We set out to check Hong Kong for its mountain bike suitability. You can read here whether it was worth it: it's warm and humid. A light breeze blows in through the open windows of the apartment on the 42nd floor and provides some cooling. Down below, the streets and alleyways of the former British crown colony of Hong Kong open up like canyons between the modern glass and steel skyscrapers.
On the other side of Victoria Harbour, already on the Chinese mainland, the skyline of Kowloon rises out of the tropical haze. The water is teeming with freighters and small ships transporting all kinds of goods back and forth in an endless stream. A whole armada of hypermodern high-speed ferries fight over the few free moorings like a school of fish for prey. Everything moves hurriedly in an impenetrable chaos - only the green and white ships of the time-honored "Starferry" move calmly back and forth between Kowloon and Hong Kong, as they have done for a hundred years.
Just behind the house, a maze of stairs and steep roads lead up to Victoria Peak. This mountain, which rises over 550 meters above the city, is one of the best vantage points in Hong Kong and a popular excursion destination. The mega mansions of the upper class are built on artificially created terraces on the steep slopes. In the park-sized tropical gardens, turquoise pool landscapes shine between lush greenery and magnificent flowerbeds. With our sweaty bike clothes, we feel quite out of place. Every patch of "free nature" is also hidden under a thick layer of shotcrete to prevent landslides, as we are told.
The single trails marked on the map turn out to be completely asphalted paths and a host of workers seem to remove every leaf and branch as soon as it even touches the ground. Fortunately, further up we not only find a magnificent view of the South China Sea but also a "real" trail that winds its way south through Aberdeen Country Park and gives us a first impression of Hong Kong's biking flair: Mountain biking in the jungle with skyscraper views!
The next day, the "Hong Kong Trail" is on the agenda. Just fifteen minutes from downtown Hong Kong, we reach a mountain range that stretches right by the sea above the small village of Shek O, the southernmost town on Hong Kong Island. A real gem of nature. Broom-like bushes cover the hilly landscape as far as the eye can see. Butterflies and all kinds of insects buzz around here and perch on rock formations that interrupt the vegetation in many places. It's hard to imagine that we are in the immediate vicinity of a metropolis of millions.
A forest of signs and maps greets us at the entrance to the official bike trail. There is a detailed list of what is allowed and what is forbidden and how to behave. According to one of the signs, you would even need a special permit to use the trail. But even our local guide has never heard of this.
We decide not to be impressed by this forest of signs and prefer to concentrate on mountain biking. Small trails with lots of steps and steep sections offer a good mix of relaxed cruising and technical challenges. The view of the small bays and beaches far below us makes the oppressive heat more bearable. After all, the tour ends with a downhill right down to the beach! Despite the proximity to the city, we only meet a few people. For the people of Hong Kong, summer has obviously not yet begun. The 30° air and 25° water temperature is probably still too cool for them to spend time on the beach. Under the skeptical gaze of the lifeguards, we enjoy a dip in the sea to ourselves.
