had joined the SIR (South Island Road) Cycling club yahoo groups list to begin getting an idea about the scene here.  At some point after I arrived, I emailed the group to ask if anyone would meet with me to talk about road cycling here, and Jonny didn't hesitate to respond to me, even though I was a complete stranger.  I almost didn't bother to try and contact anyone there because I could see from the emails of the group that I received that they are pretty serious riders.  I hadn't been able to get on a good long ride in months, and was worried I wouldn't be up to the task.  This is another way in which Jonny went above and beyond, in that he understood that and was willing to take me at my pace whatever it was.  He made sure I got what I needed for a successful ride first by finding a safe bike for me to use, then by lending me some warmer clothing for the early morning air.  

We left my hotel at 6:30am, headed down to Shek O on the Southeast side of the island, had a bite to eat among many other local roadies, then headed back the way we came.  The ride consisted of constant rolling hills, and beautiful views of the seascape and infinite horizon would appear every now and then.  We were back in Wan Chai by 10:30am.  I am grateful I had the chance to get out on a wonderful long road ride, and will leave Hong Kong much more satisfied with my cycling experience because of it.  Thanks again Jonny!