The Search for Skinny

So after getting all enthusiastic about the biking thanks largely to the warmer weather (and in some part to my largely stomach) I decided that some single track was required, and it had to be closer than the 1hr ride away at the Olympic MTB course. Surely there had to be sniggle somewhere in this city of 19million people along one of the many canals, rivers or road verges. Naturally I didn't actually do much in a proactive sense to seek some out, but Lady Luck is really big here in China and maybe she mistook me for a local - or maybe it was a reward for just getting off the couch.

The good find came last Wednesday when I decided to give myself a bit of a fitness test by riding out to the Olympic precinct on the trusty hardtail, and to try and push myself a bit more than I do on the Grey Ghost (hence starting my search for the other skinny). While the desire to see the Olympic Stadium in the metal was one of the incentives, the other more important one was to test myself out prior to signing up for the following weekend's first Beijing MOB ride of the year. The Beijing MOB are a group of locals and ex-pats who get together every week and head out somewhere on the outskirts of the city for a mountain bike ride (usually to the west). Given the brutality of the winters here the group does tend to call a hiatus during winter (except for a small group of hardcores), and this Saturday just gone was their first ride back. The plans were to kickstart the season with a sightseeing tour which would take us out to the North-East towards the airport, and then potentially all the way around to the Summer Palace in the NW. Around 60-90km tends to be the distance that they cover in a day ride, with this one being at the lower end of the range. I thought that if I could get to the Olympic Stadium and back at a fairly brisk pace then I should be OK for the MOB ride as the terrain here is flat as a pancake and the groups usually full of riders with different skill and fitness levels (Read: use to waiting for the slow ones).

So with the warm clothes on and the water bottles filled I headed off at a faster pace than the rest of the bike traffic, which in Beijing is somewhat of a risk as you tend to make yourself more available to the local hospital surgeons. In fact, I'd go as far to say that riding the streets of Beijing is kinda like riding Sparrow Hill. Sparrow Hill has a great characteristic in that it makes for a great beginners trail when done at beginner’s pace - it's a safe ride. But when you really turn up the speed it actually becomes more technically challenging because of some of the technical trail features (Heavy Cow Loop is a good example of this). I've had more than one mate who has done some serious damage there when the pedal has gone down. In Beijing I have found that riding around the streets and roads is very safe when you travel the speed of the general bike traffic (which is usually very relaxed). Once you turn up the speed though, and do the necessary whipping and weaving through the traffic, then the path becomes littered with some TTF’s of its own (Technical Traffic Features? A new term for Roadies to describe the latte cup that's fallen off the road bike in front of them, endangering the Sunday morning peleton?). The need to have your fingers on the brakes is of the utmost importance, because at any time a car can pull out in front of you and they won't look. And then there are the motorised scooters, the pedestrians and buses.

Thankfully I managed to make it there with no major altercations with a steel cage, and was amazed to see that at the moment the Olympic Green is more of an Olympic Brown, due to the cold weather here that kills off the grass. It was great though to be able to ride around the stadium, and after stopping for a milk tea I headed back in an almost reverse direction (after having to stop to get some navigation tips from a local). On the way back I just so happened to stop on one of the canal bridges for a breather, and to my surprise noticed a plethora of narrow trails running alongside one edge of the canal. Along the other edge was what appeared to be a rock armoured trail about 2 foot wide that disappeared into the distance. Mmmm, inviting. I made a mental note to check it out later on in the week and take the camera along.

Unfortunately patience and mountain biking don't go well together for me so after I got home and had some lunch I packed the camera and made a B-line for the start of the canal just 10min ride from the apartment. Because I had some shopping to do on the way back I took the townie bike, thinking that even if I found the singletrack to be suitable for bikes I would only ride a small sample and head back. Any keen mountain biker will tell you though that singletrack is the beez neez and more addictive than coffee, so after alot of bumping and clunking I returned from a great 1.5hr jaunt along the river, having started on the dirt side for a few city blocks and then crossing over and returning on the armoured path. Safe to say that the townie just hasn't been the same since (she's sounding a bit worse for wear - think a Giant OCR on the CORC Trunk Trail). As well as the potential of the trail as a good MTB track, there was also the bonus of having a lady set up a mobile hairdressing salon right at the start of the trailhead. Just what the hairy rider needs if the helmet gets a bit too tight. And when asked, she did offer me a great price on a number 2 (the haircut variety).

The track actually holds alot of potential as a good Urban MTB loop, offering up lots of little surprises and civil features that can be ridden off or rolled over on 26inch tyres (or 29inches, if that be your poison). And it seems that a few folks in the Beijing MOB are also keen to give the more local routes a go on some days when ride leave passes are constrained by their other half (especially after having decribed to them the sekrets of the Canberra Urban Debacle crew and their honed skill at mixing trail, beer and pizza with great success - something they are onto here as well :-). As a result I seem to have dobbed myself in to lead a MOB ride of the loop in a few weeks time, so with that in mind I'll leave you with a few pictures of the trail because I've got some scouting to do. (some additional photos available in my online album here).

Next post: Pics and report from my first MOB ride.

The dirt trail winding its way along the river.

The trailhead, complete with barber. I'll have a Powerade, a Gu, and a short back and sides thanks.

The armoured trail side of the river offered up some small fun trail features, ...

As well as some bigger ones.

The loop includes some nicely aligned trails, as well as some not so nicely aligned ones.

Happy Trails