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Cycling, Kayaking, or Running in Hong Kong

Tue, 2008-03-25 05:27 — Willis

Hi folks,

So I'm getting ready for my move to HK and have a couple of questions as to whether I should bring my road bike or kayak there.  I read in this forum topic that it's probably not a good idea to bike in HK due to the crazy drivers and horrible traffic.  I do triathlons and would love to keep it up while I'm in HK, but wonder if that's a possibility...

Can anyone shine some light on the 3 activities such as good/bad and/or where to go for them?

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Tue, 2008-03-25 16:05 — skmama

Kayaking, etc.

Hi Willis, 

Some people living in Sai Kung like to kayak. The problem is - where do you store it & how do you get it to the water. If you rent a place near the water, I suppose you can just lug it down. Otherwise, you'll need to buy a car and get some storage space.

If you like paddling and intend to live on HK-Island, you could consider joining the Hong Kong Island Paddle Club, they do Dragon Boating & Outrigger stuff.  Visit here http://www.hkipc.com/

If you really like to triathalon, you should go to the website for the HK Triathalon Association and consider joining

http://www.triathlon.com.hk/

If you like to run and drink and socialize, consider the Hash House Harriers

You can find the URL's for the various hashes on this website

http://www.hkhash.com/HKHashes.htm

Tue, 2008-03-25 22:01 — mrb

Triathlons

I asked a friend who knows more about this than me. Their reply:

Triathlons:
A good place for info is the Hong Kong Triathlon Association www.triathlon.com.hk which details all the triathlons in the region as well as marathons etc. There are many established running and triathlon clubs in HK. The network is huge and competitively friendly. As a newbie I was pleasantly surprised that experienced runners or enthusiasts were incredibly supportive and helpful - a little disconcerting after the perceived 'rudeness' of HK. Maybe its the shared pain experience.

Running - anywhere if you don't mind the pollution. Seriously though - if you read Batgung's hiking pages - there are many country parks and walks which make for great training runs and relatively pollution free running. The gym treadmill for pounding out the run mileage. Government training parks [free] usually have very good running tracks although you need to check the facility isn't booked for sports competitions etc. A great place is the Happy Valley running track within the horse racing track. Don't be surprised if you're asked to take part in a game of tag football on one of the pitches in the middle.

Swimming - sea? Sai Kung [west] and Gold Coast [East] or any of the beaches on HK South side. Swimming pools - well South China Association or the YMCA are usually very well recommended.

Cycling - fortunately a lot of HK is cemented and so that makes for easier cycling although it is a hilly region. Again, pollution and traffic is a problem. A lot of cyclists seem to practice in the New Territories.

Another problem is transport - there was a big debate a couple of years back about the KCRC not allowing bikes on their trains. I'm not sure whether that was resolved. Earlier this year - a friend took his bike on the West Rail and had to remove the front wheel. He was then given two black bags to cover the back wheel and to hold the front one. Maybe wheels are a security risk. He is also a triathlete and doesn't seem to mind the small hassles to participate in triathlons or Ironman competitions.

Triathlons are very popular though and so there is a serious number of enthusiasts who readily overcome the logistics of training, weather, humidity etc.

Don't forget Asia is a great place for action racing so multi-sport enthusiasts have a great choice.  As for the kayak... I have no idea whether its a good idea to have your own kayak or not. I hope other batgungers have more advice on this.

And in case you haven't seen it, we've got some info on swimming in Hong Kong.

MrB

Thu, 2008-03-27 22:48 — Willis

Info

thanks for your responses, this'll prevent me from becoming lazy when I get there.

Tue, 2008-04-01 19:45 — gweipo

sporty

HK is fantastic as far as sports are concerned and it's the one overseas posting I"ve had where I've found a lot of people to be physically active.  I'd definitely try and get involved in the various organisations out here.  A lot of the triathletes I know train around the shek o / Big wave bay area.

Mon, 2008-04-14 12:10 — Nathan (not verified)

Cycling in HK

I ride my bike to work religiously every day and have done so since I arrvied in HK two years ago. The trick is that I live in Shatin (New Territories), where there a hundreds of km of bike trails. MY commute is partly on road, partly on the trails. Bottom line for me is that cycling of all kinds is very do-able in NT, if different from what I experienced in the US (sheer population density means I'm often riding more slowly, but the truly epic hills are GREAT for staying in shape, if you have the right gears.) Best place for equipment and to find about rides is Flying Ball Cycles, easy to Google them. For Kowloon and HKI, I think riding would be tougher, but I certainly see riders out on the streets and in the hills when I'm hiking.

Good luck!

Nathan