Cycling tours more popular as people ditch beach holidays and hit the road
Cycling tours in Asia are growing more popular as people ditch the beach holiday and hit the road, writes Rachel Jacqueline
With its narrow and congested roads and heavily polluted air, Hong Kong is not ideal for cyclists. So those who have caught the cycling bug are swapping Asian beach breaks for bike holidays, touring the region for days or weeks at a time - and conquering personal challenges along the way.
"People are well travelled in Hong Kong; they've sat on every beach in Asia, and now they're looking for something different," says Troy de Haas, manager of the Active, Health & Wellness travel teams at Flight Centre Hong Kong.
It's perfect for someone who has a bit of grit and enjoys a few challenges
He estimates the number of those taking part in cycling tours around the region has "more than tripled" in the past three years. Not only is cycling social - "you can stop and have a coffee along the way if you feel like it," says de Haas - it won't ruin your joints like a week-long running adventure might.
"Plus, you get to see things at a much slower pace than you do on the back of a tour bus or in a van," he says. "You get a true experience of the destination."
Though the European Alps may seem a more likely cycling destination, de Haas assures rewarding cycling awaits just a short distance from Hong Kong, "from the mountains of Taiwan, to the hills of Thailand's north, to meandering through the diverse countryside of Vietnam".
Hong Kong's newest cycling company, Mad Dogs, promises the "ultimate long-distance cycling challenge" throughout greater Asia. From Hong Kong to Hanoi, Sapporo to Moscow, Hanoi to Bangkok, Taipei to Kenting, Singapore to Krabi and Macau to Guilin, cyclists take on such mammoth challenges in shorter daily stages. Over seven days, you can cover as much as 1,420km.
"People want to achieve something major, but for most, it is unrealistic to take more than a week off work," says founder Humphrey Wilson.